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Fans of space sagas Star Wars and Star Trek will be very familiar with "tractor beams," the projected force-fields utilised by spaceports, planetary bases, space stations, and star-ships to lock onto crafts and guide them to a safe designated landing site.
New research conducted at Dundee University in Scotland has now used ultrasound energy to create a "tractor beam" with properties similar to its science-fictional equivalent.

During the study, which was published in the journal APS Physics, scientists managed to remotely pull a hollow triangular object towards the energy source, push it away and also rotate it.
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When most people think of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, pictures of pest-hardy soya beans spring to mind, yet the true implications of this term are not widely considered.

Though the consumption of GMOs is a subject for debate in itself, there are other, less obvious areas in which other forms of genetic engineering could have – and are having –  dramatic effects on our daily lives. In truth, under the umbrella of the term "genetic engineering," scientists have been given almost free rein to pursue a host of wild and weird endeavors that have resulted in some extremely questionable results.

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In this age of performance augmentation, rumors of cognitive enhancement therapies abound. Loosely defined, certain types of cognitive enhancers are available to us all without needing to visit the doctor or a drug-dealer; the vast majority of the world’s inhabitants kick-start their day (and their brain!) with a cup of tea or coffee, utilising the caffeine content of favorite beverages to chemically augment their neurological systems and give them a temporary high that propels them through the initial shock of a brand new day.
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The sound of running water has long been associated with positive health benefits, and the appealing sound of a babbling brook can be found on many recordings intended to aid relaxation and induce sleep. No countryside picnic is complete without the sweet singing of a shallow stream somewhere nearby, and water features that emulate the delicate rippling of water rivulets over rocks are popular additions to gardens all over the world.

Unfortunately new research suggests that the bubbles coming from freshwater sources may be a key and currently unaccounted for source of methane, the second-largest greenhouse gas contributor to human-driven global climate change.
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