Science

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Join in the Cassini Name Game

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In its next phase, NASA's Cassini spacecraft will perform 22 loops between Saturn and its innermost ring.

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LADEE Project Scientist Update: Citius, propius, occupatus

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An image taken by the star trackers aboard LADEE of the moon’s surface illuminated by a nearly full Earth.

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Scientists Succeed in Simultaneous Determination of Acetaminophen, Codeine in Drug Samples

Iranian chemists from Arak University used carbon nanotubes and succeeded in the production of a sensor that is able to simultaneously determine very tiny amounts of acetaminophen and codeine in drugs without any need to very time-consuming steps for the preparation of the sample.

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No compromises: JILA's short, flexible, reusable AFM probe

JILA researchers have engineered a short, flexible, reusable probe for the atomic force microscope (AFM) that enables state-of-the-art precision and stability in picoscale force measurements. Shorter, softer and more agile than standard and recently enhanced AFM probes, the JILA tips will benefit nanotechnology and studies of folding and stretching in biomolecules such as proteins and DNA.

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This image shows JILA's modified AFM probes measuring DNA molecules. The older mod (long cantilever, right) eliminated the usual gold coating to enhance long-term stability. The latest version (left) retains the gold coating where needed to reflect light but maintains excellent stability. Researchers also removed a large section to reduce stiffness and friction near surfaces. The new probe provides precise results much faster than before, while reducing "noise" (colored squiggles).

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Chance Meeting Creates Celestial Diamond Ring

Astronomers using ESO’s Very Large Telescope in Chile have captured this eye-catching image of planetary nebula PN A66 33 — usually known as Abell 33. Created when an aging star blew off its outer layers, this beautiful blue bubble is, by chance, aligned with a foreground star, and bears an uncanny resemblance to a diamond engagement ring. This cosmic gem is unusually symmetric, appearing to be almost circular on the sky.

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US Navy Develops Fuel from Seawater

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TMC13 Deposition Rate Controller now supports Multi-Crystal sensors

The latest TMC13 Deposition Rate Controller from Henniker Scientific is further extended with 0.01Hz frequency resolution and support for multi-crystal sensors with each crystal being controlled individually.

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Support for multi-crystal sensors

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First principles approach to creating new materials: Solid-state chemistry and theoretical physics combined to help discover new materials with useful properties

A Perovskite heterostructure: The laws governing the physics of materials are in fact relatively simple, it is just that the behavior of the constituents as a whole are complex. Indeed, materials are made up of atoms whose type, number, and arrangement--the crystalline motif--creates distinct properties that emerge through the collective behavior of the seemingly simpler, well-understood parts. The discovery of emergent phenomena in condensed matter systems is therefore intimately linked with that of discovering the crystalline materials that display these phenomena. Such discoveries by their very nature often occur serendipitously. One challenge is that there are an enormous number of possible bulk compounds that have yet to be identified. As the propensity for new properties tends to increase as the structural and chemical complexity of the crystalline motif increases, the traditional exploratory route to discover these materials is quite demanding.

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The artificial hetero-structuring of complex materials at the atomic scale

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Images From NASA Mars Rover Include Bright Spots

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This image from the Navigation Camera (Navcam) on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover includes a bright spot near the upper left corner.

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Global Recovery Offers Opportunity for Growth and Policy Reforms in the Middle East and North Africa

The World Bank Group’s latest regional economic update projects growth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to accelerate from an average of 2.6% in 2013 to 4.6% in 2015. With the global economy set for a rebound, 2014 seems hopeful and 2015 could be a turning point for countries in the MENA region as they will start to benefit from stronger external demand in the high-income economies.