ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Monday, August 9, 2010
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Spin ice used to examine exotic properties of magnetic systems (August 9, 2010) -- Spin ice can be used to examine exotic properties of magnetic systems. Surprising observations have been made by physicists using magnetic islands only micrometers in size that are placed on a periodic lattice with honeycomb symmetry. When a magnetic field is applied, the system selects an unexpectedly ordered state, hazarding the consequences of having the like poles of the magnets (all south or all north) close together which is energetically unfavorable. ... > full story
Scientists post lower speed limit for cell-signaling protein assembly (August 9, 2010) -- The apparently random self-assembly of molecular threads into the proteins that make the body work is far less frantic than previously thought, scientists say. That discovery could be a key to help unlock the nature of some diseases. How proteins spontaneously "fold" from wiggling chains of amino acids into a wide variety of functional -- or malfunctioning -- 3-D molecules is one of the biggest mysteries in biochemistry. ... > full story
Rushing too fast to online learning? Outcomes of Internet versus face-to-face instruction (August 8, 2010) -- A new study suggests simply putting traditional classes online may have negative consequences, especially for lower-performing and minority students. ... > full story
NASA's great observatories witness a galactic spectacle (August 8, 2010) -- A new image of two tangled galaxies has been released by NASA's Great Observatories. The Antennae galaxies, located about 62 million light-years from Earth, are shown in a new composite image from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Spitzer Space Telescope. The Antennae galaxies take their name from the long, antenna-like arms seen in wide-angle views of the system. These features were produced in the collision. ... > full story
Mimicking the moon's surface in the basement (August 7, 2010) -- A team of scientists used an ion beam in a basement room at Los Alamos National Laboratory to simulate solar winds on the surface of the moon. The table-top simulation helped confirm that the moon is inherently dry. ... > full story
Timely technology sees tiny transitions (August 7, 2010) -- Scientists can detect the movements of single molecules by using fluorescent tags or by pulling them in delicate force measurements, but only for a few minutes. A new technique will allow them to track single molecules without modifying them -- and it works over longer timescales. ... > full story
Nuclear physicists study 'magic' nature of tin (August 7, 2010) -- The metal tin lacks the value and prestige of gold, silver and platinum, but to nuclear physicists, tin is magic. Physicists recently reported studies on the metal tin that add knowledge to a concept known as magic numbers while perhaps helping scientists to explain how heavy elements are made in exploding stars. ... > full story
Selenium makes more efficient solar cells (August 6, 2010) -- By embedding the element selenium in zinc oxide, researchers have made a relatively inexpensive material that could be promising for solar power conversion by making more efficient use of the sun's energy. ... > full story
Reading zip codes of 3,500-year-old letters: Non-destructive X-ray scanning of archaeological finds (August 6, 2010) -- A researcher in Israel uses a hand-held device based on x-ray fluorescence, a device that can be found in many chemistry labs, to non-destructively ascertain the chemical composition of ancient tablets. Using an index that he's developed, he can determine the geographical origin of coins, ancient plasters, glass and tablets to investigate the secrets of ancient history. ... > full story
Robot climbs walls (August 6, 2010) -- Wielding two claws, a motor and a tail that swings like a grandfather clock's pendulum, a small robot named ROCR ("rocker") scrambles up a carpeted, 8-foot wall in just over 15 seconds -- the first such robot designed to climb efficiently and move like human rock climbers or apes swinging through trees. ... > full story
'Asynchronous telepsychiatry' found effective for assessing patients' mental health (August 6, 2010) -- A new study has found that psychiatrists can accurately assess a patient's mental health by viewing videotaped interviews that are sent to them for consultation and treatment recommendations. ... > full story
Artificial bee eye gives insight into insects’ visual world (August 6, 2010) -- Despite their tiny brains, bees have remarkable navigation capabilities based on their vision. Now scientists have recreated a light-weight imaging system mimicking a honeybee's field of view, which could change the way we build mobile robots and small flying vehicles. ... > full story
