Phys.org March 27, 2019 Working under the CORDIS project NetSat researchers in Germany aim to launch four small satellites, at the end of this year, to orbit the Earth and test formations with varying degrees of autonomy, with light-touch supervision from ground control. Each satellite weighs 3 kilogram and they will be placed in low Earth orbit. The satellites will be able to coordinate with each other over distances from about 100 kilometres down to 10 metres, as well as change their formation depending on the tasks they need to perform. AI can make a satellite aware of its surroundings and […]
Ferromagnetic nanoparticle systems show promise for ultrahigh-speed spintronics
Phys.org March 28, 2019 Based on their previous discovery that the “electric field” component of a terahertz pulse plays a key role in the terahertz magnetization modulation of semiconductor-based ferromagnetic materials, researchers in Japan embedded MnAs ferromagnetic nanoparticles in a GaAs host matrix. They observed a large modulation up to 20% of the magnetization of the nanoparticles with terahertz pump pulse irradiation. They found that the modulation is induced by the electric-field component of the terahertz pulse via spin-carrier interactions. The results will lead to an ultrafast coherent magnetization reversal within a picosecond, which will be an essential technique for […]
Engineering for high-speed devices
Science Daily March 29, 2019 A team of researchers in the US (University of Delaware, industry, Columbia University) combined silicon with graphene which can transmit radiofrequency waves in less than a picosecond at a sub-terahertz bandwidth. Graphene has better carrier mobility and direct bandgap and allows for faster electron transmission and better electrical and optical properties. By combining silicon with graphene, scientists may be able to continue to utilize technologies that are already used with silicon devices. The research could add up to cheaper and faster wireless devices in the future. It could make the network stronger, better and cheaper…read […]
The Doomsday Vault’s Home Is Already Threatened by Warming, And It May Get Much Worse
Science Alert March 27, 2019 The global seed ark, popularly known as the “Doomsday Vault”, is embedded deep in the permafrost of a northerly Norwegian island and stores nearly a million samples from around the world for safekeeping in the event of war, famine, disease, and climate change. It backs up gene banks around the globe and it is supposed to be indestructible, the frigid landscape serving as a natural coolant for the genetic material it protects. Climate change has been profoundly affecting the region, causing permafrost to melt, avalanches to strike, and, on one notable occasion, water to collect […]
A direct current (DC) remote cloak to hide arbitrary objects
Phys.org March 27, 2019 An international team of researchers (China, Singapore) used a negative resistor network with active elements to achieve the remote function of the DC cloak. Based on this network, the cloak can remotely generate a hidden region without distorting the currents far from the cloaked region. The experimental results show that any object in the hidden region is invisible to a DC detector. The cloak does not require any knowledge of the hidden object. The cloaking device may find potential applications in medical or geologic research…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
DARPA Seeks to Make Scalable On-Chip Security Pervasive
DARPA News March 25, 2019 There are no common tools, methods, or solutions for chip-level security currently in wide use. This is largely driven by the economic hurdles and technical trade-offs often associated with secure chip design. To ease the burden of developing secure chips, DARPA developed the Automatic Implementation of Secure Silicon (AISS) program. AISS aims to automate the process of incorporating scalable defense mechanisms into chip designs, while allowing designers to explore economics versus security trade-offs and maximize design productivity. The objective of the program is to develop a design tool and IP ecosystem – which includes tool […]
‘Biological bandage’ could help heal wounds
Nanowerk March 28, 2019 Fibrinogen is a blood protein which through self-organization process turns dissolved proteins into ultrafine fibers that then combine to form tissue. Researchers in Germany introduced a novel biofabrication technique to prepare three-dimensional, nanofibrous fibrinogen scaffolds by salt-induced self-assembly. They were able to fabricate either free-standing or immobilized fibrinogen scaffolds on demand by tailoring the underlying substrate material and adding a fixation and washing procedure after the fiber assembly. Thickness can be adjusted by altering the salt concentration. The possibility to choose between free-standing and immobilized scaffolds makes the process attractive for the preparation of versatile tissue […]
A billion people will be newly exposed to diseases like dengue fever as world temperatures rise
Science Daily March 28, 2019 An international team of researchers (USA – University of Florida, South Africa) applied an empirically parameterized model of viral transmission by the vectors Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus, as a function of temperature, to predict cumulative monthly global transmission risk in current climates and compare them with projected risk in 2050 and 2080 based on general circulation models. According to the researchers climate-driven risk of transmission from both mosquitoes will increase substantially, even in the short term, for most of Europe. In contrast, significant reductions in climate suitability are expected for Ae. albopictus, most noticeably […]
10 Breakthrough Technologies with Bill Gates
MIT Technology Review March 28, 2019 The magazine has been publishing its list of 10 Breakthrough Technologies annually since 2001. Usually the list is assembled by the magazine’s expert editors and reporters, but this year Bill Gates curated the list to share his own perspective on which emerging technologies that could make the biggest difference for the largest number of people…read more.
Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of March 29, 2019
01. Computer program developed to find ‘leakage’ in quantum computers 02. Engineers demonstrate metamaterials that can solve equations 03. In a new quantum simulator, light behaves like a magnet 04. Materials could delay frost up to 300 times longer than existing anti-icing coatings 05. Supercrystal: A hidden phase of matter created by a burst of light 06. The taming of the light screw 07. Radioactive material detected remotely using laser-induced electron avalanche breakdown 08. One transistor for all purposes 09. The best topological conductor yet: Spiraling crystal is the key to exotic discovery 10. Growing Drone Industry Spawns a Growing […]