ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Friday, October 15, 2010
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New system for locating and capturing satellites in space (October 15, 2010) -- Scientists in Spain have developed a new system for docking and capturing space satellites based on robotics and computer vision technology to autonomously guide a space vehicle to dock and capture the satellites. ... > full story
'Incoherent excitations' govern key phase of superconductor behavior (October 15, 2010) -- Physicists have found that high-temperature superconductivity in copper oxides is linked to what they term "incoherent excitations" -- a discovery that sheds light on the electronic response of these materials before they become superconducting. ... > full story
Charcoal biofilter cleans up fertilizer waste gases (October 15, 2010) -- Removing the toxic and odorous emissions of ammonia from the industrial production of fertilizer is a costly and energy-intensive process. Now, researchers in Bangladesh have turned to microbes and inexpensive wood charcoal to create a biofilter that can extract the noxious gas from vented gases and so reduce pollution levels from factories in the developing world. ... > full story
Astronomer leverages supercomputers to study black holes, galaxies (October 14, 2010) -- Astronomer Stelios Kazantzidis leveraged the powerful resources of the Ohio Supercomputer Center to simulate and study several cosmological phenomena. His recent investigations revealed that supermassive black holes don't necessarily grow in relation to the mass of their host-galaxies when the galaxies merge, and small "disky dwarf" galaxies -- loaded with dark-matter -- often lose mass to their larger neighbor-galaxies and evolve from disk-shaped to spheroid. ... > full story
New malware could steal users social media behavior and info, researchers warn (October 14, 2010) -- Researchers in Israel are warning against malware threats that extract personal information about relationships in a real-world social network, as well as characteristic information about individuals in the network. Using mathematical models, based on actual mobile network data, the researchers demonstrated that malware attacks could be adapted to follow human behavior on social networks. ... > full story
Early success with laser that destroys tumors with heat (October 14, 2010) -- Physicians at Mayo Clinic's Florida campus are among the first in the nation to use a technique known as MRI-guided laser ablation to heat up and destroy kidney and liver tumors. So far, five patients have been successfully treated -- meaning no visible tumors remained after the procedure. ... > full story
Scientists perfect making molecular nanowires (October 14, 2010) -- Scientists have perfected a new technique that allows them to make molecular nanowires out of thin strips of ring-shaped molecules known as discotic liquid crystals (DLCs). The findings could be an important step in the development of next generation electronic devices, such as light-harvesting cells and low-cost biosensors that could be used to test water quality in developing countries. ... > full story
I want to see what you see: Babies treat 'social robots' as sentient beings (October 14, 2010) -- Babies are curious about nearly everything, and they're especially interested in what their adult companions are doing. Researchers are studying how infants use social interactions to learn. But what makes something social for a baby? In the new issue of Neural Networks, the researchers report that babies who watched a robot interact socially with people were more willing to learn from the robot than babies who did not see the interactions. ... > full story
Cyberwars: Already underway with no Geneva Conventions to guide them (October 14, 2010) -- Cyber attacks of various sorts have been around for decades. The most recent, and very dangerous, escalation in the past few years has been marked by countries launching attacks against other nations, such as Stuxnet, the nuclear plant-disrupting worm the Iranians have blamed on Israel and the US, while others are pointing the finger at Russia. ... > full story
Ghosts of the future: First giant structures of the universe hold 800 trillion suns (October 14, 2010) -- Astronomers using the South Pole Telescope report that they have discovered the most massive galaxy cluster yet seen at a distance of seven billion light-years. The cluster (designated SPT-CL J0546-5345) weighs in at around 800 trillion suns, and holds hundreds of galaxies. ... > full story
Electrified nano filter promises to cut costs for clean drinking water (October 14, 2010) -- With almost one billion people lacking access to clean, safe drinking water, scientists are reporting development and successful initial tests of an inexpensive new filtering technology that kills up to 98 percent of disease-causing bacteria in water in seconds without clogging. ... > full story
