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. Natural gas power plants can use about 20 percent less fuel when the sun is shining by injecting solar energy into natural gas with a new system being developed by the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The system converts natural gas and sunlight into a more energy-rich fuel called syngas, which power plants can burn to make electricity. http://phys.org/news284973876.html Technology Fri, 12 Apr 2013 09:10:01 EST news284973876 As the search for dark matter intensifies, the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago and the National Academy of Sciences organized a colloquium that brings together cosmologists, particle physicists and observational astrophysicists – three fields now united in the hunt to determine what is dark matter. http://phys.org/news275067460.html Physics Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:38:30 EST news275067460 (Phys.org)—A distillery agreement between two companies in Scotland is to turn whiskey byproducts into fuel. Those who look forward to a bright future of biofuels that are easier on the environment will be interested in their story. The two companies will strive to combine two byproducts of whisky production, "pot ale" and "draff," to produce renewable products, including next-generation butanol, or biobutanol. The pot-ale refers to residue from the stills. The draff refers to what is left of the grains. Bacteria feeding on the byproducts can produce butanol. The production of butanol by biological means was first performed by Louis Pasteur in 1861, but has recently taken on revived interest. http://phys.org/news267850758.html Technology Wed, 26 Sep 2012 05:00:01 EST news267850758 Biogas plants, combined heat and power plants don't just generate electricity, they also produce heat. However, unlike the electricity they yield, the heat generally dissipates unused. A new technology is set to change this: It will allow the heat to be stored lossfree in the smallest of spaces for lengthy periods of time, for use as and when required. http://phys.org/news258198265.html Technology Wed, 06 Jun 2012 10:44:34 EST news258198265 A new Purdue University-developed process for creating biofuels has shown potential to be cost-effective for production scale, opening the door for moving beyond the laboratory setting. http://phys.org/news258044432.html Technology Mon, 04 Jun 2012 16:00:50 EST news258044432 Work by scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) suggests that farmers in the Southeast could use the tropical legume sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea) in their crop rotations by harvesting the fast-growing annual for biofuel. The study, which was conducted by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Florence, S.C., supports the USDA priority of finding new sources of bioenergy. ARS is USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency. http://phys.org/news244888229.html Biology Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:30:48 EST news244888229 (PhysOrg.com) -- A method developed at Aalto University in Finland makes it possible to use microbes to produce butanol suitable for biofuel and other industrial chemicals from wood biomass. Butanol is particularly suited as a transport fuel because it is not water soluble and has higher energy content than ethanol. http://phys.org/news243502944.html Chemistry Mon, 19 Dec 2011 07:42:37 EST news243502944 A major upgrade to the DIII-D tokamak fusion reactor operated by General Atomics in San Diego will enable it to develop fusion plasmas that can burn indefinitely. Researchers installed a movable, 30-ton particle-beam heating system that drives electric current over a broad cross section of the magnetically confined plasma inside the reactor's vacuum vessel. Precise aiming of this beamline allows scientists to vary the spatial distribution of the plasma current to maintain optimal conditions for sustaining the high temperature plasmas needed for fusion energy production. http://phys.org/news240166977.html Physics Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:03:04 EST news240166977 Regulatory hurdles abound for the successful commercialization of emerging liquid biofuels, which hold the promise of enhancing U.S. energy security, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and serving as a driver for rural economic development, according to new U. of I. research. http://phys.org/news230465104.html Technology Thu, 21 Jul 2011 11:05:27 EST news230465104 A groundbreaking deal on compulsory new food labels Wednesday is set to give Europeans clear information on the nutritional and energy content of products, as well as country of origin. http://phys.org/news229181205.html Medicine & Health Wed, 06 Jul 2011 14:26:54 EST news229181205 A study conducted by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland indicates that there is practically no difference between commercial petrol grades 95E10 and 98E5 sold in Finland as regards fuel consumption in normal driving. The finding is based on driving tests conducted by VTT using six used cars of different make under laboratory conditions. http://phys.org/news226573534.html Technology Mon, 06 Jun 2011 10:06:34 EST news226573534 With obesity rising markedly, reliance on the accuracy of food labeling is an important weight management strategy. Since people who are trying to reduce their weight are encouraged to choose meals labeled as "lower in calories" or "reduced-energy" in restaurants and supermarkets, it is essential that the listed data are accurate. In a study published in the January 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, researchers from Tufts University found that some commercially prepared foods contained more calories than indicated in nutritional labeling. http://phys.org/news181911450.html Medicine & Health Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:50:02 EST news181911450