ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Monday, November 1, 2010
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Faster CARS, less damage: Chemical microscopy shows potential for cell diagnostics (November 1, 2010) -- Recent research may breathe new life into the use of a powerful -- but tricky -- diagnostic technique for cell biology. A new paper demonstrates that with improved hardware and better signal processing, a powerful form of molecular vibration spectroscopy can quickly deliver detailed molecular maps of the contents of cells without damaging them. ... > full story
New test equipment enhances police traffic surveillance (November 1, 2010) -- Police surveillance of seatbelt compliance and speeding is getting a boost thanks to the development of new test equipment by Finnish researchers. Developed by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the equipment also measures distance between vehicles, road surface condition and calculates traffic emissions. ... > full story
Mars volcanic deposit tells of warm and wet environment (October 31, 2010) -- Planetary scientists have found a volcanic deposit on Mars that would have been a promising wellspring for life. The silica deposit clearly shows the presence of water and heat. It was formed at a time when Mars' climate turned dry and chilly, which could mark it as one of the most recent habitable microenvironments on the red planet. ... > full story
Isotope near 'doubly magic' tin-100 flouts conventional wisdom (October 31, 2010) -- Tin may seem like the most unassuming of elements, but new experiments are yielding surprising properties in extremely short-lived isotopes near tin-100's "doubly magic" nucleus. Experiments performed with the exotic nucleus tin-101, which has a single neutron orbiting tin-100's closed shell of 50 protons and 50 neutrons, indicate an unexpected reversal in the ordering of lowest states in the nucleus. The finding appears to violate a standard scenario offered by the nuclear shell model that has been the cornerstone for understanding the atomic nucleus for more than half a century. ... > full story
A technique that shows colorful connections in the brain (October 31, 2010) -- The connections between neurons in a young, growing brain are more dynamic and changeable than previously thought, according to research based on a new technique that reveals the brain circuitry of a living mouse. ... > full story
Advance could change modern electronics (October 31, 2010) -- Researchers have solved a quest in fundamental material science that has eluded scientists since the 1960s, and could form the basis of a new approach to electronics. The discovery outlines the creation for the first time of a high-performance "metal-insulator-metal" diode. ... > full story
'Goldilocks' of DNA self-assembly discovered (October 31, 2010) -- Researchers have found a way to optimize the development of DNA self-assembling materials, which hold promise for technologies ranging from drug delivery to molecular sensors. The key to the advance is the discovery of the "Goldilocks" length for DNA strands used in self-assembly -- not too long, not too short, but just right. ... > full story
Avoiding CO<sub>2</sub> capture health risks is possible, Norwegian experts say (October 31, 2010) -- Experts in Norway believe it is possible to develop efficient CO2 capture technologies without generating harmful emissions. ... > full story
New insight into gaseous and dust discs around stars (October 30, 2010) -- Researchers offer new insight into the structure of the gaseous and dust disc around a so-called 'Herbig Be' star. Herbig Be stars are surrounded by a disk with gaseous and solid particles. ... > full story
New software eases analysis of insect in motion (October 30, 2010) -- Researchers are using two high-speed cameras and a computer program they developed to quickly and accurately analyze the simultaneous movement of all 26 leg joints in a walking cockroach. They have made the program free and open-source for other insect researchers to use. ... > full story
Shuttle mice to boost disease research: Experiment on last flight of Discovery will probe spaceflight-induced immune-system impairment (October 30, 2010) -- When the space shuttle Discovery lifts off on its final flight Nov. 2, its six astronauts will be joined by 16 mice -- part of a long-term NASA effort aimed at understanding why spaceflight makes humans more vulnerable to infection by viruses and bacteria. ... > full story
Study links fresh Mars gullies to carbon dioxide (October 30, 2010) -- A growing bounty of images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reveals that the timing of new activity in one type of the enigmatic gullies on Mars implicates carbon-dioxide frost, rather than water, as the agent causing fresh flows of sand. ... > full story
