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By successfully changing the spin of a molecule, researchers have been able to perform an on/off operation for a molecular magnet. Such reversible switching paves the way for single molecule memory.

Superlenses earned their superlative by being able to capture the "evanescent" light waves that blossom close to an illuminated surface and never travel far enough to be "seen" by a conventional lens. Superlenses hold enormous potential in a range of applications, depending upon the form of light they capture, but their use has been limited because most have been made from elaborate artificial constructs known as metamaterials. The unique optical properties of metamaterials, which include the ability to bend light backwards - a property known as negative refraction - arise from their structure rather than their chemical composition.

Swallowing cold medicine or drinking diet beverages could become a more pleasant experience thanks to a new compound that blocks taste buds' ability to detect bitter flavors.

"When will we know when we can declare victory?

By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States fell one spot to third place in clean-energy investment last year as the lack of a national energy policy hurt purchases in wind and solar power and other technologies, a report said on Tuesday.

To keep your car purring, you have to change the oil. Such maintenance produces eight billion gallons of used motor oil annually. Some waste oil does get re-refined to produce oil for lubrication or heating.

The Scientific American supplement from December 4th, 1886 featured a drawn reproduction of a photograph taken of Amanab, the “Greek Giant.” Amanab was born in 1868 near Kerassond in Trebizonde--a successor state of the Byzantine Empire located on the Southern shore of the Black Sea. At the time of the article, he was 18 years old and measured 7 feet 9 inches in height, had a head circumference of 26

Attic pottery is the iconic red and black figure-pottery produced in ancient Greece from the 6th to the 4th centuries B.C. Like the vessel shown above from the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum, such pottery required immense precision to produce, and the means by which craftsman created these vessels is still not completely understood.

By Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent OSLO (Reuters) - Aircraft condensation trails criss-crossing the sky may be warming the planet on a normal day more than the carbon dioxide emitted by all planes since the Wright Brothers' first flight in 1903, a study said on Tuesday.

An artificial "leaf" that collects energy in much the same way as a natural one could provide a day's worth of power for homes without access to an electricity grid. The leaf, a silicon-based square the size of a playing card, closely mimics the way plants use the process of photosynthesis to create energy. The device is dropped into a bucket of water, or even a muddy puddle, and placed in direct sunlight

(PhysOrg.com) -- David D.

(Repeats to add PDF link) * Tokyo Electric ignored own study on tsunami risk * Utility decided safety issues, not regulators * Kept vulnerable vent systems despite quake data * Tokyo Electric cited the most for safety violations By Kevin Krolicki, Scott DiSavino and Taro Fuse TOKYO, March 29 (Reuters) - Over the past two weeks, Japanese government officials and Tokyo Electric Power executives have repeatedly described the deadly combination of the most powerful quake in Japan's history and the massive tsunami that followed as "soteigai," or beyond expectations. When Tokyo Electric President Masataka Shimizu apologized to the people of Japan for the continuing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant he called the double disaster "marvels of nature that we have never experienced before." But a review of company and regulatory records shows that Japan and its largest utility repeatedly downplayed dangers and ignored warnings -- including a 2007 tsunami study from Tokyo Electric Power Co's senior safety engineer.

Alcoholics Anonymous, celebrating its 76th anniversary this year, counts two million mem

Spring has sprung, the sun is shining, flowers are beginning to bloom, and pollen is in the air. Often thought of as a bright and cheerful season, for many people spring is a season where their heads feel like over-ripe melons, their eyes water, and the tissue industry is kept in business. Many people feel that they may have a perpetual cold that never seems to dissipate that only gets worse in the spring.

(PhysOrg.com) -- The Fermi level position and band structure of gallium manganese arsenide has been determined for the first time, shedding light on the precise mechanism behind ferromagnetism in the material.