Add BrightSurf on Google Email

Stanford scientists develop 'Shazam for earthquakes'

A new algorithm called Fingerprint And Similarity Thresholding (FAST) can identify previously overlooked microquakes in large databases of ground motion measurements, potentially helping predict larger quakes. By comparing seismic wave patterns, FAST finds weakly recorded earthquakes faster than conventional methods.

SourceStanford's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences·JournalScience Advances·DateDec 4, 2015
Kestrel 3000 Pocket Weather Meter

Kestrel 3000 Pocket Weather Meter measures wind, temperature, and humidity in real time for site assessments, aviation checks, and safety briefings.

Earth's magnetic field is not about to flip

New measurements suggest the Earth's magnetic field is trending back to its long-term average intensity, contrary to predictions of a potential flip. The research uses advanced analysis techniques to re-evaluate paleointensity data, finding a 60% decrease in the field's strength over the past 5 million years.

SourceColumbia Climate School·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateNov 24, 2015

'Connector hubs' are the champions of brain coordination

Research identifies 'connector hubs' as the brain's 'champions of coordination,' allowing distinct networks to interact effectively and process more information during complex tasks. The findings have implications for understanding neurological disorders like schizophrenia and Alzheimer's.

SourceUniversity of California - Berkeley·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateNov 23, 2015

Brooding brittle star babies in 3-D

Researchers used microCT scanning to visualize brooding chambers and juveniles in live-bearing brittle stars. The 3D images provide an in situ view of developing young and the position of bursae inside adults, allowing for comparative morphological analyses.

SourceGigaScience·JournalGigaScience·DateNov 17, 2015
Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Pro)

Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Pro) powers local ML workloads, large datasets, and multi-display analysis for field and lab teams.

'Tummy tuck' complications -- Study looks at rates and risk factors

A study published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery found that abdominoplasty carries a higher complication rate than other cosmetic surgery procedures. Major complications occurred in four percent of patients, with hematomas, infections, blood clots, and lung-related problems being the most common issues.

SourceWolters Kluwer Health·JournalPlastic & Reconstructive Surgery·DateOct 29, 2015

UT Dallas researcher receives NSF grant to update conflict database

A UT Dallas political science professor has received a grant from the NSF to extend coverage of the Correlates of War Projects' Militarized Interstate Dispute (MID) data through 2017. The project aims to collect data quickly and efficiently using new methods, including crowdsourcing.

SourceUniversity of Texas at Dallas·DateOct 23, 2015

Automating big-data analysis

Researchers at MIT developed a system that can automate big-data analysis, identifying patterns and designing feature sets. The system was tested in three data science competitions, achieving accuracy rates up to 96% and completing tasks in just 2-12 hours compared to human teams.

SourceMassachusetts Institute of Technology·DateOct 16, 2015
AmScope B120C-5M Compound Microscope

AmScope B120C-5M Compound Microscope supports teaching labs and QA checks with LED illumination, mechanical stage, and included 5MP camera.

Chemical microdroplet computers are easier to teach than to design

Researchers developed a novel strategy to create chemical microdroplet computers that can search databases and process information. Computer simulations confirmed the approach, achieving accuracy rates of over 90% in classifying cancer tumours.

SourceInstitute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences·JournalPhilosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (A )·DateOct 14, 2015

Tropical ants in Europe

A team of biologists from OIST and University of Hong Kong analyzed a database of modern and fossil ants to determine their geographical distribution. The study reveals that ancient European ants were more similar to South East Asian modern ants than European counterparts.

SourceOkinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University·JournalJournal of Biogeography·DateOct 8, 2015

Geneticists launch Matchmaker Exchange for rare disease gene discovery

The Matchmaker Exchange platform harnesses collective data from across rare disease repositories to uncover similar symptoms and genetic profiles. By protecting patient data privacy while connecting databases through APIs, researchers can identify the genetic causes of rare diseases more efficiently.

