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How Albert Einstein broke the Periodic Table

In a study published in the January 19, 2016 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), scientists at Tsinghua University in China confirmed that something very unusual is happening inside extremely heavy atoms, causing them to deviate from their expect chemical behavior predicted by their place on the Periodic Table of Elements.

Trillion fps camera shoots advancing light waves

How fast can your camera shoot? 60 frames per second, maybe 100? If you’ve got a good one, maybe 1000, or maybe you’re super pro and you shoot 10.000 fps. Puh-lease! The new MIT camera shoots at 1 trillion fps – that’s 1.000.000.000.000 frames every second ! Think of it this way: 1 trillion seconds […]

First robot-run farm to be opened in Japan

Robots really are starting to take over jobs - a company in Japan has just announced they will open the world's first "robot farm".

Facebook turns six degrees of separation into 3.57

The idea of six degrees of separation was introduced more than 80 years ago. It suggests that you are six introductions away from meeting anyone in the world. In other words, everyone in the world is connected through a chain of six links. For some, fewer introductions are required to come in direct contact with Barrack Obama or Stephen Hawking. A study made at Facebook suggests that, among its users at least, there are now only 3.57 degrees of separation on average.

German nuclear fusion machine starts running

German scientists have turned on a device called a stellerator, the largest of its kind. The machine could pave the way for nuclear fusion, a clean and safe type of nuclear power.

World's largest floating solar farm to be built in Japan

After shutting down its nuclear reactors, Japan needs to look elsewhere to generate energy. Problem is Japan is kinda crowded, so one ingenious company proposed a creative idea: install solar panels on water.

Pheonix exoskeleton wants to make wheelchairs obsolete

"Unless you've been in a wheelchair, it's very difficult to see all the various small details - what a person would actually need within an exoframe," said one Phoenix exoskeleton user. Developed by California robotics startup SuitX, this exoskeleton is the lightest on the market today. It's aim is to eventually become so cheap, durable and practical that it will make the wheelchair obsolete and the lives of millions of paraplegics a lot less daunting.

Artificial trees capture wasted kinetic energy, power sensors

To the romantic eye, a tree swaying in the wind is a testimony of nature's heart beat. An engineer might be moved by the same feeling, but he might also add: "well, that looks like a lot of wasted energy."

Nicotine patches help you quit smoking, even without counseling

The Ontario Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) mailed free nicotine patches to smokers to see if they really help you quit without any behavioral support. And for one in four of participants who kept to the treatment, it did.

Europe launches laser-equipped satellite to transmit data - 100 times faster than the internet

Europe's laser communication network has taken off!

Quantum time-space asymmetry explains the origins of dynamics

Griffith University Associate Professor Joan Vaccaro believes she may have uncovered how our reality differentiates the future from the past. Her paper could topple our understanding of time flow (ironically) forever.

Computer beats human at Go for the first time

In what seemed impossible just a few years ago, a computer has beaten a Go champion.

How dopamine is shuttled between neurons

University of Florida researchers have discovered how our bodies control dopamine transport in and out of brain cells.

Tesla want to make cars so good you won't ever care about oil prices

In a time when a barrel of oil can cost less than a ... barrel, the EV market suffers. Market leader Tesla Motors saw its shares take a dive this month after it reported sales in the bottom range of its forecast for the 2015 fourth quarter. So, how can Tesla, Nissan or any other player in the EV space right now protect themselves against fluctuating oil prices. When the price is high, the EV market flourishes and, conversely, goes down with oil that sells for pennies. Tesla's boss, Elon Musk, has this covered: he wants to make electric cars that are so exceptional that you won't care anymore about how much a full tank costs.

Electrical concrete could de-ice by itself

An innovative type of concrete has the potential to save lives and millions off of taxpayers' money.

Voles show care for and comfort distressed mates

A study from Emory University looking into prairie voles' consoling behaviors provides new evidence in support of animal empathy. The tests had pairs of voles isolated from each other, one being exposed to mild electric shocks, to study how the rodents react to a distressed mate.

German submarine lost in action over a century ago found in the North Sea

A North Sea wreck has been identified as a German world war one U-boat, announced ScottishPower Renewables. The vessel found its resting place 90 kilometers (56 miles) off the Norfolk Coast.

Desert beetles inspire aircraft design that doesn't freeze

The Namib Desert Beetle lives in one of the most inhospitable and driest places on Earth, in the southwest coast of Africa. The beetle, however, employs a nifty trick: it can virtually make water out of thin air, thanks to its body whose geometry collects water droplets and directs them right into the insect's mouth. Now, engineers have adapted this design to keep ice bridges from forming and keep critical aircraft components freeze-free.

