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April 28, 2016

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Scientists Have Finally Solved The Mystery of 'Bright Nights'

The 'bright nights' phenomenon – where the nighttime sky is inexplicably bright enough to read a book by, even without moonlight – has been puzzling scientists for centuries, but we might just have a solution to the mystery. A new study suggests the effect is created as slow-moving, high-altitude atmospheric waves merge together and amplify the light from naturally occurring airglow , gas atoms that aren't usually visible. Two researchers from York University in Canada matched data collected on spikes in airglow light with records of atmospheric waves , and found there was a link. Don't panic if you've got no idea what we're talking about though – bright nights have always been rare occurrences, and are hardly ever seen today due to the effects of light pollution on the night sky. One of the earliest mentions of the phenomenon was by Pliny the Elder in the first century, and other occurrences have been noticed in scientific papers and newspap

Coffee consumption linked to a decrease in DNA breakage

Keep doing what you're doing, coffee drinkers. If you’re a regular coffee drinker, you could be ensuring the integrity of your DNA, according to the results of a new German study. The research found that those who drank three cups of a dark roast coffee blend per day experienced 27 percent fewer DNA strand breaks in their white blood cells than those who drank water instead. Previous research has shown that coffee consumption can decrease the instances of oxidation damage in our white blood cells. This damage is caused by an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species called ‘free radicals’ - atoms, molecules, or ions that end up with one or more unpaired electrons, which makes them highly reactive with other cellular structures - and the cell’s ability to counteract their harmful effects. If left unregulated, free radicals can damage all of the components of a cell, including its proteins, lipids, and DNA. When our DNA is damaged, the body isn’t alwa

Scientists Have a Crazy Plan to Cool the Computers of the Future With Jumping Water Droplets

Scientists have developed a novel new water droplet system that could help keep our electronics cool and running at top speeds. Even better, it organically targets hot areas. Inspired by the super-hydrophobic wings of cicada insects, which naturally repel water, the tiny water cooling technique has the potential to be smarter and more versatile than the systems we have in our electronics today. Computer chips don't like getting hot – which is why your laptop has fans – and the team from Duke University says its miniature vapour chambers can improve the performance of everything from smartphones to electric cars. "A better cooling system will enable faster computers, longer-lasting electronics and more powerful electric vehicles," says one of the researchers, Chuan-Hua Chen. That's because when electronics aren't properly cooled, they slow down, become less reliable and crash more often. The new system takes advantage of the way water droplets nat

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