ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Tuesday, October 19, 2010
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Underwater robot to explore ice-covered ocean and Antarctic ice shelf (October 19, 2010) -- Researchers in Canada are deploying an underwater robot to survey ice-covered ocean in Antarctica. The mission will study the effect of ice shelves on the mixing of sea water. ... > full story
Watching violent TV or video games desensitizes teenagers and may promote more aggressive behavior, new study finds (October 19, 2010) -- Watching violent films, TV programs or video games desensitizes teenagers, blunts their emotional responses to aggression and potentially promotes aggressive attitudes and behavior, according to new research. ... > full story
Plastics and nanoparticles -- the perfect combination (October 19, 2010) -- These days, plastic components are vital to many fields of industry – lightweight construction, automobile manufacturing and electrical engineering, to name but a few. Now researchers have found ingenious ways to combine plastics with nanoparticles and endow them with new properties. Thanks to these innovative materials, aircraft could in future be better protected against lightning strikes. ... > full story
NASA technology could aid in interpretation of mammograms, ultrasound, other medical imagery (October 18, 2010) -- NASA software used to enhance Earth Science Imagery could one day aid in the interpretation of mammograms, ultrasounds and other medical imagery. ... > full story
From handwritten CAPTCHAs to 'smart rooms,' tech solutions start with pattern recognition (October 18, 2010) -- Buy something online, enter your credit card number and mailing address. Simple. Then you come to the box with the CAPTCHA, the "completely automated public Turing test to tell computers and humans apart." Here, the website attempts to confirm that you're a human, not some robot about to commit a cybercrime. Biometrics that researchers are studying for "smart room" applications, beyond CAPTCHAS and handwritten words include hand gestures as well as the more common biometrics of facial, voice and gait recognition. ... > full story
Unexpected magnetic order among titanium atoms discovered (October 18, 2010) -- Theoretical work has provided a key to understanding an unexpected magnetism between two dissimilar materials. The results have special significance for the design of future electronic devices for computations and telecommunications. ... > full story
The many infrared 'personalities' of the Sculptor galaxy (October 18, 2010) -- The Sculptor galaxy is shown in different infrared hues, in a new mosaic from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE. The main picture is a composite of infrared light captured with all four of the space telescope's infrared detectors. ... > full story
SpamBot wants to be your friend (October 18, 2010) -- Social network sites such as Facebook, mySpace or Twitter are gaining popularity. But the web 2.0 faces us with new dangers. Researchers in Austria, who have been detecting and studying security hazards of social network sites, now provide advice on how to increase your safety on the web. ... > full story
Lastest graphene research could lead to improvements in bluetooth headsets and other devices (October 18, 2010) -- Researchers have built and successfully tested an amplifier made from graphene that could lead to more efficient circuits in electronic chips, such as those used in Bluetooth headsets and toll collection devices in cars. ... > full story
Moving monopoles caught on camera: Researchers make visible movement of monopoles in assembly of nanomagnets (October 18, 2010) -- For decades, researchers have been searching for magnetic monopoles -- isolated magnetic charges, which can move around freely in the same way as electrical charges. Magnetic poles normally only occur in pairs. Now a team of researchers has managed to create monopoles in the form of quasiparticles in an assembly of nanoscale magnets and to observe how they move using a microscope at the Swiss Light Source to make the magnetic structures visible. ... > full story
From biomass to ethanol and methane: New enzyme may lead to cheaper biofuel (October 18, 2010) -- Logging residue, branch clippings and even prawn shells may serve as raw materials for cheaper biofuels -- thanks to a new enzyme that breaks down biomass more quickly. What's more, this could help to curtail the current practice of using valuable food plants for fuel production. ... > full story
For future chips, smaller must also be better (October 18, 2010) -- A group of researchers in China and France has fabricated and tested tiny high-frequency capacitors made from a complex manmade mineral: barium strontium titanate. The work paves the way toward future high-frequency microwave applications. ... > full story
MRI zooms in on microscopic flow (October 18, 2010) -- Through a combination of remote instrumentation, JPEG-style image compression and other key enhancements, researchers have been able to apply Magnetic Resonance Imaging to materials flowing through microfluidic "lab-on-a-chip" devices with unprecedented spatial and time resolutions. ... > full story
Model unfolds proteins gently (October 18, 2010) -- Protein molecules inside cells are constantly reorganizing themselves, driven by very tiny forces exerted by all the other molecules in their crowded environment. Most experimental techniques and theoretical/computational models are necessarily built around much greater driving forces. A new theoretical model investigates the unfolding of fibronectin under gentler conditions. ... > full story
Building a smaller, lighter future: Understanding polymer behaviors below one nanometer (October 18, 2010) -- Knowing how to build nanosized assemblies of polymers (long molecular chains) holds the key to improving a broad range of industrial processes -- from the production of nanofibers, filters, and new materials to the manufacture of low-energy, nanoscale circuits and devices. A recent paper sheds light on key behaviors of polymers in specially engineered confined spaces, opening the door to a level of control that has previously been impossible. ... > full story
Higher education curricula not keeping pace with societal, tech changes (October 18, 2010) -- As universities are being restructured to best serve the society of tomorrow, are their curricula reflecting these changes and the development of new and possibly even unformulated new disciplines and areas of inquiry? Some educators say "no." ... > full story
