A new metal matrix composite that combines light weight with strength and heat resistance could be used in marine vessels within three years, say its developers. The researchers behind the new metal matrix syntactic foam, from Deep Springs Technology (DST) and the New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering (NYU), have published details of their […]
In what its UC Santa Barbara developers say is a significant step toward brain-like computing; a memristor-based circuit of about 100 artificial synapses has performed a typical human task: image classification. In the researchers’ demonstration, the circuit implementing the rudimentary artificial neural network was able to successfully classify three letters (“z”, “v” and “n”) by […]
Despite the fact that nicotine insecticides were banned in 2009, European researchers say that high concentrations of nicotine are still detected in many plants. The journalAgronomy for Sustainable Development now reports that passive smoking and contaminated soils could be to blame for high levels of nicotine found in spices, herbal teas, and medicinal plants. Lead […]
Scientists at Berkeley Lab and the University of Hawaii have shown how DNA’s molecular precursors – carbon ring structures with embedded nitrogen atoms – could be created in the region surrounding a star. The new work adds to previous intriguing observations of what appear to be organic molecules in distant stellar environments. In the new […]
New research from King’s College London sheds light on why premature birth is linked to a greater risk of neurodevelopmental problems, including autistic spectrum disorders and attention deficit disorders. The new work, published in the journal PNAS, used functional magnetic resonance imaging to establish that premature birth can alter connectivity between key areas of the […]
Centimeter-accurate positioning systems are already used in surveying and mapping, but the antennas these systems employ are too large and costly for use in mobile devices. Now, however, University of Texas scientists have devised a powerful and sensitive software-defined GPS receiver that can extract centimeter accuracies from the inexpensive antennas found in mobile devices. The […]
Scientists at the University of California, Irvine have been investigating what might happen to an astronaut’s brain during the long journey to Mars and found that constant exposure to highly energetic charged particles – much like those found in the galactic cosmic rays that bombard astronauts during extended spaceflights – cause significant damage to the […]
The belief that depression is due to low levels of serotonin in the brain – and that effective pharmaceutical treatments raise these levels – is nothing but a myth, according to David Healy, a Professor of Psychiatry at the Hergest psychiatric unit in the UK. Arguing his case in the British Medical Journal, Healy points […]
Veterinary specialists in the UK have authored an intriguing paper regarding certain types of feline seizures, which appear to occur in response to certain high-pitched sounds. The paper, entitled “Audiogenic reflex seizures in cats,” has been published in theJournal of Feline Medicine and Surgery and is based on data from 96 cats. It reveals that […]
A major breakthrough in artificial photosynthesis has been achieved with the development of a system that can capture carbon dioxide emissions and convert them into valuable chemical products, including biodegradable plastics, pharmaceutical drugs and even liquid fuels. Developed by scientists from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California Berkeley, the system uses […]
