Computers

Computational tools are indispensable in almost all scientific disciplines. Especially in cases where large amounts of research data are generated and need to be quickly processed, reliable, carefully developed software is crucial for analyzing and correctly interpreting such data. Nevertheless, scientific software can have quality quality deficiencies. To evaluate software … [Read more...] about Scientific software – Quality not always good

Smartwatches and other wearable devices may be used to sense illness, dehydration and even changes to the red blood cell count, according to biomedical engineers and genomics researchers at Duke University and the Stanford University School of Medicine. The researchers say that, with the help of machine learning, wearable device data on heart rate, body temperature and daily … [Read more...] about Data from smartwatches can help predict clinical blood test results: Long-term data gathered from wearables can quicky indicate illness and other abnormalities in a patient’s health

Sometimes things are a little out of whack, and it turns out to be exactly what you need. That was the case when orthoferrite crystals turned up at a Rice University laboratory slightly misaligned. Those crystals inadvertently became the basis of a discovery that should resonate with researchers studying spintronics-based quantum technology. Rice physicist Junichiro Kono, … [Read more...] about Quantum sensing: Odd angles make for strong spin-spin coupling: Physicists’ RAMBO reveals magnetic phenomenon useful for quantum simulation and sensing

Research has shown empathy gives healthcare workers the ability to provide appropriate supports and make fewer mistakes. This helps increase patient satisfaction and enhance patient outcomes, resulting in better overall care. In an upcoming issue of the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, published by Elsevier, multidisciplinary clinicians and researchers from … [Read more...] about Walking in their shoes: Using virtual reality to elicit empathy in healthcare providers

Young children who practice visual working memory and reasoning tasks improve their math skills more than children who focus on spatial rotation exercises, according to a large study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The findings support the notion that training spatial cognition can enhance academic performance and that when it comes to math, the type of … [Read more...] about These cognitive exercises help young children boost their math skills, study shows

Realizing the potential of self-driving cars hinges on technology that can quickly sense and react to obstacles and other vehicles in real time. Engineers from The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Virginia created a new first-of-its-kind light detecting device that can more accurately amplify weak signals bouncing off of faraway objects than current … [Read more...] about Ultra-sensitive light detector gives self-driving tech a jolt

The continued growth of wireless and cellular data traffic relies heavily on light waves. Microwave photonics is the field of technology that is dedicated to the distribution and processing of electrical information signals using optical means. Compared with traditional solutions based on electronics alone, microwave photonic systems can handle massive amounts of data. … [Read more...] about Silicon chips combine light and ultrasound for better signal processing: Researchers demonstrate long delays and narrow filtering of microwave signals in silicon-photonic circuits, based on surface acoustic waves

Carbon exists in various forms. In addition to diamond and graphite, there are recently discovered forms with astonishing properties. For example graphene, with a thickness of just one atomic layer, is the thinnest known material, and its unusual properties make it an extremely exciting candidate for applications like future electronics and high-tech engineering. In graphene, … [Read more...] about A new form of carbon opens door to nanosized wires: New type of atomically thin carbon material

CRISPR technology allows researchers to edit genomes by altering DNA sequences and by thus modifying gene function. Its many potential applications include correcting genetic defects, treating and preventing the spread of diseases and improving crops. Genome editing tools, such as the CRISPR-Cas9 technology, can be engineered to make extremely well-defined alterations to the … [Read more...] about Accurate evaluation of CRISPR genome editing: Researchers develop a novel software tool to quantify potential CRISPR-induced errors

U.S. and Austrian physicists searching for evidence of quantum criticality in topological materials have found one of the most pristine examples yet observed. In an open access paper published online in Science Advances, researchers from Rice University, Johns Hopkins University, the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) and the National Institute of Standards and … [Read more...] about Pristine quantum criticality found: Study: Quantum fluctuations may give rise to topological phases of matter