The process of evaporation, one of the most widespread on our planet, takes place differently than we once thought - this has been shown by new computer simulations carried out at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. The discovery has far-reaching consequences for, among others, current global climate models, where a key role is played by evaporation of the oceans.
Tech
Communication in human dialogue is based on one another's words and body language. We can sense whether the other person is distracted, and we change the course of our conversation and our actions to regain their attention.
Most existing robots, however, still use monologue mechanisms, even when engaging in dialogue with a person. For example, they continue speaking in the same way, even if the person is not paying attention.
Turbulence not just affects our well-being during flights; it also plays a central role in nature and in technology: it influences how pollutants spread in the atmosphere, how efficiently fuel and air mix up in combustion motors, and it limits the transport of liquids in pipelines, to give just a few examples. As a result, researchers have been trying for over a hundred years to better understand how turbulence first arises. Important progress has now been achieved by physicist Björn Hof, professor at IST Austria, and his colleagues.
This is shown by a report published today by a consortium of 14 research institutes. The scientists and economists provide a detailed analysis of the energy sector transformations required to implement the intended nationally determined contributions (so called INDCs), in major economies and at the global level in aggregate, and their potential for keeping the below 2 degrees goal within reach.
Pregnant women with preeclampsia have a higher risk of delivering an infant with a congenital heart defect. An extensive study of 1.9 million mother and infant pairs by a team at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) has shown significant association between these diseases in mothers and newborns from early pregnancy. The study published this week in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), provides the basis for future research to better prevent and detect these diseases.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- Researchers from Brown University, in collaboration with colleagues from Harvard, have developed a new way to control light from phosphorescent emitters at very high speeds. The technique provides a new approach to modulation that could be useful in all kinds of silicon-based nanoscale devices, including computer chips and other optoelectronic components.
When the eye of a tropical cyclone is 36 nautical miles (41.4 mile/ 66.7 km) wide, it's pretty easy to spot from NASA's Aqua satellite in orbit. On October 22, 2015, two instruments aboard Aqua saw the large eye surrounded by powerful thunderstorms. Champi's eye was very close to the island of Iwo To, Japan.
No larger than a pack of chewing gum, the prototype developed by EPFL's Integrated Systems Laboratory (LSI) is deceptively simple in appearance. But this little black case with two thin tubes sticking out contains some real miniaturized high-tech wonders. "We embedded biosensors in it to measure several different substances in the blood or blood serum along with an array of electronics to transmit the results in real time to a tablet via Bluetooth," said Sandro Carrara, an LSI scientist.
The Global Precipitation Measurement mission, or GPM, core satellite is getting a workout in the western North Pacific Ocean as it gathered rainfall and cloud height data on Typhoon Champi.
Both Typhoon Champi and Super-typhoon Koppu formed on Oct. 13, 2015. Champi is still a typhoon because it stayed over the open waters of the Pacific Ocean, but Super-typhoon Koppu's strength was sapped by its travel over the rugged terrain of the Philippines.
Jena (Germany) Sun and wind are important sources of renewable energy, but they suffer from natural fluctuations: In stormy weather or bright sunshine electricity produced exceeds demand, whereas clouds or a lull in the wind inevitably cause a power shortage. For continuity in electricity supply and stable power grids, energy storage devices will become essential. So-called redox-flow batteries are the most promising technology to solve this problem. However, they still have one crucial disadvantage: They require expensive materials and aggressive acids.
In 1939, a Russian engineer proposed a "flying submarine" -- a vehicle that can seamlessly transition from air to water and back again. While it may sound like something out of a James Bond film, engineers have been trying to design functional aerial-aquatic vehicles for decades with little success. Now, engineers may be one step closer to the elusive flying submarine.
The biggest challenge is conflicting design requirements: aerial vehicles require large airfoils like wings or sails to generate lift while underwater vehicles need to minimize surface area to reduce drag.
WASHINGTON -- Diamonds are renowned for their exquisite beauty and unrivaled durability, but they also are highly prized by scientists and engineers for their exceptional optical and physical properties.
Wide-gap semiconductors such as gallium nitride (GaN) are widely used for optical devices such as blue LED and are also anticipated as materials for next-generation energy saving power devices and solar cells.
However, the quality of GaN crystals does not come up to that of conventional semiconductor materials such as silicon (Si) and this prevents GaN from being used for power devices.
Typhoon Champi was near Iwo To island, Japan when NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites gathered data on the weakening typhoon.
Typhoon Champi still maintained an eye on visible imagery taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on Oct. 19 at 01:25 UTC. At that time, the storm also appeared symmetric as powerful bands of thunderstorms spiraled into the low-level center, but the storm was weakening.
In the 1971 film Diamonds are Forever, British secret agent James Bond uses fake fingerprints as part of a ploy to assume the identity of a diamond smuggler. At the time, sham prints were purely a futuristic bit of Bond gadgetry, but technology has since caught up.