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. Although eleventh-century Vikings did not have magnetic compasses at their disposal, it is thought that they could determine their orientation at sea using sun-compasses. Sun-compasses use the position of the sun's shadow to tell which way north is, and look somewhat similar to sundials, which use the position of the sun's shadow to tell the time of day. But the famous Viking-era wooden fragment that inspired the idea that Vikings used sun-compasses contains some lines that don't quite match scientists' interpretations. In a new study, a team of researchers has proposed that these flaws hint at the possibility that the instrument served a more sophisticated purpose than determining orientation, which was determining latitude. http://phys.org/news286551435.html Physics Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:37:43 EST news286551435 (AP)—Chilean forensic experts exhumed the body of Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda on Monday, trying to solve a four-decade mystery about the death of one the greatest poets of the 20th century. http://phys.org/news284702139.html Other Sciences Tue, 09 Apr 2013 04:55:51 EST news284702139 Drexel University engineers continue to drive research into the use of carbon nanotubes, straw-like structures that are more than 1,000 times thinner than a single human hair. Their most recent development uses the tiny tubes to separate liquids within a solution. http://phys.org/news261749398.html Nanotechnology Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:10:08 EST news261749398 When Randy Kortering decided to upgrade computer network defenses at Haworth, a $1 billion-a-year office fixtures manufacturer, his chief of security warned him about social-networking use. http://phys.org/news249917886.html Technology Fri, 02 Mar 2012 15:10:01 EST news249917886 Inspection of medical records, case files, and legal affidavits provides compelling evidence that medical personnel who treated detainees at Guantanamo Bay (GTMO) failed to inquire and/or document causes of physical injuries and psychological symptoms they observed in the detainees, according to a paper published this week in PLoS Medicine. Vincent Iacopino, Senior Medical Advisor for Physician for Human Rights, and Brigadier General (Ret) Stephen Xenakis, U.S. Army, reviewed GTMO medical records and relevant case files of nine individuals, looking for evidence of torture and ill treatment and its documentation by medical personnel. http://phys.org/news223044166.html Medicine & Health Tue, 26 Apr 2011 13:43:05 EST news223044166 (PhysOrg.com) -- One of the blind spots in forensic science, particularly in identifying unknown remains, is the inability of experts to determine how much an individual weighed based on his or her skeleton. New research from North Carolina State University moves us closer to solving this problem by giving forensic experts valuable insight into what the shape of the femur can tell us about the weight of an individual. http://phys.org/news220006214.html Medicine & Health Tue, 22 Mar 2011 09:51:08 EST news220006214 Forensic experts at the University of Abertay Dundee and the Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA) are leading the way in the research of new ground-breaking forensic techniques within the field of fingerprints. http://phys.org/news215694499.html Technology Mon, 31 Jan 2011 11:08:44 EST news215694499 (PhysOrg.com) -- Criminal cases where forensic experts determine the age of bruises on victims from photographs could be flawed, according to scientific research. http://phys.org/news191175834.html Other Sciences Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:30:12 EST news191175834