Researchers study methane-rich plumes from Saturn's icy moon Enceladus
San Antonio TX (SPX) Mar 16, 2015 -
NASA's Cassini spacecraft has measured a curious abundance of methane spewing into the atmosphere of Saturn's icy moon Enceladus. A team of American and French scientists published findings in Geophysical Research Letters suggesting two scenarios that could explain the methane abundance observed in the plumes.
In 2005 Cassini's magnetometer and imaging data revealed the surprising existenc ...
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Gilat and Intelsat Enable Rapid Deployment of Cellular Connectivity
Petah Tikva, Israel (SPX) Mar 16, 2015 -
As demand for mobile connectivity increases in regions where there is an absence of terrestrial infrastructure, mobile network operators (MNOs) are looking to satellite communications to expand their subscriber base, comply with universal service obligations and most importantly, provide rural communities with the necessary connectivity to help their populations and economies thrive.
Gilat ...
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UK physicists getting closer to reading the inside of stars
Swindon, UK (SPX) Mar 16, 2015 -
UK nuclear physicists are one step closer to being able to read the inside of stars and discover new elements that exist for only a trillionth of a trillionth of a second inside exploding supernovae.
Part of an international project, R3B, they have taken the latest step towards the development of a detector that will reveal missing information about extreme states of matter, with the succe ...
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Some habitable exoplanets could experience wildly unpredictable climates
Seattle WA (SPX) Mar 16, 2015 -
As telescopes of ever-greater power scan the cosmos looking for life, knowing where to look - and where not to waste time looking - will be of great value.
New research by University of Washington astronomer Rory Barnes and co-authors describes possible planetary systems where a gravitational nudge from one planet with just the right orbital configuration and tilt could have a mild to deva ...
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Opportunity sampling continues at Marathon Valley
Pasadena CA (JPL) Mar 16, 2015 -
Opportunity is on the west rim of Endeavour Crater near "Marathon Valley," a putative location for abundant clay minerals now only about 394 feet (120 meters) away.
The project is preparing to mask off the troubled Bank 7 sector of the Flash file system with a new version of the flight software (FSW) after the project completes the near-term science campaign.
The rover has sampled an ...
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Curiosity Rover Arm Delivers Rock Powder Sample
Pasadena CA (JPL) Mar 16, 2015 -
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used its robotic arm Wednesday, March 11, to sieve and deliver a rock-powder sample to an onboard instrument. The sample was collected last month before the team temporarily suspended rover arm movement pending analysis of a short circuit.
The Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) analytical instrument inside the rover received the sample powder. This sample comes f ...
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Chinese premier offers Japan improved ties -- with conditions
Beijing (AFP) March 15, 2015 -
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Sunday offered Japan a chance of improved relations - but only if Tokyo's leadership honestly confronts the country's World War II aggression against China.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of the war, and amid strained ties Beijing frequently calls on Tokyo to take a "correct" view of the conflict and avoid glossing over responsibilities for atr ...
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China boosts Africa diplomacy
Addis Ababa (AFP) March 13, 2015 -
China boosted its diplomatic presence in Africa on Friday, becoming only the second country after the United States to have a dedicated ambassador to the African Union.
"China needs to devote more attention and resources to Africa," said Kuang Weilin, Beijing's new ambassador to the Addis Ababa-based, 54-member pan-African bloc.
"For many years, China has mainly relied on bilateral coope ...
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Kerry, Zarif in crunch round of Iran nuclear talks
Lausanne (AFP) March 16, 2015 -
Iran nuclear talks entered a critical week Monday with US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart sitting down in Switzerland seeking an elusive breakthrough after 18 months of intense negotiations.
Time is running out, however, with Kerry and Mohammad Javad Zarif aiming to agree the outlines of an agreement by the end of the month. A full accord is then due by July 1.
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UN Security Council would vote on any deal with Iran: US
Washington (AFP) March 15, 2015 -
The White House has confirmed that any nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers would be subject to a vote by the UN Security Council.
The acknowledgement by President Barack Obama's chief of staff Denis McDonough comes as the White House butts heads with Republicans over whether the US Congress should vote on any deal.
"Just as it is true that only Congress can ...
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Alarming old and young drivers
London, UK (SPX) Mar 16, 2015 -
An in-car alarm that sounds when sensors on the vehicle detect an imminent crash could cut crash rates from 1 in 5 to 1 in 10 for drivers over the of 60 suffering tiredness on long journeys, according to a study published in the International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics.
Psychologist Carryl Baldwin of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, USA, and colleagues there and a ...
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KAIST develops ultrathin polymer insulators key to low-power soft electronics
Daejeon, Korea (SPX) Mar 16, 2015 -
A group of researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) developed a high-performance ultrathin polymeric insulator for field-effect transistors (FETs).
The researchers used vaporized monomers to form polymeric films grown conformally on various surfaces including plastics to produce a versatile insulator that meets a wide range of requirements for next-gene ...
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China's ambitious IT sector lays claim to global role
Hanover, Germany (AFP) March 16, 2015 -
China's huge IT sector is out in force in Germany this week, signalling to the world it is ready to not just copy but lead as a tech superpower.
