ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Wednesday, September 15, 2010
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Bone-anchored leg prostheses improve quality of life, Swedish study finds (September 15, 2010) -- A new study from Sweden shows the results of treatment using prostheses attached to titanium implants in the bones of patients with above-the-knee amputations. It reveals that the treatment improves function and quality of life in nine out of ten patients. ... > full story
ARTEMIS: First Earth-Moon libration orbiter (September 15, 2010) -- In August 1960, NASA launched its first communications satellite, Echo 1. Fifty years later, NASA has achieved another first by placing the ARTEMIS-P1 spacecraft into a unique orbit behind the moon, but not actually orbiting the moon itself. This type of orbit, called an Earth-Moon libration orbit, relies on a precise balancing of the Sun, Earth, and Moon gravity so that a spacecraft can orbit about a virtual location rather than about a planet or moon. The diagrams below show the full ARTEMIS-P1 orbit as it flies in proximity to the moon. ... > full story
How do your crystals grow? (September 15, 2010) -- New research uses fluorescence correlation spectroscopy to investigate the processes at the surface of a growing crystal. This work may help to improve the crystallization of biomolecules -- an important tool in pharmaceutical research and other fields. ... > full story
Many roads lead to superconductivity (September 14, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered a magnetic signature that occurs universally among all iron-based superconductors, even if the parent compounds from which the superconductors are made possess different chemical properties. ... > full story
Playing snooker with atoms (September 14, 2010) -- Scientists speak of sputtering when energy-rich ions hit a solid object and cause atoms to be released from its surface. The phenomenon can be exploited to apply microscopically thin coatings to glass surfaces. A research team has developed a special sputtering technique that greatly increases the efficiency of the coating process. ... > full story
Chandra finds evidence for stellar cannibalism (September 14, 2010) -- Evidence that a star has recently engulfed a companion star or a giant planet has been found using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. The likely existence of such a "cannibal" star provides new insight into how stars and the planets around them may interact as they age. ... > full story
Research will help ID bodies left behind by Chilean earthquake, Pinochet regime (September 14, 2010) -- New research will help medical examiners and others identify human remains of those killed during the recent earthquake in Chile, as well as the bodies of the "disappeared" who were killed during the Pinochet administration. ... > full story
CRISPR critters: Scientists identify key enzyme in microbial immune system (September 14, 2010) -- Using protein crystallography beamlines at Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source, a team of researchers has resolved the atomic-scale crystal structure of an enzyme called "Csy4" that plays a key role in a microbial immune system. The research provides important new clues to the fundamental role of RNA in the evolution of life. ... > full story
Supernova shrapnel found in meteorite (September 14, 2010) -- Scientists have identified the microscopic shrapnel of a nearby star that exploded just before or during the birth of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago. ... > full story
Would a molecular horse trot, pace or glide across a surface? Chemists study quadrupedal molecular machines (September 14, 2010) -- To determine how a quadrupedal molecular machine would move across a flat metal surface, chemists studied a class of molecular machines that "walk." Molecular machines can be found everywhere in nature, for example, transporting proteins through cells and aiding metabolism. To develop artificial molecular machines, however, scientists first need to understand the rules that govern mechanics at the molecular or nanometer scale. ... > full story
New artificial skin could make prosthetic limbs and robots more sensitive (September 14, 2010) -- Researchers have developed an ultrasensitive, highly flexible, electronic sensor that can feel a touch as light as an alighting fly. Manufactured in large sheets, the sensors could be used in artificial electronic skin for prosthetic limbs, robots, touch-screen displays, automobile safety and a range of medical applications. ... > full story
The pocket projector is a reality (September 14, 2010) -- The projector of the future -- one cubic centimeter of technology that can be integrated into a portable computer or mobile telephone -- is about to take the market by storm. Many applications have already been identified, in particular in the automobile industry or the operating theater. ... > full story
