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Feb 26, 2018

New shark species found in Atlantic Ocean

Posted by in category: genetics

The “Atlantic sixgill shark”, is different than its counterparts in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

: A team of scientists has identified a new shark species residing in the Atlantic Ocean.

Using genetic testing, the study confirmed that the new species, named the “Atlantic sixgill shark”, is different than its counterparts in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

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Feb 26, 2018

3D-printed live bacteria creates world’s first ‘living tattoo’

Posted by in category: 3D printing

This is the world’s first ‘living tattoo’ made with real bacteria.

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Feb 26, 2018

Holos: Gen has developed mobile scalable integral nuclear generators with a simplified and innovative design optimized to produce economical

Posted by in category: innovation

Distributable, pollutant-free and, most importantly, safe electricity.

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Feb 26, 2018

Researchers report the creation of Rydberg polarons in a Bose gas

Posted by in category: particle physics

What is inside an atom between the nucleus and the electron? Usually there is nothing, but why could there not be other particles too? If the electron orbits the nucleus at a great distance, there is plenty of space in between for other atoms. A “giant atom” could be created, filled with ordinary atoms. All these atoms form a weak bond, creating a new, exotic state of matter at cold temperatures, referred to as Rydberg polarons.

A team of researchers has now presented this state of matter in the journal Physical Review Letters. The theoretical work was done at TU Wien (Vienna) and Harvard University, the experiment was performed at Rice University in Houston (Texas).

Two special fields of atomic physics, which can only be studied in extreme conditions, have been combined in this research project: Bose-Einstein condensates and Rydberg atoms. A Bose-Einstein condensate is a state of matter created by atoms at ultracold temperatures, close to absolute zero. Rydberg atoms are those in which one single electron is lifted into a highly excited state and orbits the nucleus at a very large distance.

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Feb 26, 2018

SpaceX’s biggest rival has a ‘genius’ plan to cut its rocket launch costs more than 70%

Posted by in category: space travel

United Launch Alliance’s upcoming Vulcan rocket will parachute its giant engines back to Earth for reuse, lowering launch costs to $100 million per mission.

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Feb 26, 2018

Canon’s newest mirrorless camera shoots 4K video

Posted by in category: electronics

The new $779 M50 is similar to the M5, but it’s got a new image processor, new RAW file format, a swivel screen, and more.

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Feb 26, 2018

Scientists successfully inverted the circularly propagating optical waves

Posted by in category: materials

A new study has revealed that the optical waves or light waves can be turned upside down when they are allowed to propagate through specifically structured surfaces. Normally what happens is that the optical waves emerging out from a point source propagate circularly. That means the optical waves traveling away from a point source characteristically display circular, or convex, wavefronts.

The scientists compared these circular wavefronts to the waves seen on the water surface when a stone is dropped into the water. But the latest study revealed that these circularly propagating light waves’ wavefronts can be turned upside down with the help of a special surface. They developed a new material having a hyperbolic metasurface and successfully inverted the optical waves.

The study was led by Peining Li, an EU Marie Sklodowska-Curie fellow at nanoGUNE. According to him, the reason behind this circular propagation of optical waves is because of the fact that the medium through which light waves propagate is isotropic and homogenous. If the waves are isotropic in nature then their propagation is uniform in all direction and being homogenous means they carry the same characteristics throughout the propagation. But these optical waves can be inverted using specifically structured surfaces like the hyperbolic metasurfaces.

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Feb 26, 2018

Deep learning for biology

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, information science, mobile phones, robotics/AI

Finkbeiner’s success highlights how deep learning, one of the most promising branches of artificial intelligence (AI), is making inroads in biology. The algorithms are already infiltrating modern life in smartphones, smart speakers and self-driving cars. In biology, deep-learning algorithms dive into data in ways that humans can’t, detecting features that might otherwise be impossible to catch. Researchers are using the algorithms to classify cellular images, make genomic connections, advance drug discovery and even find links across different data types, from genomics and imaging to electronic medical records.


A popular artificial-intelligence method provides a powerful tool for surveying and classifying biological data. But for the uninitiated, the technology poses significant difficulties.

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Feb 25, 2018

Researchers combine metalens with an artificial muscle

Posted by in categories: cyborgs, innovation

Inspired by the human eye, researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed an adaptive metalens, that is essentially a flat, electronically controlled artificial eye. The adaptive metalens simultaneously controls for three of the major contributors to blurry images: focus, astigmatism, and image shift.

The research is published in Science Advances.

“This research combines breakthroughs in artificial muscle technology with metalens technology to create a tunable metalens that can change its focus in real time, just like the human eye,” said Alan She, a graduate student at SEAS and first author of the paper. “We go one step further to build the capability of dynamically correcting for aberrations such as astigmatism and image shift, which the human eye cannot naturally do.”

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Feb 25, 2018

Could Elon Musk Lose the Satellite Market — and Win the Solar System?

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, satellites, security

When SpaceX launched the world’s biggest rocket ship on Feb. 6, that kind of seemed like a big deal — but not everyone is impressed.

Previewing the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch, The Wall Street Journal seemed perplexed. Yes, the Falcon Heavy is big, admitted the Journal. But as a “heavy-lift booster,” it said, it is a product designed to serve a market that’s suffering “significantly eroded commercial demand” and “uncertain commercial prospects.”

The problem, as the Journal (correctly) pointed out, is that thanks to advances in rocketry, electronics, and materials technology, “both national security and corporate satellites continue to get smaller and lighter” (and cheaper).

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