Science & TechnologyS


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3-D Imaging: First Insights Into Magnetic Fields

3-D images are not only useful in medicine; the observation of internal structures is also invaluable in many other fields of scientific investigation. Recently, researchers from the Hahn-Meitner-Institute (HMI) in Berlin in cooperation with University of Applied Sciences in Berlin have succeeded, for the first time, in a direct, three-dimensional visualisation of magnetic fields inside solid, non-transparent materials.

magnetic field of a dipol magnet
©Hahn-Meitner-Institut Berlin
The magnetic field of a dipol magnet visualized by spinpolarized neutrons.

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Huge Meteorite Impact Found In UK -- Britain's Largest

Evidence of the biggest meteorite ever to hit the British Isles has been found by scientists from the University of Oxford and the University of Aberdeen. The scientists believe that a large meteorite hit northwest Scotland about 1.2 billion years ago near the Scottish town of Ullapool.

meteorite
©University Of Oxford
If there had been human observers in Scotland 1.2 billion years ago they would have seen quite a show.

Previously it was thought that unusual rock formations in the area had been formed by volcanic activity. But the team report in the journal Geology that they found evidence buried in a layer of rock which they now believe is the ejected material thrown out during the formation of a meteorite crater. Ejected material from the huge meteorite strike is scattered over an area about 50 kilometres across, roughly centred on the northern Scottish town of Ullapool.

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Neurons Hard Wired To Tell Left From Right

It's well known that the left and right sides of the brain differ in many animal species and this is thought to influence cognitive performance and social behaviour. For instance, in humans, the left half of the brain is concerned with language processing whereas the right side is better at comprehending musical melody.

Now researchers from University College London (UCL) have pinpointed for the first time the left/right differences in how brains are wired at the level of individual cells. To do this, a research team led by Stephen Wilson looked at left and right-sided neurons (nerve cells) in a part of the brain called the habenula.

By causing habenular neurons to produce a bright green fluorescent protein they saw that they form remarkable "spiral-shaped" axons, the long nerve fibres that act as the nervous system's transmission lines.

Telescope

Cuneiform clay tablet translated for the first time, Describes Asteroid Impact

A cuneiform clay tablet that has puzzled scholars for over 150 years has been translated for the first time. The tablet is now known to be a contemporary Sumerian observation of an asteroid impact at Köfels, Austria and is published in a new book, A Sumerian Observation of the Köfels' Impact Event.

Umbrella

Baffling Clay Tablet Finally Translated: Asteroid Struck Earth 5000 Years Ago, Destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah

A clay tablet that has baffled scientists for 150 years has been identified as a witness's account of the asteroid suspected of being behind the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Cuneiform Tablet
©London Times
The clay tablet, which is 6cm in diameter

Info

Smart Clothes: Textiles That Track Your Health

Garments that can measure a wearer's body temperature or trace their heart activity are just entering the market, but the European project BIOTEX weaves new functions into smart textiles. Miniaturised biosensors in a textile patch can now analyse body fluids, even a tiny drop of sweat, and provide a much better assessment of someone's health.

smart textiles
©Unknown
BIOTEX weaves new functions into smart textiles. Miniaturized biosensors in a textile patch can now analyze body fluids, even a tiny drop of sweat, and provide a good assessment of someone's health.

It is 7 o'clock in the morning. You check yourself in the mirror, adjust your collar, and consider the hectic day ahead. But at least you know that the stress won't damage your health, for this is no ordinary set of clothes you are wearing. Embedded within the fabric are numerous sensors, constantly monitoring your vital signs. If danger signs are detected, the garment is programmed to contact your doctor - and send a text message telling you to take it easy.

Display

ISPs limit access to CBC download, users say

Thousands of viewers have embraced CBC-TV's experiment with BitTorrent, but many Canadians have found their attempts to access a CBC show online restricted by their internet service providers.

Magnify

U.S. scientists uncover secret behind squid beaks

Scientists in the United States have discovered how a squid is capable of operating its knife-sharp beak without harming its soft, gelatinous body.

Sherlock

Primitive Mouse-Like Creature May Be Ancestral Mother Of Australia's Unusual Pouched Mammals

They are separated by a vast ocean and by millions of years, but tiny prehistoric bones found on an Australian farm have been directly linked to a strange and secretive little animal that lives today in the southern rainforests of South America.

Monito del Monte
©University of New South Wales
The Monito del Monte (Dromiciops gliroides)

Question

Logo Can Make You 'Think Different'

Whether you are a Mac person or a PC person, even the briefest exposure to the Apple logo may make you behave more creatively, according to recent research from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and the University of Waterloo, Canada.

In work to be published in the April issue of the Journal of Consumer Research, Professors Gavan Fitzsimons and Tanya Chartrand of Duke, and Gráinne Fitzsimons of Waterloo, found that even the briefest exposure to well-known brands can cause people to behave in ways that mirror those brands' traits.