Physics and Astronomy News Archive: August 2005

Image: Of Friction and 'The Da Vinci Code'

Of Friction and 'The Da Vinci Code'

Source: LBNL   Posted: 8/28/05

Scientists have used Da Vinci's principles of friction and the geometric oddities known as quasicrystals to open a new pathway towards a better understanding of friction at the atomic level.
Image: Earth's core rotates faster than its crust, scientists say

Earth's core rotates faster than its crust, scientists say

Source: UIUC   Posted: 8/28/05

Scientists have ended a 9-year-old debate by proving that Earth’s core rotates faster than its surface, by about 0.3 to 0.5 degree per year.
Image: Burning asteroids may play ‘more important climate role than previously recognized’

Burning asteroids may play ‘more important climate role than previously recognized’

Source: Sandia   Posted: 8/28/05

Dust from asteroids entering the atmosphere may influence Earth’s weather more than previously believed, researchers have found.
Image: Climate Model Links Higher Temperatures to Prehistoric Extinction

Climate Model Links Higher Temperatures to Prehistoric Extinction

Source: UCAR   Posted: 8/28/05

Latest research simulations support a theory that an abrupt and dramatic rise in atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide triggered the massive die-off 251 million years ago.
Image: Wake-up Call for Innovation

Wake-up Call for Innovation

Source: Gatech   Posted: 8/24/05

Other countries make strides in science and technology, threatening U.S. competitive edge.
Image: Despite gains, women still face bias in science careers

Despite gains, women still face bias in science careers

Source: Wisc   Posted: 8/18/05

Despite gains in the training of women scientists and the implementation of programs to help women overcome ingrained barriers, the career path of most women scientists at universities remains a difficult trek.
Image: Researchers Carve with Electricity at the Nanometer Scale

Researchers Carve with Electricity at the Nanometer Scale

Source: NSF   Posted: 8/18/05

By applying electric current through a thin film of oil molecules, engineers have developed a new method to precisely carve arrays of tiny holes only 10 nanometers wide into sheets of gold.
Image: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission Status

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mission Status

Source: NASA   Posted: 8/18/05

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched on Aug. 12, has completed one of the first tasks of its seven-month cruise to Mars, a calibration activity for the spacecraft's Mars Color Imager instrument.
Image: A New Twist to Dating an Asteroid

A New Twist to Dating an Asteroid

Source: Northwestern   Posted: 8/18/05

It turns out you can’t accurately date an asteroid by counting the impact craters on its surface -- the traditional method for determining an asteroid’s age.
Image: Caltech Scientists Create Tiny Photon Clock

Caltech Scientists Create Tiny Photon Clock

Source: Caltech   Posted: 8/4/05

Physicists at Caltech have created the first micro-mechanical device that has been operated at a steady frequency by the action of photons alone.
Image: Tandem Ions May Lead the Way to Better Atomic Clocks

Tandem Ions May Lead the Way to Better Atomic Clocks

Source: NIST   Posted: 8/4/05

Physicists at NIST have used the natural oscillations of tandem ions, confined in a single trap, to produce the “ticks” that may power a future atomic clock.
Image: NASA's Spitzer Finds Hidden, Hungry Black Holes

NASA's Spitzer Finds Hidden, Hungry Black Holes

Source: NASA/JPL   Posted: 8/4/05

With its sharp infrared eyes, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope peered through walls of galactic dust to uncover what may be the long-sought missing population of hungry black holes known as quasars.