The latest articles from science writer Colin Stuart http://www.colinstuart.net en Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:49:24 +0000 Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:48:52 +0000 FeedForAll v2.0 (2.0.3.1) http://www.feedforall.com [Mathematics Matters] The eruption of the Icelandic Eyjafjallajökull volcano in 2010 not only had newsreaders’ tongues in a twist but called a halt to air travel across much of Northern Europe. It was imperative to get planes safely back into the skies as swiftly as possible and mathematics was at the heart of the solution. http://www.ima.org.uk/viewItem.cfm?cit_id= AC6E9DFF-F583-4ACD-8AF0-1603F6EB2F4D Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:48:52 +0000 [Mathematics Matters] Catching a train is part of daily life for many, whether they are commuting to work or heading for a night out. Mathematics could help negotiate the minefield of delays that often accompanies train travel, reducing the risk of arriving late, and so reducing the stress of travel. http://www.ima.org.uk/viewItem.cfm?cit_id=383964 A6CF8E3B-F105-44CE-BAAB-FF1A1614D20A Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:48:12 +0000 [Mathematics Matters] Diabetes is on the rise in the UK, but current methods of directly measuring patients’ blood sugar levels have their drawbacks. Mathematics is playing a crucial role in finding a new, non-invasive, way to monitor the disease. http://www.ima.org.uk/viewItem.cfm?cit_id=383963 FDA6F283-1B6A-48E3-B810-336DB18035C7 Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:46:40 +0000 [Guardian] In May 2011 an Australian union recommended its members should avoid using any sunscreens that contained nanoparticles - but why? Colin Stuart looks into the potential dangers and examines the scientific evidence http://www.guardian.co.uk/nanotechnology-world/sunscreens-in-the-nanotechnology-safety-spotlight C9B676A1-DEFA-4E15-8AA1-DA45D9CC5AC3 Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:44:40 +0000 [physicsworld.com] A fifth giant planet was kicked out of the early solar system, according to computer simulations by a US-based planetary scientist. The sacrifice of this gas giant paved the way for the stable configuration of planets seen today. http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/47876 2DE5523A-21D1-4B96-881B-D1001617AE34 Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:20:16 +0000 [physicsworld.com] The latest results from the Rosetta space probe reveal that asteroid 21 Lutetia might have a dense metal-rich core that formed at the very start of the solar system. http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/47660 14B6A1E2-0800-40F1-AF9D-56FDE8EE729F Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:57:00 +0000 [mathscareers.org.uk] Meet the numbers that put the count in Count Dracula: vampire numbers. http://www.mathscareers.org.uk/viewItem.cfm?cit_id=383248 0BB9E1E6-7FF9-4EB7-BBAD-6EE70F858404 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:00:56 +0000 [mathscareers.org.uk] Find out how the world was weighed, through mathematics, on a soggy mountain in Scotland. http://www.mathscareers.org.uk/viewItem.cfm?cit_id=383244 4183F4DB-F311-4A1F-A2BA-A354AA7F1C4F Sat, 8 Oct 2011 16:00:03 +0000 [Guardian] Over the past two decades, scientists have been working to create some remarkable new nanotextiles but the laws which regulate fabrics have stayed the same. Is it time for them to be updated? http://www.guardian.co.uk/nanotechnology-world/nanotextiles-fabric-laws-science-nanotechnology 221F7B5C-D500-496D-9F21-1370BE8121FA Tue, 4 Oct 2011 15:56:04 +0000 [mathscareers.org.uk] Space is closer than you think. We think of satellites like the International Space Station orbiting at far flung distances, when in fact it circles the Earth only 350 kilometres above our heads. http://www.mathscareers.org.uk/viewItem.cfm?cit_id=383224 479A8A61-5FE8-4C9D-BBC1-385919EDE224 Sat, 17 Sep 2011 15:58:05 +0000 [mathscareers.org.uk] When stressed, this class of fluids begin to behave very strangely indeed: they can get thicker or thinner, some instantly and some over time. http://www.mathscareers.org.uk/viewItem.cfm?cit_id=383223 8E8EB67A-0FB2-46FA-862D-3C8B74EAC2D1 Tue, 13 Sep 2011 16:02:06 +0000 [physicsworld.com] Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope may have solved the mystery of how the Milky Way continues to spawn new stars at a consistent rate despite its diminishing gas reserves http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/47033 2E85B44E-A4A3-468A-B47F-410181D7A4B4 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:55:34 +0000 [mathscareers.org.uk] Visible light is the radiation the Sun generates most prolifically. It is also the radiation that our atmosphere hinders least. It is no surprise that the majority of eyes have evolved to be sensitive to the most abundant light around. http://www.mathscareers.org.uk/viewItem.cfm?cit_id=383213 34E0EE8B-DCA2-46DC-9AC3-91409DC815FD Wed, 3 Aug 2011 13:32:51 +0100 [mathscareers.org.uk] It is something