Nanofluidic 'multi-tool' separates and sizes nanoparticles (August 6, 2010) -- Researchers have engineered a nanoscale fluidic device that functions as a miniature "multi-tool" for working with nanoparticles-objects whose dimensions are measured in nanometers, or billionths of a meter. ... > full story
Quantum networks advance with entanglement of photons, solid-state qubits (August 5, 2010) -- A team of physicists has achieved the first-ever quantum entanglement of photons and solid-state materials. The work marks a key advance toward practical quantum networks, as the first experimental demonstration of a means by which solid-state quantum bits, or "qubits," can communicate with one another over long distances. ... > full story
Computer scientists build 'pedestrian remover' (August 5, 2010) -- Imagine encountering leashed dogs without dog walkers, or shoes filled just with ankles -- when scoping out potential apartments using Google Street View. These are the sorts of visual hiccups that an experimental computer vision system occasionally generates when it automatically removes individual pedestrians from images that populate Google Street View. ... > full story
Unprecedented look at oxide interfaces reveals unexpected structures on atomic scale (August 5, 2010) -- Thin layers of oxide materials and their interfaces have been observed in atomic resolution during growth for the first time by researchers, providing new insight into the complicated link between their structure and properties. ... > full story
Physicists use offshoot of string theory to describe puzzling behavior of superconductors (August 5, 2010) -- Physicists have now used the connection between quantum and gravitational mechanics, known as gauge/gravity duality to describe a specific physical phenomenon -- the behavior of a type of high-temperature superconductor, or a material that conducts electricity with no resistance. ... > full story
Seeing a stellar explosion in 3D (August 5, 2010) -- Astronomers using ESO's Very Large Telescope have for the first time obtained a three-dimensional view of the distribution of the innermost material expelled by a recently exploded star. The original blast was not only powerful, according to the new results. It was also more concentrated in one particular direction. This is a strong indication that the supernova must have been very turbulent, supporting the most recent computer models. ... > full story
Invisibility cloak advance: New findings promising for 'transformation optics' (August 5, 2010) -- Researchers have overcome a fundamental obstacle in using new "metamaterials" for radical advances in optical technologies, including ultra-powerful microscopes and computers and a possible invisibility cloak. ... > full story
Taking the twinkle out of the night sky: Breakthrough in adaptive optics (August 5, 2010) -- A team of astronomers has developed a technique that allows them to switch off star twinkling over a wide field of view, enabling Earth-based telescopes to obtain images as crisp as those taken with the Hubble Space Telescope -- and much more quickly. ... > full story
Fast forensic test can match suspects' DNA with crime samples in four hours (August 5, 2010) -- A newly developed test could make checking DNA from people arrested for crimes with DNA samples from crime scenes stored in forensic databases almost as easy as matching fingerprints. With the test, police could check on whether a person's DNA matches that found at past crime scenes while suspects are still being processed and before a decision on whether to release them on bail. ... > full story
Gaming for a cure: Computer gamers tackle protein folding (August 5, 2010) -- Computer scientists and biochemists two years ago launched an ambitious project harnessing the brainpower of computer gamers to solve medical problems. Results now show more than 55,000 players have played protein-folding Tetris, and beat the world's most powerful computers on problems that required radical moves, risks and long-term vision. ... > full story
For the first time ever, scientists watch an atom's electrons moving in real time (August 5, 2010) -- Scientists have used pulses of laser light measuring mere quintillionths of a second long to probe the motion of an atom's outermost electrons in real time. Their methods promises a broad new way to examine how atoms in physical, biological, and chemical systems bond with other atoms to form molecules or crystal structures, and how these bonds break and reform during chemical reactions. ... > full story
