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) —Harish Krishnaswamy, assistant professor of electrical engineering at Columbia Engineering, has generated a record amount of power output—by a power of five—using silicon-based nanoscale CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) technology for millimeter-wave power amplifiers. Power amplifiers are used in communications and sensor systems to boost power levels for reliable transmission of signals over long distances as required by the given application. Krishnaswamy's research will be reported at the June 2013 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits Symposium. http://phys.org/news286093877.html Technology Thu, 25 Apr 2013 07:31:24 EST news286093877 Research aimed at developing ultrasonic microphones with insect-like sensitivity is to continue in the rainforests of Colombia and Ecuador. http://phys.org/news284368710.html Technology Fri, 05 Apr 2013 08:18:37 EST news284368710 (Phys.org) —A team of Canadian researchers has found that anthropogenic noise (noise created by people that impacts other species) in urban areas leads to less songbird diversity. In their paper published in the journal Global Change Biology, the researchers describe how in studying songbird diversity in and around the city of Edmonton, they noted that songbirds that sang in low frequencies tended to have difficulty in communicating when having to compete with urban noise, leading to less mating and offspring production. http://phys.org/news282305757.html Biology Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:16:33 EST news282305757 A couple years ago, researchers introduced a new material that they said could make any object invisible to both radar and the human eye. Invisibility cloaking would have a major impact on defense technology, they explained, but there was only one problem: The current materials used in this novel application were only capable of hiding the object from a single frequency wave. http://phys.org/news281689539.html Physics Tue, 05 Mar 2013 07:07:03 EST news281689539 NTT DOCOMO, Japan's leading mobile operator and provider of integrated services centered on mobility, announced today that in a joint outdoor experiment conducted recently with the Tokyo Institute of Technology, it succeeded in the world's first packet transmission uplink rate of approximately 10 Gbps. The test, which is expected to help pave the way for future super-high-bit-rate mobile communications, took place in Ishigaki City of Okinawa Prefecture, Japan on December 11, 2012. http://phys.org/news281177899.html Technology Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:58:39 EST news281177899 Condensation trails that airplanes produce mean not only a white-streaked sky on some days, but an increase in the amount of high-level clouds and, by extension, warming temperatures, according to a Penn State researcher. http://phys.org/news280745967.html Space & Earth Fri, 22 Feb 2013 08:59:36 EST news280745967 Large amounts of industrial contaminants, such as mineral oil, chlorinated hydrocarbons and heavy metals, are hidden in the soil and ground water across Europe. Until now, there was no easy way of mapping their distribution and follow their development in the ground. Under the SoilCAM project, funded by the EU, scientists have explored a combination of methods to gain a reliable and accurate understanding of the physical, chemical, and biological behaviour of these soil contaminants. These methods could eventually be used to study the distribution and monitoring of bioremediation and geo-chemical processes over a long period of time. http://phys.org/news280656297.html Space & Earth Thu, 21 Feb 2013 08:05:15 EST news280656297 (Phys.org)—Animals have developed a variety of strategies for dealing with increasing noise pollution in their habitats. It is known, for example, that many urban birds sing at a high pitch to differentiate their song from the low-frequency sound of road traffic. However, as scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology discovered, this is just a useful side effect. The real reason for this behaviour is that songs at a higher pitch are also automatically louder. The birds can make themselves heard far better in city noise by increasing the volume of their song than by raising its frequency. http://phys.org/news277128934.html Biology Fri, 11 Jan 2013 12:15:46 EST news277128934 European researchers have squeezed radar technology into a low-cost fingernail-sized chip package that promises to lead to a new range of distance and motion sensing applications. The novel device could have important uses in the automotive industry, as well as mobile devices, robotics and other applications. http://phys.org/news272886372.html Technology Fri, 23 Nov 2012 09:47:35 EST news272886372 Small bats have to emit higher-pitched squeaks than their bigger cousins for their sonar navigation systems to work equally well, scientists said Wednesday. http://phys.org/news272726774.html Biology Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:30:01 EST news272726774 (Phys.org) -- Cornell researchers have developed a new method of generating terahertz signals on an inexpensive silicon chip, offering possible applications in medical imaging, security scanning and wireless data transfer. http://phys.org/news261199875.html Physics Wed, 11 Jul 2012 04:31:31 EST news261199875 Making electronic components using graphene, a material composed of a single layer of carbon atoms, is one of today's major technological challenges. Researchers hope to harness the outstanding electron mobility of graphene and also use the material to design low-cost, flexible electronics. Research teams from CEA, CNRS, Université de Lille 1 and Northwestern University have come up with a novel process for manufacturing transistors that combine flexibility and electron mobility and are capable of working at very high frequencies in the GHz range. The process uses a form of graphene in solution that is compatible with printing techniques. Electronic components such as these should lead to the development of high-performance electronic circuits built into everyday objects. http://phys.org/news251018978.html Nanotechnology Thu, 15 Mar 2012 08:29:59 EST news251018978 Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden) have for the first time demonstrated a novel subharmonic graphene FET mixer at microwave frequencies. The mixer provides new opportunities in future electronics, as it enables compact circuit technology, potential to reach high frequencies and integration with silicon technology. http://phys.org/news244802360.html Nanotechnology Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:00:01 EST news244802360