Breaking ball too good to be true: Illusion behind batters' perceptions of 'breaking' curveballs and 'rising' fastballs (October 14, 2010) -- Curveballs curve gradually, but the perception by some hitters of a sharp "break" or other abrupt change in a curveball's trajectory can be explained as a visual illusion, according to a new study. ... > full story
Quantum physics: Flavors of entanglement (October 14, 2010) -- The entanglement of quantum objects can take surprising forms. Quantum physicists in Austria have investigated several flavors of entanglement in four trapped ions. Their study promotes further developments towards quantum computing and a deeper understanding of the foundations of quantum mechanics. ... > full story
Galaxy growth spurts explained: Young galaxies can grow by sucking in cool gas (October 14, 2010) -- New observations from ESO's Very Large Telescope have, for the first time, provided direct evidence that young galaxies can grow by sucking in the cool gas around them and using it as fuel for the formation of many new stars. In the first few billion years after the Big Bang the mass of a typical galaxy increased dramatically and understanding why this happened is one of the hottest problems in modern astrophysics. ... > full story
Hemoglobin test printed on paper (October 14, 2010) -- Scientists have developed a method of using printing technology to produce simple tests related to health, well-being and the environment. They have demonstrated the efficacy of the method by printing a hemoglobin test, i.e. manufactured paper that reveals whether a given sample contains hemoglobin. ... > full story
Reservoirs: A neglected source of methane emissions (October 14, 2010) -- Substantial amounts of the greenhouse gas methane are released not only from large tropical reservoirs but also from run-of-the-river reservoirs in Switzerland, especially in the summer, when water temperatures are higher. Hydropower may therefore not be quite as climate-neutral a method of generating electricity as thought. ... > full story
Can Hungary's red sludge be made less toxic with carbon? (October 13, 2010) -- The red, metal-laden sludge that escaped a containment pond in Hungary last week could be made less toxic with the help of carbon sequestration, says a geologist who has a patent pending on the technique. The bauxite residue now covers 40 square kilometers south of the Danube River, and has caused the deaths of eight Hungarians and injured at least 150. ... > full story
Potential of lead-free piezoelectric ceramics (October 13, 2010) -- Scientists are using Diamond Light Source, the UK’s national synchrotron facility, to discover how we can detoxify our electronic gadgets. Results reveal the potential for new artificial materials that could replace lead-based components in everyday products from inkjet printers to digital cameras. ... > full story
Consumers’ ‘herding instinct’ turns on and off, Facebook study shows (October 13, 2010) -- A new study shows that consumers have a herding instinct to follow the crowd. However, this instinct appears to switch off if the product fails to achieve a certain popularity threshold. The new study is based on an analysis of how millions of Facebook users adopted software, known as apps, to personalize their Facebook pages. ... > full story
Silicon strategy shows promise for batteries: Lithium-ion technique for electric cars, large-capacity storage (October 13, 2010) -- A team of scientists has discovered a way to use simple silicon to radically increase the capacity of lithium-ion batteries. ... > full story
Computer 'trained' to classify pictures and videos basing on elements they contain (October 13, 2010) -- Researchers in Spain have developed a new computer technique that allows to "train" computers to interpret the visual contents of a video or picture. This advance will allow to classify automatically pictures basing on whether individuals or specific objects are present in such images. Videos can also be classified according to specific poses. ... > full story
Bizarre X-shaped intruder linked to an unseen asteroid collision (October 13, 2010) -- Astronomers have observed what happens after asteroids crash together. Using Hubble to study the aftermath of one such collision over four months, they watched a strange, comet-like debris trail slowly evolve as the collision site orbited the Sun. This research gives clues about how asteroids behave when they collide, and how the fall-out from these impacts contributes to the dust that pervades the solar system. ... > full story
Microchip technology rapidly identifies compounds for regrowing nerves in live animals (October 13, 2010) -- Engineers have now used a new microchip technology to rapidly test potential drugs on tiny worms called C. elegans, which are often used in studies of the nervous system. Using the new technology, scientists rapidly performed laser surgery, delivered drugs and imaged the resulting neuron regrowth in thousands of live animals. ... > full story
