The Physics arXiv Blog - MIT Technology Review

Music Festivals, Bluetooth Monitoring and the Behavior of Crowds

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:56:59 +0000

The unexpected behaviour of crowds at one of Europe’s largest music festivals should help organisers plan future events, say researchers

Materials Scientists Build Chlorophyll-Based Phototransistor

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:04:14 +0000

Coat a layer of graphene with chlorophyll and you get a remarkably sensitive light-activated switch, say physicists.

Green Chemists Synthesise Vanillin From Sawdust

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 04:53:28 +0000

An environmentally-friendly way of making vanillin from the lignin in wood pulp could change the economics of this flavouring industry

Other Interesting arXiv Papers (Week Ending 15 June 2013)

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 04:13:30 +0000

The best of the rest from the Physics arXiv preprint server

Whirling Skirts And Rotating Cones

The Remarkable Properties of Mythological Social Networks

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 11:37:58 +0000

The social network between characters in Homer’s Odyssey is remarkably similar to real social networks today. That suggests the story is based, at least in part, on real events, say researchers

Quantum Invisibility Cloak Hides Objects from Reality

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:15:44 +0000

Physicists have worked out how to cloak a region of space from the quantum world, thereby shielding it from reality itself

More Large-Scale Invisibility Cloaks, This Time From China and Beyond

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 09:05:11 +0000

Big, cheap invisibility cloaks are suddenly beginning to emerge thanks to some simple optical short cuts that physicists have discovered

China Reveals First Space-Based Quantum Communications Experiment

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:02:34 +0000

The “Chinese Quantum Science Satellite” will launch in 2016 and aim to make China the first space-faring nation with quantum communication capability

Other Interesting arXiv Papers (Week Ending 8 June 2013)

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 04:07:43 +0000

The best of the rest from the Physics arXiv preprint server

Big Pharma, Little Science? A Bibliometric Perspective On Big Pharma’s R&D Decline

Human-Scale Invisibility Cloak Unveiled

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 09:39:00 +0000

Researchers demonstrate an invisibility cloak that can be scaled to almost any size and say it could be used to hide orbiting satellites

New Science of Cosmography Reveals 3-D Map of the Local Universe

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 12:22:56 +0000

The three-dimensional structure of the local universe may one day become as familiar as our local geography thanks to a new generation of maps that reveal our neighbourhood’s rich complexity and our place within it

Islands and the CounterIntuitive Effect They Have on Tsunamis

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 09:48:04 +0000

Computer simulations show that, far from protecting coastal communities, islands can dramatically amplify the damaging impact of tsunamis.

Bell Labs Invents Lensless Camera

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 10:41:30 +0000

A new class of imaging device with no lens and just a single light sensitive sensor could revolutionise optical, infrared and millimetre wave imaging

Other Interesting arXiv Papers (Week Ending 1 June 2013)

Sat, 01 Jun 2013 04:01:45 +0000

The best of the rest from the Physics arXiv preprint server

Ultra-Weak Long-Range Interactions Of Solitons Observed Over Astronomical Distances

The Extraordinary "Disco Ball" Now Orbiting Earth

Fri, 31 May 2013 11:51:42 +0000

A mirror ball–the most perfect test particle ever placed in orbit–should help Italian scientists measure an exotic effect predicted by general relativity

Gigapixel Holographic Microscope Made From A4 Paper Scanner

Thu, 30 May 2013 10:46:20 +0000

The A4 digital scanner gathering dust under your desk could find new life as a gigapixel holographic microscope, say Japanese engineers who have constructed one at minimal cost

Physicists Unveil World's Most Precise Clock (And a Twin to Compare It Against)

Wed, 29 May 2013 12:14:42 +0000

A pair of clocks that lose only one “tick” in 10^18 “tocks” have been unveiled by an international team of physicists

Metals Become Molecular-Like at the Atomic Scale, Reveal Materials Scientists

Tue, 28 May 2013 11:21:20 +0000

Atomic force measurements show that the bond between two gold atoms is highly directional and molecular-like, a finding with significant implications for the design and construction of atomic-scale devices

Other Interesting arXiv Papers (Week Ending 25 May 2013)

Sat, 25 May 2013 04:23:00 +0000

The best of the rest from the Physics arXiv preprint server

Computational Diagnosis of Canine Lymphoma

An Interplanetary GPS Using Pulsar Signals

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:31:54 +0000

Spacecraft could determine their position anywhere in the solar system to within five kilometres using signals from x-ray pulsars, say astronomers.

