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Physics World Digest: July 2002 edition
July 01, 2002Oil firm exploits X-Files science
It sounds like a cross between the Archers, Dallas and The X-Files -- a company that claims it can find oil by searching for unknown particles called "microleptons" could soon start drilling in the heart of the English countryside. Technology Investment and Exploration Limited (TIEL) has been awarded an oil-exploration licence by the British government, even though physicists have dismissed the firm`s technology as pseudo-scientific nonsense. TIEL claims that underground deposits of oil can be found by searching for microleptons emitted by the oil. According to the firm, the particles are over a thousand times lighter than the electron and travel faster than the speed of light. Particle physicists including Nobel laureate Martin Perl and Robin Marshall of Manchester University are supporting local Leicestershire residents in their campaign to prevent the drilling from going ahead. (p. 5)
Contact: Robin Marshall, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, UK (tel. +44 (0)161 275 4170; fax +44 (0)161 275 4246; e-mail r.marshall@man.ac.uk)
"Electric bra" spots breast cancer
An "electric bra" that can detect the early signs of breast cancer has been developed by researchers at De Montfort University in Leicester. The bra can distinguish between healthy and cancerous tissue by measuring the electrical conductivity of the breast when current is passed through the tissue. Malcolm McCormick, who is developing the device, is about to start clinical trials of the bra in China, where one of his group`s researchers has close links. (p. 7)
Contact: Malcolm McCormick, 3D Technologies & Biomedical Engineering, Science and Engineering Research Centre, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK (tel. +44 (0)116 257 7088; fax +44 (0)116 257 7099; e-mail mmcc@dmu.ac.uk)
Displays enter the next dimension
A new full-colour display that brings three-dimensional images to life has been developed by Actuality Systems of Massachusetts. The 3D-display, which is in the shape of a ball, could help air-traffic controllers to visualise the sky surrounding a busy airport or drug developers to understand complex protein structures. Viewers can walk round the ball and visualise the images from any angle without having to wear special goggles as they do with conventional "stereoscopic" displays. Images are displayed on a spinning translucent screen inside the ball. (p. 23)
Contact: Gregg Favalora, Chief Technology Officer, Actuality Systems, Burlington, Massachusetts, US (tel. +1 781 229 7812; fax +1 781 229 7553; www.actuality-systems.com)
Special issue: energy challenges for the 21st century
Global warming and the soaring demand for energy are fuelling research and development into alternatives to oil, coal and gas. This special issue of Physics World looks at the technological and economic challenges of alternative and renewable energy sources.
- Saving energy through architecture: A 70-year-old house is being turned from an "energy guzzler" into a world-leader in energy efficiency by German chemical giant BASF. Known as the "three litre house" because it will use just three litres of oil to heat each square metre -- one seventh of what it normally takes -- the house is coated in special plaster that soaks up external heat with little wax candles. Architects, meanwhile, are working on a housing development in London known as BedZed that recycles bath water for the toilets and has wind turbines on the roof. (p. 33)
- Solar power to the people: Architects are learning to incorporate solar panels into buildings, with the gleaming blue-black fa'§ade of the Condé Nast building in New York a model for marrying solar cells with modern skyscraper design. (p. 35)
- Wind power moves out to sea: If you don`t like the look of on-shore wind turbines, why not build them at sea instead? By the end of the decade, offshore wind farms in Europe are set to produce as much power as several coal-fired stations. (p. 40)
- Bright future for efficient lights: With a quarter of the world`s electricity going on lighting, more efficient light bulbs could trigger enormous savings. By 2025 one in every two bulbs could be based on light-emitting diodes -- saving the energy equivalent to the output from 25 power stations. (p. 34)
- Wave energy sees surge of interest: There is enough energy hidden in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean between Portugal and Iceland to meet the entire energy requirements of several small countries. But harnessing the power of the sea still poses many technical challenges. (p. 37)
