ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Wednesday, September 29, 2010
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Single electron reader opens path for quantum computing (September 29, 2010) -- A team led by engineers and physicists in Australia has developed one of the key building blocks needed to make a quantum computer using silicon: a "single electron reader." ... > full story
The precious commodity of water (September 29, 2010) -- Water is a valuable resource, which is why researchers are demonstrating how we can extract precious drinking water from air, discover a leak in pipeline systems and even effectively clean sewage water. ... > full story
Scientists obtain 'Unobtainium' for NASA's next space observatory (September 29, 2010) -- Imagine building a car chassis without a blueprint or even a list of recommended construction materials. In a sense, that's precisely what a team of engineers did when they designed a one-of-a-kind structure that is one of nine key new technology systems of the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM). ... > full story
Sustainable material for wine bottle stoppers being developed (September 29, 2010) -- Researchers are developing a new sustainable material to make stoppers for wine bottles. The aim of the project is to substitute the plastic stoppers used for wine bottles with stoppers that are made up of a composite material. ... > full story
Sneaking spies into a cell's nucleus (September 28, 2010) -- Bioengineers have not only figured out a way to sneak molecular spies through the walls of individual cells, they can now slip them into the command center -- or nucleus -- of those cells, where they can report back important information or drop off payloads. ... > full story
Structural Genomics Consortium releases 1,000th protein structure (September 28, 2010) -- The Structural Genomics Consortium, an international public-private partnership that aims to determine 3-D structures of medically important proteins, has announced the release into the public domain of its 1,000th high-resolution protein structure. ... > full story
Solar cells thinner than wavelengths of light hold huge power potential (September 28, 2010) -- Ultra-thin solar cells can absorb sunlight more efficiently than the thicker, more expensive-to-make silicon cells used today, because light behaves differently at scales around a nanometer (a billionth of a meter), say engineers. They calculate that an organic polymer thin film could absorb as much as 10 times more energy from sunlight than was thought possible. ... > full story
Researchers use CT to predict heart disease (September 28, 2010) -- Using incidental findings from routine diagnostic CT, radiologists may be better able to identify people at high risk for cardiovascular disease, according to a new study. ... > full story
'Truthy' web site to search, identify smear tactics, Twitter-bombs through election runup (September 28, 2010) -- Astroturfers, Twitter-bombers and smear campaigners need beware this election season as a group of leading Indiana University information and computer scientists today unleashed Truthy.indiana.edu, a sophisticated new Twitter-based research tool that combines data mining, social network analysis and crowdsourcing to uncover deceptive tactics and misinformation leading up to the Nov. 2 elections. ... > full story
Software downloaded during office visits could cut risk of ICD shocks (September 28, 2010) -- In a study of patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD), downloadable software updates cut the risk of unnecessary shocks in half. In the future, software upgrades may offer patients other ICD improvements without implanting new devices. ... > full story
Right or left? Brain stimulation can change which hand you favor (September 28, 2010) -- Each time we perform a simple task, like pushing an elevator button or reaching for a cup of coffee, the brain races to decide whether the left or right hand will do the job. But the left hand is more likely to win if a certain region of the brain receives magnetic stimulation, according to new research. ... > full story
'Gold' fish thrive, cancers die (September 28, 2010) -- Physicists have demonstrated that plasmonic nanobubbles, generated around gold nanoparticles with a laser pulse, can detect and destroy cancer cells in vivo by creating tiny, shiny vapor bubbles that reveal the cells and selectively explode them. ... > full story
Semiconductor could turn heat into computing power (September 28, 2010) -- Computers might one day recycle part of their own waste heat, using a semiconductor called gallium manganese arsenide. Researchers describe the detection of an effect that converts heat into a quantum mechanical phenomenon -- known as spin -- in a semiconductor. ... > full story
First potentially hazardous asteroid discovered by Pan-STARRS telescope (September 28, 2010) -- The Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) PS1 telescope has discovered an asteroid that will come within 4 million miles of Earth in mid-October. The object is about 150 feet in diameter and was discovered in images acquired on Sept. 16, when it was about 20 million miles away. It is the first "potentially hazardous object" to be discovered by the Pan-STARRS survey and has been given the designation "2010 ST3." ... > full story
Nanocatalyst is a gas (September 28, 2010) -- A new nanoparticle-based, tungsten oxide catalyst should help oil refineries make higher-octane gasoline through a production process that is more efficient and better for the environment. ... > full story
A shot to the heart: Nanoneedle delivers quantum dots to cell nucleus (September 28, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a tiny needle to deliver a shot of quantum dots right to a cell's nucleus. This is the first technique that allows delivery to a pinpointed location within the nucleus. The researchers can then learn a lot about the physical conditions inside the nucleus by monitoring the quantum dots with a standard fluorescent microscope. ... > full story