Informatics = essential MD competency (September 14, 2010) -- Although information underlies all clinical work and despite the growing role that information management and access play in health-care delivery and clinical support, there is a dearth of informatics competency being developed in America's future corps of physicians. ... > full story
Dwarf galaxy evolution: Reionization alone is not able to stop star formation, research shows (September 13, 2010) -- New research suggests that reionization alone is not able to stop star formation in dwarf galaxies, as had been expected. ... > full story
Hubble harvests distant solar system objects (September 13, 2010) -- Beyond the orbit of Neptune reside countless icy rocks known as trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs). One of the biggest, Pluto, is classified as a dwarf planet. The region also supplies us with comets such as famous Comet Halley. Most TNOs are small and receive little sunlight, making them faint and difficult to spot. Now, astronomers using clever techniques to cull the data archives of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have added 14 new TNOs to the catalog. Their method promises to turn up hundreds more. ... > full story
How football playing robots have the future of artificial intelligence at their feet (September 13, 2010) -- The new Premier League season has begun and in Madrid the World Cup celebrations are barely over, yet according to researchers, the world's best players may soon be facing a new challenge from football playing robots, which their creators claim will be able to play and beat a human team. The research reveals how building robots to play football is driving the development of artificial intelligence and robotic technology which can be used for roles including search and rescue and home help. ... > full story
Video games lead to faster decisions that are no less accurate (September 13, 2010) -- Cognitive scientists have discovered that playing action video games trains people to make the right decisions faster. The researchers found that video game players develop a heightened sensitivity to what is going on around them, and this benefit doesn't just make them better at playing video games, but improves a wide variety of general skills that can help with everyday activities like multitasking, driving, reading small print, and navigating around town. ... > full story
Funneling solar energy: Antenna made of carbon nanotubes could make photovoltaic cells more efficient (September 13, 2010) -- Using carbon nanotubes (hollow tubes of carbon atoms), chemical engineers have found a way to concentrate solar energy 100 times more than a regular photovoltaic cell. Such nanotubes could form antennas that capture and focus light energy, potentially allowing much smaller and more powerful solar arrays. ... > full story
Emerging technologies may fuel revolutionary launcher (September 13, 2010) -- As NASA studies possibilities for the next launcher to the stars, a team of engineers from Kennedy Space Center and several other field centers are looking for a system that turns a host of existing cutting-edge technologies into the next giant leap spaceward. ... > full story
Tiny rulers to measure nanoscale structures (September 13, 2010) -- Physicists have discovered that nanospheres combined with a nanorod dimer could be used to solve the problem of measurement sensitivity at the nanoscale. ... > full story
Engineers make artificial skin out of nanowires (September 13, 2010) -- Engineers have developed a pressure-sensitive electronic material from semiconductor nanowires that could one day be used as an artificial skin for robots and prosthetic limbs. ... > full story
Glasperlenspiel: Scientists propose new test for gravity (September 13, 2010) -- A new experiment proposed by physicists may allow researchers to test the effects of gravity with unprecedented precision at very short distances -- a scale at which exotic new details of gravity's behavior may be detectable. ... > full story
Deadly tides mean early exit for hot Jupiters (September 13, 2010) -- Bad news for planet hunters: most of the "hot Jupiters" that astronomers have been searching for in star clusters were likely destroyed long ago by their stars. In a new study, researchers offer this new explanation for why no transiting planets (planets that pass in front of their stars and temporarily block some of the light) have been found yet in star clusters. The researchers also predict that the planet hunting being done by the Kepler mission is more likely to succeed in younger star clusters than older ones. ... > full story
Superwind Galaxy NGC 4666 (September 13, 2010) -- The galaxy NGC 4666 takes pride of place at the centre of this new image, made in visible light with the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. NGC 4666 is a remarkable galaxy with very vigorous star formation and an unusual "superwind" of out-flowing gas. It had previously been observed in X-rays by the ESA XMM-Newton space telescope, and the image presented here was taken to allow further study of other objects detected in the earlier X-ray observations. ... > full story
