News
Planes, trains, and automobiles: Faster, stronger, lighter
May 20, 2013 12:00 am | by Massachusetts Institute of Technology | CommentsThese days, aerospace engineering is all about the light stuff: building airplanes with lighter wings, fuselage and landing gear in an effort to reduce fuel costs. Advanced carbon-fiber composites have been used in recent years to lighten planes’ loads. These materials can match aluminum and titanium in strength but at a fraction of the weight, and can be found in aircraft like the Boeing 787 and Airbus A380, reducing such jets’ weigh...
MIT visiting scientist Kanako Miura, 36, dies in bicycle accident in Boston
May 19, 2013 9:54 pm | by Massachusetts Institute of Technology | CommentsThis afternoon, MIT visiting scientist Dr. Kanako Miura, 36, died in a bicycle accident in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. Miura was a native of Japan and had been at MIT since the fall of 2012. Within MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), Miura worked in the laboratory of Russ Tedrake, an associate professor of computer science and engineering.In an email sent to the MIT community tonight, MIT Preside...
Lawsuit in Ohio cancer cluster will take years
May 19, 2013 3:46 pm | by JOHN SEEWER - Associated Press - Associated Press | CommentsThe wait for answers is far from over for parents who for years have lived with the worry of not knowing what's behind the mysterious cancers that have sickened dozens of children in a rural area of northern Ohio. Despite a federal civil lawsuit that points toward a possible cause, the issue is...
Bloomberg appoints ex-IBM CEO as privacy adviser
May 17, 2013 1:07 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsBloomberg LP, the financial news and information service, on Friday said it has appointed Samuel Palmisano, the former CEO of IBM, as an independent adviser on its privacy and data standards. The move comes a week after revelations that Bloomberg journalists had access to some information on...
Scientists capture first direct proof of Hofstadter butterfly effect
May 17, 2013 12:50 pm | by EurekAlert! | CommentsA team of researchers from several universities – including UCF –has observed a rare quantum physics effect that produces a repeating butterfly-shaped energy spectrum in a magnetic field, confirming the longstanding prediction of the quantum fractal energy structure called Hofstadter's butterfly.
New insights into how materials transfer heat could lead to improved electronics
May 17, 2013 12:45 pm | by EurekAlert! | CommentsU of T Engineering researchers, working with colleagues from Carnegie Mellon University, have published new insights into how materials transfer heat, which could lead eventually to smaller, more powerful electronic devices. Integrated circuits and other electronic parts have been shrinking in size and growing in complexity and power for decades.
Security risks found in sensors for heart devices, consumer electronics
May 17, 2013 12:43 pm | by EurekAlert! | CommentsThe type of sensors that pick up the rhythm of a beating heart in implanted cardiac defibrillators and pacemakers are vulnerable to tampering, according to a new study conducted in controlled laboratory conditions. Implantable defibrillators monitor the heart for irregular beating and, when necessary, administer an electric shock...
UT Arlington physicist's tool has potential for brain mapping
May 17, 2013 12:40 pm | by University of Texas Arlington | CommentsA new tool being developed by UT Arlington assistant professor of physics could help scientists map and track the interactions between neurons inside different areas of the brain. The journal Optics Letters recently published a paper by Samarendra Mohanty on the development of a fiber-optic, two-photon, optogenetic stimulator...
Add boron for better batteries
May 17, 2013 12:35 pm | by Rice University | CommentsFrustration led to revelation when Rice University scientists determined how graphene might be made useful for high-capacity batteries. Calculations found a graphene/boron anode should be able to hold a lot of lithium and perform at a proper voltage for use in lithium-ion batteries.
As yen falls, goods from Japan are more affordable
May 17, 2013 12:42 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsJapanese goods are getting more affordable. For consumers worldwide — and for Japan's economy — it's welcome news. Credit Japan's drive to pump cash into its economy to stimulate growth. The extra money flooding its financial system is helping shrink the value of the yen. A U.S. dollar now buys...
J.C. Penney posts bigger 1Q loss than expected
May 16, 2013 6:00 pm | by ANNE D'INNOCENZIO - AP Retail Writer - Associated Press | CommentsThe legacy of J.C. Penney's former CEO continues to cast a dark cloud over the department-store chain. Penney on Thursday reported that it widened its loss in the first quarter on a 16 percent plunge in revenue. It marks the fifth straight quarter that the struggling company has posted massive...
Labor group says Apple making progress at Foxconn
May 16, 2013 5:34 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsA labor group Apple Inc. joined to assess working conditions at three manufacturing plants in China, where its products are made, says conditions are improving. But employees are still working more hours than the country's legal limit. The Fair Labor Association said Thursday that Apple's largest...
Dell's 1Q earnings fall 79 pct as PC sales sag
May 16, 2013 5:07 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsDell's earnings plunged 79 percent in the latest quarter as the shift to smartphones and tablets reduced demand for the company's personal computers. The dismal performance announced Thursday actually might work to the advantage of Dell Inc.'s board. That's because Dell's directors are trying to...
Brocade 2Q profit up 20 pct., sales disappoint
May 16, 2013 4:49 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsBrocade Communications Systems Inc., a maker of computer networking technology, said Thursday that fiscal second-quarter sales fell because of a slowdown in the storage market. Still, the company increased its profit in what it termed a "challenging" market, helped by a tax benefit. Net income...
Strong standards for school snacks increase lunches and revenue
May 16, 2013 4:05 pm | by Yale UniversityYale University | CommentsSchools that implement strong nutrition standards for snacks sold at school increase student meal participation and school revenue, according to a study by the Yale Rudd Center and the Harvard School of Public Health. The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, provides support for efforts to implement strong national nutrition standards for all food sold at school while promoting student participation in the National School Lu...
