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. (Phys.org) —In malaria-ridden parts of Africa, mosquito netting protects people from being infected while they sleep; now, a University of Florida entomologist wants to improve the netting by coating it with insecticide toxic only to mosquitoes. http://phys.org/news288594454.html Chemistry Fri, 24 May 2013 06:20:01 EST news288594454 Everybody who has tried to stack oranges in a box knows that a regular packing of spheres in a flat layer naturally leads to a hexagonal pattern, where each sphere is surrounded by six neighbours in a honeycomb-like fashion. In an article just published on-line in PNAS, researchers from Wageningen University report an exception to this rule: when small, micrometer-sized particles are placed on a curved oil-water surface, they arrange in a square pattern, as on a chessboard. http://phys.org/news288594527.html Physics Fri, 24 May 2013 06:08:57 EST news288594527 The International Energy Agency said Friday that Germany must shield its consumers from paying too much of the cost of its ambitious switch from nuclear power and fossil fuels toward renewable energy. http://phys.org/news288594230.html Technology Fri, 24 May 2013 06:03:58 EST news288594230 The US International Trade Commission sided with Microsoft in a patent dispute with Google-owned Motorola Mobility that could have led to Xbox 360 videogame consoles being banned from import. http://phys.org/news288591235.html Technology Fri, 24 May 2013 05:14:04 EST news288591235 Slovenian adventurer Matevz Lenarcic landed on Thursday in Western France after having overflown the North Pole in an ultra-light plane equipped to measure air pollution. http://phys.org/news288556709.html Space & Earth Thu, 23 May 2013 19:38:37 EST news288556709 An academic paper on the archaeology of the Search for Richard III reveals for the first time specific details of the grave dug for King Richard III and discovered under a car park in Leicester. http://phys.org/news288550915.html Other Sciences Thu, 23 May 2013 19:00:01 EST news288550915 UEA scientists make breast cancer advance that turns previous thinking on its head Scientists at the University of East Anglia have made an advance in breast cancer research which shows how some enzymes released by cancerous cells could have a protective function. http://phys.org/news288550756.html Chemistry Thu, 23 May 2013 17:59:32 EST news288550756 (AP)—Internet radio company Pandora reported higher-than-expected revenue in the latest quarter, with losses in line with analysts' forecasts, as the number of subscribers who pay for ad-free listening rose above 2.5 million. http://phys.org/news288549937.html Technology Thu, 23 May 2013 17:45:43 EST news288549937 (Phys.org) —Google Drive has a new look and functions. The makeover in Google Drive features scanning and interface enhancements that put the user into "card" mode. The enhancements make it easy for the user to create and view content. http://phys.org/news288548905.html Technology Thu, 23 May 2013 17:28:33 EST news288548905 A blockbuster study in which US researchers reported that they had turned human skin cells into embryonic stem cells contained errors, its lead author has acknowledged. http://phys.org/news288548751.html Biology Thu, 23 May 2013 17:26:02 EST news288548751 What are card beams, you may ask? They are the building toy that allows you to build gravity-defying houses of cards with the help of friction, gravity, and two types of beams - the cap and the connector. http://phys.org/news288548015.html Technology Thu, 23 May 2013 17:13:45 EST news288548015 A new study has determined for the first time just how quickly frogs and other amphibians are disappearing around the United States. http://phys.org/news288543639.html Biology Thu, 23 May 2013 16:30:07 EST news288543639 (Phys.org) —The Ring Nebula's distinctive shape makes it a popular illustration for astronomy books. But new observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope of the glowing gas shroud around an old, dying, sun-like star reveal a new twist. http://phys.org/news288544021.html Space & Earth Thu, 23 May 2013 16:30:01 EST news288544021 Yahoo! pressed on with its shopping spree on Thursday with the acquisition of a startup that powers games played on smartphones, tablets, consoles or personal computers. http://phys.org/news288543335.html Technology Thu, 23 May 2013 16:20:01 EST news288543335 The United States is gearing up for more Atlantic hurricanes than usual this year, triggered by warmer water temperatures than average, US forecasters said Thursday. http://phys.org/news288543252.html Space & Earth Thu, 23 May 2013 16:10:03 EST news288543252 Surrounded by engineers, NASA chief Charles Bolden inspected a prototype spacecraft engine that could power an audacious mission to lasso an asteroid and tow it closer to Earth for astronauts to explore. http://phys.org/news288543513.html Space & Earth Thu, 23 May 2013 15:59:07 EST news288543513 A tiny Ecuadoran satellite that collided in space with the remains of a Soviet rocket survived the crash, but was damaged and is not transmitting, Quito's space agency said Thursday. http://phys.org/news288543358.html Space & Earth Thu, 23 May 2013 15:56:05 EST news288543358 (Phys.org) —A company called Contemporary Energy has unveiled a new device it calls the Solar Kettle. It looks very much like a normal coffee thermos, but has flaps on one side that open to allow for collecting solar energy, thus heating whatever