Child's 'mental number line' affects memory for numbers (September 12, 2010) -- As children in Western cultures grow, they learn to place numbers on a mental number line, with smaller numbers to the left and spaced further apart than the larger numbers on the right. Then the number line changes to become more linear, with small and large numbers the same distance apart. Children whose number line has made this change are better at remembering numbers, according to a new study. ... > full story
Mapping new paths for a stressed-out Internet: Collaboration aims to create first accurate geometric map of the Internet (September 12, 2010) -- Researchers have created the first geometric "atlas" of the Internet as part of a project to prevent our most ubiquitous form of communication from collapsing within the next decade or so. ... > full story
Astronomer unveils the mysteries of 'Green Pea' galaxies (September 12, 2010) -- First discovered in 2007 by amateur stargazers, the strange so-called Green Pea galaxies have now been shown to be extraordinary and extremely compact star cities that have low amounts of complex elements after being diluted by streams of gas and strong supernova winds. ... > full story
Public looks at synthetic biology -- cautiously (September 12, 2010) -- A new poll finds that two-thirds of Americans think that synthetic biology should move forward, but with more research to study its possible effects on humans and the environment, while one-third support a ban until we better understand its implications and risks. More than half of Americans believe the federal government should be involved in regulating synthetic biology. ... > full story
Carbon mapping breakthrough (September 12, 2010) -- By integrating satellite mapping, airborne-laser technology, and ground-based plot surveys, scientists have revealed the first high-resolution maps of carbon locked up in tropical forest vegetation and emitted by land-use practices. ... > full story
Land-use expert brings satellite data down to Earth (September 12, 2010) -- By integrating remote satellite imagery with revelations from door-to-door interviews, geographers are exploring the complex conditions that give rise to a broad range of land-use challenges -- from the reforestation of Vietnam to the spread of Lyme disease in Belgium. ... > full story
New model provides more effective basis for biodiversity conservation (September 12, 2010) -- A new mathematical model has been developed that provides a more effective basis for biodiversity conservation than existing frameworks. ... > full story
E. coli engineered to produce biodiesel (September 11, 2010) -- New research is shedding light on how to alter the genetic makeup of E. coli to produce biodiesel fuel derived from fatty acids. ... > full story
Yikes! Sensor measures yoctonewton forces fast (September 11, 2010) -- Physicists have used a small crystal of ions (electrically charged atoms) to detect forces at the scale of yoctonewtons. Measurements of slight forces -- one yoctonewton is equivalent to the weight of a single copper atom on Earth -- can be useful in force microscopy, nanoscale science, and tests of fundamental physics theories. ... > full story
Computer models suggest treatments for fractures that won't heal (September 11, 2010) -- New models, reinforced by in vivo experimentation, show why 5-10 percent of bone fractures don't heal properly, and how these cases may be treated to restart the healing process. Results of the model may benefit the aging population in which the occurrence of bone fractures is expected to rise substantially in the near future. ... > full story
Micro rheometer is latest 'lab on a chip' device (September 11, 2010) -- Researchers have demonstrated a micro-miniaturized device that can make complex viscosity measurements -- critical data for a wide variety of fields dealing with things that have to flow -- on sample sizes as small as a few nanoliters. ... > full story
New CCTV technology to help prevent terror attacks (September 11, 2010) -- Numerous CCTV systems are in use in public places which have the capacity to gather large amounts of image material. For the time being, however, there are no effective ways to analyze the mass of video data automatically and recognize potential risk situations in advance. A new European research project is aimed at developing IT solutions to this end. ... > full story
A Nearby Galactic Exemplar (September 11, 2010) -- ESO has released a spectacular new image of NGC 300, a spiral galaxy similar to the Milky Way, and located in the nearby Sculptor Group of galaxies. Taken with the Wide Field Imager (WFI) at ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile, this 50-hour exposure reveals the structure of the galaxy in exquisite detail. NGC 300 lies about six million light-years away and appears to be about two thirds the size of the full Moon on the sky. ... > full story
