Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

You don't need glue to hold these materials together -- just electricity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Is there a way to stick hard and soft materials together without any tape, glue or epoxy? A new study shows that applying a small voltage to certain objects forms chemical bonds that securely link the objects together. Reversing the direction of electron flow easily separates the two materials. This electro-adhesion effect could help create biohybrid robots, improve biomedical implants and enable new battery technologies.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Physics: General
Published

Scientists reveal the first unconventional superconductor that can be found in mineral form in nature      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have identified the first unconventional superconductor with a chemical composition also found in nature.

Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Grounding zone discovery explains accelerated melting under Greenland's glaciers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have conducted the first large-scale observation and modeling study of northwest Greenland's Petermann Glacier. Their findings reveal the intrusion of warm ocean water beneath the ice as the culprit in the accelerated melting it has experienced since the turn of the century, and their computer predictions indicate that potential sea level rise will be much worse than previously estimated.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Chemistry: Thermodynamics Energy: Technology Engineering: Graphene Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: General
Published

Spiral wrappers switch nanotubes from conductors to semiconductors and back      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

By wrapping a carbon nanotube with a ribbon-like polymer, researchers were able to create nanotubes that conduct electricity when struck with low-energy light that our eyes cannot see. In the future, the approach could make it possible to optimize semiconductors for applications ranging from night vision to new forms of computing.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Mars attracts: How Earth's interactions with the red planet drive deep-sea circulation      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have used the geological record of the deep sea to discover a connection between the orbits of Earth and Mars, past global warming patterns and the speeding up of deep ocean circulation. The patterns they discover suggest that warming seas could produce deep whirpools in ocean currents.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Cell Biology Biology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

A coral superhighway in the Indian Ocean      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Despite being scattered across more than a million square kilometers, new research has revealed that remote coral reefs across the Seychelles are closely related. Using genetic analyses and oceanographic modelling, researchers demonstrated for the first time that a network of ocean currents scatter significant numbers of larvae between these distant islands, acting as a 'coral superhighway.'

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Computer Science: General Computer Science: Quantum Computers Physics: General Physics: Quantum Computing Physics: Quantum Physics
Published

Design rules and synthesis of quantum memory candidates      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In the quest to develop quantum computers and networks, there are many components that are fundamentally different than those used today. Like a modern computer, each of these components has different constraints. However, it is currently unclear what materials can be used to construct those components for the transmission and storage of quantum information.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Breakthrough in nanostructure technology for real-time color display      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New groundbreaking technology enables the real-time display of colors and shapes through changes in nanostructures.

Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Study explores impacts of Arctic warming on daily weather patterns in the U.S.      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Arctic sea ice is shrinking as the world continues to warm, and a new study may provide a better understanding of how the loss of this ice may impact daily weather in the middle latitudes, like the United States.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: General Physics: Optics
Published

Combined microscopy technique catches light-driven polymers in the act      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have used tip-scan high-speed atomic force microscopy combined with an optical microscope to observe light-induced deformation of azo-polymer films. The process could be followed in real time, and the film patterns were found to change with the polarization of the light source. The observations will contribute to the use of azo-polymers in applications such as optical data storage, and the approach is expected to be useful across materials science and physical chemistry.

Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry
Published

How surface roughness influences the adhesion of soft materials      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A research team discovers universal mechanism that leads to adhesion hysteresis in soft materials. Through a combination of experimental observations and simulations, the team demonstrated that roughness interferes with the separation process, causing the materials to detach in minute, abrupt movements, which release parts of the adhesive bond incrementally. The findings will make it possible to specifically control the adhesion properties of soft materials through surface roughness and will allow new and improved applications to be developed in soft robotics or production technology in the future.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Chemistry: General Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Energy: Technology Physics: Optics
Published

Tiny wireless light bulbs for biomedical applications      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The combination of OLEDs and acoustic antennas creates a light source that could be used for minimally invasive treatment methods.

Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Space Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

Interstellar signal linked to aliens was actually just a truck      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Sound waves thought to be from a 2014 meteor fireball north of Papua New Guinea were almost certainly vibrations from a truck rumbling along a nearby road, new research shows. The findings raise doubts that materials pulled last year from the ocean are alien materials from that meteor, as was widely reported.

Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Understanding wind and water at the equator key to more accurate future climate projections      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Getting climate models to mimic real-time observations when it comes to warming is critical -- small discrepancies can lead to misunderstandings about the rate of global warming as the climate changes. A new study that when modeling warming trends in the Pacific Ocean, there is still a missing piece to the modeling puzzle: the effect of wind on ocean currents in the equatorial Pacific.

Biology: General Biology: Marine Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
Published

Herbivores, displaced by ocean warming, threaten subtropical seagrass meadows      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The findings suggest that subtropical seagrasses are less resilient to heavy grazing from marine herbivores, in part because they receive less sunlight relative to their tropical counterparts. As tropical herbivores move into subtropical waters, overgrazing may prevent subtropical seagrass meadows from persisting in these environments.