How to check if a 22,338,618 digits long number is prime

A supercomputer checked if a 22,338,618 digits long number is prime in less than 3 days. Here's how.

Graphene elastomer is more sensitive than human skin

Researchers have developed a new graphene-based elastomer that can revolutionize prosthetic skin.

NASA: Nuclear power instead of coal saved 1.8 million lives between 1971-2009

According to a study conducted by NASA in 2013, using nuclear energy instead of coal saved almost 2 million lives since 1979 - by allowing us to not use coal.

Creative thinking requires more checks and balances that you'd think

Creative thinking requires the simultaneous activation of two distinct networks in the brain, the associative and normative networks. Higher connectivity between these completely different systems of your brain leads to new, original and useful ideas, University of Haifa research concludes.

How women subconsciously fight sexual competition

A new paper published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology examines women's efforts to guard their mates from sexual competition -- especially other ovulating females.

Detachable airplane cabin parachutes passengers to safety: is this a smart design?

Tatarenko Vladimir Nikolaevich, a Russian inventor, has designed an audacious new safety mechanism for airplanes: a detachable passenger and cargo cabin that springs away from the aircraft in case of emergency. Once unhooked, the cabin deploys parachutes that safely touch down the cabin on land or water.

MIT polymer paves the way for solar-heated clothes

MIT scientists have developed a material that can absorb solar energy, stores and release it on demand to produce heat. Made from a film of polymer, the material could be used to used to tailor cold climate garments that charge up during the day and keep you pleasantly warm in the evening.

Archaeologists unearth stunning evidence of prosthetic use in dark age Europe

Austrian archaeologists said on Thursday that they've uncovered Europe's oldest prosthetic implant -- a wooden foot dated from the sixth century AD.

New STEM cell technology allows scientists to grow retinal nerve cells

Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered a method that allows them to coax stem cells to morph into retinal ganglion cells. This type of nerve cells reside in the retina and transmit visual input from the eyes to the brain. If these cells become damaged or die vision-loss conditions develop, such as glaucoma or multiple sclerosis.

Who says incandescent bulbs have to waste energy: MIT design is more efficient than LEDs

Though incandescent light bulbs have been used to light homes for more than a hundreds years, and still do so in most of the world, these are ridiculously inefficient. This has prompted many governments to completely phase-them out, among which the E.U., Australia, Canada, Russian, as well as the United States. Their place has been taken over by fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), and the even more efficient LEDs. A team at MIT, however, has a bright idea that might revamp the unfavored bulbs. They've designed a new sort of incandescent bulb that uses a photonic crystal to recycle the waste energy. The resulting bulbs could be more power and light efficient than anything on the market right now.

In 2018 your Tesla could drive itself from L.A. to New York City, says Musk

Elon Musk is a man of bold claims, but he also walks the talk.

Self assembling nano material brings us tangibly close to water-powered cars

Indiana University scientists have built a highly efficient bio-material that can serve as a catalyst for hydrogen production. This material takes us halfway towards the long sought-after "holy grail" of splitting water to make hydrogen and oxygen for fueling cheap and efficient cars that run on water.

New enzyme could be used as an insulin alternative, to treat diabetes and obesity

University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) scientists have identified a new enzyme that could protect the body from toxic levels of intra-cell sugar. When there is too much sugar in the body it gets processed to glycerol-3-phosphate, a buildup of which can damage internal organs. The team behind the study proved that G3PP is able to extract excess sugar from cells.

Newly developed polymer can shapeshift and "remember" its shape

3D printing has developed fantastically this year, but there are still some areas where it struggles. For example, if you’d want to create complex shapes like in origami, paper is much better than the plastic polymers 3D printers use; but while origami doesn’t seem like much of a stake, industrial origami is much more important. […]

This electric generator is only a few atoms thin

Researchers from Columbia Engineering and the Georgia Institute of Technology report the first experimental proof of piezoelectricity and the piezotronic effect in an atomically thin material, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2). This makes it the thinnest electrical generator in the world. The resulting generator is optically transparent, extremely light weight, as well as very bendable and stretchable. In the future, such generators could be used to power extremely tiny devices harnessing energy from the environment, be them remote sensors or nanotech that travels through your bloodstream.

Stanford researchers develop heat-sensitive batteries

Stanford scientists have developed the first lithium-ion batteries that run normally, shut down when they start to overheat, and then restart when the temperatures go down.