Three-dimensional maps of brain wiring (October 29, 2010) -- Scientists have developed a software tool that physicians can use to easily study the wiring of the brains of their patients. The tool converts MRI scans using special techniques to three-dimensional images. This now makes it possible to view a total picture of the winding roads and their contacts without having to operate. ... > full story
Researchers use math, maps to plot malaria elimination plan (October 29, 2010) -- An international team of researchers has used mathematical models and maps to estimate the feasibility of eliminating malaria from countries that have the deadliest form of the disease. ... > full story
Space radar provides a taste of Comet Hartley 2 (October 29, 2010) -- Exactly one week before the world gets a new look at comet Hartley 2 via NASA's EPOXI mission, observations of the comet by the Arecibo Planetary Radar in Puerto Rico have offered scientists a tantalizing preview. ... > full story
‘Wireless’ humans could form backbone of new mobile networks (October 29, 2010) -- Members of the public could form the backbone of powerful new mobile internet networks by carrying wearable sensors. The novel sensors could create new ultra high bandwidth mobile internet infrastructures and reduce the density of mobile phone base stations, according to researchers. ... > full story
Organic solvent system may improve catalyst recycling and create new nanomedicine uses (October 29, 2010) -- Noble metals such as platinum and palladium are becoming increasingly important because of growth in environmentally friendly applications such as fuel cells. A new solvent system could improve the recycling of these metals. ... > full story
New system for monitoring electricity use heralds greener homes and cheaper bills (October 29, 2010) -- During the winter months the days grow colder and the nights longer causing households to use more electricity, often resulting in higher bills. Most households have no way of monitoring how much electricity is being consumed; however, researchers believe a new monitoring system may soon be available for residential use. ... > full story
Earth-sized planets may be common throughout our galaxy, NASA survey suggests (October 29, 2010) -- Nearly one in four stars similar to the sun may host planets as small as Earth, according to a new study. The study is the most extensive and sensitive planetary census of its kind. Astronomers used the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii for five years to search 166 sun-like stars near our solar system for planets of various sizes, ranging from three to 1,000 times the mass of Earth. All of the planets in the study orbit close to their stars. The results show more small planets than large ones, indicating small planets are more prevalent in our Milky Way galaxy. ... > full story
Better detection for diagnostics and biochemical defense (October 29, 2010) -- Current detection methods for chemical and biological molecules involve using tiny, molecular "labels," typically fluorescent or radioactive entities, which can be a time-consuming and expensive process. A research team recently developed a system for detecting chemical and biological molecules without labels, and they expect the technology to have broad applications ranging from clinical diagnostics to drug development, as well as homeland security and environmental monitoring for biological and chemical weapons. ... > full story
Brain's journey from early Internet to modern-day fiber optics: Computer program shows how brain's complex fiber tracks mature (October 29, 2010) -- The brain's inner network becomes increasingly more efficient as humans mature. Now, for the first time without invasive measures, a new study has verified these gains with a powerful new computer program. ... > full story
New strategy to kill bugs -- even those in hiding (October 29, 2010) -- New strategies to apply antibiotics more effectively to hibernating bugs have been developed by researchers in the UK. ... > full story
Making better biosensors with electron density waves (October 29, 2010) -- An emerging field with the tongue-twisting name of "optofluidic plasmonics" promises a new way to detect and analyze biological molecules for drug discovery, medical diagnostics, and the detection of biochemical weapons. Researchers have succeeded in merging a microfluidics system with plasmonics -- sometimes called "light on a wire" -- onto a single platform. Plasmonics is based on electron waves on a metal surface excited by incoming light waves. ... > full story
Emotion processing in brain is influenced by color of ambient light, study suggests (October 29, 2010) -- Researchers in Europe investigated the immediate effect of light, and of its color composition, on emotion brain processing using functional magnetic resonance imaging. The results of their study show that the color of light influences the way the brain processes emotional stimuli. ... > full story
