Topics : Science World Report

Feb 15, 2012 11:09 AM EST

Finnish Research Organisation VTT Combines Mobile Phone Technology And Microscopy

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the leading multi-technological applied research organisation in Northern Europe, has developed an optical accessory that turns an ordinary camera phone into a high-resolution microscope. The device is accurate to one hundredth of a millimetre. Among those w...

Feb 14, 2012 04:37 PM EST

From Prediction to Reality -- a New Class of Bulk Insulator But Surface Conductor Material

As a result of a joint intensive work of several groups from five different countries, including Basque Country, a new wide class of topological insulators materials that are insulators in the bulk but conductors at the surface with technologically very promising properties has been discovered.

Feb 14, 2012 04:37 PM EST

Shear Stiffness And Friction Mechanics of Single-Layer Graphene Measured For the First Time

Researchers from the University of Bristol have measured and identified for the first time the stress and strain shear modulus and internal friction of graphene sheets. Graphene is a material that has many potential groundbreaking uses in the electronics and composites industry.

Feb 14, 2012 04:34 PM EST

People Forage For Memories In the Same Way Birds Forage For Berries

Humans move between 'patches' in their memory using the same strategy as bees flitting between flowers for pollen or birds searching among bushes for berries.

Feb 14, 2012 04:32 PM EST

New Web Tool to Improve Accuracy of Global Land Cover Maps

An interactive web tool has been developed to improve the accuracy and extent of global land use and forest cover information. The new 'Geo-Wiki' uses Google Earth and information provided by a global network of volunteers to fill in 'data gaps' and to verify existing land cover information.

Feb 14, 2012 04:22 PM EST

Bumblebees Get by With a Little Help From Their Honeybee Rivals

Bumblebees can use cues from their rivals the honeybees to learn where the best food resources are, according to new research from Queen Mary, University of London.

Feb 14, 2012 04:20 PM EST

What Causes Language Switching in Bilinguals?

The proficiency that a bilingual person has of both languages, the context in which he speaks them or unconscious changes in their use are the factors that make people who speak Spanish and Catalan switch from one language to another.

Feb 14, 2012 04:13 PM EST

Super High- Resolution Carbon Estimates For Endangered Madagascar

By combining airborne laser technology, satellite mapping, and ground-based plot surveys, a team of researchers has produced the first large-scale, high-resolution estimates of carbon stocks in remote and fragile Madagascar.

Feb 14, 2012 03:12 PM EST

'Invisibility' Cloak Could Protect Buildings From Earthquakes

Dr William Parnell's team in the University's School of Mathematics have been working on the theory of invisibility cloaks which, until recently, have been merely the subject of science fiction.

Feb 14, 2012 03:07 PM EST

Email Language Tips Off Work Hierarchy

Members of the modern workforce might be surprised to learn that if they use the word "weekend" in a workplace email, chances are they're sending the message up the org chart. The same is true for the words "voicemail," "driving," "okay"â€”and even a choice four-letter word that rhymes with "hi...

Feb 14, 2012 02:56 PM EST

A Look Back Suggests a Sobering Future of Wildfire Dangers In US West

The American West has seen a recent increase in large wildfires due to droughts, the build-up of combustible fuel, or biomass, in forests, a spread of fire-prone species and increased tree mortality from insects and heat.

Feb 14, 2012 02:51 PM EST

Cellphone Use Linked to Selfish Behavior In UMD Study

Though cellphones are usually considered devices that connect people, they may make users less socially minded, finds a recent study from the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business.