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Dec 18, 2019

The Latest Science on Chronic Pain is Fascinating

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, science

Pain meds and surgeries are often no better at alleviating chronic pain than placebo pills and pretend surgeries, frustrating physicians and patients alike. Researchers are starting to get some answers.

Dec 18, 2019

AMD releases FEMFX deformable physics library

Posted by in categories: materials, physics

AMD has published its new FEMFX deformable materials physics library and made it available for anyone to use in games and other software development.

Dec 18, 2019

The Perils and Promise of Artificial Conscientiousness

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

AI doesn’t know when it creates unintended consequences. As builders try to fix this, they may actually contribute to the problem.

Dec 17, 2019

NASA’s X-59 supersonic jet is cleared for final assembly

Posted by in category: space

NASA’s ultra-quiet X-59 supersonic jet could fly as soon as 2021.

Dec 17, 2019

Research yields potential bioblendstock for diesel fuel

Posted by in categories: economics, energy, transportation

The NREL scientists, along with colleagues at Yale University, Argonne National Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, are part of the Department of Energy’s Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines (Co-Optima) initiative. Co-Optima’s research focuses on improving fuel economy and vehicle performance while also reducing emissions.

“If you look at biomass, 30% of it is oxygen,” said Derek Vardon, a senior research engineer at NREL and corresponding author of a new paper detailing the Co-Optima research project. “If we can figure out clever ways to keep it around and tailor how it’s incorporated in the , you can get a lot more out of biomass and improve the performance of diesel fuel.” The molecule, 4-butoxyheptane, contains oxygen while conventional petroleum-derived diesel fuel is comprised of hydrocarbons. The presence of oxygen significantly reduces the intrinsic sooting tendency of the fuel upon burning.

The paper, “Performance-advantaged ether diesel bioblendstock production by a priori design,” appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Vardon’s co-authors from NREL are Nabila Huq as the first author, with co-authors Xiangchen Huo, Glenn Hafenstine, Stephen Tifft, Jim Stunkel, Earl Christensen, Gina Fioroni, Lisa Fouts, Robert McCormick, Matthew Wiatrowski, Mary Biddy, Teresa Alleman, Peter St. John, and Seonah Kim.

Dec 17, 2019

Excitement Builds for Boeing’s 1st Starliner Test Launch Friday

Posted by in categories: space, transportation

The debut test flight of a Boeing Starliner astronaut taxi for NASA is ready to fly, with great weather expected for its launch to the International Space Station Friday (Dec. 20).

Dec 17, 2019

Surfing on quantum waves: Protein folding revisited

Posted by in categories: biological, computing, quantum physics

Two physicists from the University of Luxembourg have now unambiguously shown that quantum-mechanical wavelike interactions are indeed crucial even at the scale of natural biological processes.

Quantum wavelike behaviour plays a key role in and technology, with applications of quantum mechanics ranging from lasers and high-speed fiber communications, to quantum computers and photosynthesis in plants. A natural question is whether quantum wave phenomena could also be relevant for structure formation and dynamical processes in in living cells. This question has not been addressed convincingly up to now due to the lack of efficient quantum methods that are applicable to systems as large as whole proteins under physiological conditions (i.e. solvated in and at room temperature).

Now writing in Science Advances, Prof. Alexandre Tkatchenko and doctoral researcher Martin Stöhr from the Department of Physics and Materials Science at the University of Luxembourg have investigated the folding process of proteins in water using a fully quantum-mechanical treatment for the first time. Protein folding is the physical process by which a chain of amino acids acquires its native biologically functional structure due to interactions between amino acids and the influence of surrounding water. A key novel finding of the present study is that the interaction between the and the surrounding water has to be described by quantum-mechanical wavelike behavior, which also turns out to be critical in the dynamics of the process.

Dec 17, 2019

No Dark Energy? No Chance, Cosmologists Contend

Posted by in category: cosmology

A study challenged the evidence for the mysterious antigravitational force known as dark energy. Then cosmologists shot back.

Dec 17, 2019

Even Physicists Don’t Understand Quantum Mechanics

Posted by in category: quantum physics

Worse, they don’t seem to want to understand it.

Dec 17, 2019

Why Your Brain Needs Exercise

Posted by in categories: health, neuroscience

The evolutionary history of humans explains why physical activity is important for brain health.

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