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. Accurately sensing rotation is important to a variety of technologies, from today's smartphones to navigational instruments that help keep submarines, planes, and satellites on course. In a paper accepted for publication in the American Institute of Physics' journal Review of Scientific Instruments, researchers from the Technical University of Munich and New Zealand's University of Canterbury discuss what are called "large ring laser gyroscopes" that are six orders of magnitude more sensitive than gyroscopes commercially available. http://phys.org/news287071406.html Physics Mon, 06 May 2013 15:03:31 EST news287071406 A novel rotary actuator provides greater torque, accuracy, and speed. http://phys.org/news283428728.html Technology Mon, 25 Mar 2013 11:12:24 EST news283428728 (Phys.org) —For more than 20 years, researchers have been using atomic force microscopy (AFM) to measure and characterize materials at the nanometer scale. However AFM-based measurements of chemistry and chemical properties of materials were generally not possible, until now. http://phys.org/news281987889.html Nanotechnology Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:58:37 EST news281987889 Shengyuan Yang, Florida Institute of Technology assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, with graduate student Sang Joo Lee, has published a paper on the first-ever imaging of cells growing on spherical surfaces. The paper is published in the online journal, Review of Scientific Instruments, and will appear later in September in the print version. http://phys.org/news267459549.html Biology Fri, 21 Sep 2012 15:19:22 EST news267459549 For biology researchers, the complex world of molecular proteins – where tens of thousands of atoms can comprise a single protein – may be getting clearer with the help of a new soft, transparent, and squishy silicone model they can hold in their hands. Its advantage over traditional computer and solid models is that it is mostly transparent and easy to manipulate, which will help researchers more intuitively understand protein structures, positions, and interactions. http://phys.org/news265021871.html Biology Fri, 24 Aug 2012 10:50:05 EST news265021871 A team of researchers has developed a new microscope that can image the elemental and magnetic properties of a wide range of energy-important materials that are used in devices such as solar cells and solid-state lighting. http://phys.org/news258866570.html Physics Thu, 14 Jun 2012 04:22:58 EST news258866570 (Phys.org) -- An air sampler the size of an ear plug is expected to cheaply and easily collect atmospheric samples to improve computer climate models. http://phys.org/news253279655.html Technology Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:27:52 EST news253279655 Researchers have developed a more precise method to detect the boundary between clouds and clear air, by exploiting the swinging motions of a weather balloon and its payload. http://phys.org/news250849854.html Space & Earth Tue, 13 Mar 2012 09:31:00 EST news250849854 Time is of the essence, especially in communications, navigation, and electric power distribution, which all demand nanosecond precision or better. Keeping these beating hearts of technology in near-perfect global synchronization requires the blending of statistics, atomic science, and technological innovations. http://phys.org/news247337867.html Physics Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:57:52 EST news247337867 Just as a chain is as strong as its weakest link, a building is as secure against the environment as its most degraded joint sealants, about 50 percent of which fail in less than 10 years after installation. http://phys.org/news219488599.html Technology Wed, 16 Mar 2011 10:03:51 EST news219488599 Whether the object of attention is a novel aspect of the universe or an enigmatic and distant colleague, listening is key to nearly any effort to seek understanding. And not just with your ears. Spectroscopy, the study of how atoms absorb and emit electromagnetic radiation, is like listening, too. The technique is central to a range of physics experiments and can be thought of as an attempt to filter out useful information from what various sensors and detectors often first "hear" as undifferentiated electromagnetic noise. http://phys.org/news213966083.html Physics Tue, 11 Jan 2011 11:40:01 EST news213966083 Walk into nearly any science museum worth its salt and you're likely to see a Foucault pendulum, a simple but impressive device for observing the Earth's rotation. Such pendulums have been around for more than 150 years, and little about how they work remains a mystery today. http://phys.org/news208518050.html Physics Tue, 09 Nov 2010 10:00:03 EST news208518050 A new imaging system using six different wavelengths to illuminate the interior of the eyeball (ocular fundus) may pave the way for doctors to easily screen patients for common diseases of the eye, such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. The system is described in the journal Review of Scientific Instruments. http://phys.org/news202482948.html Physics Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:16:18 EST news202482948