New model may simplify high-dose radiosurgery planning (September 11, 2010) -- There is yet no straightforward way to determine the optimal dose level and treatment schedules for high-dose radiation therapies such as stereotactic radiation therapy, which is used to treat brain and lung cancer, or for high-dose brachytherapy for prostate and other cancers. Radiation oncology researchers may have solved the problem with a new mathematical model called the Generalized LQ (gLQ) Model that encompasses all dose levels and schedules. ... > full story
Caught in the act: Fireballs light up Jupiter (September 10, 2010) -- Amateur astronomers working with professional astronomers have spotted two fireballs lighting up Jupiter's atmosphere this summer, marking the first time Earth-based telescopes have captured relatively small objects burning up in the atmosphere of the giant planet. The two fireballs -- which produced bright freckles on Jupiter that were visible through backyard telescopes -- occurred on June 3, 2010, and August 20, 2010, respectively. ... > full story
Neurons: Faster than thought and able to multiply (September 10, 2010) -- Using computer simulations of brain-like networks, researchers from Germany and Japan have discovered why nerve cells transmit information through small electrical pulses. The process not only allows the brain to process information much faster than previously thought, but also single neurons are already able to multiply, opening the door to more complex forms of computing. ... > full story
Graphene may hold key to speeding up DNA sequencing (September 10, 2010) -- Researchers have demonstrated that graphene can act as an artificial membrane separating two liquid reservoirs. By drilling a tiny pore just a few-nanometers in diameter, called a nanopore, in the graphene membrane, they were able to measure exchange of ions through the pore and demonstrated that a long DNA molecule can be pulled through the graphene nanopore just as a thread is pulled through the eye of a needle. ... > full story
World's first transcontinental anesthesia: Researchers pioneer anesthetics via videoconferencing (September 10, 2010) -- Videoconferences may be known for putting people to sleep, but never like this. A team from McGill University's Department of Anesthesia achieved a world first on August 30, 2010, when they treated patients undergoing thyroid gland surgery in Italy remotely from Montreal, Canada. ... > full story
Tally-ho! Deep Impact spacecraft eyes comet target (September 10, 2010) -- On Sunday, Sept. 5, NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft beamed down the first of more than 64,000 images it's expected to take of Comet Hartley 2. The spacecraft, now on an extended mission known as EPOXI, has an appointment with the comet on Nov. 4, 2010. ... > full story
First detailed image of disc around young star (September 10, 2010) -- New research carried out using ESO telescopes has, for the first time, allowed astronomers to reconstruct a detailed picture of the inner disc of matter around a young star -- HD 163296. Young stars are surrounded by discs of dust and gas and scientists believe that it is in these discs that planets are born. Dusty grains in the disc stick to each other to make larger lumps that in turn also aggregate together. This growth is expected to continue until rocky bodies about the size of the Earth are formed. ... > full story
Researchers give robots the capability for deceptive behavior (September 10, 2010) -- Researchers have published what is believed to be the first detailed examination of robot deception. They developed algorithms that allow a robot to determine whether it should deceive and designed techniques that help the robot select the best deceptive strategy to avoid getting caught. ... > full story
'Tractor beam' one step closer to reality: Laser moves small particles (September 10, 2010) -- Researchers in Australia have developed the ability to move particles over large distances, using a specially designed laser beam that can move very small particles up to distances of 1.5 meters using only the power of light. ... > full story
New method helps computer vision systems decipher outdoor scenes (September 10, 2010) -- Computer vision systems can struggle to make sense of a single image, but a new method enables computers to gain a deeper understanding of an image by reasoning about the physical constraints of the scene. ... > full story
Bionic speech recognition (September 10, 2010) -- Researchers in Tunisia have published details of a speech enhancement system that uses two distinct tools to reduce the noise from a recorded or sampled voice signal. In a new article, the researchers explain how a bionic wavelet transform and a recurrent neural network can be used for speech enhancement. ... > full story
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