Unique pair of hidden black holes discovered by XMM-Newton
Paris (ESA) Apr 25, 2014 -
A pair of supermassive black holes in orbit around one another have been spotted by XMM-Newton. This is the first time such a pair have been seen in an ordinary galaxy. They were discovered because they ripped apart a star when the space observatory happened to be looking in their direction.
Most massive galaxies in the Universe are thought to harbour at least one supermassive black hole a ...
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Surprising material could play role in saving energy
Chicago IL (SPX) Apr 23, 2014 -
One strategy for addressing the world's energy crisis is to stop wasting so much energy when producing and using it, which can happen in coal-fired power plants or transportation. Nearly two-thirds of energy input is lost as waste heat.
Now Northwestern University scientists have discovered a surprising material that is the best in the world at converting waste heat to useful electricity. ...
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Wireless power transfer achieved at 5-meter distance
Daejeon, South Korea (SPX) Apr 23, 2014 -
The way electronic devices receive their power has changed tremendously over the past few decades, from wired to non-wired. Users today enjoy all kinds of wireless electronic gadgets including cell phones, mobile displays, tablet PCs, and even batteries.
The Internet has also shifted from wired to wireless. Now, researchers and engineers are trying to remove the last remaining wires altoge ...
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Cloaked DNA nanodevices survive pilot mission
Boston MA (SPX) Apr 25, 2014 -
It's a familiar trope in science fiction: In enemy territory, activate your cloaking device. And real-world viruses use similar tactics to make themselves invisible to the immune system. Now scientists at Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering have mimicked these viral tactics to build the first DNA nanodevices that survive the body's immune defenses.
The results pa ...
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High-Performance, Low-Cost Ultracapacitors Built with Graphene and Carbon Nanotubes
Washington DC (SPX) Apr 25, 2014 -
By combining the powers of two single-atom-thick carbon structures, researchers at the George Washington University's Micro-propulsion and Nanotechnology Laboratory have created a new ultracapacitor that is both high performance and low cost.
The device, described in the Journal of Applied Physics, capitalizes on the synergy brought by mixing graphene flakes with single-walled carbon nanot ...
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Steering chemical reactions with laser pulses
Vienna, Austria (SPX) Apr 25, 2014 -
Usually, chemical reactions just take their course, much like a ball rolling downhill. However, it is also possible to deliberately control chemical reactions: at the Vienna University of Technology, molecules are hit with femtosecond laser pulses, changing the distribution of electrons in the molecule. This interaction is so short that at first it does not have any discernable influence on the ...
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Ancient sea-levels give new clues on ice ages
Canberra, Australia (SPX) Apr 25, 2014 -
International researchers, led by the Australian National University (ANU), have developed a new way to determine sea-level changes and deep-sea temperature variability over the past 5.3 million years.
The findings will help scientists better understand the climate surrounding ice ages over the past two million years, and could help determine the relationship between carbon dioxide levels, ...
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Lockheed Martin Demonstrates Enhanced Ground Control System and Software for Small Unmanned Aircraft
Owego NY (SPX) Apr 25, 2014 -
Lockheed Martin's Group 1 family of unmanned aircraft systems is migrating to enhanced automation capabilities using its Kestrel "Fly Light" flight control systems and industry-leading mobile Ground Control Station (mGCS) software. The increased automation allows operators to focus on executing the mission, rather than flying various aircraft.
Earlier this year, Lockheed Martin's Desert Ha ...
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US Military hopes AI autopilot can replace flight crews
Moscow (Voice of Russia) Apr 25, 2014 -
The US Defense Department is developing a method of autopilot that may allow the military to reduce air flight crews to a fraction of their current size. This announcement comes after officials worried that a reduced military would be less effective.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Pentagon's research and development department said Tuesday that, over the next 50 ...
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Australia to buy 58 US F-35s for $11.6bn
Sydney (AFP) April 23, 2014 -
Australia will purchase 58 more F-35 Joint Strike Fighters at a cost of Aus$12.4 billion ($11.6 billion) in a major upgrade to defence capabilities, the government said.
The new aircraft will bring Australia's total JSF force to 72 aircraft, with the first due to arrive in Australia in 2018 and enter service in 2020.
"The F-35 will provide a major boost to the Australian Defence Force's ...
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High Gain Amplifiers for Commercial and Military Radar Released by Pasternack
Irvine CA (SPX) Apr 25, 2014 -
Pasternack Enterprises has released a new portfolio of L and S band high gain amplifiers covering 1.2 - 1.4 GHz and 3.1 - 3.5 GHz specifically used for commercial and military radar applications as well as observation satellites and communications systems.
Pasternack's new high gain amplifier modules are optimized for 1.2 - 1.4 GHz and 3.1 - 3.5 GHz radar applications, packaged in hermetic ...
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US Navy deploys Standard Missile-3 Block IB for first time
Tucson AZ (SPX) Apr 25, 2014 -
In partnership with the Missile Defense Agency, the U.S. Navy deployed the second-generation Standard Missile-3 Block IB made by Raytheon for the first time, initiating the second phase of the Phased Adaptive Approach.
"The SM-3 Block IB's completion of initial operational testing last year set the stage for a rapid deployment to theater," said Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence, president of Raytheon ...
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Raytheon touts ballistic missile defense weapon
Tucson (UPI) Apr 24, 2013 -
The second generation Standard Missile-3 Block IB missile made by Raytheon has been deployed for the first time by the U.S. Navy.
Raytheon, in headlining the missile's deployment, said the event marks the start of the second phase of the U.S. Phased Adaptive Approach to countering ballistic missile threats.