Discovery of Saturn’s auroral heartbeat (August 4, 2010) -- Scientists have discovered that Saturn's aurora, an ethereal ultraviolet glow which illuminates Saturn's upper atmosphere near the poles, pulses roughly once per Saturnian day. ... > full story
Cells use water in nano-rotors to power energy conversion (August 4, 2010) -- Researchers have provided the first atomic-level glimpse of the proton-driven motor from a major group of ATP synthases, enzymes that are central to cellular energy conversion. ... > full story
Thought-controlled prosthetic limb system to be tested on human subjects (August 4, 2010) -- Researchers will soon be testing the Modular Prosthetic Limb (MPL) system on human subjects, using a brain-controlled interface. Scientists and engineers developed the underlying technology under an ambitious four-year U.S. government-funded effort to create a prosthetic arm that would by far eclipse the World War II era hook-and-cable device used by most amputees. The program has already produced two complex prototypes, each advancing the art of upper-arm prosthetics. ... > full story
Green laser pointer hazard: High infrared power levels found in some green lasers (August 4, 2010) -- Green laser pointers have become a popular consumer item, delivering light that's brighter to the eye than red lasers, but stories have circulated on the Web about the potential hazards of inexpensive models. Now, scientists have found that in some cases green laser pointers emit high levels of invisible and potentially dangerous infrared light. ... > full story
Physicists develop model that pushes limits of quantum theory, relativity (August 4, 2010) -- Physicists recently developed a new theoretical model to explain how the Pauli exclusion principle can be violated and how, under certain rare conditions, more than one electron can simultaneously occupy the same quantum state. Their model may help explain how matter behaves at the edges of black holes and contribute to the ongoing scientific quest for a unified theory of quantum gravity. ... > full story
Fluorescent probe for oral cancer (August 4, 2010) -- The probe stimulates molecules in the patient's tissues with a laser. Some of these molecules naturally respond by re-emitting fluorescent light. The device rapidly detects and analyzes this light using a process called "time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy." By using sensitive measurements of the change in fluorescence over time, surgeons can see the tumor margins even as they are cutting the tissue. ... > full story
Americans take more risks when they drive the nation's rural highways, new study says (August 4, 2010) -- While Americans are much more likely to die on rural highways than urban freeways, a new survey found that they feel much more relaxed and prone to risk-taking on rural highways. ... > full story
Dark matter may be lurking at heart of the sun (August 4, 2010) -- A scientist in the UK believes dark matter is lurking at the center of the sun and cooling down its core temperature. ... > full story
New diagnostic chip able to generate single-cell molecular 'fingerprints' for brain tumors (August 4, 2010) -- Given the clinical need for improved in vitro molecular diagnostic technologies for brain tumor biopsies, the research team combined the advantages of microfluidics and microscopy-based cell imaging to develop the microfluidic image cytometry platform. The new platform provides multiparameter, single-cell signaling measurements (fingerprints) of brain tumor samples. The ability to measure these molecular fingerprints on small samples marks a new advance in molecular diagnostics that will enable predictive and personalized medicine. ... > full story
Nemesis for oil spills: Bacterial technology may help clean up Gulf (August 4, 2010) -- Researchers in Israel are using naturally occurring oil-munching bacteria, grown in the lab, to clean the hard-to-reach oil pockets that occur when oil mixes with sand and organic matter on beaches and forms a thin layer on the waterways. ... > full story
Generating energy from ocean waters off Hawaii (August 4, 2010) -- Researchers in Hawaii say that the Leeward side of Hawaiian Islands may be ideal for future ocean-based renewable energy plants based on a technology referred to as Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion. ... > full story
Latest findings in CT radiation dose reduction efforts (August 4, 2010) -- In recent years, advances in CT scanner technology have made perfusion computed tomography imaging an important diagnostic tool for patients with suspected stroke. Now, researchers are working to reduce radiation dosages used to acquire perfusion and other CT images. ... > full story
