http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Replacing traditional rigid silicon wafers with semiconductors made from flexible polymers would herald an age of advanced, 'wearable' electronics. Switching to these semiconductors, known as organic field-effect transistors (OFETs), would also reduce manufacturing costs significantly. However, most plastic materials have trouble moving electrons and their polar opposites—positively charged empty 'holes' inside semiconductor lattices—with sufficient speed for electronic amplification. http://phys.org/news290841648.html Chemistry Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:30:01 EST news290841648 (Phys.org) —Thousands of pyrotechnic, flashing fireflies are making a rare appearance in Utah this summer, evidence that these bioluminescent insects may be establishing larger populations in the west, according to Brigham Young University researchers. http://phys.org/news290841578.html Biology Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:19:56 EST news290841578 Singapore's smog problem from forest fires in Indonesia worsened Wednesday as air pollutant levels reached a 16-year high. http://phys.org/news290836065.html Space & Earth Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:20:01 EST news290836065 Strapped in an orange suit in his spaceship, Yuri Gagarin smiles as the rockets roar and chirpily tells mission control: "Let's go!" http://phys.org/news290836764.html Space & Earth Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:10:02 EST news290836764 Satellite TV operator Dish Network Corp. said Tuesday it would not submit a revised bid for Sprint, leaving the path open for the wireless carrier to accept what it already considers a superior offer from Japan's Softbank. http://phys.org/news290835981.html Technology Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:10:01 EST news290835981 The Cape Wind offshore wind project has secured a $200 million investment from a Danish pension fund in what the wind farm's president said Tuesday is a milestone for the long-delayed project. http://phys.org/news290835769.html Technology Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:00:06 EST news290835769 Researchers at the University of Sydney and Dartmouth College have developed a new way to design quantum memory, bringing quantum computers a step closer to reality. The results will appear June 19 in the journal Nature Communications. http://phys.org/news290793819.html Physics Wed, 19 Jun 2013 05:00:01 EST news290793819 The World Bank on Wednesday warned that severe hardships from global warming could be felt within a generation, with a new study detailing devastating impacts in Africa and Asia. http://phys.org/news290836713.html Space & Earth Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:58:40 EST news290836713 Netflix is going Dutch. The online video giant says it will expand into the Netherlands, its 41st country, later this year. http://phys.org/news290835811.html Technology Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:43:40 EST news290835811 A year ago, Julian Assange skipped out on a date with Swedish justice. Rather than comply with a British order that he go to the Scandinavian country for questioning about sex crimes allegations, the WikiLeaks founder took refuge in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London. http://phys.org/news290835742.html Technology Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:42:30 EST news290835742 When Google chose New Zealand to unveil secret plans for a balloon-driven wi-fi network last weekend, it cemented the country's reputation as a test bed for global tech companies looking to trial their latest innovations, industry experts say. http://phys.org/news290834307.html Technology Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:18:34 EST news290834307 Facebook said Tuesday that more than a million businesses now advertise at the leading social network. http://phys.org/news290834047.html Technology Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:15:27 EST news290834047 Google's plans to beam the Internet from giant balloons sent to the stratosphere could boost small businesses in rural parts of Asia by connecting them online, the company said on Wednesday. http://phys.org/news290834003.html Technology Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:13:33 EST news290834003 In spite of considerable human development, the southeastern United States region could provide some of the Western Hemisphere's more heavily used thoroughfares for mammals, birds and amphibians on their way to cooler environments in a warming world, according to new research led by the University of Washington. http://phys.org/news290793692.html Biology Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:00:01 EST news290793692 If you have just seen a play that you privately think is drivel, will you keep silent when everyone around you demands an encore? http://phys.org/news290829409.html Other Sciences Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:57:20 EST news290829409 Cancer-causing radioactive substances have been found in groundwater at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, its Japanese operator said on Wednesday, as it pledged to prevent it getting into the sea. http://phys.org/news290828917.html Technology Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:48:44 EST news290828917 The origins of a young animal might have a significant impact on its behavior later on in life. