Here we again. Magical, marvelous Monday is here. Time to gather around and take a well deserved hiatus from all the politics of the day. Science talk is here. New discoveries, new takes on old knowledge, and other bits of news are all available for the perusing in today's information world. Over the fold are selections from the past week from a few of the many excellent science news sites around the world. Today's tidbits include turning heat into computing power, ultrathin solar cells, scarless brain surgery, climate change may bring prime time for parasites, stem cells that do not age, and could genetically altered trees help counter global warming. Pull up that comfy chair and relax. There is plenty of room for everyone. Settle in for one more session of Dr. Possum's science education and entertainment.
Featured Stories
In modern computers heat is generated and disposed to keep the electronics cool but a new semiconductor may one day allow some of that heat into computing power.
Researchers around the world are working to develop electronics that utilize the spin of electrons to read and write data. So-called "spintronics" are desirable because in principle they could store more data in less space, process data faster, and consume less power.
In one possible use of thermo-spintronics, a device could sit atop a traditional microprocessor, and siphon waste heat away to run additional memory or computation.
Ultrathin solar cells are more efficient than conventional silicon cells.
Their research shows that light ricocheting around inside the polymer film of a solar cell behaves differently when the film is ultra thin. A film that's nanoscale-thin and has been roughed up a bit can absorb more than 10 times the energy predicted by conventional theory.
The key to overcoming the theoretical limit lies in keeping sunlight in the grip of the solar cell long enough to squeeze the maximum amount of energy from it, using a technique called "light trapping." It's the same as if you were using hamsters running on little wheels to generate your electricity – you'd want each hamster to log as many miles as possible before it jumped off and ran away.
Patients undergoing brain surgery by traditional means have a large piece of bone removed from the skull for the surgical approach. A new technique of transorbital neuroendoscopic surgery (TONES) is now available for some patients.
This groundbreaking minimally invasive surgery is performed through the eye socket, thus eliminating the removal of the top of the skull to access the brain...The operating time is much shorter since the skull does not need to be repaired and there is no need to close a large incision.
As the climate becomes more muggy and damp, some parasites may find the weather more suitable to their existence.
n northeastern Argentina, an increasingly muggy climate is creating better conditions for fly larva to infect baby birds. In a recent study, WCS field veterinarians and biologists found an elevated number of parasitic maggots of Philornis torquans burrowing into the skin of more than 20 species of nesting chicks. Being large in comparison to their unfortunate hosts, the parasites can sometimes kill the birds or cause them to grow abnormally.
Adult stem cells have great potential in the future of medicine. By altering stem cell lines researchers have produced cells with grow continuously in culture.
The researchers say the breakthrough overcomes a frustrating barrier to progress in the field of regenerative medicine: The difficulty of growing adult stem cells for clinical applications.
Because mesenchymal stem cells have a limited life span in laboratory cultures, scientists and doctors who use the cells in research and treatments must continuously obtain fresh samples from bone marrow donors, a process both expensive and time-consuming. In addition, mesenchymal stem cells from different donors can vary in performance.
Genetic alteration of various plant species is a recognized process these days. Changing tree species may be one way to help counter global warming.
...a variety of strategies for augmenting the processes that plants use to sequester carbon dioxide from the air and convert it into long-lived forms of carbon, first in vegetation and ultimately in soil. Besides increasing the efficiency of plants' absorption of light, researchers might be able to genetically alter plants so they send more carbon into their roots—where some may be converted into soil carbon and remain out of circulation for centuries. Other possibilities include altering plants so that they can better withstand the stresses of growing on marginal land, and so that they yield improved bioenergy and food crops. Such innovations might in combination boost substantially the amount of carbon that vegetation naturally extracts from air, according to the authors' estimates. The researchers stress that the use of genetically engineered plants for carbon sequestration is only one of many policy initiatives and technical tools that might boost the carbon sequestration already occurring in natural vegetation and crops.
Other Worthy Stories of the Week
Brain stimulation can change the hand you favor
Urban gardeners beware: There may be lead in your vegetables
Northern Lights hit 100-year low point
More than 0ne-fifth of world's plants face extinction according to new study
Moderately complex plants and animals can be better equipped to adapt
The precious commodity of water
Study says much of East coast can be powered by wind
Geologists find parts of northwest Houston sinking rapidly
Fossilized giant penguin sheds light on evolution
Sending and receiving photons of different colors
Research suggests current climate change target 'not safe'
Climate change hits southeast Australia fish species
World's rivers in 'crisis state'
Deep injection of liquid manure may help reduce atmospheric contamination by ammonia
How warm was this summer?
Turning waste heat into power
An elegant galaxy in an unusual light NGC 1635 in infrared light
For even more science news:
General Science Collectors:
Alpha-Galileo
BBC News Science and Environment
Eureka Science News
LiveScience
New Scientist
PhysOrg.com
SciDev.net
Science/AAAS
Science Alert
Science Centric
Science Daily
Scientific American
Space Daily
Blogs:
A Few Things Ill Considered Techie and Science News
Cantauri Dreams space exploration
Coctail Party Physics Physics with a twist.
Deep Sea News marine biology
Laelaps more vertebrate paleontology
List of Geoscience Blogs
ScienceBlogs
Space Review
Techonology Review
Tetrapod Zoologyvertebrate paleontology
Science Insider
Scientific Blogging.
Wired News
Science RSS Feed: Medworm
The Skeptics Guide to the Universe--a combination of hard science and debunking crap
Daily Kos regular series:
Daily Kos University, a regular series by plf515
This Week in Science by DarkSyde
This Week in Space by nellaselim
Overnight News Digest:Science Saturday by Neon Vincent. OND tech Thursday by rfall.
Weekend Science by AKMask
All diaries with the DK GreenRoots Tag.
All diaries with the eKos Tag
NASA picture of the day. For more see the NASA image gallery or the Astronomy Picture of the Day Archive.
Antennae galaxies, NASA, Public Domain