is held inside. The company will be marketing the device to campers and others that need a way to boil water when electricity is not available. http://phys.org/news288543040.html Technology Thu, 23 May 2013 15:50:50 EST news288543040 A team of researchers has captured images of green alga consuming bacteria, offering a glimpse at how early organisms dating back more than 1 billion years may have acquired free-living photosynthetic cells. This acquisition is thought to have been a critical first step in the evolution of photosynthetic algae and land plants, which, in turn, contributed to the increase in oxygen levels in Earth's atmosphere and ocean and provided one of the conditions necessary for animal evolution. http://phys.org/news288541092.html Biology Thu, 23 May 2013 15:50:01 EST news288541092 University of Montreal researchers have discovered a novel molecular mechanism that can potentially slow the progression of some cancers and other diseases of abnormal growth. In the May 23 edition of the prestigious journal Cell, scientists from the University of Montreal explain how they found that the anti-cancer and anti-proliferative drug rapamycin slows down or prevents cells from dividing. http://phys.org/news288542821.html Biology Thu, 23 May 2013 15:47:08 EST news288542821 (Phys.org) —Using the Canadian Light Source (CLS) synchrotron, researchers have discovered a way to create cheaper fuel cells by dividing normally expensive platinum metal into nanoparticles (or even single atoms) for use in everything from automobiles to computers. http://phys.org/news288540296.html Nanotechnology Thu, 23 May 2013 15:05:04 EST news288540296 More than 13,000 ships per year, carrying more than 284 million tons of cargo, transit the Panama Canal each year, generating roughly $1.8 billion dollars in toll fees for the Panama Canal Authority. Each time a ship passes through, more than 55 million gallons of water are used from Gatun Lake, which is also a source of water for the 2 million people living in the isthmus. http://phys.org/news288539345.html Space & Earth Thu, 23 May 2013 15:00:02 EST news288539345 (Phys.org) —Researchers and physicians in the field could soon run on-the-spot tests for environmental toxins, medical diagnostics, food safety and more with their smartphones. http://phys.org/news288539510.html Chemistry Thu, 23 May 2013 15:00:01 EST news288539510 (Phys.org) —New tension gauge tether (TGT) laboratory method developed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has broad applications for research into stem cells, cancer, infectious disease, and immunology. http://phys.org/news288539856.html Biology Thu, 23 May 2013 14:57:51 EST news288539856 Commitment to the job by correctional staff members cannot be bought but must be earned by an organization, a Wayne State University researcher believes. http://phys.org/news288539373.html Other Sciences Thu, 23 May 2013 14:49:40 EST news288539373 From Virginia to Florida, there is a prehistoric shoreline that, in some parts, rests more than 280 feet above modern sea level. The shoreline was carved by waves more than 3 million years ago—possible evidence of a once higher sea level, triggered by ice-sheet melting. But new findings by a team of researchers, including Robert Moucha, assistant professor of Earth Sciences in Syracuse University's College of Arts and Sciences, reveal that the shoreline has been uplifted by more than 210 feet, meaning less ice melted than expected. http://phys.org/news288539123.html Space & Earth Thu, 23 May 2013 14:45:32 EST news288539123 A newly synthesized material might provide a dramatically improved method for separating the highest-octane components of gasoline. Measurements at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have clarified why. The research team, which included scientists from NIST and several other universities, has published its findings in the journal Science. http://phys.org/news288538951.html Chemistry Thu, 23 May 2013 14:42:40 EST news288538951 Sugar isn't always sweet to German cockroaches, especially to the ones that avoid roach baits. In a study published May 24 in the journal Science, North Carolina State University entomologists show the neural mechanism behind the aversion to glucose, the simple sugar that is a popular ingredient in roach-bait poison. Glucose sets off bitter receptors in roach taste buds, causing roaches to avoid foods that bring on this taste-bud reaction. This aversion has a genetic basis and it eventually spreads to offspring, resulting in increasingly large groups of cockroaches that reject glucose and any baits made with it. http://phys.org/news288536639.html Biology Thu, 23 May 2013 14:04:24 EST news288536639 (Phys.org) —Sometimes astronomy is like real estate—what's important is location, location, and location. Astronomers have resolved a major problem in their understanding of a class of stars that undergo regular outbursts by accurately measuring the distance to a famous example of the type. http://phys.org/news288536253.html Space & Earth Thu, 23 May 2013 14:00:11 EST news288536253 Physicists understand perfectly well why a fridge magnet sticks to certain metallic surfaces. But there are more exotic forms of magnetism whose properties remain unclear, despite decades of intense research. An important step towards filling these gaps comes now from Tilman Esslinger and his group at the Department of Physics. http://phys.org/news288535584.html Physics Thu, 23 May 2013 14:00:07 EST news288535584