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. Mathematical models can be used to study the spread of technological innovations among individuals connected to each other by a network of peer-to-peer influences, such as in a physical community or neighborhood. One such model was introduced in a paper published yesterday in the SIAM Journal on Applied Dynamical Systems. http://phys.org/news283618408.html Other Sciences Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:54:27 EST news283618408 A Swedish research team has successfully created a magnetic soliton – a spin torque-generated nano-droplet that could lead to technological innovation in such areas as mobile telecommunications. http://phys.org/news283425444.html Physics Mon, 25 Mar 2013 10:30:01 EST news283425444 The University of Oxford will today launch a new research programme to help businesses and policy-makers future proof against investments in assets that might become devalued or written off, otherwise known as 'stranded'. http://phys.org/news279880986.html Other Sciences Tue, 12 Feb 2013 09:50:01 EST news279880986 The bread and butter of investing for Silicon Valley tech companies is stale. Instead, a new method of predicting the evolution of technology could save tech giants millions in research and development or developments of new products—and help analysts and venture capitalists determine which companies are on the right track. http://phys.org/news278340502.html Technology Fri, 25 Jan 2013 12:49:27 EST news278340502 (Phys.org)—Increasingly hot summer weather could cause a fall in crop yields over the next two decades unless farming techniques are improved more quickly, scientists at the University have found. http://phys.org/news277453678.html Space & Earth Tue, 15 Jan 2013 06:40:03 EST news277453678 As fuel prices rise, cheaper (and cleaner) forms of energy become more attractive and important to consumers. Gas-electric hybrid cars such as the Toyota Prius and Ford Fusion have grown in popularity, and fully electric cars may be the wave of the future. http://phys.org/news275297661.html Technology Fri, 21 Dec 2012 07:34:27 EST news275297661 (Phys.org)—Proteins are able to self-assemble into a wide range of highly ordered structures that feature a diverse array of properties. Through biomimicry - technological innovation inspired by nature – humans hope to emulate proteins and produce our own version of self-assembling molecules. A key to accomplishing this is understanding how protein-folding – a process critical to the form and function of a protein – is extended from individual proteins to complex assemblies. http://phys.org/news270921258.html Nanotechnology Wed, 31 Oct 2012 16:54:33 EST news270921258 A nationally renowned scholar on the preservation of ancient Chinese ceramics, Prof. Chandra Reedy is applying digital image analysis to study the technology used to produce glazed ceramics of nearly 1,000 years ago.  http://phys.org/news268039634.html Other Sciences Fri, 28 Sep 2012 08:27:25 EST news268039634 Back in the first half of the 20th century, when MIT's famed Harold "Doc" Edgerton was perfecting his system for capturing fast-moving events on film, the ability to observe changes unfolding at a scale of microseconds—millionths of a second—was considered a remarkable achievement. This led to now-famous images such as one of a bullet piercing an apple, captured in midflight. http://phys.org/news267165751.html Physics Tue, 18 Sep 2012 05:42:48 EST news267165751 Many behavioral and technological innovations appear in the archaeological record of Eurasia between about 45,000 and 24,000 years ago. This period has been termed the "initial Upper Paleolithic" and is largely associated with movements of modern humans into that part of the world and/or the complex interplay between population movements and environmental, demographic and cultural influences. http://phys.org/news264668408.html Other Sciences Mon, 20 Aug 2012 08:00:22 EST news264668408 The Later Stone Age emerged in South Africa more than 20,000 years earlier than previously believed -- about the same time humans were migrating from Africa to the European continent, says a new international study led by the University of Colorado Boulder. http://phys.org/news262870872.html Other Sciences Mon, 30 Jul 2012 15:00:11 EST news262870872 A Dutch court ruled on Wednesday that Apple has infringed on a patent held by South Korean rival Samsung and ordered the US computer giant to pay an unspecified amount of damages. http://phys.org/news259413720.html Technology Wed, 20 Jun 2012 12:22:11 EST news259413720 US-Finnish software engineer Linus Torvalds, who created the Linux open source operating system, and Japanese stem cell researcher Shinya Yamanaka on Wednesday won a 1.2-million-euro technology prize in Finland. http://phys.org/news258802672.html Other Sciences Wed, 13 Jun 2012 10:38:26 EST news258802672 A new study from the University of Illinois concludes that learning-by-doing, stimulated by increased ethanol production, played an important role in inducing technological progress in the corn ethanol industry. It also suggests that biofuel policies, which induced ethanol production beyond the free-market level, served to increase the competitiveness of the industry over time. http://phys.org/news253449180.html Technology Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:33:07 EST news253449180 Researchers in Australia say they have pinpointed key factors in the early ripening