ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Thursday, September 30, 2010
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One-dimensional window on superconductivity, magnetism: Atoms are proxies for electrons in ultracold optical emulator (September 30, 2010) -- A team of physicists is reporting the first success from a three-year effort to emulate superconductors with ultracold atoms trapped in grids of laser beams. A new study describes how the group trapped atoms in a one-dimensional tube of light, which allowed them to simultaneously examine superconductivity and magnetism -- phenomena that do not generally coexist. ... > full story
Laser tool for studying Mars rocks (September 30, 2010) -- The NASA Mars Science Laboratory Project's rover, Curiosity, will carry a newly delivered laser instrument named ChemCam to reveal what elements are present in rocks and soils on Mars up to 7 meters (23 feet) away from the rover. ... > full story
Hello, Saturn summer solstice: Cassini's new chapter (September 30, 2010) -- Turning a midsummer night's dream into reality, NASA's Cassini spacecraft begins its new mission extension -- the Cassini Solstice Mission. The mission extension will take Cassini a few months past Saturn's northern summer solstice (or midsummer) through September 2017. It will enable scientists to study seasonal changes and other long-term weather changes on Saturn and its moons. ... > full story
Wide-Field Imager selected for Solar Probe Plus mission (September 30, 2010) -- NASA has chosen the Naval Research Laboratory's Wide-field Imager to be part of the Solar Probe Plus mission slated for launch no later than 2018. The Solar Probe Plus, a 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 in an effort to unlock the sun's biggest mysteries. ... > full story
New key to tissue regeneration: Drug treatment triggers sodium ions to regrow nerves and muscle (September 29, 2010) -- Tufts biologists have regenerated spinal cord and muscle by triggering an influx of sodium ions into injured cells. The approach breaks new ground in biomedicine because it requires no gene therapy; can be administered after an injury has occurred; and is bioelectric, rather than chemically based. The treatment is most directly applicable to spinal cord repair and limb loss. Proof-of-principle may apply to many complex tissues. ... > full story
Purifying proteins: Researchers use NMR to improve drug development (September 29, 2010) -- The purification of drug components is a large hurdle facing modern drug development. This is particularly true of drugs that utilize proteins, which are notoriously difficult to separate from other potentially deadly impurities. Scientists are using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to understand and improve an important protein purification process. ... > full story
Model aims to reduce disaster toll on city's social, economic fabric (September 29, 2010) -- Researchers have created a computer model that predicts how a disaster's impact on critical infrastructure would affect a city's social and economic fabric, a potential tool to help reduce the severity of impacts, manage the aftermath of catastrophe and fortify infrastructure against future disasters. ... > full story
New oil detection technique (September 29, 2010) -- Australian scientists have developed a revolutionary technique for the rapid on-site detection and quantification of petroleum hydrocarbons (commonly derived from crude oil) in soil, silt, sediment or rock. ... > full story
Newly discovered planet may be first truly habitable exoplanet (September 29, 2010) -- A team of planet hunters has announced the discovery of an Earth-sized planet (three times the mass of Earth) orbiting a nearby star at a distance that places it squarely in the middle of the star's "habitable zone," where liquid water could exist on the planet's surface. If confirmed, this would be the most Earth-like exoplanet yet discovered and the first strong case for a potentially habitable one. ... > full story
Carbon nanoobjects to facilitate the construction of futuristic power sources (September 29, 2010) -- Scientists from Poland are working on electrodes that have surfaces covered with layers of carbon nanoparticles and enzymes. These electrodes can be used to produce modern sensors and power sources, including such futuristic ones as biological fuel cells installed inside the human body and fueled by substances contained in blood. ... > full story
Better surgery with new surgical robot with force feedback (September 29, 2010) -- A compact surgical robot, which uses 'force feedback' to allow surgeons to feel what they are doing, has just been developed. ... > full story
Twitter used to predict flu outbreaks (September 29, 2010) -- Keeping track of disease trends such as influenza outbreaks has the potential to be far quicker and less costly by monitoring a social network program such as Twitter than following the traditional methods of disease surveillance, according to a computer science expert. ... > full story
Making music on a microscopic scale (September 29, 2010) -- Strings a fraction of the thickness of a human hair, with microscopic weights to pluck them: Researchers and students have succeeded in constructing the first musical instrument with dimensions measured in mere micrometers -- a 'micronium' -- that produces audible tones. A composition has been specially written for the instrument. ... > full story
Mining the 'wisdom of crowds' to attack disease (September 29, 2010) -- A large, multidisciplinary panel has recently selected 12 pioneering ideas for attacking type 1 diabetes, ideas selected through a "crowd-sourcing" experiment called the Challenge in which all members of the Harvard community, as well as members of the general public, were invited to answer the question: What do we not know to cure type 1 diabetes? ... > full story
Tiny generators turn waste heat into power (September 29, 2010) -- Researchers have uncovered a novel way to power tiny devices using waste heat. Arrays of tiny ferroelectric nanowires have been shown to rapidly generate a current in response to any change in the ambient temperature. ... > full story
NASA's Webb Telescope unique structural 'heart' passes extreme tests (September 29, 2010) -- NASA engineers have created a unique engineering marvel called the ISIM structure that recently survived exposure to extreme cryogenic temperatures, showing that the structure will remain stable when exposed to the harsh environment of space. The material that comprises the structure, as well as the bonding techniques used to join its roughly 900 structural components, were all created from scratch. ... > full story
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
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