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    Smallest-ever star discovered by astronomers

    July 13, 2017, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Smallest star ever discovered. Very small and dim stars are the best possible candidates for detecting Earth-sized planets which can have liquid water on their surfaces. Credit: Amanda Smith

    Smallest star ever discovered. Very small and dim stars are the best possible candidates for detecting Earth-sized planets which can have liquid water on their surfaces. Credit: Amanda Smith

    The smallest star yet measured has been discovered by a team of astronomers led by the University of Cambridge. With a size just a sliver larger than that of Saturn, the gravitational pull at its stellar surface is about 300 times stronger than what humans feel on Earth. The star is likely as small as stars can possibly become, as it has just enough mass to enable the fusion of hydrogen nuclei into helium. If it were any smaller, the pressure at the centre of the star would no longer be sufficient to enable this process to take place...

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    Planet Nine Hypothesis supported by new evidence

    July 13, 2017, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Will another planet be added to the list of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in our Solar System? Credit: NASA

    Will another planet be added to the list of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in our Solar System? Credit: NASA

    Last year, the existence of an unknown planet in our Solar system was announced. However, this hypothesis was subsequently called into question as biases in the observational data were detected. Now Spanish astronomers have used a novel technique to analyse the orbits of the so-called extreme trans-Neptunian objects and, once again, they point out that there is something perturbing them: a planet located at a distance between 300 to 400 times the Earth-Sun separation.
     
    Scientists continue to argue about the existence of a ninth planet within our Solar System...
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    House Dust Spurs Growth of Fat Cells in Lab Tests

    July 12, 2017, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Characterization of Adipogenic Activity of House Dust Extracts and Semi-Volatile Indoor Contaminants in 3T3-L1 Cells

    Characterization of Adipogenic Activity of House Dust Extracts and Semi-Volatile Indoor Contaminants in 3T3-L1 Cells

    Poor diet and a lack of physical activity are major contributors to the world’s obesity epidemic, but researchers have also identified common environmental pollutants that could play a role. Now one team reports in ACS’ journal Environmental Science & Technology that small amounts of house dust containing many of these compounds can spur fat cells to accumulate more triglycerides, or fat, in a lab dish.

    Endocrine-disrupting chemicals, or EDCs, are synthetic or naturally occurring compounds that can interfere with or mimic the body’s hormones...

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    Soft, Stretchy Fabric-based Sensors for Wearable Robots

    July 12, 2017, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics, Chemistry/Nanotechnology

    1. This prototype glove includes soft sensors that are capable of registering movement of each finger individually. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University 2. The silicone-textile hybrid sensors are highly flexible and resilient, making them excellent candidates for sensing body movement. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University

    1. This prototype glove includes soft sensors that are capable of registering movement of each finger individually. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University 2. The silicone-textile hybrid sensors are highly flexible and resilient, making them excellent candidates for sensing body movement. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University

    Hybrid silicone-fabric sensor detects fine motor movements by flexing with the body. Wearable technologies – from heart rate monitors to virtual reality headsets – are exploding in popularity in both the consumer and research spaces, but most of the electronic sensors that detect and transmit data from wearables are made of hard, inflexible materials that can restrict both the wearer’s natural movements and the accuracy of the data collected...

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