Rain or shine, researchers find new ways to forecast large photovoltaic power plant output (September 28, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a new system to monitor how clouds affect large-scale solar photovoltaic power plants. By observing cloud shape, size and movement, the system provides a way for utility companies to predict and prepare for fluctuations in power output due to changes in weather. The resulting models will provide utility companies with valuable data to assess potential power plant locations, ramp rates and power output. ... > full story
Electric cars hold greater promise for reducing emissions and lowering US oil imports, study finds (September 28, 2010) -- Electric cars hold greater promise for reducing emissions and lowering US oil imports than a national renewable portfolio standard, according to new research. ... > full story
Complexity not so costly after all: Moderately complex plants and animals can be better equipped to adapt (September 28, 2010) -- The more complex a plant or animal, the more difficulty it should have adapting to changes in the environment. But if that tenet is true, how do you explain all the well-adapted, complex organisms in the world? This "cost of complexity" conundrum puzzles biologists and offers ammunition to proponents of intelligent design. A new analysis reveals flaws in the models from which the cost of complexity idea arose and shows that complexity can, indeed, develop through evolutionary processes. ... > full story
Diving deeper into the gene pool: Innovative software analyzes diseased cells (September 28, 2010) -- New software, called miRNAkey, has been developed to search for microRNA patterns in both healthy and diseased tissues, improving scientists' understanding of the data collected from deep sequencing technology. ... > full story
Quarks 'swing' to the tones of random numbers (September 27, 2010) -- Quarks are found in protons and are bound together by forces which cause all other known forces of nature to fade. To understand the effects of these strong forces between the quarks is one of the greatest challenges in modern particle physics. New theoretical results show that enormous quantities of random numbers can describe the way quarks "swing" inside the protons. ... > full story
Let your fingers do the driving: If you don't hear directions, you can feel them (September 27, 2010) -- If drivers are yakking on cell phones and don't hear spoken instructions to turn left or right from a passenger or navigation system, they still can get directions from devices that are mounted on the steering wheel and pull skin on the driver's index fingertips left or right, a study found. The study may lead to new navigation devices for motorists, hearing-impaired drivers and blind pedestrians. ... > full story
Gigantic mirror for X-radiation in outer space (September 27, 2010) -- It is to become the largest X-ray telescope ever: The International X-Ray Observatory (IXO), which has been planned in a cooperation between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency JAXA, will be launched into space in 2021 and provide the world with brand new information about black holes and, thus, about the origin of the universe. Its dimensions are gigantic: The surface of the mirror alone, which is to capture, for example, the cosmic X-radiation of black holes, will be 1300 square meters in size. ... > full story
Rewiring a damaged brain (September 27, 2010) -- Researchers are developing microelectronic circuits to bypass brain damage and induce the growth of axons, rewiring the lost connections. ... > full story
Physics breakthrough: Fast-moving neutral atom isolated and captured (September 27, 2010) -- In a major physics breakthrough, scientists in New Zealand have developed a technique to consistently isolate and capture a fast-moving neutral atom -- and have also seen and photographed this atom for the first time. ... > full story
Light workout: Scientists use optogenetics to effectively stimulate muscle movement in mice (September 27, 2010) -- Researchers were able to use light to induce normal patterns of muscle contraction, in a study involving bioengineered mice whose nerve-cell surfaces are coated with special light-sensitive proteins. ... > full story
Egyptian desert expedition confirms spectacular meteorite impact (September 27, 2010) -- A 2008 Google Earth search led to the discovery of Kamil crater, one of the best-preserved meteorite impact sites ever found. Earlier this year, a gritty, sand-blown expedition reached the site deep in the Egyptian desert to collect iron debris and determine the crater's age and origins. ... > full story
How safe is your swipe? Thinking like hackers, programmers find security loopholes in 'secure' microchips (September 27, 2010) -- Researchers in Israel have developed an innovative way of extracting information from chip technology. By combining modern cryptology methods with constraint programming -- an area of computer science designed to solve a series of complex equations -- the researchers were able to extract more information from secure chips. ... > full story
Pinpointing where volcanic eruptions could strike (September 27, 2010) -- A better way to pinpoint where volcanic eruptions are likely to occur has been produced by an international team of geophysicists. ... > full story
Lead-free piezoelectric materials of the future (September 27, 2010) -- Over the past 60 years, lead zirconate titanate, or PZT, has been the material of choice for piezoelectric applications from ink jet printers to gas grill igniters. Despite this success, many scientists would like to find a more environmentally-friendly, lead-free material. The theoretical potential of another class of materials has now been shown. ... > full story
Mystery of disappearing Martian carbon dioxide ice solved? (September 27, 2010) -- Scientists may have solved the mystery of the carbon dioxide ice disappearance early in the Northern Martian springs followed later by its sudden reappearance, revealing a very active water cycle on the planet. ... > full story
Genetic switch underlies noisy cell division: 'Bimodal' signal determines a cell's get-up and go (September 27, 2010) -- While scientists have spent the past 40 years describing the intricate series of events that occur when one mammalian cell divides into two, they still haven't agreed on how the process begins. Two seemingly contradictory theories may now be reconciled by a third theory. ... > full story