The Phosphorous Atom Quantum Computing Machine

Wed, 22 May 2013 08:40:51 +0000

An Australian team unveils the fundamental building block of a scalable quantum computer that could be embedded in today’s silicon chips.

Back in the late 90s, a physicist in Australia put forward a design for a quantum computer. Bruce Kane suggested that phosphorus atoms embedded in silicon would be the ideal way to store and manipulate quantum information.

How the Great Firewall of China Shapes Chinese Surfing Habits

Tue, 21 May 2013 06:34:23 +0000

Can cultural factors be more important than censorship in shaping Chinese surfing habits? Two researchers argue that a new study of the way global websites cluster together supports this idea.

One-Time Pad Reinvented to Make Electronic Copying Impossible

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:21:00 +0000

The ability to copy electronic code makes one-time pads vulnerable to hackers. Now engineers have found a way round this to create a system of cryptography that is invulnerable to electronic attack.

One-time pads are the holy grail of cryptography—they are impossible to crack, even in principle.

Other Interesting arXiv Papers (Week Ending 18 May 2013)

Sat, 18 May 2013 04:29:55 +0000

The best of the rest from the Physics arXiv preprint server

Performance of a Remotely Located Muon Radiography System to Identify the Inner Structure of a Nuclear Plant

Terahertz Image Reveals Goya's Hidden Signature in Old Master Painting

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:40:34 +0000

Darkened varnish obscures Goya’s signature in a 1771 masterpiece, according to a new analysis using terahertz waves

First Quantum Memory That Records The Shape of a Single Photon Unveiled in China

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:02:26 +0000

The world’s first quantum memory that stores the shape and structure of single photons has been built in a Chinese lab

Game Theory and the Treatment of Cancer

Tue, 14 May 2013 04:17:59 +0000

Thinking about cancer as an ecosystem is giving biologists access to a new armoury of mathematical tools for tackling it, such as evolutionary game theory

The Algorithm That Automatically Detects Polyps in Images from Camera Pills

Mon, 13 May 2013 04:49:39 +0000

Analyzing the footage from camera pills is a time-consuming task for medical professionals. Now computer scientists are attempting to automate the process.

Other Interesting arXiv Papers This Week Ending 12-5-13

Sat, 11 May 2013 04:14:53 +0000

The best of the rest from the Physics arXiv preprint server

The MASTER-II Network of Robotic Optical Telescopes. First Results

First Quantum-Enhanced Images of a Living Cell

Thu, 09 May 2013 09:51:53 +0000

Biologists have used “squeezed light” to create the first images of a living cell that beat the diffraction limit

US Air Force Measures Potato Cannon Muzzle Velocities

Wed, 08 May 2013 11:14:03 +0000

Ever wondered what fuel fires potatoes out of a cannon the fastest? The US Air Force now has the answer

The Cause of High Blood Pressure Revealed By Computer Modelling

Tue, 07 May 2013 10:05:18 +0000

Computer simulations show that high blood pressure can be entirely explained by arterial stiffening as we age, say researchers

Government Lab Reveals Quantum Internet Operated Continuously for Over Two Years

Mon, 06 May 2013 06:11:41 +0000

A quantum internet capable of sending perfectly secure messages has been running at Los Alamos National Labs for the last two and a half years, say researchers

One of the dreams for security experts is the creation of a quantum internet that allows perfectly secure communication based on the powerful laws of quantum mechanics.

Other Interesting arXiv Papers This Week

Sat, 04 May 2013 04:15:47 +0000

The best of the rest from the Physics arXiv preprint server

The Extragalactic Background Light (EBL): A Probe of Fundamental Physics and a Record of Structure Formation in the Universe

First Tunguska Meteorite Fragments Discovered

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:26:09 +0000

Nobody knows what exploded over Siberia in 1908, but the discovery of the first fragments could finally solve the mystery.

Participants in Personal Genome Project Identified by Privacy Experts

Wed, 01 May 2013 09:58:41 +0000

Privacy experts have identified participants in the Personal Genome Project using “de-identified” data.

