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In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have unraveled an anti-gravity mystery that seemingly defied the norms of classical physics, potentially paving the way for revolutionary advancements in magnetic levitation technology. The breakthrough centers on a unique form of magnetic levitation, first demonstrated in 2021 by Turkish scientist Hamdi Ucar, an electronics engineer from Göksal Aeronautics in Turkey. Typically, the setup becomes unstable when you try to balance two repelling magnets to counter gravity. However, in a study featured in the journal Symmetry, Ucar revealed that when positioned close to another swiftly rotating magnet, a magnet can both spin and levitate in...

Tissue engineering has seen a surge of interest in recent years. Traditionally, it involves seeding cells onto biocompatible “scaffolds”, which biodegrade once tissues have assembled themselves into 3D organs. However, more flexible, scaffold-free approaches are also emerging, which enable cells to assemble themselves without the need for structural biomaterials. To do this, researchers use techniques including removable supports, and guiding forces from acoustic and electrostatic fields. One particularly promising approach involves magnetic levitation, through which strong field gradients can precisely guide tissue cells into place. To achieve strong enough gradients, however, cells must be suspended within a paramagnetic medium containing...

PALMDALE - Despite declining support from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and a questionable financial future, plans for a high-speed rail line connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco are continuing. Area residents may have their say on issues they would like to see studied in the environmental impact report for the rail line between Los Angeles and Palmdale during a public scoping meeting on the project Thursday. Twin meetings will run from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Palmdale City Council Chambers, 38300 Sierra Highway, in the Palmdale Civic Center. Studies on the Los Angeles-to-Palmdale...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to scrap a statewide vote on a $10 billion bond measure for a planned high-speed rail system that would connect San Francisco and Los Angeles. The vote is scheduled for 2008, but Schwarzenegger's ambitious plans to rebuild the state's infrastructure will basically max out its bonding capacity. "When we were putting together the governor's Strategic Growth Plan, it became clear that setting aside enough bonding authority for the high-speed rail project would crowd out the ability to issue bonds for every other purpose," said H.D. Palmer, a state Department of Finance spokesman. "While high-speed rail could...

At Least 25 Die In German Train Crash LATHEN, Germany, Sept. 22, 2006 (AP) A high-tech train traveling at 125 mph crashed in northwestern Germany on Friday, killing at least 25 people in the first fatal wreck involving the magnetic levitation system. The train, which runs primarily as a demonstration by its manufacturer, was carrying at least 29 people when it struck a maintenance vehicle carrying two workers on the elevated track. Mangled wreckage hung from the 13-foot-high track, with seats and other debris strewn below. Police spokesman Martin Ratermann said the death toll rose to 25 after more searching...

FRANKFURT - China is not going to build a train line between Beijing and Shanghai for the Transrapid magnetic levitation train, developed by a consortium of German industrial groups ThyssenKrupp and Siemens, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported on Friday. A management board member of Siemens’ transportation systems unit, Hans-Dieter Bott, told the German daily: "We have clear signals that the decision will be taken in favour of the traditional train technology". The paper said that Chinese authorities were leaning instead towards the high-speed, Japanese-developed Shinkansen train for the 1,300km line. Only last week the central German state of North Rhine-Westphalia...