Student-built dust counter breaks distance record on New Horizons mission to Pluto (October 13, 2010) -- A space dust counter designed, tested and operated by students that is flying aboard NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto now holds the record for the most distant working dust detector ever to travel through space. ... > full story
Striding towards a new dawn for electronics (October 13, 2010) -- Conductive polymers are plastic materials with high electrical conductivity that promise to revolutionize a wide range of products including TV displays, solar cells and biomedical sensors. Researchers now report how to visualize and study the process of energy transport along one single conductive polymer molecule at a time, a key step towards bringing these exciting new applications to market. ... > full story
Planar power: Flat sodium-nickel chloride battery could improve performance, cost of energy storage (October 13, 2010) -- A redesign of sodium-nickel chloride batteries promises to overcome some of the obstacles long associated with rechargeable batteries. Replacing their typical cylindrical shape with a flat disc design allows the battery to deliver 30 percent more power at lower temperatures, according to new research. Scientists say these sodium-beta batteries could eventually be used in electricity substations to balance the generation and delivery of wind and solar power on to the grid. ... > full story
Human tissue, organs help scientists learn from plutonium and uranium workers (October 13, 2010) -- Tucked away in a metal sided warehouse at the Richland Airport, Washington State University researchers sift through years, even decades, of data files and human tissue samples in an attempt to track how previous nuclear workers were affected by plutonium, uranium and other nuclear-industry related elements. ... > full story
Wild 'teenage' galaxies booming with star births (October 13, 2010) -- Scientists in Denmark have been studying distant galaxies, which are among the most active star-forming galaxies in the Universe. They form around 1,000 new stars a year -- a 1,000 times more than our own galaxy, the Milky Way. The galaxies are located in the far distant Universe -- when the Universe was 3 billion years old. It is a period when the galaxies were very active, almost teenager-like and out of control. ... > full story
Second-generation device more effective in capturing circulating tumor cells (October 13, 2010) -- A redesigned version of the CTC-Chip -- a microchip-based device for capturing rare circulating tumor cells -- appears to be more effective and should be easier to manufacture than the original. Called the HB-(herringbone) Chip, the new device also may provide more comprehensive and easily accessible data from captured tumor cells. ... > full story
Better way to study proteins in the body: Could streamline development of drugs (October 13, 2010) -- Using a combination of high-powered computers and advanced experimental magnetic resonance data, a biophysical chemist has developed techniques that improve the way scientists can study and predict the structure and dynamics of proteins found in the human body. His innovations could ultimately shorten the time it takes researchers to develop new, more effective drugs and better understand biomedical processes that underlie a variety of health conditions. ... > full story
Struggling for breath: Videogame technology documents abnormal breathing patterns in patients with sunken chest (October 13, 2010) -- Patients with a common chest deformity known as sunken chest exhibit abnormal breathing patterns. The findings were the result of a side-by-side comparison of patients with normal chests and patients who suffer from the chest wall deformity known as pectus excavatum. ... > full story
Nanoscopic particles resist full encapsulation, simulations show (October 12, 2010) -- It may seem obvious that dunking relatively spherical objects in a sauce -- blueberries in melted chocolate, say -- will result in an array of completely encapsulated berries. Relying on that concept, fabricators of spherical nanoparticles have similarly dunked their wares in protective coatings in the belief such encapsulations would prevent clumping and unwanted chemical interactions with solvents. Unfortunately, reactions in the nanoworld are not logical extensions of the macroworld, researchers have found. ... > full story
Pediatric hospitalizations for ATV-related injuries more than double (October 12, 2010) -- All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are associated with a significant and increasing number of hospitalizations for children in the US, according to a new report. Over a nine-year period (1997-2006) hospitalizations for ATV injuries increased 150 percent among youth younger than 18 years, with important demographic variations. ... > full story
Giant star goes supernova and is smothered by its own dust (October 12, 2010) -- A giant star in a faraway galaxy recently ended its life with a dust-shrouded whimper instead of the more typical bang. Researchers suspect that this odd event -- the first one of its kind ever viewed by astronomers -- was more common early in the universe. ... > full story
