ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Thursday, August 12, 2010
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Texas petrochemical emissions down, but still underestimated, says study (August 12, 2010) -- A thick blanket of yellow haze hovering over Houston as a result of chemical pollution from petroleum products may be getting a little bit thinner, according to a new study. But the new findings -- which have implications for petrochemical-producing cities around the world -- come with a catch, says a team of scientists who participated in the research. ... > full story
Breakthrough in blinking molecules phenomenon (August 12, 2010) -- A new paper offers an important new understanding of an enduring mystery in chemical physics. More than a century ago, at the dawn of modern quantum mechanics, the Noble Prize-winning physicist Neils Bohr predicted so-called "quantum jumps." He predicted that these jumps would be due to electrons making transitions between discrete energy levels of individual atoms and molecules. Although controversial in Bohr's time, such quantum jumps were experimentally observed, and his prediction verified, in the 1980s. More recently, with the development of single molecule imaging techniques in the early 1990s, it has been possible to observe similar jumps in individual molecules. ... > full story
Micromachines for a safer world (August 12, 2010) -- Scientists are improving the sensitivity of MEMS accelerometers by using an efficient yet simple and manufacturable design, which can be applied in sport, communication, transportation and defense. Amplification techniques developed at his lab can be used for improving the performance of these devices. ... > full story
Dark-matter search plunges physicists to new depths (August 11, 2010) -- Physicists are taking their attempt to unmask the secret identity of dark matter into a Canadian mine more than a mile underground. They are deploying a 4-kilogram bubble chamber at SNOLab, which is part of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory in Ontario, Canada. A second 60-kilogram chamber will follow later this year. ... > full story
Perseid meteor shower set to dazzle (August 11, 2010) -- This year’s Perseid meteor shower looks set to be one of the best of recent years, with near perfect viewing conditions for observers in the UK. The peak of the shower will be at around 2300 BST on Thursday 12 August but activity will be strong into the pre-dawn hours of Friday morning. This is just two days after New Moon, meaning that our celestial neighbor will not provide any natural light pollution to spoil the view. ... > full story
Electrons in motion (August 11, 2010) -- In order to understand the behavior of atoms and molecules, it is not enough to know their structure; physicists also want to observe their motions, and the motions of their electrons. Because electrons move so rapidly, this was not possible until now. A European team of researchers has now developed a method that allows one to observe the motions of electrons. ... > full story
Scientists achieve highest-resolution MRI of the inside of a magnet (August 11, 2010) -- In a development that holds potential for both data storage and biomedical imaging, researchers have used a new technique to obtain the highest-ever resolution MRI scan of the inside of a magnet. ... > full story
Best way to pour champagne? 'Down the side' wins first scientific test (August 11, 2010) -- In a study that may settle a long-standing disagreement over the best way to pour a glass of champagne, scientists in France are reporting that pouring bubbly in an angled, down-the-side way is best for preserving its taste and fizz. The study also reports the first scientific evidence confirming the importance of chilling champagne before serving to enhance its taste, the scientists say. ... > full story
Energy storage system deals with sudden draws on the grid (August 11, 2010) -- Researchers have found a way to manage short-lived draws on the electricity grid. ... > full story
Advance toward earlier detection of melanoma (August 11, 2010) -- Scientists are now able to image subcutaneous melanoma tumors with startling clarity. The new imaging technique relies on sound rather than light because sound is less strongly scattered by tissues. In addition, the tumors are preloaded with a nanoparticle contrast agent that latches onto proteins that stud the surface of the cancerous cells. ... > full story
Innovation could bring super-accurate sensors, crime forensics (August 11, 2010) -- A new technology enabling tiny machines called micro electromechanical systems to "self-calibrate" could make possible super-accurate and precise sensors for crime-scene forensics, environmental testing and medical diagnostics. ... > full story
Send in the clouds: NASA's CloudSat sees clouds' effect on climate by studying them from space (August 11, 2010) -- Gaze up at a cloud-filled sky, and you may spot the white, fluffy shape of a dragon, fish or elephant. Looking at the same sky, Graeme Stephens sees a different vision -- a possible future for Earth's climate. ... > full story
Scientists show there's nothing boring about watching paint dry (August 11, 2010) -- It turns out that watching paint dry might not be as boring as the old adage claims. Researchers have come up with a new technique to study the mechanics of coatings as they dry and peel, and has discovered that the process is far from mundane. ... > full story
