Accurate and efficient 3-D motion tracking using deep learning

A new sensing method has made tracking movement easier and more efficient. A research group from Tohoku University has captured dexterous 3-D motion data from a flexible magnetic flux sensor array, using deep learning and a structure-aware temporal bilateral filter.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-11-accurate-efficient-d-motion-tracking.html

Evaluating cryptocurrencies

Cryptocurrencies represent a revolutionary monetary system. They are decentralized, essentially unhackable, and represent a novel and disruptive alternative to monetary systems controlled by banks and governments. The value of various cryptocurrencies has waxed and waned, but at the moment one of the more well-known is riding high at a record-breaking valuation. A review in the World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development considers the growth, opportunities, and future prospects of cryptocurrencies.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-cryptocurrencies.html

Energy-generating synthetic skin for affordable prosthetic limbs and touch-sensitive robots

A new type of energy-generating synthetic skin could create more affordable prosthetic limbs and robots capable of mimicking the sense of touch, scientists say.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-11-energy-generating-synthetic-skin-prosthetic-limbs.html

Scientists run a 'speed test' to boost production of carbon nanotubes

Skoltech researchers have investigated the procedure for catalyst delivery used in the most common method of carbon nanotube production, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), offering what they call a "simple and elegant" way to boost productivity and pave the way for cheaper and more accessible nanotube-based technology. The paper was published in the Chemical Engineering Journal.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-scientists-boost-production-carbon-nanotubes.html

LAMOST-Kepler/K2 survey announces the first light result

An international team led by Prof. Fu Jianning and Dr. Zong Weikai from Beijing Normal University released the first light result of medium-resolution spectroscopic observations undertaken by the LAMOST-Kepler/K2 Survey. The study was published in Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series on Nov. 12.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-lamost-keplerk2-survey-result.html

First record of long-lost Ruellia bella reported in Myanmar

Ruellia is a very large genus of chiefly tropical American herbs and shrubs (family Acanthaceae) that have showy solitary or paniculate flowers with the simple or two-lobed style recurved at the apex and the two-cell ovary.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-long-lost-ruellia-bella-myanmar.html

Stable ocean circulation in changing north Atlantic Ocean, study finds

Ocean vertical structures are changing as a result of global warming. Whether these changes are in pace with the ocean circulation is unknown.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-stable-ocean-circulation-north-atlantic.html

Molecule that promotes muscle health when magnetised

As people age, they progressively lose muscle mass and strength, and this can lead to frailty and other age-related diseases. As the causes for the decline remain largely unknown, promoting muscle health is an area of great research interest. A recent study led by the researchers from NUS has shown how a molecule found in muscles responds to weak magnetic fields to promote muscle health.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-molecule-muscle-health-magnetised.html

Decoupling electronic and thermal transport

A new University of Wollongong study overcomes a major challenge of thermoelectric materials, which can convert heat into electricity and vice versa, improving conversion efficiency by more than 60%.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-decoupling-electronic-thermal.html

Replicating surfaces, right down to a fraction of an atom

The ability to replicate materials at the atomic level has attracted significant attention from materials scientists. However, the current technology is limited by a number of factors. Udo Schwarz, professor of mechanical engineering & materials science and department chair, has recently published two papers on research that could significantly open up what's possible within this emerging field. His methods include a process that can replicate a surface's features to details of less than one 10 billionth of a meter, or less 1/20th the diameter of an atom.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-replicating-surfaces-fraction-atom.html

Biologists summarize 520 studies and report the best way to fertilize soil

A team of biologists from RUDN University working together with foreign colleagues have summarized the results of 520 studies on the impact of manure on the soil and created a snapshot of all biochemical processes that go on in fertilized soils. The team also compared the effect of manure with and without mineral additives, showed how manure from different animals affects the fertility of the soil, and calculated the optimal amount of manure for soil fertilization. The results of the study were published in Science of The Total Environment .

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-biologists-fertilize-soil.html

Algorithm could identify disease-associated genes

ITMO University's bioinformatics researchers have developed an algorithm that helps to assess the influence of genes on processes in the human body, including the development of disease. The research was published in BMC Bioinformatics.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-algorithm-disease-associated-genes.html

Scientists explain how to store cipher data in magnetic skyrmions

Scientists of Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) with international collaborators have proposed direct magnetic writing of skyrmions, i.e., magnetic quasiparticles, and skyrmion lattices, within which it is possible to encode, transmit, process information and produce topological patterns with a resolution less than 100 nanometers. This has applications for miniaturized post-silicon electronics, new topological cryptography techniques and green data centers, potentially reducing the load on the Earth's ecosystem significantly. A related article appears in ACS Nano.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-scientists-cipher-magnetic-skyrmions.html

Researchers discover solid phosphorus from a comet

An international study led from the University of Turku, Finland, discovered phosphorus and fluorine in solid dust particles collected from a comet. The finding indicates that all the most important elements necessary for life may have been delivered to the Earth by comets.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-solid-phosphorus-comet.html

Life on an airless Earth

In hidden pockets around the world, tiny creatures consume toxins and wait for their day to again rule the Earth.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-life-airless-earth.html

Italy fines Apple 10 mn euros for water damage claims

Italy's competition authority said Monday it had fined Apple 10 million euros ($12 million) for misleading claims about the water resistant properties of various iPhone models.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-11-italy-fines-apple-mn-euros.html

First foreign students arrive in Australia since virus closure

International students have arrived in Australia for the first time since the country shut its borders to curb coronavirus in March, with a charter flight touching down in Darwin on Monday.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-foreign-students-australia-virus-closure.html

Australia bush fire rips through heritage-listed island

Australian firefighters are struggling to control a massive bush fire that already destroyed 40 percent of the UNESCO world heritage-listed Fraser Island before a heatwave hit Monday.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-australia-bush-rips-heritage-listed-island.html

Thousands flee as Indonesian volcano bursts to life

Thousands have fled the scene of a rumbling Indonesian volcano that burst to life for the first time in several years, belching a massive column of smoke and ash, the disaster agency said Monday.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-thousands-indonesian-volcano-life.html

Merriam-Webster's top word of 2020 not a shocker: pandemic

If you were to choose a word that rose above most in 2020, which word would it be?

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-merriam-webster-word-shocker-pandemic.html

Brightly burning meteor seen across wide areas of Japan

A brightly burning meteor was seen plunging from the sky in wide areas of Japan, capturing attention on television and social media.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-brightly-meteor-wide-areas-japan.html

Fast-moving gas flowing away from young star caused by icy comet vaporisation

A unique stage of planetary system evolution has been imaged by astronomers, showing fast-moving carbon monoxide gas flowing away from a star system over 400 light years away, a discovery that provides an opportunity to study how our own solar system developed.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-fast-moving-gas-young-star-icy.html

Fast-moving gas flowing away from young star caused by icy comet vaporisation

A unique stage of planetary system evolution has been imaged by astronomers, showing fast-moving carbon monoxide gas flowing away from a star system over 400 light years away, a discovery that provides an opportunity to study how our own solar system developed.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-fast-moving-gas-young-star-icy.html