"The SM-3 Block IB's completion of initial operational testing last year ...
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A new key to unlocking the mysteries of physics? Quantum turbulence
New York NY (SPX) Apr 24, 2014 -
The recent discovery of the Higgs boson has confirmed theories about the origin of mass and, with it, offered the potential to explain other scientific mysteries.
But, scientists are continually studying other, less-understood forces that may also shed light on matters not yet uncovered. Among these is quantum turbulence, writes Katepalli Sreenivasan, an NYU University Professor, in a spec ...
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Physicist demonstrates dictionary definition was dodgy
Brisbane, Australia (SPX) Apr 24, 2014 -
It is the defining moment that demonstrates a QUT physicist was correct in pointing out a 99-year-old mistake to one of the world's most authoritative dictionaries.
QUT Senior Lecturer in Physics, Dr Stephen Hughes, sparked controversy over how a humble siphon worked when he noticed an incorrect definition in the prestigious Oxford English Dictionary.
In 2010, eagle-eyed Dr Hughes sp ...
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Economics = MC2 A portrait of the modern physics startup
Washington DC (SPX) Apr 24, 2014 -
For much of the 20th century, many of the technological innovations that drove U.S. economic growth emerged from "idea factories" housed within large companies - research units like Bell Labs or Xerox PARC that developed everything from the transistor to the computer mouse.
In recent decades, however, many large high-tech companies have eliminated in-house research programs, turning inste ...
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Radio terminals for MUOS satellite communications have testing facility
Scottsdale, Ariz. (UPI) Apr 23, 2013 -
A laboratory to test radio terminals for connecting with the military's Mobile User Objective System has been opened in Arizona by General Dynamics C4 Systems.
The Navy-approved facility uses hardware and software that simulate the radio's connectivity with the MUOS ground network and is the second in the country.
"The MUOS Radio Testing Lab in Scottsdale will help the U.S. milit ...
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Pentagon scientists show off life-size robot
Washington (AFP) April 23, 2014 -
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel got a first-hand look at a life-size robot Tuesday that resembles Hollywood's "Terminator," the latest experiment by the Pentagon's hi-tech researchers.
But unlike the cinematic version, the hulking Atlas robot is designed not as a warrior but as a humanitarian machine that would rescue victims in the rubble of a natural disaster, officials said.
The 6-f ...
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Curiosity spots asteroids from the surface of Mars
Greenbelt, Md. (UPI) Apr 25, 2013 -
For the first time, NASA's Curiosity rover has captured images of an asteroid from the surface of Mars - two of them, in fact.
The imagery recorded by Curiosity and beamed back to Earth feature Ceres and Vesta, two of the largest asteroids in the asteroid belt that runs between between Mars and Jupiter. This Curiosity first was also a bit of a coincidence, as the SUV-sized rover had ai ...
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SpaceX sues US Air Force over satellite contracts
Washington (AFP) April 25, 2014 -
SpaceX on Friday filed suit against the US Air Force for awarding billions of dollars to a single company for national security launches, and said the contracts might even violate sanctions against Russia.
The US military spends billions yearly with United Launch Alliance, a joint operation of aerospace giants Boeing and Lockheed Martin, to launch government satellites.
The Atlas V and D ...
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Leviathan gas field bright spot for Noble Energy overseas
Houston (UPI) Apr 24, 2013 -
Developments made at the Leviathan natural gas field off the coast of Israel have been "remarkable," Noble Energy Chairman Charles Davidson said Thursday.
Noble this year signed export contracts for gas from the Leviathan and nearby Tamar natural gas fields with Jordanian and Palestinian authorities.
Davidson said in a quarterly statement Thursday larger contracts are expected to ...
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Gazprom seeks payment from Ukraine under take-or-pay scheme
Moscow (UPI) Apr 24, 2013 -
Russian energy company Gazprom said Thursday it sent a bill to its Ukrainian partners for more than $11 billion for taking on less gas than contracted in 2013.
Alexander Medvedev, deputy chief executive officer at Gazprom, said Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz took on 455 billion cubic feet of natural gas last year, but was contractually obligated to 1.4 trillion cubic feet.
"Ga ...
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KYOCERA Provides Solar Modules and Materials to Avnet Tech Games 2014 Solar Scrimmage
Scottsdale AZ (SPX) Apr 25, 2014 -
Recognizing that students represent the next generation of great thinkers and innovators, Kyocera has announced that it supported the 2014 Avnet Tech Games by providing six 50-watt Kyocera solar modules and six material kits to be used in the annual college technical competition's Solar Scrimmage event.
The Games were conducted on April 12, 2014 at The University of Advancing Technology in ...
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IPVEA To Study Global Solar PV Supply Chain
Hanau, Germany (SPX) Apr 25, 2014 -
The International Photovoltaic Equipment Association (IPVEA), a global trade organization supporting solar and energy storage professionals, has announced a new initiative - "IPVEA study on optimizing the worldwide solar PV supply chain" - to maximize the potential for PV commerce in all corners of the world.
IPVEA is partnering with Solar PV Consulting to embark on research whose aim is g ...
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Solar energy gaining in U.S. energy sector
Washington (UPI) Apr 24, 2013 -
Solar power now accounts for more than 1 percent of the total capacity of the U.S. electrical grid, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said.
EIA issued its monthly report on electricity generation in the U.S. grid. It said the total solar capacity as of February was 12,057 megawatts, or about 1.1 percent of total U.S. capacity. That total represents a 418 percent increase from 2 ...
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