news from the lab

Physics/Astronomy - Earth Sciences - 21.02
Hubble Reveals a New Type of Planet
Cambridge, MA - Our solar system contains three types of planets: rocky, terrestrial worlds (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars), gas giants (Jupiter and Saturn), and ice giants (Uranus and Neptune). Planets orbiting distant stars come in an even wider variety, including lava worlds and "hot Jupiters." Observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have added a new type of planet to the mix.

Physics/Astronomy - Chemistry - 17.02
Rare Earth element found far, far away
Tellurium detected for the first time in ancient stars. Nearly 13.7 billion years ago, the universe was made of only hydrogen, helium and traces of lithium - byproducts of the Big Bang. Some 300 million years later, the very first stars emerged, creating additional chemical elements throughout the universe.

Medicine/Pharmacology - Physics/Astronomy - 15.02
Prolonged fructose intake not linked to rise in blood pressure: study
Eating fruit sugar over an extended period of time does not lead to an increase in blood pressure, according to researchers at the University of Toronto and St. Michael's Hospital. A new study has found that despite previous research showing blood pressure rose in humans immediately after they consumed fruit sugar – also known as fructose - there is no evidence fructose increases blood pressure when it has been eaten for more than seven days.

Physics/Astronomy - 14.02
Quantum computing is a (qu)bit closer to reality
Physicists have taken another significant step in the development of quantum computing, a new frontier in computing that promises exponentially faster information processing than the most sophisticated computers of today.

Chemistry - Physics/Astronomy - 31.01
Freezing technique exposes molecule-to-molecule attachments
Researchers at Yale University have developed a new way of exposing the atomic attachments that keep complex molecules in precise alignment. The new method could provide insight into the mechanics of a variety of molecular structures, potentially aiding efforts to manipulate them for drug discovery and other purposes.

Physics/Astronomy - Earth Sciences - 29.01
Astronomers solve mystery of vanishing electrons
Researchers have explained the puzzling disappearing act of energetic electrons in Earth's outer radiation belt, using data collected from a fleet of orbiting spacecraft. The team shows that the missing electrons are swept away from the planet by a tide of solar wind particles during periods of heightened solar activity.

Physics/Astronomy - 19.01
Gaseous ring around young star raises questions
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Astronomers have detected a mysterious ring of carbon monoxide gas around the young star V1052 Cen, which is about 700 light years away in the southern constellation Centaurus. The ring is part of the star's planet-forming disk, and it's as far from V1052 Cen as Earth is from the sun.

Physics/Astronomy - Chemistry - 16.01
Scientists predict an out-of-this-world kind of ice
Cornell scientists are boldly going where no water molecule has gone before - that is, when it comes to pressures found nowhere on Earth.

Physics/Astronomy - 11.01
Three Smallest Planets Outside Solar System
A team of astronomers led by scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has discovered the three smallest confirmed planets ever detected outside our solar system. The three planets, which all orbit a single star, are smaller than Earth and appear to be rocky with a solid surface.

Physics/Astronomy - 9.01
Clearest Picture Yet of Dark Matter Points the Way to Better Understanding of Dark Energy
Two teams of physicists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Fermilab and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have independently made the largest direct measurements of the invisible scaffolding of the universe, building maps of dark matter using new methods that, in turn, will remove key hurdles for understanding dark energy with ground-based telescopes.

Physics/Astronomy - 20.12.2011
First Earth-Sized Planets Found
Cambridge, MA - Astronomers using NASA's Kepler mission have detected two Earth-sized planets orbiting a distant star. This discovery marks a milestone in the hunt for alien worlds, since it brings scientists one step closer to their ultimate goal of finding a twin Earth.

Life Sciences - Physics/Astronomy - 16.12.2011
Nanotechnology feat with proteins
The new measurements are approximately 100 times higher in resolution than previous mechanical measurements, a nanotechnology feat which reveals an isolated protein molecule, surprisingly, is neither a solid nor a liquid.

Physics/Astronomy - Chemistry - 15.12.2011
Discovery of a ‘Dark State’ Could Mean a Brighter Future for Solar Energy
AUSTIN, Texas — The efficiency of conventional solar cells could be significantly increased, according to new research on the mechanisms of solar energy conversion led by chemist Xiaoyang Zhu at The University of Texas at Austin.

Physics/Astronomy - 15.12.2011
U of Toronto experiment named top breakthrough of 2011 by Physics World
Professor Aephraim Steinberg and colleagues at the Centre for Quantum Information and Quantum Control at the University of Toronto had the top physics breakthrough of the year according to Physics World magazine.

Physics/Astronomy - Computer Science/Telecom - 14.12.2011
The "Supernova of a Generation" Shows Its Stuff
It was the brightest and closest stellar explosion seen from Earth in 25 years, dazzling professional and backyard astronomers alike. Now, thanks to this rare discovery—which some have called the "supernova of a generation"—astronomers have the most detailed picture yet of how this kind of explosion happens.