DISCOVERIES News, Mar 21, 2012

Discoveries

Physics: A century of cosmic rays Nature.com This year, we celebrate the centenary of the discovery of cosmic rays by Austrian–American physicist Victor Hess. Over the decades, cosmic-ray research has spread in directions that he could never have imagined, from the discovery of antimatter to the ... See all stories on this topic »

Quantum Plasmons Demonstrated in Atomic-Scale Nanoparticles Science Daily (press release) The discovery could impact nanotechnology. The physical phenomenon of plasmon resonances in small metal particles has been apparent for centuries. They are visible in the vibrant hues of the great stained-glass windows of the world. See all stories on this topic »

How simple ideas lead to scientific discoveries The Guardian In this video, Adam Savage explores these questions, starting with a simple childhood observation that inspired Richard Feynman to pursue his career inphysics. Mr Savage then talks passionately and eloquently about two historical scientific ... See all stories on this topic »

CRANN in nanotech discovery that could change solar cell and flat-screen tech Siliconrepublic.com His research was published in the international science publication, Applied Physics Letters, in 2011. He said the research team was hopeful this initial research would attract commercial interest in order to explore its industrial use. See all stories on this topic » Siliconrepublic.com

Ticket to Ride: the Physics of Extreme Machines Scientific American (blog) (Discovery has a terrific Website where you can try your hand at designing your own coaster.) It's not just about speed; you need a smooth ride. Early roller coasters moved very slowly compared to modern scream machines, but even at slow speeds, ... See all stories on this topic » Scientific American (blog)

Explosive Stars with Good Table Manners Space Daily Studies of Type Ia supernovae led to the discovery of dark energy, which garnered the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics. Yet the cause of this variety of exploding star remains elusive. All evidence points to a white dwarf that feeds off its companions star, ... See all stories on this topic »

Dutch museum verifies discovery of painting by Vincent Van Gogh China Post The study, done by Delft and Antwerp Universities, the Van Gogh and Kroller-Muller museums and the DESY research center for particle physics in Hamburg, showed the wrestlers to be of a typical Van Gogh design. “The wrestlers are not completely naked, ... See all stories on this topic »

MESSENGER Completes Primary Mission at Mercury, Settles in for Another Year Space Daily ... to build upon those discoveries. What MESSENGER has accomplished since its launch in August 2004 is "amazing," says MESSENGER Mission Systems Engineer Eric Finnegan, of the Johns Hopkins University AppliedPhysics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, ... See all stories on this topic »

Detection of cosmic effect may bring universe's formation into sharper focus Space Daily A large research team from two major astronomy surveys reports in a paper submitted to the journal Physical Review Letters that scientists detected the movement of distant galaxy clusters via the kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (kSZ) effect, ... See all stories on this topic »

Atom smasher hits highest energy levels yet msnbc.com "Increasing the energy at which particles in the LHC collide allows physicists to probe new areas of physics," LHC officials wrote in a statement. When particles collide inside the machine, they dissolve, converting their energy into new, ... See all stories on this topic » msnbc.com

Rice Space Institute names new director, executive director Ultimate West U by Vivian Gomez | March 21, 2012 9:18 am Rice University solar physicistDavid Alexander has been named director of the Rice Space Institute. The institute, which coordinates the university's space-related research, education and outreach programs, ... See all stories on this topic »

PSI Researchers Call For Continued Exploration of Mars Tucson Citizen The Mars Scout program will be reconstituted within the Discovery Program Office, with selections every 24 months, thereby maintaining American access to the Martian surface and orbital environment. Technology investments can improve the ... See all stories on this topic »

NASA'S Dawn Sees New Surface Features on Giant Asteroid Vesta MarketWatch (press release) "Some of these past collisions were so intense they melted the surface," said Brett Denevi, a Dawn participating scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. "Dawn's ability to image the melt marks a unique find. See all stories on this topic »

Why Space-Based Solar Power Won't Work Business Insider Tom Murphy is an associate professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego. A solar panel reaps only a small portion of its potential due to night, weather, and seasons, simultaneously introducing intermittency so that large-scale ... See all stories on this topic »

Frozen Planet, Part 1: Love Hurts OnEarth Magazine (blog) The show, produced by the BBC and aired here in the US on theDiscovery Channel, was a breakthrough. Not for a generation had a nature series made such an impact, and suddenly it seemed like everybody -- families, classrooms, animal lovers, ... See all stories on this topic » OnEarth Magazine (blog)

Stream Advertising on Five-Year Research Project at Queen's SBWire (press release) The project hopes to gain a better understanding of the origin of chemicalelements. We spoke to a staff member at Stream Advertising, a Belfast-based sales and marketing company, who said, “There's an amazing amount of talent at Queen's, ... See all stories on this topic »

Dr. Allan Ernest Talks About What is Quantum Theory, Gravitational ... InTechWeb Blog Quantum physics theories, being at the core of all scientific principles, rationalise the role of matter and its relations to energy, all on a scale of atoms. Quantum theory revolutionisedphysics as up until the 19th century, matter and energy where ... See all stories on this topic » InTechWeb Blog

Editorial: Fermilab work adds to scientific advances Suburban Life Publications It's discovery would answer some fundamental questions about the Standard Model of particle physics, and scientists have been seeking it for several decades. Research conducted at Fermilab over the years has been crucial in isolating the area where the ... See all stories on this topic »

Editorial: Fermilab work adds to scientific advances Suburban Life Publications It's discovery would answer some fundamental questions about the Standard Model of particle physics, and scientists have been seeking it for several decades. Research conducted at Fermilab over the years has been crucial in isolating the area where the ... See all stories on this topic »

Geosphere's dynamic platform displays the latest 3-D modeling, LiDAR imaging ... PhysOrg.com (press release) Declan G. De Paor et al., Physics Dept., Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia 23529, USA. Posted online 20 Mar. 2012; doi: 10.1130/GS758.1. On 29 Sept. 2009, a deadly tsunamigenic earthquake struck American Samoa. The magnitude 8.1 quake occurred ... See all stories on this topic »

Your View: State gets an A- in science standards SouthCoastToday.com "The average grade across all states is — once again — a thoroughly undistinguished C. In fact, it's a low C," highlights the foreword to a 217-page state-by-state scrutiny of the science education expectations in physics, and earth, space and life ... See all stories on this topic »

The Dark Side of Military-Funded Neuroscience ABC News In the 1940s, physicists and engineers working on the Manhattan Project grappled with the implications of their work. Scientists 'See' Movies in the Mind Watch Video Drones: Who Is Watching You? Watch Video Drones Fly Above US Watch Video "Now it's the ... See all stories on this topic »

Challenges for first science museum in the Philippines New Scientist (blog) "We are often forced to beg for many things - aid, investments, a voice in international arenas - why should we be beggars for a sense of discovery?" When Garcia's husband, physicist Celso Roque, died in 2002, she took over his science column for The... See all stories on this topic » New Scientist (blog)

Astronomers paint a clearer picture of how supernovae are born ZME Science (blog) Also, studies of Type Ia supernovae led to the discovery of dark energy, which garnered the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics. Despite the fact astronomers have known for decades how Type Ia supernovae form, the exact mechanisms that lead to their formation ... See all stories on this topic » ZME Science (blog)

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