Scientists use lasers to imitate an exploding star here on Earth

It could be centuries (if ever) before humans can observe the behavior of a supernova first-hand, but scientists at the University of Oxford may have delivered the next best thing. They've recently simulated an exploding star by zapping an extremely thin carbon rod with a powerful laser; the resulting extra-hot blast (1.8 million degrees Fahrenheit) ripped through a chamber much like the real thing, as you can see pictured here. To add an extra dose of realism, the team added a plastic grid that replicated interference from dust and gases.

The ensuing swirls supported theories behind not just the behavior of supernovas, but the universe at large; turbulence in the test chamber amplified magnetic fields, suggesting that the earliest magnetism was created through similar chaos. Whether or not there's an opportunity to prove this in the future, it's clear that researchers are at least on the right track.

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Scientists find a way to create the matter of light

Scientists have long theorized, need to think about a material of light that create collision of photons, but proves that the theory the right of particles, also try a different story was you. However, it seems that this impossible dream is even close to reality. Researchers at Imperial College London, a technology have discovered that should produce electrons and positrons by collision of two series of high-energy photons. To create the first part of the photons, you need to first jump electrons with a laser and then shoot them with a piece of gold; They produce the other parts by pulling a laser in a small box, or produces a field of the heat radiation. When you collide two sources of photons in the penalty area, see electrons and positrons spread outside.

Although it seems like it could be more complex, it is easier than you think. The photon-photon Collider would equipment that already exists, and the team is in discussions with others who can easily experience. That is at best still distant, a Replicator from Star Trek-like - this collision will create atoms, and even fewer solid objects. Even if the research is not finally fulfill our fantasies of science fiction, could however still astrophysicist for by newly created the conditions of the first 100 seconds after the big bang.

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Scientists are trying to help taxis beat Uber at its own game

Taxi companies aren't pleased with Uber and Lyft, but they could be making way better use of ride-sharing technology themselves, according to researchers. A study by MIT and Fujitsu examined why cabs are usually underutilized, but never available during surge periods when you need them. To combat that, they developed on-demand tech that automatically assigns vehicles three possible operating states: taxi, ride-sharing and fixed-route modes. Customers could choose one of those when they order a ride, and immediately receive the boarding times and fares, which would vary by mode. That could save passengers a lot of money, and a test on Tokyo roads resulted in operators making 80 percent more profits too. Fujitsu's goal is to see it operating in Tokyo by 2016, but it might take some convincing to get it adopted more widely. Still, why not beat the upstarts at their own game?

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Source: Fujitsu

Tags: Fujitsu, MIT, on-demand, ride-sharing, taxis Next: ISPs will send warning letters to illegal downloaders from next year .fyre .fyre-comment-divider

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Scientists can trace your ancestors to within 30 miles using DNA

You might know where your forebears lived a few generations prior, but how about the exact village they came from -- 1,000 years ago? Thanks to DNA sequencing, it's now possible to find that out in many cases according to researchers from the University of Sheffield in the UK. The aptly-named GPS or Geographic Population Structure tool was modeled using more than 100,000 DNA signatures called AIMs (ancestry-informative markers). Since those are often typical to geographic regions, the researchers were able to pinpoint where subjects came from, even if they moved around later (see the video below). During a Sardinian study, for instance, a quarter of the test subject were located to their exact villages and the remainder to within 31 miles. You can even try it for yourself by getting a simple DNA test from 23andme or ancestry.com (for $100-200), then uploading the results to the GPS tool.

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Via: Gizmag

Source: The University of Sheffield, Nature, Prosapia Genetics

More Coverage: Discover Magazine

Tags: biology, dna, research, science, UniversityOfSheffield, video Next: If you want to make an Android phone with Google, here are some of the rules .fyre .fyre-comment-divider

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Scientists reverse aging in mice by giving them young blood

Plots from The Simpsons are rarely prophetic, but it appears as if, just as it did for Mr. Burns, the blood of the young could help to stave off the signs of aging. Competing teams at Harvard, Cambridge and the University of California have found that pumping the blood of juvenile mice into elderly rodents saw the latter suddenly able to run much faster, had more blood vessels in the brain and had much clearer thinking. Harvard researchers subsequently isolated a protein called GDF11, which helped both the operation of hearts and brains. Given the limits of the study, the teams are cautious about what this could mean for human biology, and there's plenty of trials still to be done, but maybe it'd be wise to start being nice to any juvenile relatives you've got -- you never know when you might be asking them for a transfusion.

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Via: Boston Globe, The Today Programme (Audioboo)

Source: Harvard, Science

Tags: Aging, Blood, Cambridge, GDF11, Harvard, Transfusion, Youth Next: HTC One Mini 2 leak reveals no depth-sensing camera .fyre .fyre-comment-divider

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