ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Thursday, September 9, 2010
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Researchers hear puzzling new physics from graphene quartet's quantum harmonies (September 9, 2010) -- Using a one-of-a-kind instrument, researchers have discovered an unexpected and tantalizing set of energy levels in graphene, a one-atom-thick sheet of carbon with potentially revolutionary electronic properties, when the material is exposed to extremely low temperatures and extremely high magnetic fields. ... > full story
Computer-based video analysis boosts data gathering in behavioral studies (September 9, 2010) -- Scientists have developed a computer-based system that can learn how to identify behaviors of interest and then analyze many hours of video. ... > full story
Cloud computing method greatly increases gene analysis (September 9, 2010) -- Researchers have developed new software that greatly improves the speed at which scientists can analyze RNA sequencing data. The software, known as Myrna, uses "cloud computing," an Internet-based method of sharing computer resources. Faster, cost-effective analysis of gene expression could be a valuable tool in understanding the genetic causes of disease. ... > full story
Structure for three intrinsically disordered proteins determined (September 8, 2010) -- A research team has determined the structure for three proteins in a class known as intrinsically disordered proteins. The findings are important because they show how these proteins fold with the regulator protein phosphatase-1, which must happen for biological instructions to be passed along. ... > full story
Intelligent Battery project opens new ground in energy storage applications (September 8, 2010) -- Integrated electronics, interoperability between battery and charger, intuitive data interfaces and a clever new design concept are part of a recent 'intelligent battery' project undertaken by researchers in Europe. ... > full story
Twins are intriguing research subjects for biometircs researchers (September 8, 2010) -- Researchers are examining how iris discrimination performs in twins to confirm prior claims that biometrics is capable of differentiating between twins. ... > full story
Forcing mismatched elements together could yield better solar cells (September 8, 2010) -- In what could be a step toward higher efficiency solar cells, researchers have invalidated the most commonly used model to explain the behavior of a unique class of materials called highly mismatched alloys. ... > full story
Nano-architectured aluminum has steely strength (September 8, 2010) -- Scientists have figured out a way to make an aluminum alloy, or a mixture of aluminum and other elements, just as strong as steel. ... > full story
Scientists create new process to 'program' cancer cell death (September 8, 2010) -- Researchers have engineered a fundamentally new approach to killing cancer cells. The process uses small RNA molecules that can be programmed to attack only specific cancer cells; then, by changing shape, those molecules cause the cancer cells to self-destruct. ... > full story
Golf: Evidence of how 'loading the hips' improves golf drives (September 8, 2010) -- It’s all in the hips. New research provides concrete evidence of how loading the hips improves the power and length of a golf drive. ... > full story
Big bang was followed by chaos, mathematical analysis shows (September 8, 2010) -- Seven years ago, a physicist conjectured that the expansion of the universe at the time of the big bang was highly chaotic. Now he and a colleague have proven it using rigorous mathematical arguments. Their study reports not only that chaos is absolute but also the mathematical tools that can be used to detect it. Applied to the most accepted model for the universe's evolution, these tools demonstrate the early universe was chaotic. ... > full story
New robotic head and neck cancer surgery preserves speech, without scarring, study shows (September 8, 2010) -- An incisionless robotic surgical procedure is offering patients a new option to remove certain head and neck cancer tumors without visible scarring, while preserving speech and the ability to eat. Unlike traditional surgical approaches to head and neck cancer, TORS patients can return to their normal lives a few days after surgery without significant pain and disfigurement. ... > full story
Satellite navigation steers unmanned micro-planes (September 8, 2010) -- An unmanned aircraft system guided by satnav has been developed within ESA's Business Incubation Centre to provide rapid monitoring of land areas and disaster zones. The planes have already helped Spanish farmers in Andalusia to fight land erosion. ... > full story
Two Asteroids to Pass by Earth (September 8, 2010) -- Two asteroids, several meters in diameter and in unrelated orbits, are passing within the moon's distance of Earth on Wednesday, Sept. 8. ... > full story
Can we spot volcanoes on alien worlds? Astronomers say yes (September 7, 2010) -- Now that astronomers are finding rocky worlds orbiting distant stars, they're asking the next logical questions: do any of those worlds have volcanoes? And if so, could we detect them? Work by theorists suggests that the answer to the latter is a qualified "yes." ... > full story
Gambling on breast scans: Monte Carlo analysis could help reduce number of cancers missed by mammography (September 7, 2010) -- A mathematical tool known as a Monte Carlo analysis could help improve the way X-rays are used for mammography and reduce the number of breast cancers missed by the technique as well as avoiding false positives, according to new research. ... > full story
Colorful mix of asteroids discovered, may aid future space travel (September 7, 2010) -- New research from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope reveals that asteroids somewhat near Earth, termed near-Earth objects, are a mixed bunch, with a surprisingly wide array of compositions. ... > full story
