Research News
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Saliva test to detect GHB and alcohol poisonings
Scientists working at Loughborough University, UK, and the University of Cordoba, Spain, have developed a new method for the rapid diagnosis of poisoning in apparently drunk patients. The saliva-based test offers the potential to screen for poisons commonly associated with the cheap or imitation manufacture of alcohol, and γ-hydroxybutyric acid, the so-called ‘date rape’ drug […]
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Exploring the physics of a chocolate fountain
A University College London (UCL) mathematics student has worked out the secrets of how chocolate behaves in a chocolate fountain, answering the age-old question of why the falling ‘curtain’ of chocolate surprisingly pulls inwards rather than going straight downwards. The results are published today, 25th November 2015, in European Journal of Physics. “Chocolate fountains are […]
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Graphene microphone outperforms traditional nickel and offers ultrasonic reach
Scientists have developed a graphene based microphone nearly 32 times more sensitive than microphones of standard nickel-based construction. The researchers, based at the University of Belgrade, Serbia, created a vibrating membrane – the part of a condenser microphone which converts the sound to a current – from graphene, and were able to show up to […]
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Using cycling to explain why physics isn’t a drag
Scientists and teachers have combined to develop a simple spreadsheet-based method of teaching aerodynamic drag to 14 and 15 year olds. By measuring the speed of one of their classmates riding a bike, taking a photo to in order to measure the frontal area of the cyclist, the students were able to calculate the drag […]
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Wearable energy generator uses urine to power wireless transmitter
Courtesy of the University of the West of England Press Office. A pair of socks embedded with miniaturised microbial fuel cells (MFCs) and fuelled with urine pumped by the wearer’s footsteps has powered a wireless transmitter to send a signal to a PC. This is the first self-sufficient system powered by a wearable energy generator […]
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Interstellar technology throws light on spinning black holes
The visual effects team from Christopher Nolan's epic, Interstellar, have provided new insights into the powerful effects of black holes.
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New metric mapping top 10 European heat waves predicts strong increase in next two decades
Scientists have developed a new method to model heat wave magnitude that takes both the duration and the intensity of the heat wave into account. The new metric—the Heat Wave Magnitude Index daily (HWMId)—indicates that a little-studied heat wave in Finland in 1972 had the same extent and magnitude of the 2003 European heat wave […]
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Neural stimulation offers treatment for ‘dry eye’
Scientists have developed a device that electronically stimulates tear production, which will offer hope to sufferers of dry eye syndrome, one of the most common eye diseases in the world. The device, 16 mm long, 3-4 mm wide and 1-2 mm thick, was implanted beneath the inferior lacrimal gland in rabbit eyes. It was activated […]