New inexpensive solar cell design (August 4, 2010) -- One of the most promising technologies for making inexpensive but reasonably efficient photovoltaic cells just got much cheaper. Scientists in Canada have shown that inexpensive nickel can work just as well as gold for one of the critical electrical contacts that gather the electrical current produced by colloidal quantum dot solar cells. ... > full story
NASA's hibernating Mars rover may not call home (August 4, 2010) -- NASA mission controllers have not heard from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit since March 22, and the rover is facing its toughest challenge yet -- trying to survive the harsh Martian winter. ... > full story
Molecules delivering drugs as they walk (August 4, 2010) -- A new paper provides a theoretical model that compares the transport characteristics of straight- and branched-chain polymers in various channels -- work that could aid in the development of carrier molecules for delivering drugs at a controlled rate in the body. ... > full story
'Virtual mates' reveal role of romance in parrot calls (August 4, 2010) -- Parrots are famed for their ability to mimic sounds and now researchers have used "virtual mates" to discover if female parrots judge male contact calls when deciding on a mate. The research challenges traditional understandings of the difference between birds "songs" and "calls." ... > full story
High resolution stereo color imager selected for Mars mission (August 4, 2010) -- University of Arizona's High Resolution Stereo Color Imager was selected as one of five instruments for the first joint mission to Mars by NASA and the European Space Agency. HiSCI is designed to uncover interactions between the Red Planet's surface and atmosphere. ... > full story
New tagging technique enhances view of living cells (August 4, 2010) -- A research team has developed a new technique to tag and image proteins within living mammalian cells, providing the clearest, most dynamic microscopic protein-protein interaction in cells ever viewed. ... > full story
Discovering life-bearing planets: Scientists take a step closer (August 3, 2010) -- The discovery of new life-bearing planets is a step closer as the result of a new space mission. Known as PLATO (Planetary Transits and Oscillations of Stars), the mission is designed to seek out planets far beyond earth’s solar system, orbiting stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. ... > full story
Pilot safety protocol could help dentists reduce errors (August 3, 2010) -- Pilots and dentists have more in common than one might think: Both jobs are highly technical and require teamwork. Both are subject to human error where small, individual mistakes may lead to catastrophe if not addressed early. ... > full story
Iron oxide nanoparticles becoming tools for brain tumor imaging and treatment (August 3, 2010) -- Tiny particles of iron oxide could become tools for simultaneous tumor imaging and treatment, because of their magnetic properties and toxic effects against brain cancer cells. In mice, researchers have demonstrated how these particles can deliver antibodies to implanted brain tumors, while enhancing tumor visibility via magnetic resonance imaging. ... > full story
Behind the secrets of silk lie high-tech opportunities (August 3, 2010) -- Tougher than a bullet-proof vest yet synonymous with beauty and luxury, silks spun by worms and spiders are a masterpiece of nature whose properties have yet to be fully replicated in the laboratory. But scientists have begun to unravel the secrets of silk. Biomedical engineers report that silk-based materials have been transformed from commodity textile to a growing web of high tech applications. ... > full story
Silicon can be made to melt in reverse (August 3, 2010) -- Like an ice cube on a warm day, most materials melt -- that is, change from a solid to a liquid state -- as they get warmer. But a few oddball materials do the reverse: They melt as they get cooler. Now a team of researchers has found that silicon, the most widely used material for computer chips and solar cells, can exhibit this strange property of "retrograde melting" when it contains high concentrations of certain metals dissolved in it. ... > full story
Pathological Internet use among teens may lead to depression (August 3, 2010) -- Teens who use the Internet pathologically appear more likely to develop depression than those who do not, according to a new report. ... > full story
Aurora alert: The Sun is waking up (August 3, 2010) -- Sky viewers might get to enjoy some spectacular Northern Lights, or aurorae. After a long slumber, the Sun is waking up. Early Sunday morning, the Sun's surface erupted and blasted tons of plasma (ionized atoms) into interplanetary space. That plasma is headed our way, and when it arrives, it could create a spectacular light show. ... > full story
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