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Radolfzell, Germany, have been able to demonstrate in hand-reared blackbirds that urban-born individuals are less curious and more cautious about new objects than their country counterparts. This study sheds light on an interesting debate on whether personality differences between rural and urban birds are behavioral adjustments to urban environments, or if there is an underlying evolutionary basis to the existence of different personalities in urban habitats. http://phys.org/news290793526.html Biology Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:10:01 EST news290793526 Controversial deals that delay generic versions of drugs coming onto the market can lead to consumers paying significantly more for some treatments, according to new research by an academic from the University of East Anglia (UEA). http://phys.org/news290793383.html Other Sciences Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:00:03 EST news290793383 The history of a new type of crab, nicknamed 'The Hoff' because of its hairy chest, which lives around hydrothermal vents deep beneath the Southern Ocean and Indian Ocean, has been revealed for the first time. http://phys.org/news290793315.html Biology Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:00:03 EST news290793315 Researchers at the University of Exeter found that older male burying beetles make better fathers than their younger counterparts. The study found that mature males, who had little chance of reproducing again, invested more effort in both mating and in parental care than younger males. http://phys.org/news290760963.html Biology Tue, 18 Jun 2013 19:00:01 EST news290760963 (Phys.org) —How are engineers doing in solving the problem of large-sized all electric transport vehicles traveling long distances without the burden of large batteries? One workaround that has been the topic of much discussion is the use of power lines that are built into the surface of the road. The Volvo Group has issued its state of progress and says it has come a long way in its research but that there's still work and planning decisions ahead. The goal is to find a cost-efficient way to supply electricity to vehicles in long-distance traffic. Work continues on technical development of the collector, electric motor and control systems, not to mention issues of road construction, road maintenance, electricity supply along the roads and payment models. Translation: You won't see long-distance buses using this method any time soon. http://phys.org/news290798046.html Technology Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:50:01 EST news290798046 The world's largest fully solar-powered boat, "Turanor PlanetSolar," docked in New York on Tuesday during a mission to study the effects of climate change on the Gulf Stream current. http://phys.org/news290797901.html Technology Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:11:51 EST news290797901 DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. says its new deal to provide original TV shows to Netflix will help it double the revenue it gets from TV shows to $200 million by 2015. http://phys.org/news290797139.html Technology Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:59:04 EST news290797139 The U.S. foiled a plot to bomb the New York Stock Exchange because of the sweeping surveillance programs at the heart of a debate over national security and personal privacy, officials said Tuesday at a rare open hearing on intelligence—a set-piece for supporters of the snooping. http://phys.org/news290791790.html Technology Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:50:01 EST news290791790 Poland could delay building its first nuclear power plants as natural gas, including shale gas, becomes less costly, the prime minister of the central European heavyweight said Tuesday. http://phys.org/news290791380.html Technology Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:40:01 EST news290791380 (Phys.org) —On July 19, 2013, NASA's Cassini spacecraft will be turned to image Saturn and its entire ring system during a total eclipse of the sun, as it has done twice before during its previous 9 years in orbit. But this time, the images that will be collected have been specifically designed for something very special. They will capture, in natural color, a glimpse of our own planet next to Saturn and its rings, during an event that will be the first time Earthlings know in advance their picture will be taken from a billion miles away. http://phys.org/news290791668.html Space & Earth Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:28:00 EST news290791668 Corporate raider Carl Icahn revamped his proposal Tuesday for embattled computer company Dell, calling for a big share buyback in a plan which would keep the company public. http://phys.org/news290791349.html Technology Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:22:36 EST news290791349 Google on Tuesday sharply challenged the U.S. government's gag order on its Internet surveillance program, citing what it described as a constitutional free speech right to divulge how many requests it receives from the government for data about its customers in the name of national security. http://phys.org/news290791326.html Technology Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:22:14 EST news290791326 Is the US Tea Party movement a racial backlash against President Obama? A new study by Angie Maxwell from the University of Arkansas, and Wayne Parent from Louisiana State University, assesses whether racial attitudes are contributing to Tea Party membership, and if so, the exact nature of this racial prejudice. Their work is published online in Springer's journal, Race and Social Problems. http://phys.org/news290789394.html Other Sciences Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:50:02 EST news290789394 Scientists are expecting a very large "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico and a smaller than average hypoxic level in the Chesapeake Bay this year, based on several NOAA-supported forecast models. http://phys.org/news290789359.html Space & Earth Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:49:26 EST news290789359