Fireflies Bring Us Brighter LEDs

Fireflies Bring Us Brighter LEDs: Zothecula writes "Fireflies have helped an international team of scientists get over 50 percent more light out of existing LED bulbs. It was discovered that in the Photuris genus of firefly, scales in the insect's exoskeleton possess optical qualities that boost the amount of bioluminescence that can shine through. Those same qualities were found to dramatically increase the light output of an LED bulb."

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Hold the diet soda? Sweetened drinks linked to depression, coffee tied to lower risk

Hold the diet soda? Sweetened drinks linked to depression, coffee tied to lower risk: New research suggests that drinking sweetened beverages, especially diet drinks, is associated with an increased risk of depression in adults while drinking coffee was tied to a slightly lower risk.

Space sailing soon: A one-kilometer-long electric sail tether produced

Space sailing soon: A one-kilometer-long electric sail tether produced: An electric sail (ESAIL) produces propulsion power for a spacecraft by utilizing the solar wind. The sail features electrically charged long and thin metal tethers that interact with the solar wind. Using ultrasonic welding,engineers successfully produced a 1 km long ESAIL tether.

Concentrated solar power with thermal energy storage can help utilities' bottom line, study shows

Concentrated solar power with thermal energy storage can help utilities' bottom line, study shows: The storage capacity of concentrating solar power can add significant value to a utility company's optimal mix of energy sources, a new report by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory suggests.

Simulated Mars mission reveals body's sodium rhythms

Simulated Mars mission reveals body's sodium rhythms: Researchers report that -- in contrast to the prevailing dogma -- sodium levels fluctuate rhythmically with 7-day and monthly cycles. The findings, which demonstrate that sodium is stored in the body, have implications for blood pressure control, hypertension and salt-associated cardiovascular risk.

'Tricorder' closer to reality: Portable X-ray source could put medical diagnosis and terrorism prevention in the palm of the hand

'Tricorder' closer to reality: Portable X-ray source could put medical diagnosis and terrorism prevention in the palm of the hand: The hand-held scanners, or tricorders, of the Star Trek movies and television series are one step closer to reality now that an engineering team has invented a compact source of X-rays and other forms of radiation. The radiation source, which is the size of a stick of gum, could be used to create inexpensive and portable X-ray scanners for use by doctors, as well as to fight terrorism and aid exploration on this planet and others.

Can diet beat depression?

Can diet beat depression?: Research into diet and depression should follow the model of studies into diet and cardiovascular risk. So argue experts in a recent opinion piece.

Critics forget how fairytales feed our humanity

Critics forget how fairytales feed our humanity:
Hobbits, notes Tolkien at the start of their eponymous story, are largely forgotten, easily missed and have little or no magic about them.
Or not. In the 75 years since he penned those words, The Hobbit has sold more than 100 million copies. In its opening weekend, Peter Jackson’s first instalment of the movie version broke records around the world. Clearly there is something a little magical about Hobbits after all.
The interesting question, however, is what that magic is. Why should an English boffin’s fairytale of elves, wizards and dragons continue to command such devotion? What craving does it satisfy?
To its literary critics, The Hobbit’s success is simply a sign of widespread immaturity. The story, with its faux mediaeval cadences and reactionary archetypes, is mere escapism – intellectual comfort-food for the politically disengaged.
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The Copyright Battle Over Custom-Built Batmobiles

The Copyright Battle Over Custom-Built Batmobiles: Hugh Pickens writes writes "Eriq Gardner writes that Warner Brothers is suing California resident Mark Towle, a specialist in customizing replicas of automobiles featured in films and TV shows, for selling replicas of automobiles from the 1960s ABC series Batman by arguing that copyright protection extends to the overall look and feel of the Batmobile. The case hinges on what exactly is a Batmobile — an automobile or a piece of intellectual property? Warner attorney J. Andrew Coombs argues in legal papers that the Batmobile incorporates trademarks with distinctive secondary meaning and that by selling an unauthorized replica, Towle is likely to confuse consumers about whether the cars are DC products are not. Towle's attorney Larry Zerner, argues that automobiles aren't copyrightable. 'It is black letter law that useful articles, such as automobiles, do not qualify as "sculptural works" and are thus not eligible for copyright protection,' writes Zerner adding that a decision to affirm copyright elements of automotive design features could be exploited by automobile manufacturers. 'The implications of a ruling upholding this standard are easy to imagine. Ford, Toyota, Ferrari and Honda would start publishing comic books, so that they could protect what, up until now, was unprotectable.'"

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Cognitive difficulties associated with menopause described

Cognitive difficulties associated with menopause described: The memory problems that many women experience in their 40s and 50s as they approach and go through menopause are both real and appear to be most acute during the early period of post menopause.

Nature nurtures creativity after four days of hiking

Nature nurtures creativity after four days of hiking: Backpackers scored 50 percent better on a creativity test after spending four days in nature disconnected from electronic devices, according to a new study by psychologists.