we take for granted. The sky is not yellow, green or purple - it's blue, very blue. The reason for this very distinct hue is due to the way sunlight dances through the Earth's atmosphere. http://www.mathscareers.org.uk/viewItem.cfm?cit_id=383206 6ED54FDE-625F-4123-9E08-DD019EEFDC0D Wed, 3 Aug 2011 13:30:19 +0100 [physicsworld.com] Astronomers studying the cosmic microwave background (CMB) have uncovered new direct evidence for dark energy - the mysterious substance that appears to be accelerating the expansion of the universe. Their findings could also help map the structure of dark matter on the universe's largest length scales. http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/46572 9FB6F803-D9A5-4452-8768-46FFAC17FF50 Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:35:16 +0100 [The Guardian] From the clothes and sunglasses you wear to computer hard drives and even cleaning products, nanotechnology - often inspired by the natural world - plays a big part in the manufacture of many familiar products http://www.guardian.co.uk/nanotechnology-world/nanotechnology-in-everyday-life D05641D1-A34F-4D92-8090-74592BE83BD5 Thu, 7 Jul 2011 09:22:31 +0100 [physicsworld.com] The way galaxies have been classified for decades has been questioned by an international team of astronomers. http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/46420 16E65612-AF0D-4855-84C2-99F73AA31DE4 Fri, 1 Jul 2011 09:22:03 +0100 [mathscareers.org.uk] How many people in your class share a birthday? The answer is probably more than you think. http://www.mathscareers.org.uk/viewItem.cfm?cit_id=383197 B8A768A5-A657-4C9F-ADF2-5992346BB6AA Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:05:55 +0100 [mathscareers.org.uk] The simple question of 'what time is it?' started with a stick in the ground and is currently answered by closely observing the inner workings of caesium atoms. http://www.mathscareers.org.uk/viewItem.cfm?cit_id=383198 3E0E34C0-3FFC-4B89-9DF5-570DBE91339E Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:04:49 +0100 [physicsworld.com] A new type of supernova that shines up to 10 times brighter than any previously recorded has been discovered by an international team of astronomers. http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/46227 910DE6DD-9E0E-49A3-A987-83F11C72A319 Wed, 8 Jun 2011 22:57:26 +0100 [physicsworld.com] Ten planets that appear to be drifting in interstellar space have been spotted by an international team of astronomers. The planets are so far from any host stars that they may not orbit a star at all, and could be drifting unbound through space. http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/46022 8762ED89-C9B3-455B-AA76-8002330E640B Fri, 20 May 2011 15:39:13 +0100 [physicsworld.com] Astronomers in the US believe they have discovered why a quarter of known "hot Jupiters" orbit their stars in reverse. The finding challenges our understanding of how planets form and may give us a clue as to how common solar systems like ours are. http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/45961 0BA534A6-B89D-4C34-90FF-0E02902E22C5 Fri, 20 May 2011 15:38:39 +0100 [physicsworld.com] Annihilating dark matter at the heart of the Milky Way could account for signals detected by two space telescopes, according to a pair of US physicists. If true, the theory provides a new indirect measurement of one of astronomy's most elusive entities. http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/45804 65DDCB07-115F-4061-88D1-018D92015ECE Tue, 26 Apr 2011 15:37:55 +0100 [physicsworld.com] An international team using the Kepler space telescope has spied oscillations in the atmospheres of 500 Sun-like stars, a twenty-fold increase in the number of such objects previously studied. This bonanza of stellar data provides a new way of testing our understanding of how stars evolve, and could even help in the search for a second Earth. http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/45659 65A3973A-BE94-4C32-ACD4-B2757AC46B15 Fri, 8 Apr 2011 17:00:24 +0100 [Cosmos] Comet strikes over the last 30 years are responsible for intricate ripple patterns observed in the rings of both Jupiter and Saturn, according to U.S. researchers, which means that such impacts are more common than previously thought. http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/4188/comet-collisions-cause-rippling-planets-rings 285E2265-5598-4946-89D1-1D1D9E92F31F Fri, 1 Apr 2011 08:30:06 +0100 [physicsworld.com] Giant bubbles of gamma-ray-emitting materials surrounding the Milky Way are created by our galaxy's central black hole - and its appetite for stars - according to an international team of astronomers. http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/45382 C6F23AA8-D643-4651-8D02-6CC3270FAD8F Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:32:24 +0000 [nmm.ac.uk] 230 years ago today the size of the solar system doubled. Slightly before midnight on 13 March 1781, in his back garden in Bath, German-born musician and astronomer William Herschel clocked