Read article: Welcome to 2001
Indeed, it is now possible to study for a degree in science and science fiction. Rest assured that this degree course at the University of Glamorgan in the UK does not involve watching videos and reading SF novels all day (note that science-fiction buffs do not approve of the term “sci-fi”). Rather the course involves […]
Read article: Extrasolar planets
Andrew Collier Cameron explains how astronomers are searching for an Earth-like planet outside our solar system that could harbour life
Paula Gould reports on why the recruitment of physics teachers in England and Wales has slumped to an all-time low
Read article: Flying the flag for fluid dynamics
Zhang and colleagues found that the filaments – which are several centimetres long – have two distinct stable states depending on their length. Below a certain threshold the filament stretches out straight, in line with the fluid flow. Even when the researchers nudge the filament to encourage it to flap, it quickly returns to the […]
Read article: Star high-school students find pulsar
Using data from the Chandra satellite, the young scientists pinpointed an X-ray source in the supernova remnant known as IC443 and asked the National Radio Astronomy Laboratory for data from the VLA to back up their find. The radiowave data confirmed that a point-like source exists in the remnant, supporting the team’s suspicion that the […]
Earlier studies used simplistic models that assume human cells are spherical. But many cells – for example, muscular and red blood cells – are not spherical. Sebastián’s team therefore developed a more sophisticated model that accounts for cells that are shaped like rods, cylinders and rugby balls. “If we are to understand the biological effects […]
The JIF scheme was set up in 1998 by the UK government and the Wellcome Trust – the world’s largest biomedical research charity – to provide much-needed funding for university laboratory facilities. The £125m divided out among 28 research projects in this latest round brings the total money awarded so far under the scheme to […]
Researchers at the laboratory first created a superconducting tape five years ago. They used a process known as Ion Beam Assisted Deposition (IBAD) to create a film of the ceramic superconductor yttrium barium copper oxide onto a buffer layer of zirconia sitting on a base of nickel alloy tape. The buffer layer stops the superconductor […]
Read article: The pulsar’s powerhouse
Pulsars are rotating neutron stars that emit radiation, which is seen from Earth as a series of highly regular pulses. Anomalous x-ray pulsars (AXPs) are not, however, powered like most pulsars. AXPs do not appear to have companion stars from which they can gather material and energy to transform into x-ray emissions, and their x-ray […]
Read article: Martian sedimentary rocks suggest a watery past
One of the key questions in planetary science is whether the early climate of Mars was warm enough for liquid water – and hence extraterrestrial life – to exist. The layered rocks, thought to be around 4000 million years old, are deposited horizontally and appear to consist of fine-grained material. Sedimentary rocks can be created […]