of grapes, providing potential answers for wine growers threatened by global warming. http://phys.org/news249485326.html Space & Earth Sun, 26 Feb 2012 13:29:04 EST news249485326 In an article published in Volume 13 Number 3 of Technology and Innovation, Proceedings of the National Academy of Inventors, Richard Maulsby, associate commissioner for innovation and development for the USPTO's Office of Innovation Development, advocates for promoting American academic innovation. In his paper titled "Promoting American Innovation," he writes that the USPTO will be "building on the past success of our outreach to independent and small entity inventors and to inventors associated with colleges, universities and research institutions." http://phys.org/news249133423.html Other Sciences Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:43:52 EST news249133423 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 The Internet proved the only true form of free communication during the Arab Spring and yet the West has come to take the freedom it confers for granted, Google boss Eric Schmidt said Friday. http://phys.org/news246894540.html Technology Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:00:01 EST news246894540 (AP) -- The founder of Wikipedia hailed the online encyclopedia's role in helping halt U.S. legislation aimed at cracking down on Internet piracy, saying the proposed bills needed to be stopped because they were flawed. http://phys.org/news246811124.html Technology Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:38:52 EST news246811124 The environmental impact of plaice and cod caught wild in the North Sea is similar to that of imported farmed fish like salmon, tilapia and pangasius. This was the conclusion arrived at by LEI, part of Wageningen UR, in a study published last week. It is expected that there will be a considerable reduction in the environmental impact of plaice and cod fishing following the application of technological innovations. http://phys.org/news246525403.html Biology Mon, 23 Jan 2012 07:17:32 EST news246525403 (AP) -- Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is receiving a posthumous Grammy for his technological innovations in the arts. http://phys.org/news243800746.html Technology Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:25:56 EST news243800746 A group of prominent architects of the Internet added their voices Thursday to those opposing legislation in the US Congress intended to crack down on online piracy. http://phys.org/news243189216.html Technology Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:00:05 EST news243189216 China has less than a decade to overhaul its economy and safeguard long-term growth that goes beyond a boom based on cheap labor, a top US Treasury official warned Wednesday. http://phys.org/news243091090.html Technology Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:18:18 EST news243091090 The performance of optical and electronic components such as lenses and semiconductors is strongly influenced by the precision of surface grinding, which involves shaping the surface, and polishing, and provides the product with a mirror finish. Electrolytic in-process dressing (ELID), a technological innovation developed more than 20 years ago by Hitoshi Ohmori, chief scientist of the Materials Fabrication Laboratory at the RIKEN Advanced Science Institute, revolutionized these processes by providing nanometer-level precision in surface finishing. Ohmori’s laboratory frequently plays host to researchers and industry engineers interested in new methods, and his group continues to make steady improvements to the ELID grinding technology. Now, the laboratory has its sights set on a new target—what Ohmori calls “broadband fabrication.” http://phys.org/news241085585.html Technology Mon, 21 Nov 2011 08:13:21 EST news241085585 (AP) -- Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg has returned to Harvard University to enlist new talent for his social networking site. http://phys.org/news239908643.html Technology Mon, 07 Nov 2011 17:17:30 EST news239908643 Technology titans and political activists gathered here on Tuesday to find ways to ensure that the Internet is used as a tool for human rights instead of as a weapon of oppression. http://phys.org/news238783233.html Technology Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:40:38 EST news238783233 The era of big American physics ends Friday with the retirement of the Tevatron particle accelerator, which has been recreating the Big Bang under four miles of Illinois prairie for 25 years. http://phys.org/news236229876.html Physics Mon, 26 Sep 2011 04:25:08 EST news236229876 (AP) -- The display businesses of three major Japanese electronics makers are joining forces to become more competitive in small and medium-sized panels - a sector that's expected to grow because of the popularity of smartphones and tablets. http://phys.org/news234003296.html Technology Wed, 31 Aug 2011 09:55:11 EST news234003296 On Thursday, Aug. 11, the Stanford Solar Car Project officially unveils Xenith, a solar-powered vehicle two years in the making that boasts several industry-leading technological innovations. The team will be competing in the prestigious World Solar Challenge this fall, putting Xenith to the test in a 2,000-mile race across the Australian continent. http://phys.org/news232359175.html Technology Fri, 12 Aug 2011 09:15:02 EST news232359175 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