'Slow light' on a chip holds promise for optical communications (September 7, 2010) -- A tiny optical device built into a silicon chip has achieved the slowest light propagation on a chip to date, reducing the speed of light by a factor of 1,200. ... > full story
Synthetic eye prosthesis: Plastic artificial cornea implants may offer hope for blind patients (September 7, 2010) -- Donor corneas are a rarity, but a newly developed implant made of plastic may soon offer patients the chance to see again. ... > full story
Breaking up phosphorus with ultraviolet light may offer a safer, simpler way to build many industrial and household chemicals (September 6, 2010) -- Phosphorus, a mineral element found in rocks and bone, is a critical ingredient in fertilizers, pesticides, detergents and other industrial and household chemicals. Now chemists have developed a new way to attach phosphorus to organic compounds by first splitting the phosphorus with ultraviolet light. Their method eliminates the need for chlorine, which is usually required for such reactions and poses health risks to workers handling the chemicals. ... > full story
New self-assembling photovoltaic technology repairs itself (September 6, 2010) -- Scientists have created a novel set of self-assembling molecules that can turn sunlight into electricity; the molecules can be repeatedly broken down and then reassembled quickly, just by adding or removing an additional solution. ... > full story
Listening to ancient colors: New technique may help restorers identify decades-old pigments (September 6, 2010) -- A team of chemists has discovered that a technique known as photoacoustic infrared spectroscopy could be used to identify the composition of pigments used in art work that is decades or even centuries old. Pigments give artist's materials color, and they emit sounds when light is shone on them. ... > full story
New mission to skim the Sun: NASA selects science investigations for Solar Probe Plus (September 6, 2010) -- NASA has begun development of a mission to visit and study the sun closer than ever before. The unprecedented project, named Solar Probe Plus, is slated to launch no later than 2018. The small car-sized spacecraft will plunge directly into the sun's atmosphere approximately four million miles from our star's surface. It will explore a region no other spacecraft ever has encountered. ... > full story
New pump created for microneedle drug-delivery patch (September 5, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a new type of pump for drug-delivery patches that might use arrays of "microneedles" to deliver a wider range of medications than now possible with conventional patches. ... > full story
Did Viking Mars landers find life's building blocks? Missing piece inspires new look at puzzle (September 5, 2010) -- Experiments prompted by a 2008 surprise from NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander suggest that soil examined by NASA's Viking Mars landers in 1976 may have contained carbon-based chemical building blocks of life. ... > full story
NASA and ATK successfully test five-segment solid rocket motor (September 5, 2010) -- With a loud roar and mighty column of flame, NASA and ATK Aerospace Systems successfully completed a two-minute, full-scale test of the largest and most powerful solid rocket motor designed for flight. The motor is potentially transferable to future heavy-lift launch vehicle designs. ... > full story
Magnetism's subatomic roots: Study of high-tech materials helps explain everyday phenomenon (September 4, 2010) -- Theoretical physicists have created a new model that helps define the subatomic origins of ferromagnetism -- the everyday "magnetism" of compass needles and refrigerator magnets. The model was created to explore the inner workings of ferromagnetic compounds that are related to high-temperature superconductors. ... > full story
Novel nanotechnology collaboration leads to breakthrough in cancer research (September 4, 2010) -- A multidisciplinary group of researchers has produced a 3.6-angstrom resolution structure of the human adenovirus. Scientists are working with adenovirus as a vector for gene therapy, but have needed better structural information. ... > full story
Helping corn-based plastics take more heat (September 4, 2010) -- A team of agricultural scientists are working to make corn-derived plastics more heat tolerant -- research that may broaden the range of applications for which these plastics could be used as an alternative to petroleum-based plastics. ... > full story
Next step in evolution? A technical life form that passes on knowledge and experience (September 4, 2010) -- Dutch biologist Gerard Jagers op Akkerhuis has developed the ‘operator hierarchy’ -- a system based on the complexity of particles and of organisms, which can predict the next step in evolution: a technical life form, that can pass on its knowledge and experience to the next generation. ... > full story
Many urban streams harmful to aquatic life following winter pavement deicing (September 4, 2010) -- The use of salt to deice pavement can leave urban streams toxic to aquatic life, according to a new study on the influence of winter runoff in northern US cities, with a special focus on eastern Wisconsin and Milwaukee. ... > full story
Chemists, engineers achieve world record with high-speed graphene transistors (September 3, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a new fabrication process for high-speed graphene transistors using a nanowire as the self-aligned gate. This new technique does not produce any appreciable defects in the graphene during fabrication, so the carrier mobility is retained. Also, by using a self-aligned approach with a nanowire as the gate, the group was able to overcome alignment difficulties previously encountered and fabricate short channel devices with unprecedented performance. ... > full story
Computer technique could help partially sighted 'see' better (September 3, 2010) -- Thousands of people who are partially sighted following stroke or brain injury could gain greater independence from a simple, cheap and accessible training course which could eventually be delivered from their mobile phones or hand-held games consoles, according to a new study. ... > full story
