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. The next advance in weather forecasting may not come from a new satellite or supercomputer, but from a device in your pocket. University of Washington atmospheric scientists are using pressure sensors included in the newest smartphones to develop better weather forecasting techniques. http://phys.org/news279384293.html Space & Earth Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:45:02 EST news279384293 (Phys.org)—Neither smooth nor disordered, gamma-alumina nanoparticles are corrugated with tiny pores inside, according to scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Using a powerful transmission electron microscope, the team obtained ultrahigh-resolution images and chemical data about the particle's surface. They found that the particles were covered with ridges made from a more open, yet symmetrical, arrangement of atoms. The open arrangement on the surfaces, notated as (110), covers 70% of the nanoparticle.  http://phys.org/news278666806.html Nanotechnology Tue, 29 Jan 2013 07:50:08 EST news278666806 Applications as diverse as oil-well drilling and robot-driven surgery are driving demand for improved micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) pressure sensors. As they are made smaller, however, simultaneously achieving high sensor stability and sensitivity becomes progressively more difficult. A research team from Singapore and South Korea has now overcome this technical challenge by producing a miniaturized sensor that couples a key component—a stable diaphragm—with sensitive silicon nanowires. http://phys.org/news276338382.html Technology Wed, 02 Jan 2013 08:44:11 EST news276338382 NETL and West Virginia University collaborators discovered that a standard beverage industry carbonation meter used with a modified field protocol accurately determined the amount of CO2 dissolved in natural springs and mine waters within the range of 0.2 - 35 millimole (a mole is a measurement for chemicals, thus a millimole is one thousandth of a mole) of CO2. http://phys.org/news262943862.html Space & Earth Tue, 31 Jul 2012 08:57:51 EST news262943862 The rise of ocean infrastructure development to tap energy sources such as tides, offshore wind and natural gas will require more pile driving, the practice of pounding long, hollow steel pipes called piles into the ocean floor to support energy turbines and other structures. But pile driving creates loud, underwater booms that can harm fish and other marine animals. http://phys.org/news259418344.html Biology Wed, 20 Jun 2012 17:00:03 EST news259418344 By the year 2020, thousands of kilometers of new grids will be operating in Germany to permit even more extensive use of power from renewable sources. However, these new "smart grids" also come with increased complexity, costs and vulnerability. Fraunhofer researchers developed new software that can be used to analyze and optimize transport grids for electricity, gas and water even at the planning stage, based on numerical simulations. http://phys.org/news252838453.html Technology Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:54:22 EST news252838453 Miniaturized pressure sensors are widely used in mechanical and biomedical applications, for example, in gauging fuel pressure in cars or in monitoring blood pressure in patients. Woo-Tae Park and co-workers at the A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics1 have now developed a nanowire-based sensor that is so sensitive it can detect even very low pressure changes. http://phys.org/news252228521.html Nanotechnology Thu, 29 Mar 2012 08:40:01 EST news252228521 It seems that the energy mix of the future will have to differ from the current suggestions of some visionaries. This is because the jet streams that sweep the upper atmosphere with high winds would yield about 200 times less energy than previously estimated, according to calculations by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena, Germany. The high winds were thought to be a rich potential source of renewable energy. However, their speed is due to the near absence of friction and not to strong propulsion, which would be necessary for high-output wind turbines. Using climate simulations, the researchers also discovered that the climate system could be subjected to massive change if large amounts of energy were taken from the jet streams. http://phys.org/news242897623.html Technology Mon, 12 Dec 2011 07:33:53 EST news242897623 The emerging tidal-energy industry is spawning another in its shadow: tidal-energy monitoring. Little is known about tidal turbines' environmental effects and environmentalists, regulators and turbine manufacturers all need more data to allow the industry to grow. http://phys.org/news211458293.html Space & Earth Mon, 13 Dec 2010 10:25:07 EST news211458293