The Exacting Task of Bringing Molecules to Attention – Bretislav Friedrich, Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society

by admin | Mar 5, 2018 | physical sciences

Molecules are relentlessly dynamic – vibrating, cartwheeling, and zigzagging in a restless hustle. In order to study molecular properties and interactions, their motions must be tamed to a certain degree. In particular, the ability to make molecules face in a specific...

Indefinite Causal Order, Faster Computers and Fundamental Questions – Professor Philip Walther, University of Vienna

by admin | Mar 5, 2018 | engineering and tech, physical sciences

Quantum mechanics has greatly improved the speeds at which computers make calculations, but new research shows that quantum computers can be made to run even faster. Professor Philip Walther and his team at the University of Vienna have shown that the very orders in...

Studying the Surface of Asteroids by Investigating Powder in the Lab – Dr Daniel D Durda, Southwest Research Institute

by admin | Feb 23, 2018 | physical sciences

Space scientist Dr Dan Durda and his team at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, are working to understand how the planets in our Solar System evolved. The team is searching for practical ways to exploit nearby asteroids, through investigating how...

Creating the Eagle Nebula Pillars in the Lab – Drs Marc Pound, Jave Kane, Bruce Remington, David A. Martinez

by admin | Feb 12, 2018 | engineering and tech, physical sciences

The ‘Pillars of Creation’ is one of the most iconic images ever taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, but the processes that formed these colossal tendrils of the Eagle Nebula are still not entirely understood. To test emerging theories, Drs Marc Pound, Jave Kane,...

Finding Water in the Moon’s Shadows – Dr Craig Hardgrove, Arizona State University

by admin | Jan 31, 2018 | engineering and tech, physical sciences

The Moon’s poles are enriched in hydrogen, a key component of water-ice, but there’s still much to learn. Dr Craig Hardgrove and his colleagues at Arizona State University are leading the Lunar Polar Hydrogen Mapper (LunaH-Map) mission, which aims to discover how much...

Hope for Humanity in the Energy Crisis: Astronomical Jets in a Lab – Professor Setthivoine You, University of Washington

by admin | Jan 23, 2018 | earth and environment, engineering and tech, physical sciences

If we consider Earth as a closed box in which humanity has only ever lived, the second law of thermodynamics says that in the end, inevitably, the box will reach a state of maximum disorder. So, in the long run, there are two important ways in which our species might...