Science

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'Deep Web Search' May Help Scientists

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What you see when you do a basic Web search is only the tip of the iceberg. Most of the information is buried in the "Deep Web." JPL is collaborating on a DARPA initiative called Memex, which explores the connections between bits of information hidden in this vast ocean of content.

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Critical NASA Research Returns to Earth Aboard U.S. SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft

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The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft was released from the International Space Station's robotic arm at 7:04 a.m. EDT Thursday. The capsule then performed a series of departure burns and maneuvers to move beyond the 656-foot (200-meter) "keep out sphere" around the station and begin its return trip to Earth.

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Visualizing How Radiation Bombardment Boosts Superconductivity: Atomic-level flyovers show how impact sites of high-energy ions pin potentially disruptive vortices to keep high-current superconductivity flowing

Sometimes a little damage can do a lot of good-at least in the case of iron-based high-temperature superconductors. Bombarding these materials with high-energy heavy ions introduces nanometer-scale damage tracks that can enhance the materials' ability to carry high current with no energy loss-and without lowering the critical operating temperature. Such high-current, high-temperature superconductors could one day find application in zero-energy-loss power transmission lines or energy-generating turbines. But before that can happen, scientists would like to understand quantitatively and in detail how the damage helps-and use that knowledge to strategically engineer superconductors with the best characteristics for a given application.

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High-energy gold ions impact the crystal surface from above at the sites indicated schematically by dashed circles. Measurement of the strength of superconductivity in this same field of view, as shown on the lower panel, reveals how the impact sites are the regions where the superconductivity is also annihilated. In additional studies, the scientists discovered that it is in these same regions that the strongest pinning of quantized vortices occurs, followed at higher magnetic fields by pinning at the single atom crystal damage sites. Pinning the vortices allows high current superconductivity to flow unimpeded through the rest of the sample.

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Mars Rover's Laser-Zapping Instrument Gets Sharper Vision

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This May 15, 2015, image from the Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows detailed texture of a rock target called "Yellowjacket" on Mars' Mount Sharp. This was the first rock target for ChemCam after checkout of restored capability for autonomous focusing.

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3-D Improves Clothing & Gear Fit for Warfighters

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The U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center’s anthropology team has played a role in the development of the female body armor shown here. The team’s ANSUR II 3D Shape Database uses three-dimensional shapes and contour data to improve the fit of clothing and equipment for the warfighter. Accurate fit is a key component in providing optimum protection.

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Defects can 'Hulk-up' materials: Berkeley lab study shows properly managed damage can boost material thermoelectric performances

In the story of the Marvel Universe superhero known as the Hulk, exposure to gamma radiation transforms scientist Bruce Banner into a far more powerful version of himself. In a study at Berkeley Lab, exposure to alpha-particle radiation has been shown to transform certain thermoelectric materials into far more powerful versions of themselves.

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Cross sectional HRTEM image of bismuth telluride thin-film grown on gallium arsenide substrate.

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Toward 'green' paper-thin, flexible electronics

The rapid evolution of gadgets has brought us an impressive array of "smart" products from phones to tablets, and now watches and glasses. But they still haven't broken free from their rigid form. Now scientists are reporting in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces a new step toward bendable electronics. They have developed the first light-emitting, transparent and flexible paper out of environmentally friendly materials via a simple, suction-filtration method.

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A new, environmentally-friendly paper that glows could lead to sustainable, roll-up electronics.

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DiATOME enables surface preparation for AFM and FIB

DiATOME have partnered with EM Resolutions, a Saffron Walden-based consumables and accessories supplier for electron microscopy, to supply their range of high quality diamond knives in the UK.

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The DiATOME diamond knives for AFM sample preparation.

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Printing 3-D graphene structures for tissue engineering: A new ink formulation allows for the 3-D printing of graphene structures

Ever since single-layer graphene burst onto the science scene in 2004, the possibilities for the promising material have seemed nearly endless. With its high electrical conductivity, ability to store energy, and ultra-strong and lightweight structure, graphene has potential for many applications in electronics, energy, the environment, and even medicine.

Now a team of Northwestern University researchers has found a way to print three-dimensional structures with graphene nanoflakes. The fast and efficient method could open up new opportunities for using graphene printed scaffolds regenerative engineering and other electronic or medical applications.

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Nanosorbent Produced in Iran to Adsorb Tiny Amounts of Aromatic Hydrocarbon from Seawater

Academic researchers in Iran used a graphene-based composite nanosorbent for the extraction of tiny amounts of cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from aqueous media.

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