Bacteria from hot springs reveal clues to evolution of early life and to unlock biofuels' potential (August 11, 2010) -- Bacteria that lives in hot springs in Japan may help solve one of the mysteries of the early evolution of complex organisms, according to a new study. It may also be the key to 21st century biofuel production. ... > full story
Students' understanding of the equal sign not equal, professor says (August 11, 2010) -- Taken very literally, not all students are created equal -- especially in their math learning skills, say researchers who have found that not fully understanding the "equal sign" in a math problem could be a key to why US students underperform their peers from other countries in math. ... > full story
Better displays ahead (August 11, 2010) -- Researchers are actively pursuing an alternative approach for low-power displays and hope to provide details about what's ahead for display technology. ... > full story
Electron transport: Study of electron orbits in multilayer graphene finds unexpected energy gaps (August 11, 2010) -- Researchers have taken one more step toward understanding the unique and often unexpected properties of graphene, a two-dimensional carbon material that has attracted interest because of its potential applications in future generations of electronic devices. ... > full story
Optical imaging technique for angioplasty (August 11, 2010) -- A new optical imaging technique holds the potential to greatly improve angioplasty, a surgery commonly performed to treat patients with a partially or completely blocked coronary artery that restricts blood flow to the heart. ... > full story
Motion-tracking technology reduces injuries for older adults (August 11, 2010) -- Motion-tracking technology provides images and detailed data that helps patients, physicians and therapists better visualize movements as patients exercise. The visual feedback allows physicians and therapists to monitor recovery and adapt treatment plans, as well as give the patient a better picture of movements that can be dangerous, reducing the chance of future injuries and re-hospitalization. ... > full story
New sensor technology to make it easier and safer for spacecraft to rendezvous and dock to International Space Station (August 11, 2010) -- It was a perfect STORRM. On Tuesday, July 20, NASA and its industry partners, Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., successfully demonstrated a new sensor technology that will make it easier and safer for spacecraft to rendezvous and dock to the International Space Station. ... > full story
WISE spacecraft warming up (August 11, 2010) -- NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, is warming up. Team members say the spacecraft is running out of the frozen coolant needed to keep its heat-sensitive instrument chilled. ... > full story
Buried silver nanoparticles improve organic transistors (August 10, 2010) -- Out of sight is not out of mind for a group of Hong Kong researchers who have demonstrated that burying a layer of silver nanoparticles improves the performance of their organic electronic devices without requiring complex processing. ... > full story
Neurochip technology developed: Advances to further brain research of diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's (August 10, 2010) -- Scientists who proved it is possible to cultivate a network of brain cells that reconnect on a silicon chip -- or the brain on a microchip -- have been involved in the development of new technology that monitors brain cell activity at a resolution never achieved before. ... > full story
World's tiniest mirror (August 10, 2010) -- Just as the path of photons of light can be directed by a mirror, atoms possessing a magnetic moment can be controlled using a magnetic mirror. New research investigates the feasibility of using magnetic domain walls to direct and ultimately trap individual atoms in a cloud of ultracold atoms. ... > full story
College undergrads study ineffectively on computers, study finds: Students transfer bad study habits from paper to screen (August 10, 2010) -- Despite the prevalence of technology on college campuses, a new study indicates that computers alone can't keep students from falling into the same old weak study habits. ... > full story
Plastic computer memory device that utilizes electron spin to read and write data: Alternative to traditional semiconductors (August 10, 2010) -- Researchers have demonstrated the first plastic computer memory device that utilizes the spin of electrons to read and write data. An alternative to traditional microelectronics, so-called "spintronics" could store more data in less space, process data faster, and consume less power. ... > full story
New strategy to fix a broken heart: Scaffold supports stem cell-derived cardiac muscle cells (August 10, 2010) -- Engineers and physicians have built a scaffold that supports the growth and integration of stem cell-derived cardiac muscle cells. The scaffold supports the growth of cardiac cells in the lab and encourages blood vessel growth in living animals. ... > full story
Cold atoms image microwave fields (August 10, 2010) -- Microwaves are an essential part of modern communication technology. Mobile phones and laptops, for example, are equipped with integrated microwave circuits for wireless communication. Sophisticated techniques for measurement and characterization of microwave fields are an essential tool for the development of such circuits. A novel technique allows for the direct and complete imaging of microwave magnetic fields with high spatial resolution. ... > full story