a strange object in the eyepiece of his home-made telescope. http://www.nmm.ac.uk/rog/2011/03/on_this_day_in_history_the_dis.html 15AA1880-91DD-4C45-8644-9652611D82EE Sun, 13 Mar 2011 10:41:30 +0000 [physicsworld.com] The latest research from a team of international astronomers could help to explain the long-standing mystery of why the Sun's outer atmosphere - or corona - is so much hotter than its surroundings. http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/44717 90968A02-E50C-4CE7-A92C-EDD9014A7800 Thu, 6 Jan 2011 14:58:31 +0000 [sci.esa.int] ESA has released interactive, open-source software that gives both scientists and the public an unprecedented insight into the ever-changing face of the Sun. http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=48123 Tue, 14 Dec 2010 15:31:17 +0000 [physicsworld.com] A team of astronomers has made the first direct measurement of the atmosphere of an exoplanetary "super-Earth". The findings suggest that the exoplanet named GJ 1214b has either an atmosphere swarming with clouds or one enveloped in water vapour. http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/44508 Wed, 1 Dec 2010 19:25:13 +0000 [physicsworld.com] Higher levels of space radiation between 2020 and 2040 could endanger US President Barack Obama's vision for a manned mission to Mars, according to a NASA scientist. http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/44254 1ED947DD-74E0-4ED2-BA59-59D75AC41969 Thu, 4 Nov 2010 14:10:16 +0000 [physicsworld.com] Almost one in four stars like the Sun could harbour an Earth-mass planet, according to US researchers. Their finding questions conventional models of planetary formation, which suggest that it is rare to find low-mass planets close to their parent stars, implying that solar systems like ours could be more common than we thought. http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/44154 FF50D8E0-904B-47C0-B91E-8ADA9C7968CB Thu, 28 Oct 2010 22:54:46 +0000 [sci.esa.int] The idea of other planets hidden in the vastness of space has long captured human imagination and there has been a recent explosion in the number of exoplanets discovered, with the total fast approaching 500. As the research community heads towards this milestone, ESA called on them for recommendations... http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=47877 6C885CE9-913B-46FE-98F6-DFB1132E0729 Thu, 28 Oct 2010 17:09:10 +0000 [SciDev.Net] Small farms in developing countries that embrace genetically modified (GM) maize could benefit from planting a mixture of GM and non-GM maize seeds, according to a leading GM crop scientist. http://scidev.net/en/news/gm-maize-could-also-benefit-non-gm-farmers-says-study.html 5883F5C4-205F-4FD9-B103-F910B8B2B984 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 11:51:02 +0000 [physicsworld.com] A mid-sized asteroid impact with the ocean could drastically deplete the ozone layer for many years, according to a team of US researchers. http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/43996 79C01929-BB98-434D-A17C-7529AC6F4A24 Mon, 11 Oct 2010 11:49:56 +0000 [sci.esa.int] A major instrument due to fly aboard the James Webb Space Telescope is getting its first taste of space in the test facilities at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) in the United Kingdom. The Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) has been designed to contribute to areas of investigation as diverse as the first light in the early Universe and the formation of planets around other stars. http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=47741 B99741F4-0ACD-4887-8182-9DFBF1763B68 Thu, 30 Sep 2010 12:04:00 +0000 [sci.esa.int] The complete archive of data sets from ESA's 3-year SMART-1 mission to the Moon has been released to the scientific community. Contained within the archive are 3D maps of the lunar poles along with detailed spectroscopic measurements of the lunar surface. http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=47714 14C54594-9788-42E7-8108-807E69965967 Tue, 21 Sep 2010 11:52:29 +0000 [SciDev.Net] The world is on the brink of a nuclear power renaissance, and developing countries may also benefit, according to researchers. http://scidev.net/en/news/new-nuclear-tech-could-benefit-developing-countries--1.html 3E66DDCB-4AB3-41D1-B12F-EC2381D7BC34 Mon, 30 Aug 2010 11:49:05 +0000 [physicsworld.com] The solar system is up two million years older than previously thought, according to a pair of researchers in the US. Their work, which is based on dating a meteorite found nestled in the Sahara desert, also provides clues about the birth of the solar system, lending weight to the theory that a nearby supernova explosion triggered its formation http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/43563 83384242-9BEA-4806-B97E-2887689677FF Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:47:53 +0000 [sci.esa.int] Discovered in Paris by Hermann Goldschmidt in November 1852, asteroid (21) Lutetia has been a cosmic riddle for astronomers. In an attempt