Topics : Science World Report

Feb 24, 2012 09:39 AM EST

Metal Nanoparticles Shine with Customizable Color

Engineers at Harvard have demonstrated a new kind of tunable color filter that uses optical nanoantennas to obtain precise control of color output. Whereas a conventional color filter can only produce one fixed color, a single active filter under exposure to different types of light can produce a r...

Feb 24, 2012 08:25 AM EST

Classic Maya Civilization Collapse Related to Modest Rainfall Reductions

A new study reports that the disintegration of the Maya Civilization may have been related to relatively modest reductions in rainfall. The study was led by Professors MartÃn Medina-Elizalde of the Yucatan Center for Scientific Research in Mexico and Eelco Rohling of the University of Southamp...

Feb 24, 2012 08:06 AM EST

A rainbow for the palm of your Hand

University at Buffalo engineers have developed a one-step, low-cost method to fabricate a polymer with extraordinary properties: When viewed from a single perspective, the polymer is rainbow-colored, reflecting many different wavelengths of light.

Feb 23, 2012 02:42 PM EST

Breakthrough in Designing Cheaper, More Efficient Catalysts for Fuel Cells

University of California, Berkeley, chemists are reimagining catalysts in ways that could have a profound impact on the chemical industry as well as on the growing market for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Feb 23, 2012 11:46 AM EST

NIST Reveals Switching Mechanism in Promising Computer Memory Device

Sometimes knowing that a new technology works is not enough. You also must know why it works to get marketplace acceptance. New information from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)* about how layered switching devices for novel computer memory systems work, for example, may now...

Feb 23, 2012 11:21 AM EST

Switzerland Plans Drill for Protection Against Cyber-Attacks

The threat of attacks from cyberspace has grown by now to a level of being one of the greatest threats of public safety. Therefore the Swiss government is preparing for the worst case scenario by challenging its crisis managements groups with a drill this fall.

Feb 23, 2012 11:17 AM EST

Burning Calories at the Gym Avoids Burnout at Work

Obesity can be a dangerous risk to our physical health, but according to a Tel Aviv University researcher, avoiding the gym can also take a toll on our mental health, leading to depression and greater burnout rates at work.

Feb 23, 2012 11:08 AM EST

World Nourishment at Risk of Being Diminished: Wild Cereals Threatened by Global Warming

A 28-year comparative study of wild emmer wheat and wild barley populations has revealed that these progenitors of cultivated wheat and barley, which are the best hope for crop improvement, have undergone changes over this period of global warming. The changes present a real concern for their being ...

Feb 23, 2012 10:24 AM EST

Experts Recommend Measures to Reduce Human Error in Fingerprint Analysis

A new report by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has documented 149 potential sources of human error in the analysis of crime scene fingerprints. The study by a working group of 34 experts recommends a serie...

Feb 23, 2012 10:19 AM EST

Transforming Computers of the Future with Optical Interconnects

In order to build the next generation of very large supercomputers, it's essential that scientists and engineers find a way to seamlessly scale computation performance without exceeding extraordinary power consumption. It is widely agreed that the major challenge to scaling future systems will no lo...

Feb 23, 2012 09:05 AM EST

Ancient Rock Art Found in Brazil

Researchers have discovered an extremely old anthropomorphic figure engraved in rock in Brazil, according to a report published Feb. 22 in the open access journal PLoS ONE. The petroglyph, which dates to between 9,000 and 12,000 years old, is the oldest reliably dated instance of such rock art yet f...

Feb 22, 2012 03:01 PM EST

What Can Animals' Survival Instincts Tell Us About Understanding Human Emotion?

Can animals' survival instincts shed additional light on what we know about human emotion? New York University neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux poses this question in outlining a pioneering theory, drawn from two decades of research, that could lead to a more comprehensive understanding of emotions in b...