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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: light

light stories: 9 news summaries

Digital Pioneers Scoop Physics Nobel Prize

Trio's work on light paved way for Internet, digital cameras

Oct 6, 09 5:53 AM CDT
(Newser) - The Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded today to three scientists whose research into light paved the way for the digital age. Charles Kao received the prize for his work on the transmission of light through fiber-optic cables—the basis of modern communication networks. Bell Labs researchers Willard Boyle and... More »

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digital camera • digital photography • physics • light • Nobel Prize • fiber optic cables

 LA Fights Park Crime 
 With Midnight Lights 

Even gang members invited to summer nights of food, music

Jul 12, 09 1:41 PM CDT
(Newser) - Los Angeles' rundown parks used to be hotbeds of gang violence that scared away law-abiding neighbors after dark, but a new program has brought both a sense of community and a reduction in crime, the New York Times reports. The solution, which has already seen an 86% drop in homicides... More »

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gangs • Los Angeles • homicide • light • gang violence • public park

(Newser) - Tired of texting your long-distance lover to say how much you care? A Scottish research lab hopes to connect couples with something a bit more poetic: "painted" light. Users of Mutsugoto wear touch-activated rings tracked by motion-sensing cameras mounted above their beds; caress your own arm and a matching... More »

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technology • love • light • dating • romance • relationship

Fireflies May Be Succumbing to Light Pollution

Numbers plummeting around the world

Sep 1, 08 8:24 AM CDT
(Newser) - From backyards in Tennessee to river banks in Thailand, fireflies are disappearing. And the lights may be going out, said scientists who gathered last week in Thailand, because of human light pollution. Urban sprawl has caused a loss of habitat, AP reports, but it also may be that bright cities... More »

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pollution • light • insects • fireflies • lightning bugs

 Light Pollution Veils Starry Skies

Obscured night sky could be a health hazard

Jul 25, 08 2:03 AM CDT
(Newser) - Dark skies are being engulfed by light all over the world, creating some unexpected consequences, the Wall Street Journal reports. Over two-thirds of the world's people— including nearly all Americans—can no longer see "what is possibly the most extraordinary natural wonder," said one astronomer. The amount of... More »

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star • light • stargazing • urbanization • night sky • fluorescent light

 Light May
 Slow Dementia 

Brighter environs cut depression in research hailed as 'spectacular'

Jun 11, 08 11:53 AM CDT
(Newser) - Brighter daytime lighting can significantly soften dementia symptoms, according to a Dutch study that found better moods and sleep patterns correlated with brighter environs. Combined with extra doses of the hormone melatonin, lighting slowed onset of symptoms by up to 5%, which “may not sound like a huge amount,... More »

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dementia • light • melatonin • senior citizens • Alzheimer's Disease

From Night Owl to Early Bird?

Altering caffeine, light, can help mold sleep patterns

Mar 4, 08 12:05 PM CST
(Newser) - For those wide-eyed deep into the night, rising and shining with the early birds might seem like an elusive dream that comes to a jarring end each morning. But for this 5% to 30% of the population, understanding circadian rhythms can benefit their tired eyes more than chugging coffee. The... More »

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sleep • caffeine • jet lag • light • fatigue • circadian rhythms • morning person • night owl • early bird • Delayed-Sleep Phase Disorder • Advanced-Sleep Phase Disorder • internal clock

City Lights Linked
to Breast Cancer

Scientists believe lights suppress tumor-fighting hormone

Feb 20, 08 4:45 AM CST
(Newser) - Women who live in areas with a large about of night-time light face an increased risk of breast cancer, and scientists believe it may be because the light interferes with a tumor- fighting hormone, reports the Washington Post. Researchers compared satellite images at night with cancer registries and found breast... More »

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Israel • NASA • breast cancer • lung cancer • light • World Health Organization • satellite images • fluorescent light • melatonin • nocturnal darkness • trichloroethylene • vinyl chloride • polychlorinated biphenyls • University of Haifa • Itai Kloog • Abraham Haim

Planet with Water Discovered

HD 189733b holds superheated water vapor but is too hot for aliens

Jul 11, 07 3:57 PM CDT
(Newser) - Astronomers located the first planet beyond our solar system that hosts water—a giant gas ball bigger than Jupiter and named HD 189733b. Its sizzling climate, which can reach upwards of 3,600 degrees, renders it uninhabitable to any extraterrestrials, but the discovery shows that water is more common in... More »

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NASA • water • European Space Agency • planet • space • extraterrestrial life • Spitzer orbiting telescope • wobble • light • aliens • HD189733b • Vulpecula the Fox • Jupiter • discovery

9 Stories


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