Computer network model finds Parkinson's tipping point
New Scientist
Too much of a good thing can be bad for you. The synchronous firing of neurons is crucial for many ordinary brain functions, but excessive, uncontrolled synchronisation might be behind the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Now a computer model has backed up the idea.More

14 quantum bits: Physicists stretch the limits of quantum computation
PhysOrg
Quantum physicists from the University of Innsbruck (Austria) have set another world record: They have achieved controlled entanglement of 14 quantum bits (qubits) and, thus, realized the largest quantum register that has ever been produced. With this experiment the scientists have not only come closer to the realization of a quantum computer but they also show surprising results for the quantum mechanical phenomenon of entanglement. Read the associated Physical Review Letters abstract.
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How electricity breaks down polymers
Charlotte Observer
For the first time, researchers have observed how soft plastics fail under electrical voltages, giving scientists a lead in developing more durable materials. Polymers, plastics used to insulate wires, have long been known to break down when exposed to electricity. Until now, however, that process has never been observed directly. Read the associated Physical Review Letters abstract.More

Physicists put a new twist on graphene
PhysicsWorld
Physicists have worked out why different samples of multilayer graphene can have very different electronic properties. The answer, according to an international team, lies in the relative rotation between layers and the discovery could lead to a new way of controlling the electronic properties of the material. Read the associated APS Physics Synopsis.More

Entanglement can help in classical communication
PhysOrg
Entanglement is useful in quantum communication. Now a team of physicists have demonstrated that it is possible to benefit from entanglement in some classical communication channels as well. Read the associated APS Physics Viewpoint.More

The amazing disappearing antineutrino
Scientific American
Neutrinos have long perplexed physicists with their uncanny ability to evade detection, with as many as two-thirds of the ghostly particles apparently going missing en route from the Sun to Earth. Now a refined version of an old calculation is causing a stir by suggesting that researchers have also systematically underestimated the number of the particles' antimatter partners -- antineutrinos -- produced by nuclear reactor experiments.More

Quantum dots can tag individual molecules with a fluorescent glow
Popular Science
A team of engineers at Ohio State University has packed a nanoparticle full of fluorescent blinking quantum dots. When the particle is attached to a single molecule, it functions as a gaudily glowing beacon. With their bright, continuous fluorescent glow that transitions between red, green and yellow, the nanoparticle is a better way to tag molecules, both in its function and in its good looks.More

Jupiter and Saturn's rings show echoes of comet collisions
Ars Technica
Researchers have proposed an explanation for the observed repeating pattern of alternating bright and dark stripes within Saturn's C-ring, involving an extraplanetary body striking the rings and twisting them out of their normal axis of rotation. They find that a similar thing occurred as the comet Shoemaker-Levy slammed into Jupiter.More

Remodeling the standard model
Science News
The Large Hadron Collider, the world’s most powerful atom smasher, may be only months away from finding a new elementary particle -- a sign of a new force in nature -- recent studies suggest.More