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Alternative To Silicon Chip Invented By Student

Even before Weixiao Huang received his doctorate from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, his new transistor captured the attention of some of the biggest American and Japanese automobile companies. The 2008 graduate's invention could replace one of the most common pieces of technology in the world--the silicon transistor for high-power and high-temperature electronics.

Weixiao Haung
©Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Weixiao Haung and new GAN transistor.

Huang, who comes from humble roots as the son of farmers in rural China, has invented a new transistor that uses a compound material known as gallium nitride (GaN), which has remarkable material properties. The new GaN transistor could reduce the power consumption and improve the efficiency of power electronics systems in everything from motor drives and hybrid vehicles to house appliances and defense equipment.

Telescope

A Molecular Thermometer For The Distant Universe

Astronomers have made use of ESO's Very Large Telescope to detect for the first time in the ultraviolet the carbon monoxide molecule in a galaxy located almost 11 billion light-years away, a feat that had remained elusive for 25 years. This detection allows them to obtain the most precise measurement of the cosmic temperature at such a remote epoch.

Well-hidden galaxies
©ESO
Well-hidden galaxies can be discovered through the imprint their interstellar gas leave on the spectrum of an even more remote quasar. Interstellar clouds of gas in galaxies, located between the quasars and us on the same line of sight, absorb parts of the light emitted by the quasars. The resulting spectrum consequently presents dark 'valleys' that can be attributed to well-known elements and possibly molecules. In this schematic representation, the VLT observes (D) the features associated with three systems, located at different distances (A, B, and C), and whose light is therefore shifted by different amounts. The quasar, which acts as a beacon, is the bright object at the left of the image.

Cloud Lightning

A 21st Century View of the Benefits of Therapeutic Electromagnetism

Magnetic fields and specialized "antenna" elements that respond to them have existed since planet Earth locked into orbit, and those responsive elements are perturbed or disturbed by solar activity and lightning in a daily activity called the Schumann Resonance. In combination, these systems are the natural balance of things that oversee the evolution of all life on earth by providing information to control and power cell assembly and the functions of life.

Sherlock

Archaeologists claim to have found the palace of the Queen of Sheba, an altar that may have held the Ark of the Covenant

It is only a breathless Hollywood script: treasure-hunter Indiana Jones races with German archaeologists to track down the fabled Ark of the Covenant, the chest that held the stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were etched.

Now German researchers claim to have found the remains of the palace of the Queen of Sheba - and an altar that may have held the Ark.

The discovery, announced by the University of Hamburg, has stirred sceptical rumblings from the archaelogical community. The location of the Ark, indeed its existence, has been a source of controversy for centuries.

Regarded as the most precious treasure of ancient Judaism, it is at the heart of a debate about whether archaeology should chronicle the rise and fall of civilisations or explore the boundaries between myth and ancient history.

Cow Skull

Inca Skull Surgeons Were "Highly Skilled," Study Finds

Inca surgeons in ancient Peru commonly and successfully removed small portions of patients' skulls to treat head injuries, according to a new study.

The surgical procedure-known as trepanation-was most often performed on adult men, likely to treat injuries suffered during combat, researchers say.

A similar procedure is performed today to relieve pressure caused by fluid buildup following severe head trauma.

Around the ancient Inca capital of Cuzco, remains dating back to A.D. 1000 show that surgical techniques were standardized and perfected over time, according to the report.

Many of the oldest skulls showed no evidence of bone healing following the operation, suggesting that the procedure was probably fatal.

Image
©Valerie Andrushko
An ancient Inca skull shows evidence of skull surgery known as trepanation. A new study finds that the procedure was performed rather commonly by the Inca, likely to treat injuries suffered during combat.

Phoenix

Solar Activity Update

Is something lurking just over the sun's eastern limb?

solar activity
©Pete Lawrence

Newspaper

Avago claims first RF chip-scale packaging solution

The world's smallest radio frequency (RF) integrated circuit packaging solution has been claimed by Avago Technologies Ltd. (San Jose, Calif.)--a spin-off of Agilent Technologies (which was a spin-off of Hewlett Packard). Avago claims its WaferCap is the industry's first wafer-level chip-scale packaging (CSP) technology, squeezing RF chips into a 1-by-.5-by.25 millimeter leadless "0402"-size package, more familiar as the form factor for surface-mount technology (SMT) capacitors.

Heart

Disfigured Eagle to Get Artificial Beak



Disfigured eagle
©Unknown

She has been named Beauty, though this eagle is anything but. Part of Beauty's beak was shot off several years ago, leaving her with a stump that is useless for hunting food. A team of volunteers is working to attach an artificial beak to the disfigured bird, in an effort to keep her alive.

"For Beauty it's like using only one chopstick to eat. It can't be done" said biologist Jane Fink Cantwell, who operates a raptor recovery center in this Idaho Panhandle town. "She has trouble drinking. She can't preen her feathers. That's all about to change."

Monkey Wrench

Scientist team creates first GM human embryo

Scientists have created what is believed to be the first genetically modified (GM) human embryo.

A team from Cornell University in New York produced the GM embryo to study how early cells and diseases develop. It was destroyed after five days.

Telescope

Europe's newest observatory officially opened

Europe's newest observatory has opened in one of the darkest corners of the UK.
With almost no light pollution from surrounding settlements the Kielder Observatory has breathtaking views of the night sky, according to the astronomers associated with the building.

It has been built in a remote part of the vast Kielder Water and Forest Park in Northumberland.

Image
Kielder Observatory.