Carbon Nanotube Sensor Detects Glucose in Saliva

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 09:52:53 +0000

Painful finger-prick blood tests for diabetics could become a thing of the past, say physicists who have built a sensor that measures glucose in saliva

Simple Trick Turns Commercial Polymer Into World's Toughest Fiber

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:56:05 +0000

A materials scientist has created the world’s toughest fiber using a mechanism based on a slip knot.

Other Interesting arXiv Papers This Week

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 04:51:53 +0000

The best of the rest from the Physics arXiv preprint server

The Potential For Photosynthesis In Hydrothermal Vents: A New Avenue For Life In The Universe?

Physicists Build World's First "Magnetic Hose" For Transmitting Magnetic Fields

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:12:16 +0000

Magnetic fields decay rapidly and so have never been transmitted over long distances. Until now …

First Enzyme-Based Memory Created in the Lab

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:44:07 +0000

Some clever biochemistry has led to the world’s first enzyme-based memory capable of learning, say biochemists

"12 Hours of Separation" Connect Individuals on Social Networks

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:18:49 +0000

Social networks can be used to track random individuals in just 12 hours provided the right incentives are on offer, say computer scientists.

How to Carbon-Date a Web Page

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:34:28 +0000

If a Web page lacks a time stamp, how do you know when it was created? A new Web application could help.

Ever needed to know the age of a Web page only to discover that it lacks a time stamp saying when it was published?

Other Interesting arXiv Papers This Week

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 04:20:13 +0000

The best of the rest from the Physics arXiv preprint server

Tracking of Fingertips and Centres of Palm using KINECT

Pearls and the Puzzle of How They Form Perfect Spheres

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:19:14 +0000

Physicists have finally solved the problem of how pearls form almost-perfect spheres: they rotate as they grow.

Surfing Logs Reveal Global Eating Patterns

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:27:34 +0000

The way we view online recipes reveals how our eating habits change over time, say computational sociologists.

Death Test Reveals Strength of Social Interaction

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:56:17 +0000

Social ties between humans are stronger than those between fruit flies or ants but weaker than those between bees, according to a cheerful new ranking based on how quickly creatures die when they become isolated

Moore's Law and the Origin of Life

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:51:03 +0000

As life has evolved, its complexity has increased exponentially, just like Moore’s law. Now geneticists have extrapolated this trend backwards and found that by this measure, life is older than the Earth itself.

Other Interesting arXiv Papers This Week

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 04:19:14 +0000

The best of the rest from the Physics arXiv preprint server

How Does Group Interaction And Its Severance Affect Life?

First Demonstration of the Storage and Release of Light in a Metamaterial

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:03:03 +0000

Nobody has been able to trap electromagnetic waves inside a metamaterial and then release them again. Until now.

Twitter Happiness Levels Soar As People Travel Further From Home

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:07:57 +0000

Happiness levels caputred by Tweets rise logarithmically with distance from our average location, say computer scientists studying Twitter sentiment

Brinicles and the Origin of Life

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:18:32 +0000

Extraordinary tubes of ice that grow down into the ocean from ice sheets could be as significant for the origin of life as hydrothermal vents, say chemists

Why a Botched IT Project Will Destroy a Major Corporation in the Near Future

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 11:38:29 +0000

The risks associated with major IT projects are being vastly underestimated, according to the largest study of global IT projects ever undertaken.

Other Interesting arXiv Papers This Week

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 04:13:20 +0000

The best of the rest from the Physics arXiv preprint server

Felinic Principle And Measurement Of The Hubble Parameter

Brazil Nut Effect Measured in Lunar and Martian Gravity Conditions

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 04:58:20 +0000

Brazil nuts would rise to the top of a container of mixed nuts on Mars and the Moon, but more slowly than on Earth, say physicists

The Paper-and-Pencil Cosmological Calculator

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 04:13:06 +0000

Ever struggled with the problem of converting redshift into parsecs, your worries are over thanks to a new cosmological distance chart based on the very latest data

What Makes Citizen Scientists Tick?

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 04:40:30 +0000

A new survey reveals why citizen scientists take part in crowdsourced science projects

Network Theory Approach Reveals Altitude Sickness to be Two Different Diseases

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 04:12:16 +0000

When the symptoms of altitude sickness are treated as a network, two distinct clinical syndromes emerge, say physicians.

