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Science News for January 17, 2010


The seismic gap south of Istanbul

A new computer study reveals that tensions in a fault zone south of Istanbul could trigger multiple earthquakes, increasing the city's earthquake risk. The study's findings suggest that built-up tension can unload in smaller quakes rather than one massive event.

SourceHelmholtz Association·JournalNature Geoscience·DateJan 17, 2010

Organized chaos gets robots going

Researchers developed an autonomous walking robot that flexibly switches between multiple gait patterns by utilizing chaos control. The robot can adapt its movement in response to environmental changes, such as obstacles or slopes, using a single central pattern generator.

SourceMax-Planck-Gesellschaft·JournalNature Physics·DateJan 17, 2010

Tying light in knots

A team of physicists from Bristol, Glasgow and Southampton universities have successfully created knots in optical vortices using holograms designed with knot theory. This new research demonstrates the physical application of an abstract branch of mathematics previously considered impossible to apply.

SourceUniversity of Bristol·JournalNature Physics·DateJan 17, 2010