ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Friday, September 17, 2010
Welcome to another edition of ScienceDaily's email newsletter. You can change your subscription options or unsubscribe at any time.
Surprisingly complicated molecule found in outer space (September 17, 2010) -- In interstellar clouds of extremely small density scientists have managed to find a molecule that has an unexpectedly complicated structure. The discovery will force a change in the way of thinking about chemical processes occurring in the apparently empty areas of the galaxy. ... > full story
Optical chip enables new approach to quantum computing (September 17, 2010) -- Scientists have developed a new approach to quantum computing that could soon be used to perform complex calculations that cannot be done by today's computers. ... > full story
Shape-shifting robot plane offers safer alternative for maritime rescue (September 16, 2010) -- Use of morphing flight control surfaces has enabled the development of a cost effective unmanned air-sea rescue plane that can operate in extreme weather conditions despite its light weight and small size. State-of-the-art avionics and cameras onboard the seaplane ensure a smooth flight for extended rescue and surveillance missions, while reducing risks to material and crews. ... > full story
3-D computer simulations help envision supernovae explosions (September 16, 2010) -- For a brief burst of time, supernovae can radiate more energy than the sun will emit in its lifetime. Now, scientists have found a way to make computer simulations of supernovae exploding in three dimensions, which may lead to new scientific insights. ... > full story
How bacteria acquire immunity: First theoretical description of bacterial system to silence viral genes (September 16, 2010) -- In a new study, scientists have brought the latest tools of computational biology to bear in examining how the processes of natural selection and evolution influence the way bacteria acquire immunity from disease. The study builds upon one of the major discoveries made possible by molecular genetics in the past decade -- the revelation that bacteria and similar single-celled organisms have an acquired immune system. ... > full story
Home's electrical wiring acts as antenna to receive low-power sensor data (September 16, 2010) -- Using a home's electrical wiring as a giant copper antenna allows for wireless sensors that can communicate over a whole house and run for decades on a single watch battery. The device could be used for low-cost medical monitoring or home sensing systems. ... > full story
Discovery of the secrets that enable plants near Chernobyl to shrug off radiation (September 16, 2010) -- Scientists are reporting discovery of the biological secrets that enable plants growing near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant to adapt and flourish in highly radioactive soil -- legacy of the 1986 nuclear disaster in the Ukraine. Their study helps solve a long-standing mystery. ... > full story
NASA's lunar spacecraft completes exploration mission phase (September 16, 2010) -- NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, completes the exploration phase of its mission on Sept. 16, after a number of successes that transformed our understanding of Earth's nearest neighbor. LRO completed a one-year exploration mission in a polar orbit approximately 31 miles above the moon's surface. It produced a comprehensive map of the lunar surface in unprecedented detail; searched for resources and safe landing sites for potential future missions to the moon; and measured lunar temperatures and radiation levels. ... > full story
Planck's first glimpse at galaxy clusters uncovers a new supercluster (September 16, 2010) -- Surveying the microwave sky, Planck has obtained its very first images of galaxy clusters, amongst the largest objects in the Universe, by means of the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect, a characteristic signature they imprint on the Cosmic Microwave Background. Joining forces in a fruitful collaboration between ESA missions, XMM-Newton followed up Planck's detections and revealed that one of them is a previously unknown supercluster of galaxies. ... > full story
New supercomputer 'sees' well enough to drive a car someday (September 16, 2010) -- Visually interpreting our environment as quickly as we do is an astonishing feat requiring an enormous number of computations -- which is just one reason that coming up with a computer-driven system that can mimic the human brain in visually recognizing objects has proven so difficult. Now a supercomputer based on the human visual system has been developed, operating much more quickly and efficiently than ever before. ... > full story
Facial recognition technology aimed at spotting terrorists (September 16, 2010) -- Rapid improvements in facial-recognition software mean airport security workers might one day know with near certainty whether they're looking at a stressed-out tourist or staring a terrorist in the eye. Researchers are evaluating how well these rapidly evolving recognition programs work. The researchers are comparing the rates of success for the software to the rates for non-technological, but presumably "expert" human evaluation. ... > full story
Low carbon hemp house put to the test (September 16, 2010) -- A consortium in the UK has constructed a small building on a university campus out of hemp-lime to test its properties as a building material. Called the "HemPod", this one-storey building has highly insulating walls made from the chopped woody core, or shiv, of the industrial hemp plant mixed with a specially developed lime-based binder. ... > full story
