Physics World May 2, 2019 Squid skin contains embedded chromatophore organs that are packed with pigment granules. These cells contract and expand thereby changing the wavelengths of light they absorb and reflect. Inspired by the squid skin a team of researchers in the US (UC Irvine, industry) designed a composite thermoregulatory material made up of a soft and stretchable infrared-transparent polymer matrix covered with an array of infrared-deflecting metal domains stably anchored within the matrix. In the relaxed state, the materials reflect nearly all incoming infrared radiation. When stretched, however, the anchored metal domains move apart and uncover parts of […]
Machine learning paves the way for next-level quantum sensing
Phys.org May 2, 2019 An international team of researchers (UK, Germany, USA – industry, University of Washington) show how machine learning can process the noisy readout of a single NV center at room temperature, requiring on average only one photon per algorithm step, to sense magnetic-field strength with a precision comparable to those reported for cryogenic experiments. The findings could lead to a new generation of MRI scanners as well as further potential uses in biology and material science…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
In 2025 the USA Could Produce More Oil Than Saudi Arabia and Russia Combined
Next Big Future May 2, 2019 The US Energy Information Agency Annual Energy Outlook high projection for oil and natural gas liquids would be 24 million barrels per day by 2025. If the technology goes right, the US could produce 28 million barrels per day by 2035-2045. Russia and Saudi Arabia have had flat oil and gas production at about 10-12 million barrels per day each. Russia and Saudi Arabia should have combined production of about 20-24 million barrels per day…read more.
‘Impossible’ research produces 400-year El Niño record, revealing startling changes
Science Daily May 6, 2019 Researchers in Australia have identified spatial and temporal patterns in observed sea surface temperatures that distinguish the evolution of Eastern and Central Pacific El Niño events in the tropical Pacific for the past four centuries, using patterns recorded by a network of 27 seasonally resolved coral records. They found a simultaneous increase in Central Pacific events and a decrease in Eastern Pacific events since the late twentieth century. Compared to the past four centuries, the most recent 30-year period includes fewer, but more intense, Eastern Pacific El Niño events. Having a better understanding of how […]
Flexible, transparent monolayer graphene device for power generation and storage
Nanowerk May 8, 2019 Researchers in North Korea adapted a single-layer graphene (SLG) as an electrode for the supercapacitor, touch sensor, and a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), thus making an electronic system that is ultrathin, lightweight, transparent, and flexible. Capacitive-type transparent and flexible electronic devices can be simultaneously used as an electrochemical double-layer capacitance-based supercapacitor and as a sensitive, fast-responding touch sensor in a single-device architecture by inserting a separator of polyvinyl alcohol–lithium chloride-soaked polyacrylonitrile electrospun mat on polyethylene naphthalate between two symmetric SLG film electrodes. They successfully demonstrated the device…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Climate extremes: Impact on global crop yield variations
Science Daily May 3, 2019 An international team of researchers (Australia, Spain. Germany USA – University of M Minnesota, Switzerland) analyzed the impacts of climate extremes on yield anomalies of maize, soybeans, rice and spring wheat at the global scale using yield data and applying a machine-learning algorithm. They found that growing season climate factors explain 20%–49% of the variance of yield anomalies, with 18%–43% of the explained variance attributable to climate extremes. Temperature-related extremes show a stronger association with yield anomalies than precipitation-related factors. The hotspot regions that are critical for global production include North America for maize, spring […]
America may outsmart China in 5G with AI and blockchains
MIT Technology Review May 7, 2019 According to the FCC it will be imperative to devise better ways to allocate the spectrum. DARPA is organizing a competition to devise new ways of negotiating over spectrum using AI. Just as the wireless data available to smartphones has spurred technological progress, 5G should underpin innovation across the tech industry. AI and blockchains could be crucial to helping the US stay competitive with China in wireless technology…read more.
Air Force Research Laboratory completes successful shoot down of air-launched missiles
Robins Air Force Base May 3, 2019 During a series of tests at the High Energy Laser System Test Facility at White Sands Missile Range, the Demonstrator Laser Weapon System (DLWS), acting as a ground-based test surrogate for the SHiELD system, was able to engage and shoot down several air launched missiles in flight validating laser effectiveness against the target missiles. The final SHiELD system, however, will be much smaller and lighter, as well as ruggedized for an airborne environment. The SHiELD program is developing a directed energy laser system on an aircraft pod that will serve to demonstrate self-defense […]
Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of May 3, 2019
01. Researchers transmit data via a semiconductor laser, opening the door to ultra-high-speed Wi-Fi 02. Ice-proof coating for big structures relies on a ‘beautiful demonstration of mechanics’ 03. Battery research: New breakthroughs in research on super-batteries 04. Can AI and autonomous systems detect hostile intent? 05. New technique uses power anomalies to ID malware in embedded systems 06. Squishy robots can drop from a helicopter and land safely 07. New holographic technique opens the way for quantum computation 08. Using DNA templates to harness the sun’s energy 09. The Fundamentals Behind Hacking: MIT Technology Review’s Martin Giles 10. Self-powered wearable […]
Self-powered wearable tech
Science Daily May 2, 2019 An international team of researchers (USA – State University of Michigan, Duke University, Naval Research Laboratory, MIT, China) has created highly stretchable supercapacitors which has demonstrated solid performance and stability, even when it is stretched to 800% of its original size for thousands of stretching/relaxing cycles. Instead of having a flat thin film strictly constrained during fabrication, their design enables the three-dimensionally interconnected CNT forest to maintain good electrical conductivity, making it much more efficient, reliable and robust. The research may spur the development of new stretchable energy electronic systems, implantable biomedical devices, as well […]