New factor that could limit life of hybrid and electric car batteries revealed

New factor that could limit life of hybrid and electric car batteries revealed: A new study of the batteries commonly used in hybrid and electric-only cars has revealed an unexpected factor that could limit the performance of batteries currently on the road.

Dead guts spill history of extinct microbes: Fecal samples from archeological sites reveal evolution of human gut microbes

Dead guts spill history of extinct microbes: Fecal samples from archeological sites reveal evolution of human gut microbes: Extinct microbes in fecal samples from archaeological sites across the world resemble those found in present-day rural African communities more than they resemble the microbes found in the gut of cosmopolitan US adults, according to new research.

Ability to sit and rise from the floor is closely correlated with all-cause mortality risk

Ability to sit and rise from the floor is closely correlated with all-cause mortality risk: A simple screening test of musculo-skeletal fitness has proved remarkably predictive of all-cause mortality in a study of more than 2000 middle-aged and older men and women.

Earth Avoids Collisions With Pair of Asteroids

Earth Avoids Collisions With Pair of Asteroids: Hugh Pickens writes writes "Science Recorder reports that according to NASA a pair of asteroids — one just over three mile wide — passed Earth Tuesday and early Wednesday avoiding a potentially cataclysmic impact with our home planet. 2012 XE5, estimated at between 50-165 feet across, was discovered just days earlier, missing our planet by only 139,500 miles or slightly more than half the distance to the moon. 4179 Toutatis, just over three miles wide, put on an amazing show for astronomers early Wednesday missing Earth by 18 lunar lengths, while allowing scientists to observe the massive asteroid in detail. Asteroid Toutatis is well known to astronomers. It passes by Earth's orbit every four years and astronomers say its unique orbit means it is unlikely to impact Earth for at least 600 years. It is one of the largest known potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs), and its orbit is inclined less than half-a-degree from Earth's. 'We already know that Toutatis will not hit Earth for hundreds of years,' says Lance Benner of NASA's Near Earth Object Program. 'These new observations will allow us to predict the asteroid's trajectory even farther into the future.' Toutatis would inflict devastating damage if it slammed into Earth, perhaps extinguishing human civilization. The asteroid thought to have killed off the dinosaurs 65 million years ago was about 6 miles wide, researchers say.The fact that 2012 XE5 was discovered only a few days before the encounter prompted Minnesota Public Radio to poll its listeners with the following question: If an asteroid were to strike Earth within an hour, would you want to know?"

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Dual-Layer Motorcycle Helmet Is the Next Great Brain Bucket

Dual-Layer Motorcycle Helmet Is the Next Great Brain Bucket: After decades of the same foam-and-plastic construction, California's 6D Helmets has made a dual-layer brain bucket that prevents concussions from low-speed impacts.

Want your baby to learn? Research shows sitting up helps

Want your baby to learn? Research shows sitting up helps: New research shows that something as simple as the body position of babies while they learn plays a critical role in their cognitive development.

Netflix Ranks ISP Speeds

Netflix Ranks ISP Speeds: Carnth writes "Netflix will start releasing monthly ISP speed reports for the U.S. Google Fiber ranks at the top. They say, 'Broadly, cable shows better than DSL. AT&T U-verse, which is a hybrid fiber-DSL service, shows quite poorly compared to Verizon Fios, which is pure fiber. Charter moved down two positions since October. Verizon mobile has 40% higher performance than AT&T mobile.' Hopefully this will give consumers a better overall picture on how their ISP performs compared to others."

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Brain Cells Made From Urine

Brain Cells Made From Urine: Press2ToContinue writes "Scientists have found a relatively straightforward way to persuade the cells discarded in human urine to turn into valuable neurons. The technique, described online in a study in Nature Methods this week (abstract), does not involve embryonic stem cells. These come with serious drawbacks when transplanted, such as the risk of developing tumors. Instead, the method uses ordinary cells present in urine, and transforms them into neural progenitor cells — the precursors of brain cells. Researchers routinely reprogram cultured skin and blood cells into induced pluripotent stem cells, which can go on to form any cell in the body. But urine is a much more accessible source."

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Warm sea water is melting Antarctic glaciers

Warm sea water is melting Antarctic glaciers: The ice sheet in West Antarctica is melting faster than expected. New observations may improve our ability to predict future changes in ice sheet mass.

Arctic continues to break records in 2012: Becoming warmer, greener region with record losses of summer sea ice and late spring snow

Arctic continues to break records in 2012: Becoming warmer, greener region with record losses of summer sea ice and late spring snow: The Arctic region continued to break records in 2012 -- among them the loss of summer sea ice, spring snow cover, and melting of the Greenland ice sheet. This was true even though air temperatures in the Arctic were unremarkable relative to the last decade, according to a new report.