34996099
submission
slew writes:
Scientist at Griffith University have shown the first absorption image of a single atom isolated in a vacuum. A single atomic ion was confined in an RF Paul trap and the absorption imaged at near wavelength resolution with a phase Fresnel lens.
They predict this absorbption imaging technique should prove useful in quantum information processing and using the minimum amount of illumination for bio-imaging of light-sensitive samples.
Here's a pointer to the paper...
33107795
submission
slew writes:
Although this isn't "new" research, I just saw this presentation at a GPU Technology Conference keynote. The gist of this research is that a well functioning democracy (a group that is nominally controlled by the numerical majority) seems to require a minimum number of uninfomed or weak-preference individuals to avoid manipulation by a strongly opinionated minority. If this is true, perhaps electing a certain percentage of spin-less clue-less flip-flopping people as legistative representatives instead of all partisan opinionated intransigents is the evolutionary prefered path to take? Nah!
33024559
submission
slew writes:
Although it hasn't been tested on humans yet, stanford researchers have created a new type of retinal prosthetic that is photovoltaic powered. The gist is that external googles convert an image into infrared light and that light conveys both the image and the power for the retinal implant which means no batteries, or bulky induction coils are required for the retinal implant. This should allow for higher resolution implant (the experimental device has 176 pixels where in contrast the currently available retinal implant from SecondSight is about 60 pixels and requires a bulky inductive antenna). Might be a while till we get to a bionic eye, but this should be quite a help for the sight challenged among us.
32639537
submission
slew writes:
Transparent conducting films are a very important part of photoelectric cells and display panels like OLEDS. Unfortunatly, the currently best known material Indium Tin Oxide (aka ITO) is a rare and expensive and much better performing than it's cheaper subsitute (aluminium zinc oxide AZO). Carbon nanotubes thin-films have been considered, but are current limited by sheet resistance. A research group from University of Exeter has created a new Few-Layered graphene (FLG) w/Ferric Chloride "sandwich" which helps to limit the sheet resistance w/o affecting the transparency. If this type of material becomes practical, it could be a good replacement for ITO (which some say economical supplies will run out soon ~2017).
32633785
submission
slew writes:
According to this recent study submitted to lancet, an alarming 80-90% of students in east Asian cities have myopia. The study speculates that the culture of educational pressure combined with reduced exposure to outdoor light have conspired to create this epidemic. This conclusion was drawn from a recent retrospective study at cambridge which correlated extra hours outdoors with reduced chance of myopia (~2% drop for each additional hour per week spent out-of-doors).
31886897
submission
slew writes:
Although electrons are usually thought of having 2 properties: spin and charge, bound electrons actually have a 3rd quantum property related to their so-called orbit's angular momentum. Spinon and holon quasi-particles have been observed before which represent the spin and charge quantum values of the electron. Now this experiment takes advantage of the fact that nominally bound electrons can delocalize in a lattice into energy bands and make it possible to measure the effect of the orbiton quasi-particles (which has the value of the electron's angular momentum where it was originally nominally bound, even though now delocalized). Hope that made some sense...
31845831
submission
slew writes:
As if buckyballs weren't miraculous enough, apparently researchers at Université Paris Sud in France have discovered that rats that drink C60 (fullerene) dissolved in olive oil can live twice as long (by reducing age associated oxidative stress)
31457305
submission
slew writes:
Looking at liquids w/ a transmission electron microscope (TEM) to observe things like crystal growth has been difficult to do. This is because liquids need to be confined to a capsule to view them in a TEM (because the electrons are flying at the sample in a chamber near vaccuum pressures where liquids would evaporate or sublimate). Traditional capsules of Silicon Oxide or Silicon Nitride have been fairly opaque. This paper describes a new technique with a "pocket" created between two graphene layers which can hold liquids for observation by a TEM and the graphene is apparently much more transparent than previous materials allowing a better view of the processes (like crystalization), taking place in the liquid. Here's non-paywalled summary article...
28596865
submission
slew writes:
Apparently now it's a hat-trick... This is a followup to this eariler story about the 2 of 3 Rambus's "critical" patents being invalidated http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/09/13/1351247/two-rambus-patents-invalidated-by-uspto
28314836
submission
slew writes:
Ironically, today of all days, the US Supreme court decided that congress was within its authority to grant new and/or restored copyright protection to preexisting works to comply with copyright treaties. This effectively takes works mainly authored between 1923 and 1989 that had been in the public domain, out of the public domain. This is in a majority opinion written by Justice Ginsburg which can be read here
In a disenting opinion authored by Justices Breyer and Alito voices the view that this "does not serve copyright's traditional public ends, namely the creation of monetary awards that motivate the create activity of authors", but only grants its restored copyrights only to works already produced.
The original suite was that the way that congress complied with the copyright treaty was overbroad (e.g., the Berne convention allowed restricted terms for works of restored copyrights to account for the disruption it might cause, but congress gave blanket restoration for all works)
Interesting, if disappointing, reading...
27311344
submission
slew writes:
This article talks about a study accepted to Physical Review Letters that theorizes that Iron oxide goes through an insulator/metal phase change with high temperature and pressure. Originally it was thought to be a crystalline structure change, but now apparently it is theorized to be a new type of metallic state. This discovery might offer new insight on how the earth's magnetic field operates.
7796568
submission
slew writes:
Okay, so for the owners of the new self-parking prius, this might be obsolete, but for the rest of us car-challenged geeks, someone has gone through the trouble to figure out if that parallel parking space is gonna work or not (or if we have to give one of the cars a "love-tap" to snuggle in there)
1329647
submission
slew writes:
Apparently there's a study that if a mouse has a genetic anomoly so it doesn't make H2S (the same chemical as stinky fart gas) it tends to exhibit hypertension (precursor to high blood pressure) and have a reduced ability for vasorelaxation. So if your blood pressure is up, maybe the solution is eat a burrito and pass some gas. I know I feel better when I do.... ;^) Strangely the study author seem to compare their finding to the ground breaking nitric oxide findings (which lead to the discovery of viagra). I'd love to see the adverts for a blood pressure reducing drug that results from this research ;^)
529398
submission
slew writes:
Apparently google has had it with the inner city press highlighting the fact they haven't signed the UN anti-censorship pact and some of their actions in china and with the UN so they decided to de-list them from Google-news. Me thinks that Goliath got a little sensitive? Although they promise to "fix" it, apparently absolute power does corrupt absolutely...
