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Motion capture is guiding the next generation of extraterrestrial robots

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“How do we build robots that can optimally explore space?” is the core question behind Dr Frances Zhu’s research at the University of Hawai’i. One part of the answer is, “with motion capture”.

“It is my hope that my research contributes to the way extraterrestrial robots move and make decisions on other planets,” explains Zhu (main picture), an assistant researcher and deputy director at the University’s Hawai‘i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology.

That research is in its early stages, but NASA has seen the value in it and awarded Zhu an EPSCoR grant by the name “Autonomous Rover Operations for Planetary Surface Exploration using Machine Learning Algorithms”. [Read more…] about Motion capture is guiding the next generation of extraterrestrial robots

Changes in Earth’s orbit enabled the emergence of complex life

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Scientists at the University of Southampton have discovered that changes in Earth’s orbit may have allowed complex life to emerge and thrive during the most hostile climate episode the planet has ever experienced.

The researchers – working with colleagues in the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Curtin University, University of Hong Kong, and the University of Tübingen – studied a succession of rocks laid down when most of Earth’s surface was covered in ice during a severe glaciation, dubbed ‘Snowball Earth’, that lasted over 50 million years.

Their findings are published in the journal Nature Communications. [Read more…] about Changes in Earth’s orbit enabled the emergence of complex life

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  • Melting ice sheets over the past 300 years raised sea levels 18 metres
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    Melting ice sheets over the past 300 years raised sea levels 18 metresIt is well known that climate-induced sea level rise is a major threat. New research has found that previous ice loss events could have caused sea-level rise at rates of around 3.6 metres per century, offering vital clues as to what lies ahead should climate change continue unabated. A team…
    Tags: ice, ocean, climate, sheets, features

How the surfaces of silicone breast implants affect the immune system

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Every year, about 400,000 people receive silicone breast implants in the United States. According to data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a majority of those implants needs to be replaced within 10 years due to the buildup of scar tissue and other complications.

A team led by MIT researchers has now systematically analyzed how the varying surface architecture found in these implants influences the development of adverse effects, which in rare cases can include an unusual type of lymphoma.

“The surface topography of an implant can drastically affect how the immune response perceives it, and this has important ramifications for the [implants’] design,” says Omid Veiseh, a former MIT postdoc. “We hope this paper provides a foundation for plastic surgeons to evaluate and better understand how implant choice can affect the patient experience.” [Read more…] about How the surfaces of silicone breast implants affect the immune system

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  • Study identifies biomarker for breast cancer response to immunotherapy
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    Study identifies biomarker for breast cancer response to immunotherapyBiomarkers that have proven to be predictors of immunotherapy responses in melanoma patients have also been shown to be clinically relevant in breast cancer patients. Clinical cancer research.. This study found that this biomarker, a molecule called major histocompatibility complex class II protein (MHC-II), Immunotherapy Two types of benefits chest…
    Tags: breast, news, health
  • What makes us human? The answer may be found in overlooked DNA
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    What makes us human? The answer may be found in overlooked DNAOur DNA is very similar to that of the chimpanzee, which in evolutionary terms is our closest living relative. Stem cell researchers at Lund University in Sweden have now found a previously overlooked part of our DNA, so-called non-coded DNA, that appears to contribute to a difference which, despite all…
    Tags: cells, researchers, news
  • The future of medicine is nearer thanks to researchers’ invention
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    The future of medicine is nearer thanks to researchers’ inventionResearchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently unveiled their discovery of a new process for making RNA. The resulting RNA is purer, more copious and likely to be more cost-effective than any previous process could manage. This new technique removes the largest stumbling block on the path to next-generation…
    Tags: news, health

Thin, stretchable biosensors could make surgery safer

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A research team from Los Alamos National Laboratory and Purdue University have developed bio-inks for biosensors that could help localize critical regions in tissues and organs during surgical operations.

“The ink used in the biosensors is biocompatible and provides a user-friendly design with excellent workable time frames of more than one day,” said Kwan-Soo Lee, of Los Alamos’ Chemical Diagnostics and Engineering group.

The new biosensors allow for simultaneous recording and imaging of tissues and organs during surgical procedures. [Read more…] about Thin, stretchable biosensors could make surgery safer

Researchers create switchable mirrors from liquid metal

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Researchers have developed a way to dynamically switch the surface of liquid metal between reflective and scattering states. This technology could one day be used to create electrically controllable mirrors or illumination devices.