Large Hadron Collider used to recreate miniature version of beginning of Universe (October 12, 2010) -- Researchers used Einstein's famous E=mc2 equation and the Large Hadron Collider to recreate a miniature version of the event at the origins of our Universe, and the first findings from their work have just been published. ... > full story
NASA mission to asteroid gets help from Hubble Space Telescope (October 12, 2010) -- NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured images of the large asteroid Vesta that will help scientists refine plans for the Dawn spacecraft's rendezvous with Vesta in July 2011. ... > full story
Why it's hard to crash the electric grid (October 12, 2010) -- A new study shows why it would be hard for terrorists to bring down the US electric grid. ... > full story
Bacteria grow electrical hair: Specialized bacterial filaments shown to conduct electricity (October 12, 2010) -- Some bacteria grow electrical hair that lets them link up in big biological circuits, according to a study in PNAS. The finding suggests that microbial colonies may survive, communicate and share energy in part through electrically conducting hairs known as bacterial nanowires. ... > full story
Universe likes to form galaxies similar to the Milky Way (October 12, 2010) -- Galaxies like our own Milky Way formed easily and have also been the largest spiral galaxies in the universe for almost 4 billion years. ... > full story
Future of electric cars? Running fuel cells on biodiesel (October 12, 2010) -- A smart diesel reformer and a tolerant fuel cell are the core components of a new type of electric power supply unit. Environmentally friendly and flexible, the unit could be a serious contender in the market for generators in electric vehicles and other applications. The power supply unit can run on biodiesel as well as regular diesel. ... > full story
Ultra-precise optical systems for space (October 12, 2010) -- Metal mirrors made with extremely high precision and exactly positioned are the key elements of modern telescopes. A new production technique enables complex optical surfaces to be manufactured with excellent trueness of shape and hitherto unattained positional accuracy. The mirrors have been built for an infrared sounder telescope. ... > full story
Car manufacturers can get vehicles to market more quickly using new simulation model (October 12, 2010) -- A new simulation model is set to significantly reduce the time and costs required to calibrate a new engine, enabling car manufacturers to get new vehicles to market much more quickly. ... > full story
Research reveals likely housing winners and losers (October 12, 2010) -- There is a great deal of uncertainty and speculation about the direction of the housing market in the UK and the USA -- both for home-owners and renters. Researchers have devised a mathematical model to provide some foresight into changes into the housing market. The model could be beneficial to central banks and ministries of finance that have an interest in the effects of the housing market on their economies. ... > full story
Super lasers: Raman amplification compressed laser pulses 1000 times shorter, 300 times more intense (October 11, 2010) -- More brilliant X-rays, more cost-effective methods for developing new energy sources and advanced manufacturing processes are just some of the benefits which may come from a novel technology. ... > full story
Study details structure of potential target for HIV and cancer drugs (October 11, 2010) -- In a technical tour de force, structural biologists have determined the three-dimensional structure of a molecule involved in HIV infection and in many forms of cancer. The high-resolution structure sheds light on how the molecule functions and could point to ways to control its activity, potentially locking out HIV and stalling cancer's spread. ... > full story
Using buildings for flood protection (October 11, 2010) -- Buildings, car parks and roads could, alongside their 'regular' functions, have a role to play in protecting the rest of the city from flooding. This concept could be very useful for the Dutch cities along the River Rhine, for example. ... > full story
New method to identify people by their ears (October 11, 2010) -- Scientists working on biometrics in the UK have found a way to identify ears with a success rate of almost 100 percent. ... > full story
Efficient, inexpensive plastic solar cells coming soon (October 11, 2010) -- Physicists have discovered new properties in a material that could result in efficient and inexpensive plastic solar cells. The discovery reveals that excitons, or energy-carrying particles generated by photons, can travel on the order of a thousand times farther in organic semiconductors than scientists previously observed. This boosts scientists' hopes that organic solar cells may one day overtake silicon in cost and performance. ... > full story
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