SourceBrigham and Women's Hospital·JournalHuman Mutation·DateSep 24, 2015

Rapidly assessing the next influenza pandemic

A recent study by international researchers has developed a predictive tool to assess the likely impact of a new influenza pandemic. By analyzing clinical episode data from military personnel, they estimated key parameters such as transmissibility and severity, enabling early mitigation strategies.

SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS Computational Biology·DateSep 24, 2015
CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock

CalDigit TS4 Thunderbolt 4 Dock simplifies serious desks with 18 ports for high-speed storage, monitors, and instruments across Mac and PC setups.

WSU researcher receives grant to build family audio database

A Washington State University researcher is building a comprehensive family audio database with funding from the National Science Foundation. The database will combine recordings of children's communications with their parents and siblings, enabling researchers to study family communication dynamics and disorders in greater detail.

SourceWashington State University·DateSep 22, 2015
Apple iPhone 17 Pro

Apple iPhone 17 Pro delivers top performance and advanced cameras for field documentation, data collection, and secure research communications.

Climate research: Where is the world's permafrost thawing?

The first global permafrost database has been launched, offering a comprehensive dataset on permafrost temperature and active layer thickness. The GTN-P database, compiled by an international team of researchers from 25 countries, will help scientists better understand the extent to which climate change is causing permafrost thawing.

SourceAlfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research·JournalEarth System Science Data·DateSep 13, 2015

New antibody portal bolsters biomedical research reliability

A new online portal provides a robust online interactive database to address the 'antibody crisis' in molecular biology. The Histone Antibody Specificity Database allows scientists to find reliable antibodies for their research with higher confidence, using validated test results.

SourceUniversity of North Carolina Health Care·JournalMolecular Cell·DateJul 23, 2015

New antibody specificity portal bolsters biomedical research reliability

A new database, Histone Antibody Specificity Database, has been launched to improve the accuracy of histone antibodies used in epigenetics research. The database provides validated test results for over 100 commonly used antibodies, allowing researchers to select reliable options for their experiments.

SourceVan Andel Research Institute·JournalMolecular Cell·DateJul 23, 2015
SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB

SAMSUNG T9 Portable SSD 2TB transfers large imagery and model outputs quickly between field laptops, lab workstations, and secure archives.

Assessing quality of flowing waters with DNA analyses

Researchers at Ruhr-University Bochum have developed a method to quickly and reliably identify organisms in flowing waters using DNA barcodes. This approach sheds light on the quality of habitats and can be used to assess water quality, even when species abundance is uncertain.

SourceRuhr-University Bochum·JournalPLOS ONE·DateJul 9, 2015

Intelligent big multimedia databases

The book explores how hierarchical organization, wavelet transformation, subspace trees, and deep learning can overcome the curse of dimensionality to develop efficient big multimedia databases. It introduces essential statistical supervised machine learning algorithms for information retrieval.

SourceWorld Scientific·DateJul 7, 2015

Computers get with the beat

Researchers developed a simple system to automate music genre categorization by focusing on just pitch, tempo, and amplitude variation patterns. The approach uses random sample consensus (RANSAC) as a classifier and demonstrated accuracy in seven major musical genres.

SourceInderscience Publishers·JournalInternational Journal of Computational Intelligence Studies·DateJun 29, 2015
Aranet4 Home CO2 Monitor

Aranet4 Home CO2 Monitor tracks ventilation quality in labs, classrooms, and conference rooms with long battery life and clear e-ink readouts.

License plate decals don't seem to curb learner driver crash rates

Research published in Injury Prevention found that license plate decals did not reduce crash rates among young drivers with learner permits in New Jersey. The study analyzed data from January 2006 to June 2012 and found no association between decal provision and crash rates, citing high compliance with passenger restrictions

SourceBMJ Group·JournalInjury Prevention·DateJun 29, 2015

Proximity to bike-sharing stations augments property values

A study by McGill University researchers found that homes near BIXI bike-sharing stations in central Montreal saw an average increase of 2.7% in sales price, with each station valued at $700 more in property value. The study suggests that other cities with similar systems may also experience similar effects on housing prices.

