Science

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Rice experts unveil submicroscopic tunable, optical amplifier: Photonics researchers create first nanoscale 'optical parametric amplifier'

Rice University photonics researchers have unveiled a new nanoparticle amplifier that can generate infrared light and boost the output of one light by capturing and converting energy from a second light.

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Rice University's new light-amplifying nanoparticle consists of a 190-nanometer diameter sphere of barium tin oxide surrounded by a 30-nanometer-thick shell of gold.

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First single-enzyme method to produce quantum dots revealed: Biological manufacturing process, pioneered by three Lehigh University engineers, produces equivalent quantum dots to those made chemically--but in a much greener, cheaper way

Quantum dots (QDs) are semiconducting nanocrystals prized for their optical and electronic properties. The brilliant, pure colors produced by QDs when stimulated with ultraviolet light are ideal for use in flat screen displays, medical imaging devices, solar panels and LEDs. One obstacle to mass production and widespread use of these wonder particles is the difficulty and expense associated with current chemical manufacturing methods that often requiring heat, high pressure and toxic solvents.

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These are tubes filled with quantum dots produced in the Lehigh University lab.

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New Maps Chart Greenland Glaciers' Melting Risk

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The new maps show that the seafloor under Store Glacier, shown here, is almost 2,000 feet (600 meters) deeper than previously thought.

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Light Echoes Give Clues to Protoplanetary Disk

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This illustration shows a star surrounded by a protoplanetary disk.

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Animal study shows flexible, dissolvable silicon device promising for brain monitoring: Other applications include post-operative observation for vascular, cardiac, and orthopaedic procedures, finds Penn study

An implantable brain device that literally melts away at a pre-determined rate minimizes injury to tissue normally associated with standard electrode implantation, according to research led by a team from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The researchers describe in Nature Materials a new class of technology that provides greater resolution for measuring electrical activity in space and time that matches or exceeds existing methods.

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Thin, flexible neural electrode arrays with fully bioresorbable construction based on patterned silicon nanomembranes (Si NMs) as the conducting component.

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Understanding tiny droplets can make for better weather forecasts: Climate change models also benefit from understanding fundamental thermodynamics of water droplets

When you see how difficult it is to get even next week's weather forecast right, you can imagine the challenges researchers are faced with when it comes to predicting the weather decades from now.

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An image of two coalescing water droplets. The figure to the left shows a snapshot from a molecular dynamics simulation, where the small dots represent water molecules. The figure to the right illustrates the interface transfer coefficient for heat transfer, where the blue color means that the resistance to transfer is large. It is difficult to transport heat into or out of the region where the two droplets merge.

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Galaxy-sized peanuts? Astronomers use new imaging software to detect double ‘peanut shell’ galaxy

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The large (peanut shell)-shaped bulge at the centre of the disc galaxy NGC 128.

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Two thirds of large UK businesses hit by cyber breach or attack in past year

Britain’s businesses are being urged to better protect themselves from cyber criminals following government research

Britain’s businesses are being urged to better protect themselves from cyber criminals after government research into cyber security found two thirds of large businesses experienced a cyber breach or attack in the past year.

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Witness Juno's Arrival at Jupiter Live from JPL

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The gravitational pull of Saturn changes the amount of particles spraying from the south pole of Saturn's active moon Enceladus at different points in its orbit. More particles make the plume appear much brighter in the infrared image at left.

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NRL Engineers to Lead Payload Development for Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites

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U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) engineers in the Space Robotics Laboratory (SRL) demonstrate end-to-end robotic servicing rehearsals of the Front-end Robotics Enabling Near-term Demonstration (FREND) robotic arm using a remote ground station and operator to simulate on-orbit robotics.