Liquid metals combine the electrical, thermal and optical properties of metals with the fluidity of a liquid. The new approach uses an electrically driven chemical reaction to create switchable reflective surfaces on a liquid metal.

No optical coatings nor polishing steps, which are typically required to make reflective optical components, are necessary to make the liquid metal highly reflective. [Read more…] about Researchers create switchable mirrors from liquid metal

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  • The first commercially scalable integrated laser and microcomb on a single chip
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    The first commercially scalable integrated laser and microcomb on a single chipFifteen years ago, UC Santa Barbara electrical and materials professor John Bowers pioneered a method for integrating a laser onto a silicon wafer. The technology has since been widely deployed in combination with other silicon photonics devices to replace the copper-wire interconnects that formerly linked servers at data centers, dramatically…
    Tags: optical, light, technology, news

Oldest human traces from the southern Tibetan Plateau in a new light

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Stone tools have been made by humans and their ancestors for millions of years. For archaeologists these rocky remnants – lithic artefacts and flakes – are of key importance.

They are among the most common findings in archaeological excavations because of their high preservation potential.

Worldwide, numerical dating of these lithic artefacts, especially when they occur as surface findings, remains a major challenge. Usually, stone tools cannot be dated directly, but only when they are embedded in sediment layers together with, for example, organic material. [Read more…] about Oldest human traces from the southern Tibetan Plateau in a new light

Researchers find how tiny plastics slip through the environment

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Washington State University researchers have shown the fundamental mechanisms that allow tiny pieces of plastic bags and foam packaging at the nanoscale to move through the environment.

The researchers found that a silica surface such as sand has little effect on slowing down the movement of the plastics, but that natural organic matter resulting from decomposition of plant and animal remains can either temporarily or permanently trap the nanoscale plastic particles, depending on the type of plastics.

The work, published in the journal Water Research, could help researchers develop better ways to filter out and clean up pervasive plastics from the environment.

The researchers include Indranil Chowdhury, assistant professor in WSU’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, along with Mehnaz Shams and Iftaykhairul Alam, recent graduates of the civil engineering program. [Read more…] about Researchers find how tiny plastics slip through the environment

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  • It’s snowing plastic: Small particles of plastic are coming down with the snow
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    It’s snowing plastic: Small particles of plastic are coming down with the snowThe snow may be melting, but it is leaving pollution behind in the form of micro- and nano-plastics according to a McGill study that was recently published in Environmental Pollution. The pollution is largely due to the relatively soluble plastics found in antifreeze products (polyethylene glycols) that can become airborne…
    Tags: plastics, environment, plastic, particles, matter, organic, researchers, polyethylene, water, news
  • Plastic waste disintegrates into nanoparticles, study finds
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    Plastic waste disintegrates into nanoparticles, study findsThere is a considerable risk that plastic waste in the environment releases nano-sized particles known as nanoplastics, according to a new study from Lund University. The researchers studied what happened when takeaway coffee cup lids, for example, were subjected to mechanical breakdown, in an effort to mimic the degradation that…
    Tags: plastic, particles, news, environment
  • New global rules curb unrestricted plastic waste exports
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    New global rules curb unrestricted plastic waste exportsGovernments at the 14th Conference of the Parties (COP14) of the Basel Convention acted to restrict rampant plastic waste exports by requiring countries to obtain prior informed consent before exporting contaminated or mixed plastic waste. A deluge of plastic waste exports from developed countries has polluted developing countries in Southeast…
    Tags: plastic, plastics, environment
  • US Department of Energy to invest $25 million in polymer upcyling, plastic waste reuse research
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    US Department of Energy to invest $25 million in polymer upcyling, plastic waste reuse researchThe US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced plans to invest $25 million in fundamental science to lay the groundwork for technology that finds reuses for plastic waste, makes strides toward addressing the global plastic waste crisis, and reduces the climate impacts of plastic production. DOE's research investment will focus…
    Tags: plastic, plastics, news, environment
  • Self-watering soil could transform farming
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    Self-watering soil could transform farmingA new type of soil created by engineers at The University of Texas at Austin can pull water from the air and distribute it to plants, potentially expanding the map of farmable land around the globe to previously inhospitable places and reducing water use in agriculture at a time of…
    Tags: water, news, environment

Humungous flare from sun’s nearest neighbor breaks records

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Scientists have spotted the largest flare ever recorded from the sun’s nearest neighbor, the star Proxima Centauri.

The research, which appeared in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, was led by the University of Colorado Boulder and could help to shape the hunt for life beyond Earth’s solar system.

CU Boulder astrophysicist Meredith MacGregor explained that Proxima Centauri is a small but mighty star. It sits just four light-years or more than 20 trillion miles from our own sun and hosts at least two planets, one of which may look something like Earth. It’s also a “red dwarf,” the name for a class of stars that are unusually petite and dim. [Read more…] about Humungous flare from sun’s nearest neighbor breaks records

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  • Astronomers' success: seven new cosmic masers
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    Astronomers' success: seven new cosmic masersThe publication is the result of many months of observations of radiation coming from the plane of the Milky Way, namely from the spiral arms of our galaxy, where a lot of matter, dust and gas accumulate. It is under such conditions that massive stars are born.  Complex process At…
    Tags: stars, star, time, scientists, astronomy, radiation, news, space

Stone skipping techniques can improve re-entry of space vehicles

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Skipping stones on a body of water is an age-old game, but developing a better understanding of the physics involved is crucial for more serious matters, such as water landings upon re-entry of spaceflight vehicles or aircrafts.

In Physics of Fluids, by AIP Publishing, scientists from several universities in China reveal several key factors that influence the number of bounces a skipping stone or landing aircraft will undergo when hitting the water.

The study involved theoretical modeling and a simple experimental setup using a model stone to gather data in real time. The investigators used an aluminum disk as a stand-in for the stone and designed a launching mechanism that utilized a puff of air from a compressor to control the speed at which the disk traveled toward the water. [Read more…] about Stone skipping techniques can improve re-entry of space vehicles

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  • Heat and dust help launch Martian water into space, scientists find
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    Heat and dust help launch Martian water into space, scientists findScientists using an instrument aboard NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN, or MAVEN, spacecraft have discovered that water vapor near the surface of the Red Planet is lofted higher into the atmosphere than anyone expected was possible. There, it is easily destroyed by electrically charged gas particles – or ions…
    Tags: water, space, surface, stone

Study warns of ‘oxygen false positives’ in search for signs of life on other planets

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In the search for life on other planets, the presence of oxygen in a planet’s atmosphere is one potential sign of biological activity that might be detected by future telescopes.

A new study, however, describes several scenarios in which a lifeless rocky planet around a sun-like star could evolve to have oxygen in its atmosphere.

The new findings, published April 13 in AGU Advances, highlight the need for next-generation telescopes that are capable of characterizing planetary environments and searching for multiple lines of evidence for life in addition to detecting oxygen. [Read more…] about Study warns of ‘oxygen false positives’ in search for signs of life on other planets

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  • First transiting exoplanet's 'chemical fingerprint' reveals its distant birthplace
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    First transiting exoplanet's 'chemical fingerprint' reveals its distant birthplaceAstronomers have found evidence that the first exoplanet that was identified transiting its star could have migrated to a close orbit with its star from its original birthplace further away. Analysis of the planet's atmosphere by a team including University of Warwick scientists has identified the chemical fingerprint of a…
    Tags: atmosphere, planet, water, oxygen, planets, life, planet's, universe
  • Earth has a hot new neighbour – and it's an astronomer's dream
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    Earth has a hot new neighbour – and it's an astronomer's dreamA newly discovered planet could be our best chance yet of studying rocky planet atmospheres outside the solar system, a new international study involving UNSW Sydney shows. The planet, called Gliese 486b (pronounced Glee-seh), is a “super-Earth”: that is, a rocky planet bigger than Earth but smaller than ice giants…
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  • On the quest for other Earths
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    On the quest for other EarthsIn the search for planets capable of sustaining life, an international research team with members from ETH has taken a significant step forward. As the researchers reported recently in the journal Nature Communications, they found signs of a Neptune-sized planet in the Alpha Centauri star system, a mere 4.4 light years…
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  • There might be many planets with water-rich atmospheres
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    There might be many planets with water-rich atmospheresAn atmosphere is what makes life on Earth's surface possible, regulating our climate and sheltering us from damaging cosmic rays. But although telescopes have counted a growing number of rocky planets, scientists had thought most of their atmospheres long lost. However, a new study by University of Chicago and Stanford…
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  • The seven rocky planets of TRAPPIST-1 seem to have very similar compositions
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    The seven rocky planets of TRAPPIST-1 seem to have very similar compositionsA new international study led by astrophysicist Eric Agol from the University of Washington has measured the densities of the seven planets of the exoplanetary system TRAPPIST-1 with extreme precision, the values obtained indicating very similar compositions for all the planets. This fact makes the system even more remarkable and…
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