Miniature auto differential helps tiny aerial robots stay aloft (September 3, 2010) -- Engineers have created a millionth-scale automobile differential to govern the flight of minuscule aerial robots that could someday be used to probe environmental hazards, forest fires, and other places too perilous for people. Their new approach is the first to passively balance the aerodynamic forces encountered by these miniature flying devices, letting their wings flap asymmetrically in response to gusts of wind, wing damage, and other real-world impediments. ... > full story
Experiment records ultrafast chemical reaction with vibrational echoes (September 3, 2010) -- To watch a magician transform a vase of flowers into a rabbit, it's best to have a front-row seat. Likewise, for chemical transformations in solution, the best view belongs to the molecular spectators closest to the action. Those special molecules comprise the "first solvation shell," and although it has been known for decades that they can sense and dictate the fate of nearly every chemical reaction, it has been virtually impossible to watch them respond -- until now. ... > full story
Laser-based missile defense for helicopters being developed (September 3, 2010) -- Protecting helicopters in combat from heat-seeking missiles is the goal of new laser technology. ... > full story
Chemists develop simple technique to visualize atomic-scale structures (September 3, 2010) -- Researchers have devised a new technique -- using a sheet of carbon just one atom thick -- to visualize the structure of molecules. The technique, which was used to obtain the first direct images of how water coats surfaces at room temperature, can also be used to image a potentially unlimited number of other molecules, including antibodies and other biomolecules. ... > full story
Scientists listen to faint sounds inside insects using atomic force microscopy (September 3, 2010) -- Scientists are using atomic force microscopy to record sounds emanating from inside living insects like flies, mosquitoes and ladybugs. ... > full story
Researchers discover proton diode: Water is an active element in proteins (September 3, 2010) -- Biophysicists in Germany have discovered a diode for protons: just like the electronic component determines the direction of flow of electric current, the “proton diode” ensures that protons can only pass through a cell membrane in one direction. Water molecules play an important role here as active components of the diode. The researchers were able to observe this through a combination of molecular biology, X-ray crystallography, time-resolved FTIR spectroscopy and biomolecular simulations. ... > full story
Molecules involved in 'touch' identified: Could lead to new treatments for pain, deafness and cardiac function (September 3, 2010) -- Scientists have identified two proteins with potential to be important targets for research into a wide range of health problems, including pain, deafness, and cardiac and kidney dysfunction. ... > full story
The perfect nanocube: Precise control of size, shape and composition (September 3, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a simple process for producing near-perfect nanocrystals that will enable studies of physical and chemical properties that affect how nanoparticles interact with the world around them. ... > full story
Model for implantable artificial kidney to replace dialysis unveiled (September 3, 2010) -- Researchers have unveiled a prototype model of the first implantable artificial kidney, in a development that one day could eliminate the need for dialysis. ... > full story
Edible nanostructures: Compounds made from renewable materials could be used for gas storage, food technologies (September 3, 2010) -- Sugar, salt, alcohol and a little serendipity led researchers to discover a new class of nanostructures that could be used for gas storage and food and medical technologies. And the compounds are edible. The porous crystals are the first known all-natural metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that are simple to make. Most other MOFs are made from petroleum-based ingredients, but the new MOFs you can pop into your mouth and eat, and the researchers have. ... > full story
Strain-gating piezotronics: New class of piezoelectric logic devices created using zinc oxide nanowires (September 2, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a new class of electronic logic device in which current is switched by an electric field generated by the application of mechanical strain to zinc oxide nanowires. ... > full story
Microsoft Excel-based algorithm predicts cancer prognosis (September 2, 2010) -- Using readily available computer programs, researchers have developed a system to identify genes that will be useful in the classification of breast cancer. The algorithm will enable researchers to quickly generate valuable gene signatures without specialized software or extensive bioinformatics training. ... > full story
New app shows 2-D structure of thousands of RNA molecules (September 2, 2010) -- For the first time, it's possible to experimentally capture a global snapshot of the conformation of thousands of RNA molecules in a cell. The finding is important because this scrappy little sister of DNA has recently been shown to be much more complex than previously thought. ... > full story
Hubble observations of supernova reveal composition of 'star guts' pouring out (September 2, 2010) -- Observations made with NASA's newly refurbished Hubble Space Telescope of a nearby supernova are allowing astronomers to measure the velocity and composition of "star guts" being ejected into space following the explosion, according to a new study. ... > full story
Computer scientists leverage dark silicon to improve smartphone battery life (September 2, 2010) -- A new smartphone chip prototype under development will improve smartphone efficiency by making use of "dark silicon" -- the underused transistors in modern microprocessors. ... > full story
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