Privacy key obstacle to adopting electronic health records, study finds (September 27, 2010) -- The United States could achieve significant health care savings if it achieved widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHRs), but insufficient privacy protections are hindering public acceptance of the EHR concept, according to a new paper that outlines steps that could be taken to boost privacy and promote the use of EHRs. ... > full story
How molecules escape from cell's nucleus: Key advance in using microscopy to reveal secrets of living cells (September 27, 2010) -- By constructing a microscope apparatus that achieves resolution never before possible in living cells, researchers have illuminated the molecular interactions that occur during one of the most important "trips" in all of biology: the journey of individual messenger ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules from the nucleus into the cytoplasm (the area between the nucleus and cell membrane) so that proteins can be made. ... > full story
Mechanical transmission without contact between parts (September 27, 2010) -- Researchers in Spain are coordinating an international project to develop a new concept of mechanical transmission without contact between parts, based on magnetic forces, which prevents friction and wear as well as making lubrication of the parts unnecessary. ... > full story
Magnetic anomalies: New type of solar wind interaction with airless bodies in our solar system (September 26, 2010) -- Scientists have discovered a new type of solar wind interaction with airless bodies in our solar system. Magnetized regions called magnetic anomalies, mostly on the far side of the Moon, were found to strongly deflect the solar wind, shielding the Moon’s surface. This will help scientists understand the solar wind behavior near the lunar surface and how water may be generated in its upper layer. ... > full story
Structure that allows bacteria to resist drugs identified (September 26, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered the crystal structures of pumps that allow bacteria to resist heavy metal toxins and antibiotics. ... > full story
Tool to improve Wikipedia accuracy developed (September 26, 2010) -- Check the Microsoft entry on Wikipedia at some point in the past and you might have learned that the company's name is Microshaft, its products are evil and its logo is a kitten. Similarly, you may have learned from Abraham Lincoln's Wikipedia entry that he was married to Brayson Kondracki, his birth date is March 14 and Pete likes PANCAKES. ... > full story
Robots could improve everyday life at home or work (September 26, 2010) -- They're mundane, yet daunting tasks: Tidying a messy room. Assembling a bookshelf from a kit of parts. Fetching a hairbrush for someone who can't do it herself. ... > full story
UK's shipping emissions six times higher than expected, says new report (September 26, 2010) -- Carbon dioxide emissions produced by UK shipping could be up to six times higher than currently calculated, according to new research. ... > full story
In cyber bullying, depression hits victims hardest (September 26, 2010) -- Young victims of electronic or cyber bullying — which occurs online or by cell phone — are more likely to suffer from depression than their tormentors are, a new study finds. “Kids may be reluctant to tell their parents in case they lose their computer or cell phone privileges,” one of the researchers said. ... > full story
Dust models paint alien's view of the solar system (September 26, 2010) -- New supercomputer simulations tracking the interactions of thousands of dust grains show what the solar system might look like to alien astronomers searching for planets. The models also provide a glimpse of how this view might have changed as our planetary system matured. ... > full story
Newly created material resembles cilia (September 25, 2010) -- Scientists recently imitated Mother Nature by developing, for the first time, a new, skinny-molecule-based material that resembles cilia, the tiny, hair-like structures through which organisms derive smell, vision, hearing and fluid flow. ... > full story
New 'light switch' chloride binder developed (September 25, 2010) -- Chemists have designed a molecule that binds chloride ions -- but can be conveniently compelled to release the ions in the presence of ultraviolet light. ... > full story
Cassini makes first dive inside Saturn’s radio aurora (September 25, 2010) -- The Cassini spacecraft has made the first observations from within the radio aurora of another planet than Earth. The measurements, which were taken when the spacecraft flew through an active auroral region in 2008, show some similarities and some contrasts between the radio auroral emissions generated at Saturn and those at Earth. ... > full story
Sensor important to understanding root, seedling development (September 25, 2010) -- A biosensor utilizing black platinum and carbon nanotubes will help give scientists a better understanding of how the plant hormone auxin regulates root growth and seedling establishment. ... > full story
A biological solution to animal pandemics (September 24, 2010) -- Using all-natural materials -- flax, hemp, jute and natural resin -- researchers in Poland have developed a new absorbent matting ideal for providing a disinfectant barrier for use in animal housing and other food production sites, both at times of outbreak of contagious disease and for routine hygiene. The matting is cheaper than the synthetic alternatives, both initially and because it is fully biodegradable so does not need special disposal. ... > full story
Mimicking nature, water-based 'artificial leaf' produces electricity (September 24, 2010) -- Scientists have shown that water-gel-based solar devices -- "artificial leaves" -- can act like solar cells to produce electricity. The findings prove the concept for making solar cells that more closely mimic nature. They also have the potential to be less expensive and more environmentally friendly than the current standard-bearer: silicon-based solar cells. ... > full story
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