Mysteries of the Milky Way - New Scientist

From its furthest dark-matter-spattered reaches to the black hole at its core, Stephen Battersby explores 11 enigmas of our galaxy

Harnessing the quantum power of empty space - physics-math - 20 February 2012 - New Scientist

he elusive Casimir effect suggests we could use vacuum energy to move objects and make stuff – but can something really come from nothing? "NOTHING will come of nothing." Shakespeare's epithet seems the kind of self-evident statement that only poets and philosoph …

'Dark plasmons' transmit energy

Microscopic channels of gold nanoparticles have the ability to transmit electromagnetic energy that starts as light and propagates via "dark plasmons," according to researchers at Rice University.    

Slow graphene down, speed computers up - tech - 02 February 2012 - New Scientist

Astonishing conductivity helped the discoverers of graphene win the Nobel prize in physics in 2010. Now a way to switch off the easy flow of electrons in this wonder form of carbon is bringing superfast graphene computers closer.

Earth in for bumpy ride as solar storms hit - space - 01 February 2012 - New Scientist

THE sun is gearing up for a peak in activity at a time when technology makes our planet more vulnerable to solar outbursts than ever before. Monitoring has improved since the last solar maximum, so what are the big risks this time around?

Take the 5th? Not With Encrypted Hard Drives, Says Fed Judge

A suspect in a mortgage fraud case has been ordered by a federal court to decrypt a hard drive that may contain information that incriminates her. This is the first time this issue has squarely landed before a judge, according to her attorney.

Must-have robots come nearer with software explosion - tech - 19 January 2012 - New Scientist

Software is about to haul robots out of the lab and into our lives, just as it did with home computing

T-rays technology could help develop Star Trek-style hand-held medical scanners

 Scientists have developed a new way to create Terahertz waves (T-rays) that may one day lead to biomedical detective devices similar to the 'tricorder' scanner used in Star Trek

The Dawn of a New Computing Era

Yes, some first generation Ultrabooks are simply lighter, slimmer laptops than their vendors currently have in production.

Cosmic Log - What mystifies Dr. Hawking? Women

As famed physicist Stephen Hawking turns 70, the subject that most occupies his thoughts is not how the universe arose from nothing, or how he's been able to live with neurodegenerative disease for so long. Here's what he thinks about most: "Women.

Gartner Dims Growth Expectations for Global IT Spending in 2012

Though Gartner's downward revision for 2012 global IT spending growth may well be accurate, that doesn't mean companies should assume their opportunities are shrinking. Many global IT markets are still quite robust, suggested Beni Lopez, chief globalization officer of Softtek.

A 40-year-old puzzle of superstring theory solved by supercomputer

A group of three researchers from KEK, Shizuoka University and Osaka University has for the first time revealed the way our universe was born with 3 spatial dimensions from 10-dimensional superstring theory in which spacetime has 9 spatial directions and 1 temporal direction.

Scientists model brain structure to help computers recognize objects

An essential question confronting neuroscientists and computer vision researchers alike is how objects can be identified by simply "looking" at an image. Introspectively, we know that the human brain solves this problem very well.

A 'Rose' made of galaxies

In celebration of the twenty-first anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope's deployment in April 2011, astronomers at the Space Telescope Science Institute pointed Hubble's eye to an especially photogenic group of interacting galaxies called Arp 273.

Self-healing electronics could work longer and reduce waste

 When one tiny circuit within an integrated chip cracks or fails, the whole chip -- or even the whole device -- is a loss. But what if it could fix itself, and fix itself so fast that the user never knew there was a problem?

Towards artificial photosynthesis for solar hydrogen generation: Algal protein gives boost to electrochemical water splitting

 Photosynthesis is considered the "Holy Grail" in the field of sustainable energy generation because it directly converts solar energy into storable fuel using nothing but water and carbon dioxide (CO2).

Quantum computer components 'coalesce' to 'converse'

[1] A single photon is produced by a quantum dot (QD). Simultaneously, a pair of photons is produced by a parametric down-conversion crystal (PDC).

Researchers roll Einstein's dice: Developing a quantum random number generator

Quantum mechanics implies that uncertainty in experimental measurements are an inherent part of nature – an idea that Albert Einstein disparagingly characterized as “rolling dice”.

Mind reading machines on their way: IBM

Century-old technology colossus IBM depicted a near future in which machines read minds and recognize who they are dealing with.

Researchers transfer the concept of an optical invisibility cloak to sound waves

Progress of metamaterials in nanotechnologies has made the invisibility cloak, a subject of mythology and science fiction, become reality: Light waves can be guided around an object to be hidden, in such a way that this object appears to be non-existent.

Magnetic breakthrough may have significant pull

Northeastern University researchers have designed a super-strong magnetic material that may revolutionize the production of magnets found in computers, mobile phones, electric cars and wind-powered generators.

Quantum computing has applications in magnetic imaging

Quantum computing -- considered the powerhouse of computational tasks -- may have applications in areas outside of pure electronics, according to a University of Pittsburgh researcher and his collaborators.

Detecting the 'heartbeat' of smallest black hole candidate

An international team of astronomers has identified a candidate for the smallest-known black hole using data from NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE).

High-energy physicists set record for network data transfer

 Researchers have set a new world record for data transfer, helping to usher in the next generation of high-speed network technology.

Latest Comments

Recent Votes

Profile

DracX

Articles Posted: 3
Links Seeded: 149
Member Since: 7/2009Last Seen: 4/02/2012

A dedicated computer nerd with an edge. I live in Seattle, Wa. I also love to read, and discuss what is going on in the world.

Recommendations

Blogs

Books

My Personal Site

DracX's Feeds

Subscribe to DracX's content using the feeds below. Use RSS for your newsreader and JSS to insert onto your own blog:
  • Articles
  • Seeds
  • Votes
  • Comments
  • Watchlist

DracX's Groups

DracX is a member of the following groups: