With enough information, physics can predict a great deal about the world around us, and that includes the fall of the ball in the game of roulette.
Perfect pitch, dolphin communication, and noise in the community and in nature are just some of the intriguing topics that will be presented at the 164th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA).
By combining chaos theory and high school level mechanics, scientists reveal that the random probability of a die throw can be determined and predicted, if you precisely understand the initial conditions.
“Superinformation,” or the randomness of randomness, can be used to predict the coding and noncoding regions of DNA.
Cells surf through a microfluidic chip on fluid streamlines created by an oscillating plate.
Hard coating extends the life of new ultrahigh-density storage device.
A study of physics faculty awareness and use of research-based instructional techniques offers greater understanding of what is missing from current education reform efforts.
When blown by chaotic winds in an urban environment, pollutants tend to accumulate in specific neighborhoods.
Light alters pitch to detect and weigh the world’s smallest viruses one at a time.
Squishy models are anything but child’s play as they help researchers understand the building-block nature of proteins.
A technique used by animators helps scientists model how cancer cells enter the bloodstream.
Researchers capture evolutionary dynamics in a new theoretical framework that could help explain some of the mysteries of how and why species change over time.
Curve balls may help a pitcher strike out batters in baseball; and some nasty spin can make an opponent sweat to return a tennis serve. But more so than in any other ball game, in table tennis – where the ball is so light and so small –dedicated players must master the physics of spin.
The latest research results on the primordial quark-gluon plasma that permeated the early universe will be presented at the Quark Matter 2012 conference in the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C. For reporters unable to attend in person, there will be a webcast of the Monday morning talks and press briefing. To register for either or both webcasts, go to: http://www.aipwebcasting.com/reg-aug-2012.php.
Author Pat Murphy honored for The Klutz Guide to the Galaxy; author Anna Rothschild honored for NOVA Web feature “The Amazing Atomic Clock;” author Cameron Walker receives honorable mention.
Building a bridge between topology and fractals may lead to a new way of describing tiny defects in metal or the froth of a breaking wave.
Chinese scientists use silica nanoparticles resembling raspberries to create a water-repellent, fog-free, self-cleaning finish for glass and other transparent surfaces.
New findings on the growth of ice clusters in Polar Stratospheric Clouds could help clarify the process of ozone depletion in the atmosphere.
Physics was in the air in Estonia as America’s best high school physics students participated in the 43rd International Physics Olympiad (IPHO). Teams from 88 countries joined in the 10 day competition.
Researchers may have found a way to a new way to fight antibiotic resistant “superbugs." The team will present their findings at the annual meeting of the American Crystallographic Association (ACA), held July 28 – Aug. 1 in Boston, Mass.
A Japanese research team has identified a structural change that confers pressure-resistant properties on a particular protein found in bacteria. They will present their findings at the meeting of the American Crystallographic Association (ACA), held July 28-Aug. 1, in Boston, Mass.
Using comparisons of protein structure, researchers identified Actinobacteria as the base of the evolutionary tree. They will present their findings at the annual meeting of the American Crystallographic Association (ACA), held July 28 – Aug. 1 in Boston, Mass.
By outrunning a laser’s path of destruction, an international research team has created 3D images of fragile but biologically important molecules inside protein nanocrystals. An overview and early results of this new imaging technique will be presented at the 2012 meeting of the American Crystallographic Association (ACA), which takes place July 28 – Aug. 1 in Boston, Mass.
A researcher from the University of West Florida has designed an ultracapacitor that maintains a near steady voltage. The novel constant-voltage design may one day help ultracapacitors find new uses in low-voltage electric vehicle circuits and handheld electronics.
An attosecond is a ridiculously brief sliver of time – a scant billionth of a billionth of a second. This may seem too short to have any practical applications, but at the atomic level, where electrons zip and jump about, these vanishingly short timescales are crucial to a deeper understanding of science.
1. Bandgap Engineering for High-efficiency Solar Cell Design; 2. Sea Waves as Renewable Resource in New Energy Converter Design; 3. Researchers Test Carbon Nanotube-based Ultra-low Voltage Integrated Circuits.
1. Researchers “Heal” Plasma-damaged Semiconductor with Treatment of Hydrogen Radicals; 2. Relocating LEDs from Silicon to Copper Enhances Efficiency; 3. Elemental and Magnetic Imaging Using X-rays and a Microscope.
In a recently approved position statement, the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) affirms that computed tomography (CT) scans are important diagnostic tools for children and adults when used appropriately. AAPM encourages parents to discuss the need for any diagnostic medical procedures for their children with their physician.
1) Mathematicians Model Heat Flow In Human Tears; 2) Thermal Conductivity of Argon at High Pressures and Temperatures; 3) New Ways to Stretch DNA and Other Organic Molecules.
1. A Nanoclutch for Nano-‘bots; 2. Sound Increases the Efficiency of Boiling; 3. Slip-and-slide Power Generators; 4. Scientists Evaluate Different Antimicrobial Metals for Use in Water Filters.
The American Institute of Physics (AIP) has chosen renowned physicist and writer Lisa Randall, Ph.D., as the 2012 recipient of the Andrew Gemant Award.
An acoustic diode, enabling the one-way transmission of sound waves, could dramatically improve the quality of medical ultrasound imaging and lead to better sound dampening materials. Such a device has now been created by researchers at China’s Nanjing University.
For the ears, a cocktail party presents a chaotic scene: glasses clink, voices buzz, light piano music may waft down from the stage. A group of researchers at The John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., is trying to understand how the brain makes sense of such complex auditory environments. The team is testing how humans track sound patterns over time, and under what circumstances the brain registers that the pattern has been broken.
Toothed whales navigate through sometimes dark and murky waters by emitting clicks and then interpreting the pattern of sound that bounces back. The animals’ hearing can pick up faint echoes, but that sensitivity can be a liability around loud noises. Now researchers have discovered that whales may protect their ears by lowering their hearing sensitivity when warned of an imminent loud sound.
To gain new insights into how dolphins communicate, researchers in Japan created a prototype of an extremely broadband “dolphin speaker” capable of projecting dolphins’ communication sounds, whistles, burst-pulse sounds, as well as detection sounds such as echolocation clicks.
Though they evolved separately over millions of years in different worlds of darkness, bats and toothed whales use surprisingly similar acoustic behavior to locate, track, and capture prey using echolocation, the biological equivalent of sonar. Now a team of Danish researchers has shown that the acoustic behavior of these two types of animals while hunting is eerily similar.
A U.S.-Netherlands research collaboration discovered that actual actions on objects, such as physically stirring a spoon in a cup, have less of an impact on the brain’s understanding of speech than simply gesturing as if stirring a spoon in a cup.
New findings from a Canadian research team suggest that not only is there a real connection between vision and other senses, but that connection is important to better understand the underlying mechanisms that can quickly trigger sensory changes.
Listening to amplified music for less than 1.5 hours produces measurable changes in hearing ability that may place listeners at risk of noise-induced hearing loss, new research shows.
Although we have little awareness that we are doing it, we spend most of our lives filtering out many of the sounds that permeate our lives and acutely focusing on others – a phenomenon known as auditory selective attention. Hearing scientists at the University of Washington (UW) are attempting to tease apart the process.
Volcanoes emit a broad spectrum of sonic energy. In the case of basaltic eruptions, most of that acoustical energy in the infrasound range. A new study reveals that this low-frequency sound can give scientists an enhanced understanding of the behavior of volcanoes and a tool to monitor the lifecycles of their eruptions.
National parks are prized for their visual splendor, but the sounds of nature are also part of that rich experience. Researchers and protected area managers are working together to help ensure that the sounds in U.S. national parks remain as natural as possible.
Acoustic cues for blind travelers, sound as a tool, and the use of metamaterials for seismic mitigation are just some of the lay-language versions of papers being presented at the Acoustics 2012 meeting in Hong Kong, May 13-18, a joint meeting of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA), Acoustical Society of China, Western Pacific Acoustics Conference, and the Hong Kong Institute of Acoustics.
1) Electronic Nose Out In Front: A new nanotube super sensor is able to detect subtle differences with a single sniff; 2) Tiny Channel Cleanses Blood: Microfluidic device separates bacteria and immune cells from red blood cells; 3) Mining for Heat: Abandoned mine tunnels might ferry geothermal energy from deep underground to help heat homes and offices; 4) Wired for Avalanches – and Learning: Researchers reveal the connection between a model of learning in the brain and the cascading bursts of cortical activity known as neuronal avalanches; 5) Other Content: Upcoming Conferences of Interest; Physics Today: May Articles.
The Journal of Chemical Physics (JCP) is putting the spotlight on Nobel Laureate Roald Hoffmann, Cornell University's Frank H.T. Rhodes Professor in Humane Letters and professor emeritus of chemistry, and his recent work on hydrogen.
Bioreactor Redesign Dramatically Improves Yield; Graphene Lenses: 2-D electron shepherds; Raising the Prospects for Quantum Levitation; Nanodot-based Memory Sets New World Speed Record
The 163rd Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) will feature more than 1,300 presentations on the science of sound and its impact on physics, engineering, and medicine. Topics include: hearing and its interplay with the other senses; using sound to monitor the environment; and new insights into human and animal communication.
1) Wind Turbines That Learn Like Humans; 2) Writing Graphene Circuitry with Ion "Pens;" 3) The Physics of Cancer: Perspectives at the crossroads of science and medicine; 4) Other Content: Upcoming Conferences of Interest.
Detecting Clouds from Both Sides Now; Laser Lightning Rod: Guiding bursts of electricity with a flash of light; Artificially Structured Metamaterials May Boost Wireless Power Transfer.
The American Institute of Physics (AIP) is pleased to announce that its 2011 John Torrence Tate Award for International Leadership in Physics is awarded to Vietnamese and French particle physicist Jean Trân Thanh Vân. Trân Thanh Vân will receive the medal, a certificate of recognition, and a $10,000 prize on April 1 at the American Physical Society meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.
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