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Three Americans Share 2009 Nobel Physics Prize
from The Washington Post
Three Americans who created the technology behind digital photography and helped link the world through fiber-optic networks shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in physics. Full Article
Balloon Probe Seeks Clues to Universe's Beginnings
from Discovery News
When scientists first proposed building an instrument to comb cosmic radiation for antimatter particles, they imagined it would fly on the International Space Station. Instead, a prototype to demonstrate proof of concept has evolved into a science program on its own, with backing from NASA and Japan, and rides to the edge of space aboard high-flying balloons. Full Article
A Sprinkling of Nanotubes Makes Plants Shoot Up
from NewScientist
Tiny they may be, but carbon nanotubes have found a remarkable range of uses, from stretchy loudspeakers to artificial photosynthesis. Now use as a fertilizer can be added to the list. Full Article
Do Lava Lamps and Actual Lava Share Similar Characteristics?
from The Minnesota Post
When Imre Janosi's teenage daughter asked him how her new lava lamp worked, she probably expected a quick explanation. But her innocent question sent Janosi, a physicist at Lorand Eötvös University in Budapest, on an experimental quest to plumb the physics of the popular novelty toy. Full Article
Cosmic Rays Reveal Erupting Volcano's Guts
from Seed Magazine
Cosmic radiation has been used to peer inside an erupting volcano, a technique that could allow eruptions to be predicted. Short-lived particles called muons are produced in Earth's atmosphere when charged particles from space slam into gas molecules. These muons can travel through solid rock, though some get absorbed, and the percentage lost depends on the mass of material along their path. Full Article
Universe Has More Entropy Than Thought
from ScienceNews
For all its tumult – erupting stars, colliding galaxies, collapsing black holes – the cosmos is a surprisingly orderly place. Theoretical calculations have long shown that the entropy of the universe – a measure of its disorder – is but a tiny fraction of the maximum allowable amount. Full Article
To Flap, or Not to Flap? Flapping Wings Can be More Efficient than Fixed Wings, Study Shows
from PhysOrg
According to a new Cornell study, an optimized flapping wing could actually require 27 percent less power than its optimal steady-flight counterpart at small scales. Full Article
Dark Energy Hunters Catch a Wave
from Wired
A new project to create a 3D map of space so large that scientists can find a 500 million-light-year-size remnant from the early universe inside it began operation last month. The Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey opened its eyes to the universe, taking in data from hundreds of galaxies and quasars in the constellation Aquarius, from its perch on the Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico. Full Article
Knuckle-Cracking Gets (Ig) Nobel Prize
from LiveScience
The Nobel Prizes are the most prestigious awards given to scientists this year. Last week's Ig Nobel Prizes, on the other hand, were indisputably the funniest. They spotlighted scientists whose work walks the fine line between silly and significant -- a distinction that isn't always obvious. Full Article
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