ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Innovation in renewable-energy technologies is booming
• Quantum conductors benefit from growth on smooth foundations
• Turning vapors into foam-like polymer coatings
• Crystals in Picabo's rocks point to 'recycled' super-volcanic magma chambers
• Rust can power up artificial photosynthesis: Chemists produce power boost critical to novel energy harvesting applications
• Uniformity: The secret of better fusion ignition
• Compact optical chips? Photons on demand now possible
• A holistic approach catches eye disease early
• New device harnesses sun and sewage to produce hydrogen fuel
• Mix of graphene nanoribbons, polymer has potential for cars, soda, beer
• Unregulated, agricultural ammonia threatens U.S. national parks' ecology
• Boomboxes amplify predatory bird sounds and are used as cues
• Look out above: Experiment explores innate visual behavior in mice
• Suicidal talk on Twitter mirrors state suicide rates
• Action is needed now to lower the content of aluminium in infant formulas

Innovation in renewable-energy technologies is booming Posted: 11 Oct 2013 10:53 AM PDT A new study shows that research investments and growing markets have fueled a huge rise in new patents.

Quantum conductors benefit from growth on smooth foundations Posted: 11 Oct 2013 10:50 AM PDT Researchers have developed a speedway for future devices, an exotic type of electrical conductor called a topological insulator (TI). In a new article researchers report that they grew two types of TI materials inside an ultra-high vacuum chamber on both smooth and rough surfaces and then evaluated their abilities to transport electrons.

Turning vapors into foam-like polymer coatings Posted: 11 Oct 2013 07:12 AM PDT A researcher has developed a process to grow highly customizable coatings of foam-like polymers.

Crystals in Picabo's rocks point to 'recycled' super-volcanic magma chambers Posted: 11 Oct 2013 06:40 AM PDT An examination of crystals of zircon in rhyolites, an igneous rock, from the Snake River Plain solidifies evidence for a new view of the life cycle of super-volcanic eruptions, and in tandem with previous work suggests another super-eruption in the Yellowstone volcanic field is unlikely for another million years, say scientists.

Rust can power up artificial photosynthesis: Chemists produce power boost critical to novel energy harvesting applications Posted: 11 Oct 2013 06:39 AM PDT Scientists trying to develop artificial photosynthesis for unique applications, like harvesting solar energy, have focused on narrowing the photovoltage gap between the two principle reactions of oxidation and reduction. Chemists report nearly bridging that gap using inexpensive materials in a process that could lead to new energy applications.

Uniformity: The secret of better fusion ignition Posted: 11 Oct 2013 06:36 AM PDT Theoretical physicists use simulations to investigate the uniformity of irradiation at the ignition stage of thermonuclear fusion reaction. One of the ways to achieve thermonuclear fusion is through a controlled reaction between two light variants of hydrogen, called deuterium and tritium. Scientists have now made theoretical calculations indicating how best to improve the ignition stage of fusion reaction. Their approach involves increasing the uniformity of irradiation using high-power laser beams on the external shell of a spherical capsule containing a mix of deuterium and tritium.

Compact optical chips? Photons on demand now possible Posted: 11 Oct 2013 06:36 AM PDT A breakthrough in photonics that will help create extremely compact optical chips, a hair's width in size and delivering a photon at a time, has been achieved.

A holistic approach catches eye disease early Posted: 11 Oct 2013 06:25 AM PDT An automated assessment of multiple datasets using artificial intelligence accurately diagnoses a common cause of blindness.

New device harnesses sun and sewage to produce hydrogen fuel Posted: 10 Oct 2013 05:53 PM PDT A novel device that uses only sunlight and wastewater to produce hydrogen gas could provide a sustainable energy source while improving the efficiency of wastewater treatment. The hybrid device combines a microbial fuel cell (MFC) and a type of solar cell called a photoelectrochemical cell.

Mix of graphene nanoribbons, polymer has potential for cars, soda, beer Posted: 10 Oct 2013 05:53 PM PDT A discovery aims to make vehicles that run on compressed natural gas more practical and may also enhance food packaging.

Unregulated, agricultural ammonia threatens U.S. national parks' ecology Posted: 10 Oct 2013 05:51 PM PDT Thirty-eight U.S. national parks are experiencing "accidental fertilization" at or above a critical threshold for ecological damage, according to a new study. Unless significant controls on ammonia emissions are introduced at a national level, they say, little improvement is likely between now and 2050.

Boomboxes amplify predatory bird sounds and are used as cues Posted: 10 Oct 2013 05:49 PM PDT Researchers use boomboxes in the forest to study how smaller birds avoid predators.

Look out above: Experiment explores innate visual behavior in mice Posted: 10 Oct 2013 09:47 AM PDT For a mouse in the wild, spotting aerial predators -- like hawks and owls -- is essential to survival. But how is this visual cue processed into a behavior that helps avoid an attack? Using a video technique, researchers have developed a simple stimulus to spur the mouse's defense plans: to freeze in place, or flee for cover. These visual behaviors also provide information about cell types in the retina responsible for detecting aerial predators.

Suicidal talk on Twitter mirrors state suicide rates Posted: 10 Oct 2013 07:51 AM PDT Researchers compared tweets with suicide-related content with actual suicide rates across the country. Their findings suggest social platforms could serve as early warning systems.

Action is needed now to lower the content of aluminium in infant formulas Posted: 10 Oct 2013 06:14 AM PDT New research shows that infant formulas are still heavily contaminated with aluminium.

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