09.05.11

Atomtronics, Or Atoms Spun By Laser Beams, Could Replace Electronics

A new type of circuit involving a whirling donut of supercold gas could lead to the world's first "atomtronic" devices, potentially more powerful
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Observatory Captures a Violently Beautiful Solar Flare On Video

Scientific observations often has to do with being in the right place at the right time, whether intentionally or not. In a stroke of good luck last Thursday the sun's rotation, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, and a sizeable M 3.6 class solar flare all lined up to
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By Tuning a Laser to Pull Rather Than Push, Researchers Design a Working Tractor Beam

There's no escaping it: though the tractor beam is a staple of sci-fi space-faring scenarios, it's also extremely counter-intuitive. How does one pull something in via an outward propagating beam? Now a few Chinese researchers think they've found
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Climate Scientist Digs Up Data By Literally Mining The News

In 1896, Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius theorized that adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by burning coal would create a "greenhouse effect" and raise the planet's average
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All About the A380

Everyone is talking about the A380 today. Find out why here I live in the upper North Shore
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DIY Helicam Takes Awesome Aerial Videos

A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about the BeetleCam, a remote-controlled roving camera that lets photographers take pictures of wild animals up close. While clawed critters present one sort of obstacle to a great photo, the perfect shot is often blocked by something
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Science Confirms the Obvious: Men Look At Porn

Also: The Sky is Blue, Water is Wet? An overseas study into the differences between the
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Atomtronics, Or Atoms Spun By Laser Beams, Could Replace Electronics

A new type of circuit involving a whirling donut of supercold gas could lead to the world's first "atomtronic" devices, potentially more powerful
Read more...


Hubble 3D IMAX Trailer Released, Looks Amazing

Just refrain from trying to touch the screen NASA launched one of its boldest space missions in 2009 to repair and save the aging Hubble Space Telescope. Now everyone can get a glimpse of astronaut derring-do in a preview trailer for the upcoming Hubble 3D IMAX film
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Grandad's Wild Ride!

Meanwhile a motorcycle enthusiast with a passion for the unusual has smashed one of the world's weirdest speed records. Colin Furze of Britain has claimed the new top speed record for a personal mobility scooter, usually driven by the elderly. The rules are
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A huge week in photography

In the days leading up to the industry-stopping Photokina event, the major players have lifted the lid on all-new and exciting camera bodies that are sure to command the attention of conference attendees when it finally kicks off.
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Video: Military's New Water Guns Can Rip Through Steel, Disabling IEDs

Need to disarm an IED? Make sure you've got your Super Soaker handy. Sorry, make that your "Fluid Blade Disablement Tool." The Stingray, the military's newest bomb-fighting tech, is a small water gun developed
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Build a life-size paper clone of yourself for under $40

A young German guy has a detailed Instructable online this week that explains how you can exercise your inner narcissist and make a 3D paper clone of yourself. It's worth checking out
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At physics conference, scientists say they are closing in on 'God particle'

As particle physicists gather this week for a conference in Paris, they're reporting progress toward finding the elusive Higgs boson, with two groups suggesting a Higgs discovery may not be far off. Physicists from Fermilab in Illinois announced they combined the results of two experiments
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Attack of the clones

I was recently reinformed that the word ‘science’ is derived from the Latin word ‘scientia’ which translates simply to ‘knowledge’. This is a rather apt name for science as it is, at its core, concerned with the gathering of knowledge. We can attribute this gathering of knowledge
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Astronauts have it easy

When we’re knee-high to a grasshopper, our dream jobs are often more impractical than we understand at the time. Doubtlessly, many of us can relate to playing the “When I grow up I wanna be…” game, with common responses often along the lines of “Hollywood movie star”, “Prime Minister”,
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Technological advancements aren’t as exciting as they used to be

It was only last week that I was looking for suggestions for science-fiction technologies that could help to advance science actual. But upon reading
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Humans are antiquated technology that should be replaced

Regardless of whether you’re a football (read: soccer) fan, you’ll doubtlessly have some awareness that the World Cup is scheduled to kick off this year. And even though the thought of the 2014 World Cup is far from most minds, it hasn’t stopped news cropping up about a World Cup that
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What’s the deal with the iPad?

You’ve got to hand it to Apple and their cunning marketeers; put simply, they’ve got the formula right. Once upon a time the humble Mac used to be a niche computer when compared to the dominance of the PC, but now it’s difficult to walk into a university or office without seeing a plethora
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LEGO is still the coolest toy for kids (and kids at heart)

For years now I’ve been trying to come to terms with the fact that I find it hard to resist the urge to walk through the so-called ‘kids’ section of your average K-Mart, Target or Big W to check out the toys. Toys have always been of interest to me and even though I’m no longer an adolescent,
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Technology + lifestyle efficiencies = all work and no play

At one point or another in our lives, most of us would have had the hypothetical conversation surround which era of time we’d like to visit or have been born in. For some, living at the time of knights and fair maidens has chivalrous appeal. For others, living at a time when technology was
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Technological advancements continue to encourage ‘irrational’ fears

You know you’re destined to spread your opinions on a larger scale than your average Joe when you find yourself capable of coming up with a darker/weirder/funnier real-life story when partaking in story swapping. I’m sure that most people can relate to having that one friend who seems to
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New approach to treating human disease wins top international computational science prize

Dr Peer Bork, a bioinformatician from
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Welcome to the new PopSci website!

Welcome to the new popsci.com.au – bigger and better than ever! Apologies for any issues you may have encountered during the last few days while we have been testing the site. Hopefully we have now resolved all the glitches and you will enjoy our new look and many great new features. Make
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