Could New Technique for ‘Curving’ Light be the Secret to Improved Wireless Communication?

A study that could help revolutionize wireless communication introduces a novel method to curve terahertz signals around an obstacle. Illustration provided by the Mittleman Group

A study that could help revolutionize wireless communication introduces a novel method to curve terahertz signals around an obstacle.

While cellular networks and Wi-Fi systems are more advanced than ever, they are also quickly reaching their bandwidth limits. Scientists know that in the near future they’ll need to transition to much higher communication frequencies than what current systems rely on, but before that can happen there are a number of — quite literal — obstacles standing in the way.

Researchers from Brown University and Rice University say they’ve advanced one step closer to getting around t...

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CSIRO Telescope detects unprecedented Behaviour from Nearby Magnetar

Artist’s impression of a magnetar with magnetic field and powerful jets. ©  CSIRO

Researchers using Murriyang, CSIRO’s Parkes radio telescope, have detected unusual radio pulses from a previously dormant star with a powerful magnetic field.

New results published today in Nature Astronomy describe radio signals from magnetar XTE J1810-197 behaving in complex ways.

Magnetars are a type of neutron star and the strongest magnets in the Universe. At roughly 8,000 light years away, this magnetar is also the closest known to Earth.

Most are known to emit polarised light, though the light this magnetar is emitting is circularly polarised, where the light appears to spiral as it moves through space.

Dr Marcus Lower, a postdoctoral fellow at Australia’s national science agency...

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Researchers developed new method for Detecting Heart Failure with a Smartphone

The new technology, which was created at the University of Turku and developed by the company CardioSignal, uses a smartphone to analyse heart movement and detect heart failure. The study involved five organisations from Finland and the United States.

Heart failure is a condition affecting tens of millions of people worldwide, in which the heart is unable to perform its normal function of pumping blood to the body.

It is a serious condition that develops as a result of a number of cardiovascular diseases and its symptoms may require repeated hospitalisation.

Heart failure is challenging to diagnose because its symptoms, such as shortness of breath, abnormal fatigue on exertion, and swelling, can be caused by a number of conditions.

There is no simple test available to dete...

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This 3D-Printer can figure out How to Print with an Unknown Material

A 3D printer with two-tier cube structure while revealing open wires and circuitry.
Caption: Researchers developed a 3D printer that can automatically identify the parameters of an unknown material on its own.
Credits:Credit: Courtesy of the researchers

Researchers developed a 3D printer that can automatically determine the printing parameters of an unknown material. This could help engineers use emerging renewable or recycled materials that have fluctuating properties, which makes them difficult to print with.

While 3D printing has exploded in popularity, many of the plastic materials these printers use to create objects cannot be easily recycled. While new sustainable materials are emerging for use in 3D printing, they remain difficult to adopt because 3D printer settings need to be adjusted for each material, a process generally done by hand.

To print a new ma...

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