Modulator researchers. Credit: Image courtesy of Oregon State University

Researchers at Oregon State University have designed and fabricated the world’s smallest electro-optic modulator, which could mean major reductions in energy used by data centers and supercomputers. An electro-optic modulator plays the key role in fiber optic networks. Just as a transistor is a switch for electronic signals, an electro-optic modulator is a switch for optical signals. Optical communication uses light, so the modulator turns on and off the light that sends a stream of binary signals over optical fibers.

The new modulator is 10 times smaller and can potentially be 100X more energy efficient than the best previous devices. It is roughly the size of a bacterium, measuring 0.6 by 8 microns...

An artist’s impression of a gamma ray burst in space(Credit: ESO/A. Roquette)

A Queen’s University Belfast scientist has recreated the first ever mini version of a GRB in a laboratory, opening up a whole new way to investigate their properties and potentially unlocking some of the mysteries around alien civilisation. Gamma ray bursts are intense explosions of light and are among some of the brightest events that have ever been observed in the universe. However, because they occur in short bursts and originate in distant galaxies scientists have not been able to exactly pinpoint what causes them.

Some might even suggest they may be messages from advanced alien civilisations but many experts have predicted that the bursts are emitted when jets of particles are thrown out by massive astrophys...

Turmeric powder and roots. Turmeric contains curcumin, which has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Credit: © pinkomelet / Fotolia

Twice-daily supplements boosted cognitive power over 18 months. Daily consumption of a certain form of curcumin improved memory and mood in people with mild, age-related memory loss, according to the results of a study conducted by UCLA researchers. The research, published online Jan. 19 in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, examined the effects of an easily absorbed curcumin supplement on memory performance in people without dementia, as well as curcumin’s potential impact on the microscopic plaques and tangles in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Found in turmeric, curcumin has previously been shown to ha...

Engineered carbon fibers embedded with active nanoparticles (top) can be fabricated into structural materials that are lightweight and flexible (bottom). Credit: UC Riverside

New material creates fuel cell catalysts at a hundredth of the cost. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, describe the development of an inexpensive, efficient catalyst material for a type of fuel cell called a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), which turns the chemical energy of hydrogen into electricity and is among the most promising fuel cell types to power cars and electronics.

The catalyst developed at UCR is made of porous carbon nanofibers embedded with a compound made from a relatively abundant metal such as cobalt, which is more than 100X less expensive than platinum...