Bucking China's economic slowdown, information and communication technology are booming in the world's largest smartphone market, which also boasts the highest number of Internet users.
"China is the second-biggest IT market in the world after t ...
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China state TV targets foreign auto firms
Shanghai (AFP) March 16, 2015 -
Foreign carmakers in China rushed to make amends on Monday after being targeted by state television in a ritual naming and shaming of firms for alleged misconduct towards consumers.
Jaguar Land Rover, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz were among those targeted Sunday by the annual China Central Television (CCTV) programme for World Consumer Rights Day on March 15.
The two-hour show has in the ...
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China has 'ample' room for stimulus: premier
Beijing (AFP) March 15, 2015 -
The Chinese government has more weapons in its arsenal to boost its flagging economy, the world's second-largest, Premier Li Keqiang said Sunday at his once-a-year press conference.
Li - who is second only to President Xi Jinping in the Communist hierarchy - was speaking at Beijing's Great Hall of the People, where he also addressed topics including Sino-Japanese relations, air pollution a ...
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Scientists make breakthrough in understanding nuclear fusion
San Diego (UPI) Mar 15, 2015 -
Scientists from General Atomics and the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have made a breakthrough in understanding nuclear fusion.
They were attempting to figure out how to control potentially damaging heat bursts (ELMs) that regularly occur in a reactor. Researchers were able to use tiny magnetic fields to control the bursts and maintain a safe rea ...
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Polish Power Exchange hosts 18th AFM Annual Conference
Krakow, Poland (SPX) Mar 16, 2015 -
The 18th AFM Annual Conference dedicated to futures and commodity markets will take place on 23 - 24 April in Krakow. The event is organised by AFM (the Association of Futures Markets), an organisation which gathers exchanges offering commodity-linked derivative instruments.
Each year the event is held in a different country and is addressed to the representatives of exchanges, clearing ho ...
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New research into materials for tooth fillings
Copenhagen, Denmark (SPX) Mar 16, 2015 -
Tooth decay is a serious health problem and it is often necessary to repair cavities. Today they often use a composite filling material made of acrylate compounds, as it resembles the colour of the teeth and is reasonably strong so it can handle the rigors of the powerful chewing movements.
But composite filling materials have some disadvantages and now researchers are working on an interd ...
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In pursuit of the perfectly animated cloud of smoke
Munich, Germany (SPX) Mar 16, 2015 -
Simulations of impressive landscapes and alien creatures have become commonplace, especially in fantasy and science fiction films. But simulations are also appearing in ever more medical and engineering applications. However, the road to a perfect illusion is complex and time-intensive. Nils Thurey, professor at the Technische Universitat Munchen and his colleagues have developed a methodology t ...
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Researchers identify process for improving durability of glass
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 16, 2015 -
Researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Universite Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris have identified a method for manufacturing longer-lasting and stronger forms of glass. The research could lead to more durable display screens, fiber optic cables, windows and other materials, including cement.
Glasses are liquids that are cooled in the manufact ...
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Frozen highly charged ions for highest precision spectroscopy
Heidelberg, Germany (SPX) Mar 16, 2015 -
A team of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt in Braunschweig and the University of Aarhus in Denmark demonstrated for the first time Coulomb crystallization of highly-charged ions (HCIs). Inside a cryogenic radiofrequency ion trap the HCIs are cooled down to sub-Kelvin temperatures by interaction with laser-coole ...
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Russia Inks Major Ore Exploration Deal with International Seabed Authority
Moscow (Sputnik) Mar 16, 2015 -
Russia has acquired the exclusive right to explore ore mineral resources in a section of the Pacific bed totaling 3,000 square kilometers, which is located near the Magellan Seamounts Range, sources said.
The contract was signed between Russia and the International Seabed Authority in New York earlier this week, according to Russian Deputy National Resources and Ecology Minister Denis Khra ...
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Seeing tiny twins
Pittsburgh PA (SPX) Mar 16, 2015 -
To fully understand how nanomaterials behave, one must also understand the atomic-scale deformation mechanisms that determine their structure and, therefore, their strength and function.
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, Drexel University, and Georgia Tech have engineered a new way to observe and study these mechanisms and, in doing so, have revealed an interesting phenomenon in ...
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The chameleon reorganizes its nanocrystals to change colors
Geneva, Switzerland (SPX) Mar 16, 2015 -
Many chameleons have the remarkable ability to exhibit complex and rapid color changes during social interactions. A collaboration of scientists within the Sections of Biology and Physics of the Faculty of Science from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, unveils the mechanisms that regulate this phenomenon.
In a study published in Nature Communications, the team led by professor ...
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Are water treatment methods able to remove nanoparticles
New Rochelle, NY (SPX) Mar 16, 2015 -
The increased use of engineered nanoparticles (ENMs) in commercial and industrial applications is raising concern over the environmental and health effects of nanoparticles released into the water supply.
A timely study that analyzes the ability of typical water pretreatment methods to remove titanium dioxide, the most commonly used ENM, is published in Environmental Engineering Science, a ...
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