SourceMcGill University·JournalTransport Policy·DateJun 23, 2015
Meta Quest 3 512GB

Meta Quest 3 512GB enables immersive mission planning, terrain rehearsal, and interactive STEM demos with high-resolution mixed-reality experiences.

Water screening: International hunt for unknown molecules

A global strategy for preventative water sample analysis has been developed, utilizing a comprehensive database of 8,000 substances. This allows laboratories to identify previously unknown molecules faster through non-target screening technology, enabling quicker response to potential waterborne risks.

SourceTechnical University of Munich (TUM)·DateJun 18, 2015

New national database of coastal flooding launched

A new database of coastal flooding in the UK has been launched, providing crucial information to prevent future flooding events. The 'SurgeWatch' database contains data on 96 large storms and their impact on UK coastlines.

SourceUniversity of Southampton·JournalScientific Data·DateMay 12, 2015
Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 46mm)

Apple Watch Series 11 (GPS, 46mm) tracks health metrics and safety alerts during long observing sessions, fieldwork, and remote expeditions.

BMJ provides resources to support disaster relief efforts in Nepal

BMJ has opened its online resources, including The BMJ and BMJ Journals, decision support tools from BMJ Best Practice, and learning resources from BMJ Learning, to support doctors and healthcare institutions in Nepal. Free access is available for three months for anyone with an IP range originating in Nepal.

SourceBMJ Group·JournalThe BMJ·DateMay 1, 2015

Los Alamos creates bioinformatics tool for metagenome analysis

Los Alamos scientists have developed a new tool for analyzing microbial communities, GOTTCHA, which can identify co-infections in medical samples. The tool uses a database of reference genomes to classify individual metagenome sequences and provide relative abundance profiles of organisms found within a sample.

SourceDOE/Los Alamos National Laboratory·JournalNucleic Acids Research·DateMar 18, 2015
DJI Air 3 (RC-N2)

DJI Air 3 (RC-N2) captures 4K mapping passes and environmental surveys with dual cameras, long flight time, and omnidirectional obstacle sensing.

Colorful life-form catalog will help discern if we're alone

A team of international scientists has created a colorful catalog of reflection signatures from various Earth life forms to aid in the search for extraterrestrial life. The database features 137 diverse life forms, including extremophiles from extreme environments, which can help astronomers spot potential biosignatures on exoplanets.

SourceCornell University·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateMar 16, 2015
Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope

Celestron NexStar 8SE Computerized Telescope combines portable Schmidt-Cassegrain optics with GoTo pointing for outreach nights and field campaigns.

Despite broad awareness, only half of doctors use prescription drug monitoring programs

A survey of 420 primary care physicians found that nearly three-quarters reported accessing their state's database easily, but most faced barriers to using the data. The study suggests that improving program usability and information sharing between states could increase participation and reduce prescription drug abuse.

SourceJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health·JournalHealth Affairs·DateMar 2, 2015

Fossil database to create cross-discipline collaboration

A new open-source resource helps scientists accurately date the tree of life by combining fossil data with DNA sequences, providing minimum ages for groups such as mollusks, penguins, and humans. This will aid in understanding the origin and evolution of biodiversity.

SourceField Museum·JournalPalaeontologia Electronica·DateFeb 25, 2015

New fossil timeline database opens for the tree of life

A new open-source database, Fossil Calibration Database, has been launched to help researchers accurately estimate the origins of all species. The database synthesizes data from the fossil record with molecular evidence, enabling 'molecular dating' studies.

SourceQueensland University of Technology·DateFeb 24, 2015
Fluke 87V Industrial Digital Multimeter

Fluke 87V Industrial Digital Multimeter is a trusted meter for precise measurements during instrument integration, repairs, and field diagnostics.

Social network analysis privacy tackled

Researchers aim to balance personal data protection with global statistics benefits using differential privacy methods. This approach restricts analyses that reveal individual records, ensuring accuracy while preventing identification.

