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Electric image of single molecule
Researchers have shown off the first images of the “charge distribution” in a single molecule, showing an intricate dance of electrons at tiny scales.
Charges on single atoms have been measured before, but capturing the dance within a complex molecule is significantly more difficult.
The pioneering measurement could shed light on a range of “charge-transfer” processes that...
China calls on EU to drop Airline ETS
China on Thursday called on the European Union to drop its plan to levy fees on airline carbon emissions, a scheme that has drawn the ire of several countries, including the United States and India.
“Implementing this system will not only distort competition, distort the airline industry’s development and create a financial burden for travelers, it will also damage the trust that is the...
Wave and tidal power need support, say MPs
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Schemes such as the Skerries Tidal Stream Array off Anglesey give the UK “a global lead”
La...
Volcanoes may give a 100-year warning
Do volcanoes act as their very own early warning system?
A BLAST from the past has left tantalising hints that volcanic eruptions could be predicted decades in advance.
Volcanoes can signal their intent to erupt days or months ahead of time, giving authorities a chance to evacuate the area. Now evidence of the events leading up to a Bronze Age eruption suggests it might be possible to extend that warning...
New “Super Earth” found
An artist's depiction of GJ 667Cc orbiting a red dwarf, with its binary companion stars in the distance.
A new planet, probably a rocky super-Earth has been found squarely within its star’s habitable zone, making it one of the best candidates yet to support life, its discoverers say.
The planet, dubbed GJ 667Cc, orbits a red dwarf star 22 light-years from Earth, in the constellation Scorpio....
Elephants took 24m generations to evolve
Large mammals such as the black rhino take longer to evolve than do small mammals.
Some mammals need roughly 24 million generations to go from mouse-size to elephant-size, a new study says.
Using both fossil and living specimens, scientists calculated growth rates for 28 different mammalian groups during the past 65 million years—and found that, for mammals, getting big takes longer than shrinking.
It...
Largest optical telescope created
The Paranal Observatory is located 2,635m above sea level
Astronomers have created the world’s largest virtual optical telescope, linking four telescopes in Chile so that they operate as a single device.
The telescopes of the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory form a virtual mirror of 130m (424ft) in diameter.
A previous attempt to link the telescopes last March failed.
Thursday’s...
Malaria toll ‘is twice as high’
Worldwide malaria deaths may be almost twice as high as previously estimated, a study reports.
The research, published in the British medical journal the Lancet, suggests 1.24 million people died from the mosquito-borne disease in 2010.
This compares to a World Health Organisation (WHO) estimate for 2010 of 655,000 deaths.
But both the new study and the WHO indicate global death rates are now falling.
The...
‘Microplastic’ threat to shores
Concentrations of microplastic were greatest near coastal urban areas, the study showed
Microscopic plastic debris from washing clothes is accumulating in the marine environment and could be entering the food chain, a study has warned.
Researchers traced the “microplastic” back to synthetic clothes, which released up to 1,900 tiny fibres per garment every time they were washed.
Earlier...