Brain's wiring: More like the Internet than a pyramid? (August 10, 2010) -- Neuroscientists have traced circuits in part of the rat brain and find no sign of a top-down hierarchy. The distributed network of the Internet may be a better model, they say. ... > full story
EEG predicts response to medication for schizophrenia (August 10, 2010) -- Engineering and health sciences researchers have applied machine learning to EEG patterns and successfully predicted how patients with schizophrenia would respond to clozapine therapy. ... > full story
Help from the dark side: Using 'dark channel' fluorescence, scientists can explain how biochemical substances carry out their function (August 10, 2010) -- By using X-ray absorption spectroscopy, researchers in Germany have observed the moving of electric charges from solute to solvent (electron transfer). They can even make assertions on the temporal sequence of this process. As one example, they can find out how solute biochemical substances carry out their microscopic functions in their natural environment at room temperature and normal pressure. Until recently, studying such systems by soft X-ray radiation has not been possible. ... > full story
Turning down the noise in graphene (August 9, 2010) -- Researchers have developed the first model of signal-to-noise-ratios for low frequency noises in graphene on silica. Their results show noise patterns that run just the opposite of noise patterns in other electronic materials. ... > full story
Fresh insight into the origins of Planet Earth (August 9, 2010) -- For the first time, an international team of researchers has incorporated extensive geochemical data on the formation of Earth into a model -- with surprising results: more models can be used for the process of Earth's accretion than previously assumed. ... > full story
New methods, new math speed detection of drug-resistant malaria (August 9, 2010) -- Researchers developed techniques to quickly identify evolution of drug resistance in strains of malaria. Their goal is to enable the medical community to react quickly to inevitable resistance and thereby save lives while increasing the lifespan of drugs used against the disease. ... > full story
Compact microscope a marvel: Matches performance of expensive lab gear in diagnosing TB (August 9, 2010) -- New research shows that a portable, battery-operated fluorescence microscope, which costs 0, stacks up nicely against devices that retail for as much as ,000 in diagnosing signs of tuberculosis. ... > full story
Prosthesis with information at its fingertips: Hand prosthesis that eases phantom pain (August 9, 2010) -- The pain of losing a body part is twofold, as patients not only suffer from wound pain. Often they are also affected by so called phantom pain. Unlike bodily wounds which will eventually heal, phantom pain often lasts for years and sometimes a lifetime. Now scientists in Germany have modified conventional hand prostheses in order to reduce phantom pain after an underarm amputation. ... > full story
Engineers use rocket science to make wastewater treatment sustainable (August 9, 2010) -- Engineers are developing a new sewage treatment process that would increase the production of two greenhouse gases -- nitrous oxide and methane -- and use those gases to power the treatment plant. Applying rocket technology, they hope to make the process energy neutral and emissions free. ... > full story
Robots created that develop emotions in interaction with humans (August 9, 2010) -- The first prototype robots capable of developing emotions as they interact with their human caregivers and expressing a whole range of emotions have been finalized by researchers. ... > full story
Kinked nanopores slow DNA passage for easier sequencing (August 9, 2010) -- In an innovation critical to improved DNA sequencing, a markedly slower transmission of DNA through nanopores has been achieved. ... > full story
Highly directional terahertz laser rays created: Semiconductor laser suitable for security screening, chemical sensing and astronomy (August 9, 2010) -- Scientists have demonstrated a new terahertz (THz) semiconductor laser that emits beams with a much smaller divergence than conventional THz laser sources. The advance opens the door to a wide range of applications in terahertz science and technology. Harvard has filed a broad patent on the invention. ... > full story
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
Telemedicine for maintaining health of oil rig workers (August 9, 2010) -- Without hands-on access to doctors and hospitals, oil rig workers who become sick or injured increasingly rely on telemedicine "visits" with physicians and specialists on land, a trend explored in detail in a new article. ... > full story
Africa cell phone boom beneficial -- but schools, roads, power, water remain critical needs (August 9, 2010) -- Can Africa's cell-phone boom transform the impoverished continent? An economist has seen the impact firsthand in his native Kenya. New research has found, however, that cell phones alone can't drive economic development. They require a regulatory environment that fosters cell phone use, plus critical investments in complementary physical and human capital such as roads, power, water and schooling. ... > full story
Cricket Legend Bradman Stands Test of Time (August 9, 2010) -- The late Sir Donald Bradman has had his cricketing prowess put to the test by academics. And following a highly sophisticated mathematical analysis of the batting record of Sir Donald, experts found that Bradman retains his crown as the greatest batsman in history. ... > 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
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