Other Interesting arXiv Papers This Week

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 04:51:37 +0000

The best of the rest from the Physics arXiv preprint server

Eliminating Cracking During Drying

How Strong Social Ties Hinder the Spread of Rumours

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 04:05:35 +0000

Mobile phone data reveal the counterintuitive effect that strong social ties can hinder rather than promote the spread of rumours, say social network theorists

Astrophysicists Test Cosmological Defect Detector

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 04:17:17 +0000

Astrophysicists have built and tested the building blocks of a global detector capable of spotting topological defects in the cosmos as the Earth passes through them

The Future of TV--Terrestrial Broadcasting Or Video-On-Demand Over Cellular Networks?

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 04:05:05 +0000

Replacing terrestrial broadcasts with a cellular network capable of video-on-demand won’t make sense unless viewing habits change dramatically, concludes a new study on the future of television

Shrinking Blob Computes Traveling Salesman Solutions

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 04:49:42 +0000

A blob of “intelligent” goo can compute solutions to one of the most famous problems in mathematics and produces a route map as well, say computer scientists.

The traveling salesman problem is one of the more famous challenges in mathematics. This is the problem of finding the shortest route for visiting a number of cities once and then returning to the place of origin.

Other Interesting arXiv Papers This Week

Sat, 23 Mar 2013 04:13:44 +0000

The best of the rest from the Physics arXiv preprint server

RadioAstron – a Telescope with a Size of 300 000 km: Main Parameters and First Observational Results

Doomsday Recalculation Gives Humanity Greater Chance of Long-Term Survival

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 11:02:57 +0000

And the odds would improve further, say physicists, were we to make serious efforts to counter existential threats such as asteroid strikes

Computer Simulations Reveal Benefits of Random Investment Strategies Over Traditional Ones

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:56:18 +0000

Central Banks could use random investment strategies to make markets more stable, say econophysicists

Social Networks Reveal Structure (And Weaknesses) of Businesses

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:13:50 +0000

Computer scientists have recreated the international and organisational structure of large corporations using publicly available data on social networks

The Rare Disease Search Engine That Outperforms Google

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 10:59:54 +0000

A powerful new search engine designed to help diagnose rare diseases could prove a boon for both medics and the public

Other Interesting arXiv Papers This Week

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 09:02:12 +0000

The best of the rest from the Physics arXiv preprint server

Charged Black Hole Remnants at the LHC

Global Night Light Patterns Reveal Economic Shift to the East

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 13:07:21 +0000

The mean centre of world lighting is moving east at the rate of 60 km per year, according to a new analysis of archived satellite images

First Graphene Audio Speaker Easily Outperforms Traditional Designs

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 14:37:49 +0000

The world’s first electrostatically-driven graphene speaker matches or outperforms commercially available earphones, say physicists

The Puzzle of Ancient Star Catalogues and Modern Brightness Corrections

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:25:07 +0000

Ptolemy corrected the brightness of stars he observed in a way modern astronomers only invented 2000 years later, according to a new analysis of his ancient star catalogue

Astrobiologists Find Ancient Fossils in Fireball Fragments

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 11:57:50 +0000

Algae-like structures inside a Sri Lankan meteorite are clear evidence of panspermia, the idea that life exists throughout the universe, say astrobiologists.

Other Interesting arXiv Papers This Week

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 05:41:42 +0000

The best of the rest from the Physics arXiv preprint server

Dark Energy From Entanglement Entropy

Chinese Physicists Measure Speed of "Spooky Action At a Distance"

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 06:25:49 +0000

Einstein railed against the possibility of spooky action at a distance because it violates relativity. Now Chinese physicists have clocked it travelling more than four orders of magnitude faster than light

Computer Scientists Measure the Speed of Censorship On China's Twitter

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 07:38:14 +0000

Censorship on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, is near real-time and relies on a workforce of over 4,000 censors who stop work during the evening news, according the first detailed analysis of censorship patterns.

Global E-mail Patterns Reveal "Clash of Civilizations"

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 07:52:07 +0000

The global pattern of e-mail communication reflects the cultural fault lines thought to determine future conflict, say computational social scientists.

The Algorithm That Helps You Friend People You Don't Know

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 12:04:21 +0000

Computer scientists have developed an algorithm that uses the structure of a social network to find the best strategy for friending people you don’t know.