Carbon nanotubes twice as strong as once thought (September 16, 2010) -- Carbon nanotubes -- those tiny particles poised to revolutionize electronics, medicine, and other areas -- are much bigger in the strength department than anyone ever thought, scientists are reporting. New studies on the strength of these submicroscopic cylinders of carbon indicate that on an ounce-for-ounce basis they are at least 117 times stronger than steel and 30 times stronger than Kevlar, the material used in bulletproof vests and other products. The findings appear in the monthly journal ACS Nano. ... > full story
New wave: Spin soliton could be a hit in cell phone communication (September 16, 2010) -- Researchers have found theoretical evidence of a new way to generate the high-frequency waves used in modern communication devices such as cell phones using exotic "soliton" waves in magnetism. The technique might enable wireless technology that would be more secure and resistant to interference than conventional devices. ... > full story
Electron switch between molecules points way to new high-powered organic batteries (September 16, 2010) -- The development of new organic batteries -- lightweight energy storage devices that work without the need for toxic heavy metals -- has a brighter future now that chemists have discovered a new way to pass electrons back and forth between two molecules. ... > full story
Neutrons helping researchers unlock secrets to cheaper ethanol (September 15, 2010) -- New insight into the structure of switchgrass and poplars is fueling discussions that could result in more efficient methods to turn biomass into biofuel. ... > full story
Tiny MAVs may someday explore and detect environmental hazards (September 15, 2010) -- Researchers are developing what could become the next phase of high-performance micro air vehicles for the Air Force. The research is on track to evolve into robotic, insect-scale devices for monitoring and exploration of hazardous environments, such as collapsed structures, caves and chemical spills. ... > full story
Simpler mathematical model for reproducing bacterial growth patterns developed (September 15, 2010) -- The expansion of bacterial colonies is one of the classic research areas in biology. Researchers now consider a new model that uses two parameters to reproduce the growth patterns of these microorganisms. ... > full story
Hydroelectric power reservoirs cleaner than previously feared, new research shows (September 15, 2010) -- A new report is helping to remove the dirty image attributed to climate gas emissions from hydroelectric power reservoirs. ... > full story
Scientists reveal battery behavior at the nanoscale (September 15, 2010) -- As industries and consumers increasingly seek improved battery power sources, cutting-edge microscopy is providing an unprecedented perspective on how lithium-ion batteries function. A research team has developed a new type of scanning probe microscopy called electrochemical strain microscopy (ESM) to examine the movement of lithium ions through a battery's cathode material. ... > full story
Implant blood test: Shape memory alloys are biocompatible, new research shows (September 15, 2010) -- A European team has demonstrated that modern technological materials used in a wide range of medical devices and implants are entirely biocompatible and should not health problems as has previously been suggested. ... > full story
Computer in wrapping-paper form give solar cells a makeover (September 15, 2010) -- Investigators in New York are giving factory production of solar energy cells a modern makeover. Their new approach includes the use of "continuous electronic sheets," something like a computer flattened into wrapping paper. ... > full story
New microfluidic chip for discriminating bacteria (September 15, 2010) -- A new "on-chip" method for sorting and identifying bacteria has been created by biomedical engineers. The discovery may lead to portable devices that could be used for analyzing bacteria-infected blood, finding the causes of urethral irritation, and for screening raw milk and other foods. ... > full story
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
Smart grid cyber security: Initial set of guidelines finalized (September 15, 2010) -- The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology has issued its first Guidelines for Smart Grid Cyber Security, including high-level security requirements, a framework for assessing risks, an evaluation of privacy issues at personal residences, and additional information for crafting strategies to protect the modernizing power grid from attacks, malicious code, cascading errors and other threats. ... > full story
New Global Standards Information website experience puts product standards on the map (September 15, 2010) -- Those looking for the latest product standards-related news, regulatory developments, events and workshops around the world now can turn to the new Global Standards Information (GSI) website. ... > full story
Enabling the technical-basis for evacuation planning of high-rise buildings (September 15, 2010) -- Researchers are stepping up the pace for designing safer building evacuations by releasing large, numerical datasets tracking the movement of people on stairs during high-rise building evacuation drills. ... > 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
Copyright 1995-2010 © ScienceDaily LLC. All rights reserved. Terms of use.
|
 To update/change your profile click here  |
