An experiment at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory revealed a well-organized 3-D grid of quantum "tornadoes" inside microscopic droplets of supercooled liquid helium – the first time this formation has been seen at such a tiny scale.The findings by an international research team provide new insight on the strange nanoscale traits of... Continue Reading →

Tanks and other land-based fighting vehicles are typically fitted with layers upon layers of armor for protection, but they move real slow as a result. Since more advanced weapons are being developed to punch holes through thick plating anyway, DARPA wants to find a way to develop faster, more agile fighting vehicles that don't depend... Continue Reading →

On a recent night last week, dinner for Jill Taormina and her family was Totino’s Pizza Rolls with a side of canned pears. There was no other food on the table. “I’d rather make a roast with potatoes in the Crock-Pot. My kids like to eat healthy," said Taormina, who lives with her daughters, Angela,... Continue Reading →

What would happen if we didn't have to worry about making a living anymore? Would people just sit on their asses all day or actually do something meaningful with their lives? Michael Bohmeyer, a 29-year-old founder of a tech startup in Berlin, wanted to find out.After he stopped working earlier this year to live off... Continue Reading →

Sound waves move much like light waves. They travel on a straight path but this path -- through reflection, diffraction or refraction -- can be bent. This is the basis for ultrasound medical imaging and non-destructive testing of materials. An intense search has been underway in recent years to develop techniques that can bend the... Continue Reading →

Data from U.S. government sources show a mixed picture of the racial and ethnic gaps among whites, blacks, Asians and Hispanics over the past several decades. We’ve tracked and categorized the areas where the white-black racial gap has narrowed, widened or remained roughly the same. Hispanic and Asian data is also included in years available.... Continue Reading →

The startling study, titled "Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens," is slated to appear in an upcoming issue of Perspectives on Politics and was authored by Princeton University Professor Martin Gilens and Northwestern University Professor Benjamin Page. An early draft can be found here. Noted American University Historian Allan J.... Continue Reading →

Caloric restriction:In moderation, limiting caloric intake has been shown to lower the incidence of aging-related deaths in many strains of mice and rats and in rhesus monkeys, reducing the incidence of diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and brain atrophy. Because few people would be expected to adopt a diet that cut back significantly on their diets,... Continue Reading →

"If you're watching the TV coverage of the Iraq crisis, you might feel inclined to check your calendar to see if it's really not 2003."On the show this week: Media reactions to the police shooting of Mike Brown and the protests in Ferguson. Plus a look at the pundits' reaction to Obama's Iraq bombing and... Continue Reading →