New MIT material can soak up solar heat and release it on demand

A team of researchers from MIT created a material that can make use of solar energy in a novel way, absorbing heat and releasing it later, when needed. The researchers led by MIT Prof. Jeffrey Grossman published their results in the journal Advanced Energy Materials. Heat will inevitably dissipate sooner or later, no matter how you try […]

Compulsive gaming rewires the brain, both beneficial and harmful

Brain scans of nearly 200 adolescent boys recorded as part of a new study performed in South Korea show that compulsive video game players have radically different wiring in their brains, most notably increased communication (known as hyperconnectivity) between several functional brain networks.

How your brain distinguishes safety from danger

Columbia University researchers have successfully identified the cellular network that allows mice to remember which environments are safe and which are dangerous. The study also looks into what happens when these neurons are tampered with, offering insight into how conditions such as PTDS, panic attacks and anxiety disorders can be treated.

This is the first human-carrying drone: is the world ready for it?

hinese drone making company Ehang recently showed off one of the most impressive contraptions at the CES convention in Las Vegas: a manned drone. It can fly as high as 11,500 feet, top speed of 63mph and a range of 20 minutes worth of powered flight. It can fit one person and a small backpack. It looks and sounds impressive, but is the world ready for it? For sure no, but the prospects for the future already sound appealing. Finally, the age The Jetsons foretold might finally be nigh.

Mexico's soda tax is working, sales drop by 14%

A new study looking into how Mexico's soda tax is impacting consumer habits one year after implementation. The results show a decrease in sugar-sweetened beverage consumption accompanied by an increase in sales of untaxed drinks throughout the country.

Meditation improves cardiovascular health almost as much as exercise

A new study, performed at Howard University Medical Center found that practicing the transcendental meditation technique seems to stimulate the production of telomerase, an enzyme associated with reduced blood pressure and heart disease. This correlates well with earlier research which found that meditation techniques reduce rates of high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke, as well as slowing of biological aging.

Water-breathing scuba mask design still has a way to go

South Korean designer Jeabyun Yeon has just unveiled his new concept of a scuba mask that would allow anyone to breathe underwater without requiring air tanks. His design, named the Triton, includes two arms linked to a mouth piece. The branching arms are designed to extract free oxygen atoms from the water and supply breathable air directly to the user. But I'm not sold on it just yet.

The tiny Egloo keeps your room warm for about 20 cents a day

Winter's here with all its holiday cheer and if you're like me, way too much food. Also something that winter's very good at is making the great outdoors cold and the small indoors even colder. But worry not because Marco Zagaria, a student at Rome's Academy of Fine Arts, promises he can make your home warm and comfortable for a measly 10 cents a room each day, without using any electricity.

New SpaceX photos show dusty but apparently undamaged rocket

SpaceX got a much deserved Christmas gift – on December 22nd, became the first group (private or state-owned) to ever launch a rocket and then safely land it on Earth where it can be used again. Now, new pictures reveal not only that the rocket survived, but that it’s in pretty good shape. It all started […]

New 3D printing technique offers strong, intricate ceramics

Researchers have developed a new technique that allows them to create ceramics with 3D printing faster and cheaper, incorporating complex shapes.

Engineers create first true sonic tractor beam

There's three things every good alien movie needs, in my opinion: aliens, spaceships and tractor beams; so far, science hasn't really delivered well on the "alien" part, and our spaceships still have a way to go. However, recent work in the UK might pull the third element out of the realm of sci-fi into reality.

New sugar polymer can purify water in seconds

Scientists have developed a new polymer that can clean water of tiny impurities and pollutants in a matter of seconds. This could revolutionize the water purification industry, not only saving numerous lives, but saving a lot of money and energy in the process. The team was led by Will Dichtel from Cornell University in the US. […]

The world's first website is now 25

Some 25 years ago, on December 1990, Tim Berners-Lee, then a scientist at the CERN facility in Switzerland launched what was the world’s first website – the forefather of everything that we today call ‘The Internet’. The first website Hosted by the World Wide Web (you know, the “www”) on Berners-Lee’s NeXT computer, the site was […]

Elephants rearrange family structure in response to poaching

Elephant social structure is deeply matriarchal, meaning their groups look to older females for leadership. A new study looks into how, even with poaching picking their matriarchs off one by one, elephant social structures unexpectedly managed to survive.

Cycling while playing virtual reality games: will this convince people to exercise?

Is this genius or lame? We can't really tell for now.

Trying to lose weight? (of course you are) -- fish oil to the rescue

The fatty acids in fish oil have been proved to help with a wide range of conditions, with WebMD detailing benefits ranging from improving the health of the heart and circulatory system all the way to fighting dyslexia, kidney disease and improving your child's IQ. Now, scientists from the Kyoto University found that feeding fish oils to lab mice made them gain considerably less weight than their fish-less counterparts.

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