Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Geoscience: Severe Weather Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Space Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

One of the largest magnetic storms in history quantified: Aurorae covered much of the night sky from the Tropics to the Polar Regions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international multidisciplinary team consisting of solar physicists, geophysicists, and historians from nine countries analysed observations of an extreme solar-terrestrial storm reported in historical records from February 1872. Their findings confirm that a moderate sunspot group triggered one of the largest magnetic storms ever recorded, almost covering the entire night sky with colourful aurorae in both hemispheres. If such an extreme storm occurred today, it would severely disrupt modern technological infrastructure. Their study emphasizes the importance of looking at historical records in light of modern scientific knowledge.

Engineering: Robotics Research Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Network of robots can successfully monitor pipes using acoustic wave sensors      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An inspection design method and procedure by which mobile robots can inspect large pipe structures has been demonstrated with the successful inspection of multiple defects on a three-meter long steel pipe using guided acoustic wave sensors.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Geoscience: Severe Weather Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

Solar activity likely to peak next year      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have discovered a new relationship between the Sun's magnetic field and its sunspot cycle, that can help predict when the peak in solar activity will occur. Their work indicates that the maximum intensity of solar cycle 25, the ongoing sunspot cycle, is imminent and likely to occur within a year.

Chemistry: General Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

New percussion method to detect pipeline elbow erosion      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An engineering research team is pioneering a new method, based on percussion, to detect pipeline elbow erosion to prevent economic losses, environmental pollution and other safety issues.  

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound Physics: Optics
Published

Novel measurement technique for fluid mixing phenomena using selective color imaging method      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A novel measurement technique has been developed to visualize the fluid flow and distribution within two droplets levitated and coalesced in space using fluorescence-emitting particles. This technique enabled the estimation of fluid motion within each droplet, thereby revealing the internal flow caused by surface vibration when the droplet merging promotes fluid mixing.

Computer Science: General Energy: Nuclear Energy: Technology Mathematics: General Mathematics: Modeling Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Nuclear expansion failure shows simulations require change      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team of researchers looked back at a model that predicted nuclear power would expand dramatically in order to assess the efficacy of energy policies implemented today.

Chemistry: Inorganic Chemistry Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound Physics: Optics
Published

New laser setup probes metamaterial structures with ultrafast pulses      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new technique offers a safe, reliable, and high-throughput way to dynamically characterize microscale metamaterials. The method could speed up the development of acoustic lenses, impact-resistant films, and other futuristic materials.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Energy: Technology Environmental: General Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Putting sound waves to work to create safer public spaces      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Absorbing excess sound to make public environments like theaters and concert halls safer for hearing and using the unwanted sound waves to create electricity is the aim of a new paper. The authors built a system of piezoelectric sensors that can be installed in walls, floors, and ceilings to absorb sound waves and collect their energy. They used computer simulations to fine-tune variables including the voltage needed to power the main device component, the frequency and intensity of the input sound, and piezoelectric sensors tested in parallel and serial configurations.

Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

New AI noise-canceling headphone technology lets wearers pick which sounds they hear      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed deep-learning algorithms that let users pick which sounds filter through their headphones in real time. Either through voice commands or a smartphone app, headphone wearers can select which sounds they want to include from 20 classes, such as sirens, baby cries, speech, vacuum cleaners and bird chirps.

Offbeat: General Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Complex data becomes easier to interpret when transformed into music      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers in the field of human-technology interaction have demonstrated how a custom-built 'data-to-music' algorithms can help to better understand complex data. The transformation of digital data into sounds could be a game-changer in the growing world of data interpretation.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Geoscience: Severe Weather Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

The importance of the Earth's atmosphere in creating the large storms that affect satellite communications      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Large geomagnetic storms disrupt radio signals and GPS. Now, researchers have identified the previous underestimated role of the ionosphere, a region of Earth's upper atmosphere that contains a high concentration of ions and free electrons, in determining how such storms develop. Understanding the interactions that cause large geomagnetic storms is important because they can disrupt radio signals and GPS. Their findings may help predict storms with the greatest potential consequences.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

Solar farms in space are possible      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

It's viable to produce low-cost, lightweight solar panels that can generate energy in space, according to new research.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Offbeat: General Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Pingpong balls score big as sound absorbers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers describe an acoustic meta-surface that uses pingpong balls, with small holes punctured in each, as Helmholtz resonators to create inexpensive but effective low-frequency sound insulation. The coupling between two resonators led to two resonance frequencies, and more resonant frequencies meant the device was able to absorb more sound. At the success of two coupled resonators, the researchers added more, until their device resembled a square sheet of punctured pingpong balls, multiplying the number of resonant frequencies that could be absorbed.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound Physics: Optics
Published

Medical imaging fails dark skin: Researchers fixed it      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A team found a way to deliver clear pictures of anyone's internal anatomy, no matter their skin tone.

Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Geoscience: Severe Weather Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Researchers identify largest ever solar storm in ancient 14,300-year-old tree rings      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of scientists have discovered a huge spike in radiocarbon levels 14,300 years ago by analyzing ancient tree-rings found in the French Alps. The radiocarbon spike was caused by a massive solar storm, the biggest ever identified.  A similar solar storm today would be catastrophic for modern technological society – potentially wiping out telecommunications and satellite systems, causing massive electricity grid blackouts, and costing us billions. The academics are warning of the importance of understanding such storms to protect our global communications and energy infrastructure for the future.

Chemistry: General Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geochemistry Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Ultrasound may rid groundwater of toxic 'forever chemicals'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research suggests that ultrasound may have potential in treating a group of harmful chemicals known as PFAS to eliminate them from contaminated groundwater.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Shape-changing smart speaker lets users mute different areas of a room      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A team has developed a shape-changing smart speaker, which uses self-deploying microphones to divide rooms into speech zones and track the positions of individual speakers.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

A system to keep cloud-based gamers in sync      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new technique can synchronize media streams from different networks to multiple devices with less than 10 milliseconds of delay. The technique was demonstrated on cloud gaming, but could also be applied in AR/VR applications.

Engineering: Nanotechnology Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound Physics: Optics
Published

Researchers develop ultra-sensitive photoacoustic microscopy for wide biomedical application potential      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy is an up-and-coming biomedical imaging technique for studying a broad range of diseases, such as cancer, diabetes and stroke. But its insufficient sensitivity has been a longstanding obstacle for its wider application. Recently, a research team developed a multi-spectral, super-low-dose photoacoustic microscopy system with a significant improvement in the system sensitivity limit, enabling new biomedical applications and clinical translation in the future.

Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Experiencing the texture of skateboard sounds can mediate divisions new research says      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Experiencing the harsh sounds of skateboarding can help bridge the gulf between the joy and distaste of the noises created by the sport, a new study says.