North Sea oil recovery using carbon dioxide is possible, but time is running out, expert says (October 29, 2010) -- Oil recovery using carbon dioxide could lead to a North Sea oil bonanza worth £150 billion (0 billion) -- but only if the current infrastructure is enhanced now, according to a new study by a world-leading energy expert. ... > full story
Breakdown of correlated tunneling (October 29, 2010) -- Scientists have shown how quantum-mechanical tunneling through a barrier can be altered drastically due to the interplay of many particles in low dimensions. ... > full story
Precocious galaxy cluster identified by Chandra (October 28, 2010) -- NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has observed an unusual galaxy cluster that contains a bright core of relatively cool gas surrounding a quasar called 3C 186. This is the most distant such object yet observed, and could provide insight into the triggering of quasars and the growth of galaxy clusters. ... > full story
Everything evaporates, but how? (October 28, 2010) -- Evaporation is a common phenomenon in nature. For the last 130 years, it has seemed that its mechanism was understood well. However, computer simulations carried out by scientists in Poland show that the existing theoretical models were based on false assumptions. Thanks to the simulations, it was possible to learn the mechanisms of evaporation of drops into vacuum or into an environment filled with the vapor of a liquid under examination. However, the mechanism that plays a key role in the case of evaporation into a mixture of gases, for instance into air, is still unknown. ... > full story
Trapped Mars rover finds evidence of subsurface water (October 28, 2010) -- The ground where NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit became stuck last year holds evidence that water, perhaps as snow melt, trickled into the subsurface fairly recently and on a continuing basis. ... > full story
Scientists 'cage' genetic off switches so they can be activated by UV light (October 28, 2010) -- Researchers have found a way to "cage" genetic off switches in such a way that they can be activated when exposed to UV light. Their technology gives scientists a more precise way to control and study gene function in localized areas of developing organisms. ... > full story
Facebook study finds race trumped by ethnic, social, geographic origins in forging friendships (October 28, 2010) -- Race may not be as important as previously thought in determining who buddies up with whom, suggests the UCLA-Harvard study of American college students on Facebook. Sociologists have long maintained that race is the strongest predictor of whether two Americans will socialize. But the study found that such factors as where you live, your country of origin and your social class can provide stronger grounds for forging friendships than a shared racial background. ... > full story
Smaller is better in the viscous zone (October 28, 2010) -- Being the right size and existing in the limbo between a solid and a liquid state appear to be the secrets to improving the efficiency of chemical catalysts that can create better nanoparticles or more efficient energy sources. ... > full story
Space buckyballs thrive, finds NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope (October 28, 2010) -- Astronomers have discovered bucket loads of buckyballs in space. They used NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope to find the little carbon spheres throughout our Milky Way galaxy -- in the space between stars and around three dying stars. What's more, Spitzer detected buckyballs around a fourth dying star in a nearby galaxy in staggering quantities -- the equivalent in mass to about 15 of our moons. ... > full story
Getting the big picture quickly: Software edits huge images in seconds instead of hours (October 28, 2010) -- Computer scientists developed software that quickly edits "extreme resolution imagery" -- huge photographs containing billions to hundreds of billions of pixels or dot-like picture elements. Until now, it took hours to process these "gigapixel" images. The new software needs only seconds to produce preview images useful to doctors, intelligence analysts, photographers, artists, engineers and others. ... > full story
Magnetic test reveals hyperactive brain network responsible for involuntary flashbacks (October 28, 2010) -- Scientists have found a correlation between increased circuit activity in the right side of the brain and the suffering of involuntary flashbacks by post-traumatic stress disorder sufferers. ... > full story
Water could hold answer to graphene nanoelectronics (October 28, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a new method for using water to tune the band gap of the nanomaterial graphene, opening the door to new graphene-based transistors and nanoelectronics. By exposing a graphene film to humidity, researchers were able to create a band gap in graphene -- a critical prerequisite to creating graphene transistors. ... > full story
