Posts by Ibrar Ayyub:
Spinning electrons yield positrons for research
Posted on: 01 Jun 2016
Researchers use accelerators to coax the electron into performing a wide range of tricks to enable medical tests and treatments, improve product manufacturing, and power breakthrough scientific research. Now, they’re learning how to coax the same tricks out of the electron’s antimatter twin – the positron – to open up a whole new vista of research and applications.
Water yields from southern Appalachian watersheds in decline since the 1970s
Posted on: 01 Jun 2016
In the densely populated southeastern U.S., forested watersheds are particularly important to drinking water supplies. Recent estimates show that forests in the Southeast deliver surface drinking water to an estimated 48.7 million people, with streams from the mountainous Southern Appalachian region alone providing water supplies to 10 million people, many of them living in major cities such as Atlanta, Georgia.
Fastest Finger First Circuit using ATMega16
Posted on: 01 Jun 2016
Fastest Finger first circuit is basically used in quiz type games where the reaction speed of a participant is significant. The circuit enables us to identify who responded first to the question by triggering a visual and audio indication. Components Required 1 x ATMega16 development board 1 x Seven Segment display 8 x 330 ohms […]
Ultra-sensitive, vibration-tolerant gas sensor makes field applications more practical
Posted on: 01 Jun 2016
Nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant released by cars and fossil fuel burning power plants, can irritate the lungs, contribute to smog formation, and lead to premature deaths in cities around the world. A recent study, conducted at Kings College, London, UK, for example, found that more than 5,000 premature deaths in London annually could be attributed to nitrogen dioxide pollution
Schoolkids name a new tree species from Tanzania while fundraising for tropical forests
Posted on: 01 Jun 2016
A University of York conservationist who put out a call for schools to name a new species of tropical tree has found a winner. Following competitive fundraising totalling nearly £4000, Askham Bryan College, UK pipped the Iringa International School, Tanzania to the post.
Hands-on science courses shown to boost graduation rates and STEM retention
Posted on: 01 Jun 2016
In a positive sign for efforts to boost U.S. competitiveness in science and technology, a new study finds that courses that engage college students in conducting scientific research early on can dramatically increase students’ odds of completing a science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) degree.
Elliptical galaxies not formed by merging
Posted on: 01 Jun 2016
Using an “intuitive” approach, a SISSA study confirms a recent hypothesis on the formation of galaxies, according to which the larger elliptical galaxies formed in very ancient times through a process of local (in situ) star formation. This contradicts the current paradigm that they formed through the merging of spiral galaxies, a view which, despite being generally accepted by most of the scientific community, has been a source of theoretical inconsistencies.
Juvenile kaka found to be better problems solvers than their elders
Posted on: 01 Jun 2016
(Phys.org)—A trio of researchers with Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand has found that juvenile kaka (forest cousins of the well known kea mountain parrots) are better at solving problems than are older birds in the same area. In their paper published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Julia Loepelt, Rachael Shaw and Kevin Burns describe three types of experiments they conducted with wild kaka living in Zealandia Sanctuary, which is located on the North Island’s Wellington peninsula, and what they learned by doing so.
Largest global coffee initiative to cope with climate variability
Posted on: 01 Jun 2016
With an investment of 25 million euros the Colombian coffee sector should become climate proof to ensure more than half a million coffee farmers to cope with or fight the impact of lack or excess of water in 25 Colombian river basins. The programme ‘Manos al Agua’ (‘hands on water’) generates solutions to avoid annual losses of up to 30% of crops, affecting farmers’ income and livelihood
Study reveals the galaxy is under pressure to make stars
Posted on: 01 Jun 2016
A new study led by Canadian astronomers provides unprecedented insights into the birth of stars. Using observations from the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia and the Hawaii-based James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in the United States, astronomers from the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) have discovered that star formation is more regulated by pressure from their surroundings than previously thought.
