Brightsurf Science News and Current Science News Events

 

Light | Light News, Research and Current Events

Sort By: Page Views | Date
Ambient light influences the evolution of colour signals
In light-contrasted ecosystems, ambient light and background colours influence the evolution of animal coloration. Because maximal conspicuousness is achieved for signals which are rich in the colours of ambient light but poorly reflected by background, different signals will be cryptic or... view more (2004-03-18)

New light detector
A novel prototype light meter has been developed by researchers in New York. Published today in the Institute of Physics journal, Measurement Science and Technology, this new retinal flux density meter will provide an affordable tool for measuring light at all levels and might ultimately lead to... view more (2002-04-30)

New materials for high efficiency organic solid state lighting
A new organic molecule developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientists may significantly improve the efficiency of organic solid state lighting. Direct conversion of electricity to light in "solid state" thin films of organic molecules occurs in organic light emitting... view more (2006-03-30)

Through a light, darkly
A British physicist has come up with a way to reveal the shifting and shining colours that form in the dark spots where light waves interfere with each other. The patterns await experimental demonstration but computer-generated images are already illuminating new aspects of light that had until now... view more (2002-10-18)

Bright light therapy eases bipolar depression for some
Bright light therapy can ease bipolar depression in some patients, according to a study published in the journal Bipolar Disorders.   view more (2008-01-04)

Prize-winner emerges from the shadows
How can you measure the brightness of light? A book which examines the answers to this seemingly simple question has just won the 2003 Paul Bunge Award, the world's largest prize for research in the history of scientific instruments. The book, published in 2001 by Institute of Physics Publishing,... view more (2003-11-04)

Lighting up the human brain at night
Most people are aware that light affects human behaviour and can be used to treat disorders such as Seasonal Affective Disorder, but now researchers from the University of Surrey and the University of Liege have found new evidence that light administered during the night immediately reduces... view more (2004-10-25)

Reflection makes Skin Cancer Diagnosis easier
A new way of detecting skin cancers using light reflected from pigmented skin lesions is described this week in the Institute of Physics journal, Physics in Medicine and Biology. Scientists from the Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Trust studied the spectra of light... view more (2000-02-18)

Alternative therapies may help people with dementia
Aromatherapy and bright light treatment may have an important role in managing behavioural problems in people with dementia, conclude researchers in this week’s BMJ.   view more (2002-12-04)

Daytime light exposure dynamically enhances brain responses
Exposure to light is known to enhance both alertness and performance in humans, but little is understood regarding the neurological basis for these effects, especially those associated with daytime light exposure.   view more (2006-08-22)

Blue light used to harden tooth fillings stunts tumor growth
A blue curing light used to harden dental fillings also may stunt tumor growth, Medical College of Georgia researchers say.   view more (2008-06-25)

Blink, and the brain misses it
We would immediately notice if the outside world suddenly went dark every few seconds. But we rarely become aware of our blinks, even though they cause a similar reduction in the amount of light entering the eye. So why are we not aware of the frequent mini-blackouts caused by blinks?   view more (2005-07-26)

It will be possible to predict earthquakes from space
The scientists of the Department of Physics, Moscow State University, have proposed to predict earthquakes by measuring polarization of the solar light that is reflected from the surface of the Earth. The small and cheap equipment, which the scientists have designed, can be placed on meteorological... view more (2001-01-17)

New coating is virtual black hole for reflections
Researchers have created an anti-reflective coating that allows light to travel through it, but lets almost none bounce off its surface. At least 10 times more effective than the coating on sunglasses or computer monitors, the material, which is made of silica nanorods, may be used to channel light... view more (2007-03-05)

Family SUNday on Saturday
   view more (1999-05-17)

Researchers link melanopsin gene to unexplored light detection system within the eye.
Discovery could explain why light keeps us awake and may lead to new treatments for disorders such as jet-lag and SAD. Researchers from Imperial College London, Johns Hopkins University, USA and Brown University, USA have discovered that melanopsin, a recently identified protein, plays a key role... view more (2003-01-08)

New Evidence on How our Eyes use Light to Manage our Body Clock - University of Surrey Groundbreaking Study Results
A new study published this week shows for the first time that the human eye is sensitive to short wave length visible light and transmits information to the body clock in a way that may make it possible to manipulate waking and sleeping rhythms. This new data, gained from a study carried out at the... view more (2001-08-20)

Researchers discover way to make cells in the eye sensitive to light
Researchers have discovered a way to make light sensitive cells in the eye by switching on a single gene.   view more (2005-01-24)

Light powered platinum more targeted & 80 times more powerful than similar cancer treatments
Researchers from the Universities of Warwick, Edinburgh, Dundee and the Czech Republic's Institute of Biophysics have discovered a new light-activated platinum-based compound that is up to 80 times more powerful than other platinum-based anti-cancer drugs and which can use "light... view more (2007-12-26)

Guiding light - CMD19/CMMP with The Physics Congress 2002
A new type of optical material has been developed by physicists that could replace the electronics used to route the light signals through optical fibre telecommunications networks. It could even provide the basis for future `optical computers` working on light pulses instead of electric signals.... view more (2002-03-26)

Novel nano-etched cavity makes leds 7 times brighter
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have made semiconductor light-emitting diodes (LEDs) more than seven times brighter by etching nanoscale grooves in a surrounding cavity to guide scattered light in one direction.   view more (2006-07-24)

Scientists create world's most efficient light-bulb
Scientists have successfully produced the most efficient light bulb ever - but on the microscopic scale. Researchers at Trinity College, Dublin have discovered a technique which significantly improves the output of light from quantum dots, and also allows their light to be focussed and manipulated... view more (2003-08-27)

New NIST method improves accuracy of spectrometers
Measurements of the intensity of light at different wavelengths can be made more accurately now, thanks to a new, simple method for correcting common instrument errors.   view more (2005-06-17)

Measure the speed of light using Milky Way Stars®
Nothing travels faster than light - it only takes 8 minutes for it to reach the Earth from the nearest star, the Sun, which is 150 million kilometres away. Now anyone can measure this speed - with chocolate stars and a microwave oven! The experiment is described on a new Institute of Physics web... view more (2003-01-27)

Light activated anticancer drug targeted to DNA using cisplatin like sub-units
One of the most effective chemotherapy drugs against cancer is cisplatin because it attaches to cancer DNA and disrupts repair.   view more (2006-03-27)

Sort By: Page Views | Date
© 2008 BrightSurf.com