SourcePenn State·DateFeb 14, 2015

Use of surgical procedure to facilitate child birth declines

A study published in JAMA found that US episiotomy rates decreased significantly between 2006 and 2012, from 17.3% to 11.6%, with notable variations based on insurance coverage and hospital characteristics. The decline was attributed to the restrictive use of episiotomy due to its risks and unclear benefits.

SourceJAMA Network·JournalJAMA·DateJan 13, 2015

Taking the grunt work out of Web development

Ur/Web's compiler automatically generates XML code and style-sheet specifications and embeds JavaScript and database code in the right places. The language's typing system helps with security and coordination across Web technologies by preventing unauthorized access between page elements.

SourceMassachusetts Institute of Technology·DateDec 23, 2014
Sony Alpha a7 IV (Body Only)

Sony Alpha a7 IV (Body Only) delivers reliable low-light performance and rugged build for astrophotography, lab documentation, and field expeditions.

Penn and UGA awarded $23.4 million contract for pathogen genomics database

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease has awarded a new contract to develop the Eukaryotic Pathogen Genomics Database, providing free access to genomic data related to pathogens important to human health. The database encompasses disease-causing eukaryotes and includes over 3,000 genomes from more than 300 species.

SourceUniversity of Pennsylvania·DateDec 18, 2014

Despite risks, benzodiazepine use highest in older people

A National Institutes of Health-funded study found that benzodiazepine prescribing increases steadily with age, especially among older women. The study suggests that prescriptions for benzodiazepines exceed what research suggests is appropriate and safe, particularly in this age group.

SourceNIH/National Institute of Mental Health·JournalJAMA Psychiatry·DateDec 17, 2014

Give flawed payments database time to improve

The new federal Open Payments Program database is incomplete, with issues including limited data, vetting, de-identification, and context. Despite these flaws, experts like Dr. Eli Y. Adashi urge patience, as improvements are underway and the site's potential for transparency and oversight is still significant.

SourceBrown University·JournalJAMA·DateDec 5, 2014

Computer equal to or better than humans at indexing science

A computer system developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has achieved equal performance to humans in extracting structured information from scientific publications. The system, PaleoDeepDive, was trained on a large dataset of paleontological studies and demonstrated its ability to extract relevant data with high accuracy.

SourceUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison·JournalPLOS ONE·DateDec 1, 2014
Anker Laptop Power Bank 25,000mAh (Triple 100W USB-C)

Anker Laptop Power Bank 25,000mAh (Triple 100W USB-C) keeps Macs, tablets, and meters powered during extended observing runs and remote surveys.

Computer equal to or better than humans at cataloging science

A new computer system developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has equaled or bested human scientists in extracting data from scientific publications and placing it in a database. This achievement marks a significant milestone in the quest to rapidly and precisely summarize, collate, and index vast amounts of scientific output.

SourceUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison·JournalPLOS ONE·DateDec 1, 2014

A grant to see molecules in 3-D

The Pitt Quantum Repository aims to create an open, mobile-ready database of accurate quantum calculations for molecules. This will enable students to visualize and understand molecular structures in 3D, improving learning outcomes.

SourceUniversity of Pittsburgh·DateNov 19, 2014

Kidney function monitoring vital for people on lithium

A new study from the University of East Anglia finds that a single high level of lithium can cause significant decrease in kidney function, which remains affected for up to nine months. The research emphasizes the importance of regular monitoring, supporting current UK guidelines.

SourceUniversity of East Anglia·JournalBMJ Open·DateNov 14, 2014

'Big Data' takes root in the world of plant research

Botanists at Trinity College Dublin have developed a massive database of plant life histories, gathering data on nearly 600 species over 48 years. The COMPADRE Plant Matrix database will help researchers answer questions about plant conservation and adaptation to climate change.

SourceTrinity College Dublin·JournalJournal of Ecology·DateNov 9, 2014
Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro Equatorial Mount

Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro Equatorial Mount provides precise tracking capacity for deep-sky imaging rigs during long astrophotography sessions.