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Power of Moore Tornado Dwarfs Hiroshima Bomb
May 22, 2013 | by Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer | Comments
Everything had to come together just perfectly to create the killer tornado in Moore, Okla.: wind speed, moisture in the air, temperature and timing. And when they did, the awesome energy released over that city dwarfed the power of the atomic bomb that leveled Hiroshima.
Locomotion in Confined Spaces Could Help Future Robot Teams Work Underground
May 22, 2013 1:18 pm | by John Toon, Georgia Tech | Comments
Future teams of subterranean search and rescue robots may owe their success to the lowly fire...
Should We Let Wunderkinds Drop Out Of High School?
May 22, 2013 9:09 am | by Beth J. Harpaz, Associated Press | Comments
It's one thing to say tech geniuses don't need degrees. After all, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and...
Ex-Ford Execs Charged in Argentine Torture Cases
May 21, 2013 3:21 pm | by Almudena Calatrava, Associated Press | Comments
Three former Ford Motor Co. executives have been charged with crimes against humanity in...
Pro-Motion Software for Easy Setup of Embedded Motion Controllers
May 22, 2013 5:20 pm | by Performance Motion Devices, Inc. | Performance Motion Devices, Inc. | CommentsPerformance Motion Devices has announced a major new release of its Pro-Motion software for Windows-based environments. Pro-Motion 5.0 adds a number of key capabilities including an upgraded axis setup wizard, support for SPI-based motion amplifiers including PMD's ATLAS digital amplifier products, and support for all-in-one embedded motion cards and systems.
Sciaky Enters Partnership with EVOBEAM
May 22, 2013 4:53 pm | by Sciaky | CommentsSciaky, a subsidiary of Phillips Service Industries (PSI) and leading provider of additive manufacturing solutions, announced today that it has entered into a business partnership with EVOBEAM GmbH of Mainz, Germany to further expand its electron beam (EB) welding product portfolio.
A Programmable Fly’s Eye
May 22, 2013 1:28 pm | by CNRS (Délégation Paris Michel-Ange) | CommentsA novel curved artificial compound eye (CurvACE) has been conceived by a collaboration implying researchers from CNRS, Aix-Marseille Université, EPFL at Lausanne, Fraunhofer Institute at Jena and Université de Tuebingen. Compared to single-lens eyes, compound eyes offer lower resolution, but significantly larger fields of view, thin package, and with negligible distortion.
Magnetic Fingerprints of Superfluid Helium-3
May 22, 2013 1:25 pm | by Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) | CommentsSuperconducting sensors of PTB allow highly sensitive measurements of the nuclear magnetic resonance of thin helium-3 layers. With their SQUIDs, low-temperature specialists of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) have made it possible for the magnetic moments of atoms of the rare isotope 3He (helium-3) to be measured with extreme sensitivity.
Studying Arrangement of Ordered Materials in Non-spherical Spaces
May 22, 2013 1:23 pm | by John Toon, Georgia Tech | CommentsA fried breakfast food popular in Spain provided the inspiration for the development of doughnut-shaped droplets that may provide scientists with a new approach for studying fundamental issues in physics, mathematics and materials.
Research to Create Failure-Resistant Systems and Circuits
May 22, 2013 1:14 pm | by National Science Foundation | CommentsLeaders of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), the world's leading university-research consortium for semiconductors and related technologies, today announced 18 new projects funded through a joint initiative to address research challenges in the design of failure-resistant circuits and systems.
HandHeld Scanner Helps Ensure Top Quality Production of Aluminum Die Castings for LED Lamps
May 22, 2013 10:51 am | by NVision, Inc. | Nvision Inc. | CommentsLighting Science uses the HandHeld laser scanner from NVision to ensure the dimensional integrity of the extremely complicated castings it purchases and uses in its roadway light emitting diode (LED) fixtures. The HandHeld scanner is a revolutionary portable scanning device which is capable of capturing 3D geometry.
Photos of the Day: Tornado More Powerful Than Atomic Bomb
May 22, 2013 9:53 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsThe rubble of a destroyed neighborhood is strewn about a neighborhood in Moore, Okla. Many homes were stripped to their foundations Monday by a tornado which moved through the area. The tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs, flattening entire neighborhoods, setting buildings on fire, and landing a direct blow on an elementary school.
NYU Researchers Took Bribes from Chinese Group
May 22, 2013 9:48 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsThree New York University researchers from China divulged results from a U.S.-funded study to Chinese competitors in exchange for tuition, rent and other expenses, federal prosecutors said Monday. Zhu Yudong, a U.S.-educated NYU professor, and Yang Xing, a lab engineer, were released on bail after appearing in court in Manhattan to face commercial bribery and other charges.
Whirlpools on the Nanoscale Could Multiply Magnetic Memory
May 22, 2013 9:38 am | by Paul Preuss | Comments“We spent 15 percent of home energy on gadgets in 2009, and we’re buying more gadgets all the time,” says Peter Fischer of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). Fischer lets you know right away that while it’s scientific curiosity that inspires his research at the Lab’s Advanced Light Source (ALS), he intends it to help solve pressing problems.
Technology Could Let Users Disable Guns
May 22, 2013 9:31 am | by Martha Mendoza, AP National Writer | CommentsA high-tech startup is wading into the gun control debate with a wireless controller that would allow gun owners to know when their weapon is being moved — and disable it remotely. The technology, but not an actual gun, was demonstrated Tuesday at a wireless technology conference in Las Vegas and was shown to The Associated Press in advance.
Homes Next to Florida Sinkhole to be Demolished
May 22, 2013 9:27 am | by Tampa Bay Times | CommentsThe homes on either side of the Tampa area house where a sinkhole opened under a man's bedroom are being demolished. Officials say the demolition will take place Wednesday in Seffner, Fla. The homes were condemned April 1, a month after the sinkhole opened under the house next door, killing 37-year-old Jeffrey Bush.
New Method for Producing Clean Hydrogen
May 22, 2013 9:25 am | by Duke University | CommentsDuke University engineers have developed a novel method for producing clean hydrogen, which could prove essential to weaning society off of fossil fuels and their environmental implications. While hydrogen is ubiquitous in the environment, producing and collecting molecular hydrogen for transportation and industrial uses is expensive and complicated.
Japan Watchdog: Nuclear Plant Sits on Active Fault
May 22, 2013 7:18 am | by Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press | CommentsJapan's nuclear watchdog on Wednesday endorsed a panel's conclusion that a seismic fault running underneath one of two reactors at an atomic plant in western Japan is active, making the reactor's restart virtually impossible.
US Auto Factories Cutting Back on Summer Downtime
May 22, 2013 12:01 am | by Dee-Ann Durbin, AP Auto Writer | CommentsDetroit auto factories are forgoing their traditional two-week summer break and speeding up production to meet buyers' growing demand for new cars and trucks. Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday that 21 of its North American factories will shut for only one week this summer.