to pin down its properties once and for all, ESA's Rosetta spacecraft flew past Lutetia at a distance of 3162 km, at a relative speed of 15 km/s on 10 July 2010 at 18:10 CEST. http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=47389 9502D2E5-6EC2-409F-8C0D-988E9325B02D Tue, 3 Aug 2010 11:59:44 +0000 [sci.esa.int] Researchers using the four spacecraft of ESA's Cluster mission have uncovered the long journey that energetic ions undergo during geomagnetic storms and how they ultimately precipitate into the Earth's atmosphere. Such precipitation affects the composition of the ionosphere, preventing GPS and communications satellites from operating correctly. http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=47543 647DDED4-7AD8-4953-847A-9071A5F0B3A5 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:54:15 +0000 [physicsworld.com] A cosmic gamma-ray burst striking the Earth could be harmful to ocean plankton at depths of up to 75 m, according to a team of Cuban researchers. http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/43330 62BD86DC-8423-4008-8612-26EE5C08C354 Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:43:59 +0000 [physicsworld.com] The largest radio telescope ever to be constructed will struggle to listen in on extra-terrestrial civilizations like our own, according to two astronomers in the UK. http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/43173 Tue, 13 Jul 2010 11:41:42 +0000 [sci.esa.int] Astronomers have the best idea yet of how the Universe looks in gamma rays after the publication of the fourth INTEGRAL Soft Gamma-Ray Survey Catalogue. The catalogue, which has been constructed from more than 70 million seconds of observing time, now includes significantly more extragalactic sources and is set to orchestrate the future observing programmes of several ground-based and space observatories. http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=47328 7EA427E4-B887-4B88-9689-AC727EE5F098 Wed, 7 Jul 2010 11:58:16 +0000 [sci.esa.int] Thanks to data from Venus Express we have the best idea yet of how Venus' atmosphere works, but there is still a long way to go, delegates at this year's International Venus Conference will be told. http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=47242 808BDF5C-8C20-4272-9BA4-00D58A489C49 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 11:53:00 +0000 [sci.esa.int] Dr. Vito Sguera, a young, Italian, scientist who contributed significantly to the discovery of a new sub-class of X-ray binaries, using ESA's INTEGRAL telescope, has been awarded the 2010 Zeldovich Medal from the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR). He is being recognised for his work on Supergiant Fast X-ray Transients (SFXTs). http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=47219 13883B9D-86BB-40B3-9658-DEDEF5669E51 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:01:38 +0000 [physicsworld.com] Astronomers using the Very Large Telescope (VLT) have caught an unprecedented glimpse of an exoplanet moving in its orbit around a distant star. http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/42897 Thu, 10 Jun 2010 11:41:42 +0000 [sci.esa.int] One of the teams behind ESA's XMM-Newton X-ray mission has unveiled the latest edition of their 2XMM catalogue. The newest incarnation boasts an additional 42 000 entries, ratcheting up the total to over a quarter of a million X-ray sources. This unprecedented cosmic X-ray library is a valuable resource allowing astronomers to explore the extreme Universe. http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=46958 819B23D8-D193-4BA3-BFD1-527154B73FFF Wed, 28 Apr 2010 12:03:04 +0000 [physicsworld.com] Astronomers could be on the cusp of detecting gravitational waves after four decades of trying, according to a team of Polish astrophysicists. http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/42270 Sun, 11 Apr 2010 11:41:42 +0000 Yesterday details emerged that China has selected its next generation of astronauts - a crew of five men and two women. However, to be one of those two women, recruiters demanded a rather unusual qualification: motherhood. http://justatheory.co.uk/2010/03/09/chinas-space-programme-turns-to-mothers/ D06D5C5A-7091-4BBB-ABE5-79C064F77552 Tue, 9 Mar 2010 11:29:56 +0000 The devastating earthquake which struck Chile on February 27th may well have had an effect on the rotation of the Earth itself according to a NASA scientist. Richard Gross of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory has used computer models to calculate that our day is now about 1.26 microseconds shorter than it was on February 26th. http://justatheory.co.uk/2010/03/02/chilean-earthquake-makes-the-day-shorter/ 0172E5D9-E74F-45C6-A421-1C137FF6C9B4 Tue, 2 Mar 2010 11:32:02 +0000 [THE magazine] Contra Lord Drayson, BIS' emphasis on applied knowledge may threaten the future of UK science, says Colin Stuart http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=407298&c=1 D737C1DB-5945-4077-83B7-97BFADB05840 Thu, 9 Jul 2009 14:04:19 +0100