Other Interesting arXiv Papers This Week

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 05:58:14 +0000

The best of the rest from the Physics arXiv preprint server

First Search for Dark Matter Annihilation in the Sun Using the ANTARES Neutrino Telescope

Toothbrushes, BristleBots, and the Nature of Intelligence

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 14:10:21 +0000

Fix a vibrating motor to the head of a toothbrush and you have an automaton that can demonstrate surprisingly complex behaviour, say Harvard physicists.

An Autopsy of a Dead Social Network

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 07:28:11 +0000

Following the collapse of the social network Friendster, computer scientists have carried out a digital autopsy to find out what went wrong.

Experiments on Cadavers Settle 100 Year-Old Puzzle Over Human Skin Strength

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 05:32:02 +0000

Langer lines map out the pattern of forces within the skin but nobody knew what caused them. Until now.

Astronomers Calculate Orbit of Chelyabinsk Meteorite

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 05:44:04 +0000

The Chelyabinsk meteorite is from a family of Earth-crossing rocks called Apollo asteroids and there are 80 million others like it, say astronomers

Other Interesting arXiv Papers This Week

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 05:03:50 +0000

The best of the rest from the Physics arXiv preprint server

Recommending Given Names

Carbon Nanotube Transistors Orders of Magnitude Better at Spotting Cancer, Say Bioengineers

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 05:44:21 +0000

Arrays of carbon-nanotube transistors can detect prostate cancer with a much higher sensitivity than conventional techniques.

Decisions and the Influence of Others

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 05:58:44 +0000

Researchers work out a way to measure how much a decision is influenced by the opinions of others.

Braess' Paradox Infects Social Networks Too, Say Computer Scientists

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 05:57:09 +0000

Traffic planners have long known that closing roads can improve traffic flow. Now network theorists say that removing products from social networks can improve the choice for everyone.

Graphene And The EmergingTechnology of Neural Prostheses

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 05:54:06 +0000

Neural implants are set to be revolutionised by a new type of graphene transistor with a liquid gate, say bio-engineers

Other Interesting arXiv Papers This Week

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 05:50:22 +0000

The best of the rest from the Physics arXiv preprint server

The Biological Origin of Linguistic Diversity

The True Story of a 1967 “Contact” Incident

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 05:03:56 +0000

The story of the SETI discussions during the discovery of pulsars has never been fully told—until now

Moshers, Heavy Metal and Emergent Behavior

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 05:48:20 +0000

The collective behavior of moshers at heavy metal concerts is mathematically similar to a disordered 2D gas, say physicists.

How "Bullet Time" Will Revolutionise Exascale Computing

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 05:05:11 +0000

The famous Hollywood filming technique will change the way we access the huge computer simulations of the future, say computer scientists

Einstein@Home Project Discovers 24 New Pulsars in Old Data

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 05:06:03 +0000

Astrophysicists apply 17,000 CPU core years of number crunching to a 15-year old data set and find 24 new pulsars

Other Interesting arXiv Papers This Week

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 05:18:53 +0000

The best of the rest from the Physics arXiv preprint server

A Compound Model for the Origin of Earth’s Water

SETI Study of Habitable Exoplanets Draws a Blank for Jill Tarter

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 07:04:30 +0000

The exoplanets of greatest interest show no sign of intelligent civilisations–so far.

First Test of Seismic Invisibility Cloak

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 05:34:02 +0000

World's First Digital Laser Designed and Built in Africa

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 05:57:17 +0000

African physicists build the first laser with a beam that can be controlled and shaped digitally.

Lasers are one of the emblematic technologies of the modern world. The chances are that most readers will be less than a metre away from a laser of some kind as they read this. Lasers fill our world.

Racism is Poisoning Online Ad Delivery, Says Harvard Professor

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 05:53:54 +0000

Google searches involving black-sounding names are more likely to serves up ads suggestive of a criminal record than white-sounding names, says computer scientist

Other Interesting arXiv Papers This Week

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 05:00:02 +0000

The best of the rest from the Physics arXiv preprint server

Quantifying Morphological Computation

Space Weather Influenced Food Prices in Medieval England, Say Astrophysicists

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 05:32:03 +0000

Famines plagued Iceland and food prices spiked in medieval England following extreme space weather events, according to a new study of historical data