General science advances thread

[IsaacNewton]

You Won t Believe How Accurate GE s New CT Scanner Is

Maybe posted already, but interesting how things are progressing very quickly.

 

[Abishai100]

Seismology Simulcast

Seismology is an under-appreciate field, even though it helps us create intricate terrain-shift projection maps.

This is an interesting discovery suggesting that modality experimentation is guiding regular science:

Animals Observed to Understand Earthquakes



Seismology

 

[ScienceRocks]

 

[ScienceRocks]

Boeing's New Laser Gun Could Be a Game-Changer for U.S. Soldiers

No, not that ray gun you see above -- that was the U.S. Air Force Airborne Laser. And no, we're not talking about Boeing's Advanced Tactical Laser or its Laser Avenger projects, either. Respectively, those weapons systems require anything from the size of a Boeing 747 to a small tank to lug them around.
Boeing's newest laser weapon system, in contrast, is small enough to be transported by hand.

Well, by a few hands at least. According to a Boeing representative, the company's new Compact Laser Weapon System (LWS) breaks down into four parts, each transportable by one or two Marines. Boeing says these components include:

• a battery
• a water-cooled chiller
• a commercially available fiber laser
• an upgraded beam director, weighing 40% less than a previous model.

In total, the system weighs about 650 pounds and would probably be operated by a squad of eight to 12 soldiers or Marines.

SETTING UP A COMPACT LASER WEAPON SYSTEM AT THE MARINE AVIATION WEAPONS AND TACTICS SQUADRON ONE EXERCISE IN YUMA, ARIZONA. IMAGE SOURCE: USMC.

Able to be assembled in just 15 minutes, LWS is capable of generating an energy beam of up to 10 kilowatts that can, depending on the power level, be used to acquire, track, and identify a target -- or even destroy it -- at ranges of at least 22 miles. The weapon is designed specifically to track and attack moving aerial targets such as incoming artillery rounds, and low-flying aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles.

U.S. Special Operations forces are currently testing LWS, with "multiple" branches of the U.S. military expressing interest -- and no wonder.

According to Boeing, a laser gun such as LWS offers the military a "low cost per shot and an infinite magazine" -- both very attractive attributes. Indeed, in a press release, Boeing observed that "with a steady power supply, the Compact LWS can fire continuously."

 

[ScienceRocks]

Femtosecond lasers provide control of chemical bonding of molecules

Coherent control is when a molecule is dropped into a light field, the electrons begin to move with the light's electric field. This happens even when the light does not have the right frequency to drive the electron from one state to another. As the electrons rock out to the beat of an intense laser pulse, their movement distorts the shape...

 

[ScienceRocks]

 

[ScienceRocks]

 

[ScienceRocks]

Clever cloaks: Unique metamaterials preserve phase while guiding surface waves around ultrasharp corners and bumps

(Phys.org)—Today's photonic and plasmonic devices – the latter based on surface plasmons (a coherent delocalized electron oscillations that exist at the interface between metal and dielectric) and combining the small ...

 

[ScienceRocks]

CERN's Large Hadron Collider has discovered the ‪#‎pentaquark‬, a new class of subatomic particle. ‪#‎MindBlown‬ >> http://ow.ly/PB9Bb


CERN's Large Hadron Collider has discovered a new class of particle
Scientists at the Large Hadron Collider have announced the discovery of the pentaquark, a class of subatomic particle consisting of four quarks and...

 

[ScienceRocks]

ReWalk Robotics announces faster, sleeker exoskeleton
By Ben Coxworth - July 15, 2015 6 Pictures

There are now a number of powered exoskeletons either on the market or in development, all of which allow people who lack the use of their legs to walk in an upright position. The ReWalk device is without doubt the best-known, having been commercially available since 2012. This week, ReWalk Robotics announced the sixth version of the product, which is reportedly better-fitting, faster and less bulky than its predecessors.

Researchers successfully combine two different materials to create new hyper-efficient light-emitting crystal
It's snack time: you have a plain oatmeal cookie, and a pile of chocolate chips. Both are delicious on their own, but if you can find a way to combine them smoothly, you get the best of both worlds.

 

[ScienceRocks]

After 85-year search, massless particle with promise for next-generation electronics found
July 16, 2015

A detector image (top) signals the existence of Weyl fermions. The plus and minus signs note whether the particle's spin is in the same direction as its motion -- which is known as being right-handed -- or in the opposite direction in which …more

An international team led by Princeton University scientists has discovered Weyl fermions, an elusive massless particle theorized 85 years ago. The particle could give rise to faster and more efficient electronics because of its unusual ability to behave as matter and antimatter inside a crystal, according to new research.



Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-07-year-massless-particle-next-generation-electronics.html#jCp

 

[ScienceRocks]

 

[ScienceRocks]

 

[ScienceRocks]

Macroscopic quantum phenomena discovered in ice
(Phys.org)—Scientists have discovered an anomaly in the properties of ice at very cold temperatures near 20 K, which they believe can be explained by the quantum tunneling of multiple protons simultaneously. The finding ...

 

[ScienceRocks]

Metal foams found to excel in shielding X-rays, gamma rays, neutron radiation
May lead to better shielding for nuclear reactors and space travel
July 20, 2015


North Carolina State University researchers have found that lightweight composite metal foams they had developed are effective at blocking X-rays, gamma rays, and neutron radiation, and are capable of absorbing the energy of high-impact collisions. The finding holds promise for use in nuclear power plants, space exploration, and CT-scanner shielding.

“This work means there’s an opportunity to use composite metal foam


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This blows the shit out of all the losers whining about radiation on the way to mars!

 

[ScienceRocks]

17 mins

World’s first pocket spectrometer lets you measure the molecular makeup of anything
The SCiO is the world's first spectrometer that fits in a pocket, and it can measure the molecular...

 

[ScienceRocks]

UT Dallas nanotechnology research leads to super-elastic conducting fibers

An international research team based at The University of Texas at Dallas has made electrically conducting fibers that can be reversibly stretched to over 14 times their initial length and...

 

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[ScienceRocks]

http://www.militarya...rgy-weapon.html



New Russian directed-energy weapon could complicate U.S. military strategic planning




THE MIL & AERO BLOG, 7 July 2015. The Russian defense industry reportedly has developed a directed-energy weapon that can destroy or disable sophisticated electronic guidance and navigation systems in manned and unmanned aircraft and precision-guided missiles.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Genes Influence Academic Success Across All Subject Areas, Latest Study Shows
From the Guardian, an astounding admission:

Genes influence academic ability across all subjects, latest study shows | Science | The Guardian

Sixty percent of all academic ability is inherited and genetic, rather than environmental.