Scientists helping keep in-demand smoked salmon safe to eat, thanks to new mathematical model (October 28, 2010) -- Scientists with the US Department of Agriculture are helping ensure that the smoked salmon that's always a hit at festive gatherings also is always safe to eat, including among their achievements the development of a first-of-its-kind mathematical model that food processors and others can use to select the optimal combination of temperature and concentrations of salt and smoke compounds to reduce or eliminate microbial contamination of the product. ... > full story
Making bone in the laboratory (October 28, 2010) -- Researchers in the Netherlands have succeeded in mimicking the process of bone formation in the laboratory, and in visualizing the process in great detail. ... > full story
Structural genomics accelerates protein structure determination (October 28, 2010) -- Membrane proteins are of immense biological and pharmaceutical importance. But so far there are only a handful of cases in which the exact structure could be successfully determined. Scientists have now succeeded in working out the structure of an important ion channel via the analysis of related proteins. ... > full story
Current loss tracked down by magnetic fingerprint; Researchers solve the case of lost current in organic solar cells (October 28, 2010) -- Conventional solar cells made from crystalline silicon are difficult and energy-intensive to manufacture. Organic solar cells are cheaper, but have always produced less electricity. Why this is so has never been fully explained. Now, a method developed by researchers in Germany reveals that current flow inside a solar cell can be affected by the spin of the charge-carrying particles. ... > full story
Out of THEMIS, ARTEMIS: Earth's loss is moon's gain (October 27, 2010) -- Two micro-satellites originally launched into Earth's orbit in 2007 by NASA have been redirected by scientists toward new orbits around the moon, extending study of the Earth and moon's interaction with the solar wind. ... > full story
Spiral galaxies stripped bare (October 27, 2010) -- Six spectacular spiral galaxies are seen in a clear new light in images from ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) at the Paranal Observatory in Chile. The pictures were taken in infrared light, using the impressive power of the HAWK-I camera, and will help astronomers understand how the remarkable spiral patterns in galaxies form and evolve. ... > full story
Tobacco and nicotine: They're good -- as a pesticide (October 27, 2010) -- Tobacco, used on a small scale as a natural organic pesticide for hundreds of years, is getting new scientific attention as a potential mass-produced alternative to traditional commercial pesticides. ... > full story
Controlling individual cortical nerve cells by human thought (October 27, 2010) -- Five years ago, neuroscientists and neurosurgeons discovered that a single neuron can function much like a sophisticated computer and recognize people, landmarks, and objects. Now the same researchers have found that individuals can exert conscious control over these single neurons -- despite the neurons' location in an area of the brain previously thought inaccessible to conscious control -- and manipulate the behavior of an image on a computer screen. ... > full story
Small particles show big promise in beating unpleasant odors (October 27, 2010) -- Scientists are reporting development of a new approach for dealing with offensive household and other odors -- one that doesn't simply mask odors like today's room fresheners, but eliminates them at the source. Their research found that a deodorant made from nanoparticles -- hundreds of times smaller than peach fuzz -- eliminates odors up to twice as effectively as today's gold standard. ... > full story
Astronomers discover most massive neutron star yet known; Discovery has broad implications for astrophysics, nuclear physics (October 27, 2010) -- Precise measurement of a neutron star's mass yields a surprisingly large figure that rules out several models for the star's composition and also strongly affects other fields of physics. ... > full story
Portable breast scanner allows cancer detection in the blink of an eye (October 27, 2010) -- Women could have a fast test for breast cancer and instantly identify the presence of a tumor in the comfort of their own home, thanks to groundbreaking research. ... > full story
The new SI: Proposal for a revamped system of measurement units (October 27, 2010) -- Taking the first steps of what would be a major historical advance in the science of measurement, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology is participating in a worldwide effort to recommend major revisions to the International System of Units (SI), the modern metric system that is the basis of global measurements in commerce, science and other aspects of everyday life. ... > full story
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