Physicists pave the way for graphene-based spin computer; First to achieve 'tunneling spin injection' (October 17, 2010) -- Physicists have taken an important step forward in developing a "spin computer" by successfully achieving "tunneling spin injection" into graphene. In their experiments they found a dramatic increase in the efficiency of how spins were being injected by quantum tunneling across an insulator and into graphene. The first to demonstrate tunneling spin injection into graphene, the researchers now have world record values for spin injection efficiency into graphene. ... > full story
Measurement scientists set a new standard in 3-D ears (October 17, 2010) -- Scientists have developed a means of representing a 3-D model ear, to help redefine the standard for a pinna simulator (the pinna is the outer part of the ear) -- used to measure sound in the way we perceive it. ... > full story
Mini-sensor traces faint magnetic signature of human heartbeat (October 17, 2010) -- Researchers have used a miniature atom-based magnetic sensor to successfully track a human heartbeat, confirming the device's potential for biomedical applications. ... > full story
Complex quantum dot-dopamine interactions unraveled (October 17, 2010) -- Scientists recently reported a detailed study of the interactions of water soluble semi-conductor quantum dots with the electro-active neuro-transmitter dopamine. ... > full story
Planet hunters no longer blinded by the light: New way to see faint planets previously hidden in their star's glare (October 17, 2010) -- Astronomers have developed a way to see faint planets in faraway solar systems previously invisible to Earthly eyes. The technique promises to open new doors in planet discovery. ... > full story
New class of highly electronegative chemical species discovered (October 17, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered a new class of highly electronegative chemical species called hyperhalogens, which use superhalogens as building blocks around a metal atom. The new chemical species may have application in many industries. ... > full story
How to weigh a star using a moon (October 16, 2010) -- How do astronomers weigh a star that's trillions of miles away and way too big to fit on a bathroom scale? In most cases they can't, although they can get a best estimate using computer models of stellar structure. An astrophysicist says that in special cases, we can weigh a star directly. ... > full story
Unsung hero: Researchers produce high-res model of Ndc80 in action (October 16, 2010) -- Scientists have used cryo-electron microscopy and three-dimensional image reconstruction to create a subnanometer resolution image of Ndc80, a protein complex that helps prevent chromosomal distribution mistakes during mitosis that can lead to birth defects, cancer and other disorders. ... > full story
New look at multitalented protein sheds light on mysteries of HIV (October 15, 2010) -- New insights into the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection process, which leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), may now be possible through a research method that allows scientists to glimpse an important protein molecule's behavior with unprecedented clarity. ... > full story
Cancer screening made simple, thanks to micro-fluidic technology (October 15, 2010) -- Current cervical cancer screening is time consuming and expensive, but now new breakthrough technology developed by European researchers should allow large-range screening by non-medical personnel with almost immediate results and at a much lower cost. ... > full story
Eat safer: Novel approach detects unknown food pathogens (October 15, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a novel approach to automated detection and classification of harmful bacteria in food. The investigators have designed and implemented a sophisticated statistical approach that allows computers to improve their ability to detect the presence of bacterial contamination in tested samples. ... > full story
Changing the color of single photons emitted by quantum dots (October 15, 2010) -- Researchers have demonstrated for the first time the conversion of single photons produced by a true quantum source to a near-visible wavelength. The ability to change the color of single photons may aid in the development of hybrid quantum systems for applications in quantum communication, computation and metrology. ... > full story
Computers to read your body language? (October 15, 2010) -- Can a computer read your body language? A consortium of European researchers thinks so, and has developed a range of innovative solutions from escalator safety to online marketing. ... > full story
Mysterious pulsar with hidden powers discovered (October 15, 2010) -- Dramatic flares and bursts of energy -- activity previously thought reserved for only the strongest magnetized pulsars -- has been observed emanating from a weakly magnetized, slowly rotating pulsar. Astrophysicists who made the discovery believe that the source of the pulsar's power may be hidden deep within its surface. ... > full story
Improved 'molecular fingerprinting' for trace gas detection unveiled (October 15, 2010) -- Scientists have demonstrated an improved laser-based "molecular fingerprinting" technique that picks out traces of key molecules from a billion other particles in a gas in just 30 seconds or less. ... > full story
New materials could replace costly gold in electrical applications (October 15, 2010) -- Researchers have modeled and developed new classes of materials with contact properties near those of pure gold. With the price of gold currently hovering around ,340 per ounce, manufacturers across the globe are scrambling for alternatives to the costly noble metals that are widely used in electronic applications, including gold, platinum, rhodium, palladium and silver. ... > full story
Safeguarding data in future quantum computing: Physicists detect and control quantum states in diamond with light (October 15, 2010) -- Physicists have succeeded in combining laser light with trapped electrons to detect and control the electrons' fragile quantum state without erasing it. This is an important step toward using quantum physics to expand computing power and to communicate over long distances without the possibility of eavesdropping. ... > full story
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
Improving engineering education: National study identifies range of opportunities (October 15, 2010) -- A new report from the Center for the Advancement of Engineering Education reveals current strengths, shortcomings of engineering students' academic pathways. ... > 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
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