- Fuel cells eye the main market: Fuel cells -- which generate electricity with water as the only by-product -- are already being used to power the air-conditioning, radio and windows in cars. These ultra-clean devices could even be used to power entire cars or replace your central-heating boiler. (p. 21)
- Hydrogen economy blasts off: The replacement of the entire Reykjavik bus fleet by 80 hydrogen-powered vehicles is the latest step on the road to a "hydrogen economy". (p. 29)
- Green cars move into top gear: Car manufacturers like Honda, GM and Ford are developing greener vehicles that run on fuels other than petrol, such as hydrogen and ethanol. (p. 27)
- New designs on nuclear power: South African energy company Eskom are pioneering a new type of nuclear reactor that is claimed to be safe, cheap and efficient. Known as the "pebble-bed" reactor, it could be the salvation of the nuclear industry. (p. 42)
- Waiting for the power of the Sun: Physicists have long dreamed of using nuclear fusion -- the energy source that powers the Sun -- to generate electricity. Although a commercial fusion plant is still 30 years away, Canada, France, Japan and Spain are all bidding to host the next big experimental fusion reactor. (p. 44)
Also in this issue:
Physicists scrutinise rogue oscillation (p. 6); Jozef Strauss: a physicist in big business (p. 8); Targeting cosmic icebergs (p. 10); Extra dimension for audio (p. 11); Millionaire puts his faith in telescopes (p. 12); Condensate on a crest of a wave (p. 19); Can noise boost brain power (p. 20); Long molecules improve organic diodes (p. 22); Physics and vertical-pipe fitting (p. 55); The role for physics in energy supply (p. 51)
Institute of Physics
Nuclear News and Current Nuclear Events RSSPutting the squeeze on nitrogen for high energy materials
Nitrogen atoms like to travel in pairs, hooked together by one of the strongest chemical bonds in nature. By subjecting nitrogen molecules to extreme temperatures and pressures scientists are getting a new understanding of not only nitrogen but other similar molecules, including hydrogen.
Stem cell research puts interstate rivalry on hold
Victoria and New South Wales have put aside their competitive interstate rivalry to collaborate on a stem cell research project, as announced by Innovation Minister Gavin Jennings and NSW Minister for Science and Medical Research, Verity Firth, today.
Trichoplax genome sequenced -- 'rosetta stone' for understanding evolution
Yale molecular and evolutionary biologists in collaboration with Department of Energy scientists produced the full genome sequence of Trichoplax, one of nature's most primitive multicellular organisms, providing a new insight into the evolution of all higher animals.
Loss of sleep, even for a single night, increases inflammation in the body
Loss of sleep, even for a few short hours during the night, can prompt one's immune system to turn against healthy tissue and organs.
The future of non-invasive cardiac imaging
Imaging has gained attention in many areas of medicine but its relevance and importance in clinical cardiology cannot be underestimated.
Computed tomography provides anatomy -- we need ischemia!
Cardiac computed tomography has revolutionized cardiac imaging in recent years by providing exquisitely detailed cardiac anatomy, including, but not limited to, coronary anatomy.
PET scans lead to treatment changes in majority of colorectal cancer patients
In the largest multi-institutional study to date examining the impact of positron emission tomography (PET) in changing disease management of individuals with suspected recurrent colorectal cancer, researchers found that treatment plans were changed for more than half of patients.
Galaxy Zoo -- an Internet superstar
Since Galaxy Zoo's launch in July 2007, some 150,000 members of the public, inspired by the opportunity to be the first to see and classify a galaxy, have helped professional astronomers via this on-line mass-participation project to carry out real scientific research.
Explosives go "green"
Certain explosives may soon get a little greener and a little more precise.
Researchers discover atomic bomb effect results in adult-onset thyroid cancer
Radiation from the atomic bomb blasts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945, likely rearranged chromosomes in some survivors who later developed papillary thyroid cancer as adults, according to Japanese researchers.
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