When light strikes electrons in atoms, their state can change unimaginably quickly. Laser physicists in Munich have measured such a phenomenon – namely that of photoionization, in which an electron exits a helium atom after excitation by light – for the first time with zeptosecond precision. A zeptosecond is a trillionth of a billionth of …
In a paper published in the journal PLOS ONE, MDI Biological Laboratory scientists Benjamin L. King, Ph.D., and Voot P. Yin, Ph.D., identified these common genetic regulators in three regenerative species: the zebrafish, a common aquarium fish originally from India; the axolotl, a salamander native to the lakes of Mexico; and the bichir, a ray-finned …
When an airplane begins to move faster than the speed of sound, it creates a shockwave that produces a well-known “boom” of sound. Now, researchers at MIT and elsewhere have discovered a similar process in a sheet of graphene, in which a flow of electric current can, under certain circumstances, exceed the speed of slowed-down …
Nextbigfuture will have a total of 70 million pageviews later today and has over 215 million Google plus views. Thanks to all of the readers and commenters. Looking forward to passing the 100 million pageview mark in 2017. Brian WangBrian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers …
The European Central Bank cut all its main interest rates, expanded its bond-buying stimulus program and offered new cheap long-term loans to banks, making an unexpectedly aggressive move to boost inflation and economic growth in the 19 countries that share the euro. The bank’s steps on most counts exceeded expectations among analysts, suggesting that it …
1. Australian CSIRO scientists have perfected the Novacq™ prawn feed additive. Farmed prawns fed with Novacq grow on average 30 per cent faster, are healthier and can be produced with no fish products in their diet, a world-first achievement in sustainability. Until now, Australian prawn farmers have needed to feed their prawns with a pellet …
The AWARE series of DARPA multiple cameras show that optics and electronic sampling provide no barrier to camera information capacity. They already have 10 gigapixels and will soon have 50 gigapixels. There is a technical plan to achieve petapixel imaging (a million gigapixels). Capacity is ultimately limited by photon flux and atmospheric turbulence. There is …
China is rolling out a carbon trading scheme and plans to place caps on emissions starting in 2016 and an overall peak in emissions by 2025. This plan to reach a peak in emissions in 2025 is 5 years earlier than previous objectives in 2012. A new carbon trading scheme will cover 638 companies responsible …
I have received an advanced copy of Eric Drexler’s Radical Abundance. The book will be released on May 7, 2013 but can be pre-ordered now. Eric Drexler wrote Engines of Creation – the coming age of nanotechnology (in 1986) and in 2007, he wrote an online e-book Engines of Creation 2.0. Eric also wrote Nanosystems. …
Bioengineers at Harvard have developed a gel-based sponge that can be molded to any shape, loaded with drugs or stem cells, compressed to a fraction of its size, and delivered via injection. Once inside the body, it pops back to its original shape and gradually releases its cargo, before safely degrading. The biocompatible technology amounts …
A new study by researchers at MIT and Rice University has shown that even lighter materials may be more capable and effective than Kevlar. The key is to use composites made of two or more materials whose stiffness and flexibility are structured in very specific ways — such as in alternating layers just a few …