Science News
The world's first all-silicon laser
Phys.org - 18 Jan 2018 12:33
Integrated silicon photonics incorporates microelectronics and optoelectronics, a combination expected to revolutionize a variety of fields such as communication, sensing, lighting, displays, imaging and detection. Silic...
How people name sensations depends on those sensations' salience
The Economist - 18 Jan 2018 17:48
THE human sense of smell is weak. That is well known, and is suspected by many anthropologists of being the result of a trade-off in the primate brain in favour of visual processing power. In the specific case of people,...
New instrument lets doctors view the entire eye with unprecedented level of detail
Phys.org - 18 Jan 2018 17:00
Researchers have developed the first instrument that can provide a detailed image of the entire eye. By incorporating a lens that changes optical parameters in response to an electric current, the innovative technology c...
Controlling nanoscale DNA robots from the macroscale
EurekAlert! - 18 Jan 2018 07:00
(American Association for the Advancement of Science) By powering a DNA nanorobotic arm with electric fields, scientists have achieved precise nano-scale movement that is at least five orders of magnitude faster than pre...
The biggest little detectors
Symmetry Magazine - 18 Jan 2018 22:34
The ProtoDUNE detectors for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment are behemoths in their own right. In one sense, the two ProtoDUNE detectors are small. As prototypes of the much larger planned Deep Underground Neutri...
Nearly Imperceptible Fluctuations in Movement Correspond to Autism Diagnoses
Neuroscience News - 18 Jan 2018 21:31
Movement could be an accurate biomarker for the diagnosis of autism, researchers report.
From Healthcare to Warfare: How to Regulate Brain Technology
Neuroscience News - 18 Jan 2018 21:26
University of Basel bioethicists have outlined a new biosecurity framework for neurotechnology. They call for regulations to protect the mental privacy and integrity of those the technologies are used on.
Some exoplanets orbiting red giant stars may just be a mirage
New Scientist - 18 Jan 2018 21:04
Red giant stars may be tricking us into thinking they have planets when they don't. Instead, sunspots or atmospheric ripples might be distorting their light
First Look at Pupil Size in Sleeping Mice Yields Surprises
Neuroscience News - 18 Jan 2018 20:39
Researchers report the size of the pupil fluctuates during sleep. The findings may indicate that pupil size can indicate specific sleep states.
Fragile X Study Shows Normal Neurons That Interact Poorly
Neuroscience News - 18 Jan 2018 20:28
Researchers report neurons in mice with a genetic defect that causes Fragile X are similar to those in mice without the syndrome, but fail to interact correctly. This failure results in the cognitive impairment associate...
Complex Flows, Simple Rules
Physics Buzz - 18 Jan 2018 20:20
Seeing bare tree branches silhouetted against a sunset sky is one of the best things about winter. Bereft of leaves, the trees reveal their intricate skeletons--almost fractal, reminiscent of neurons, or the network of b...
NASA may finally have a new boss after a year-long wait
New Scientist - 18 Jan 2018 20:07
Trump's pick to head NASA may soon be confirmed. The US President has said he wants the space agency to focus on a mission to the moon
How Do You Die from the Flu?
Live Science - 18 Jan 2018 19:55Friends' Genes May Help Others Stay in School
Neuroscience News - 18 Jan 2018 19:11
Stanford researchers report it's not just your DNA that influences your educational achievement. The genetics of others in your social circle also influences how far you go in school.
How Babies' Brains Process Touch Builds Foundations for Learning
Neuroscience News - 18 Jan 2018 19:08
University of Washington researchers report activity in the somatosensory cortex for both felt and observed touch demonstrates 7 month old babies can make a basic connection between self and others.
How Your Brain Remembers What You Had For Dinner Last Night
Neuroscience News - 18 Jan 2018 19:04
A small set of hippocampal neurons activate for each episodic memory, a new PNAS study reports.
Some people identify smells as easily as if they were colours
New Scientist - 18 Jan 2018 19:00
Most people are much better at identifying colours than smells, but one group of hunter-gatherers from the Malay Peninsula shows the opposite pattern
A capsized oil tanker is releasing invisible toxins into the sea
New Scientist - 18 Jan 2018 18:30
The slick of oil condensate from a stricken tanker in the East China Sea is a threat to all marine life, not least because it is invisible
A Space Magnet, Hunting Dark Matter, Turns Up Juicy Secrets of Cosmic Rays
Live Science - 18 Jan 2018 18:29How Fast Is AI Progressing? Stanford's New Report Card for Artificial Intelligence
Singularity Hub - 18 Jan 2018 18:00
When? This is probably the question that futurists, AI experts, and even people with a keen interest in technology dread the most. It has proved famously difficult to predict when new developments in AI will take place. ...
'Inflammatory Diet' May Boost Colorectal Cancer Risk
Live Science - 18 Jan 2018 18:00Stars that devour their planets get brighter and faster
New Scientist - 18 Jan 2018 17:53
When the sun expands and engulfs Earth, our planet's ashes will brighten the sun and spin it faster. We might be able to watch this happen across the universe