ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Tuesday, November 9, 2010
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The many faces of the shear Alfvén wave: 3-D movies are no longer just for Hollywood blockbusters (November 9, 2010) -- When physicists probe the mysteries of plasma, the fourth state of matter, they often discover phenomena of striking beauty. Much as when the Hubble Space Telescope sent back vivid images from space of ionized gas clouds (an interstellar plasma!), new 3-D images of shear Alfvén waves are delighting both scientists and a new generation of science enthusiasts. ... > full story
Easy fabrication of non-reflecting and self-cleaning silicon and plastic surfaces (November 9, 2010) -- Scientists specializing in microfabrication and microfludics have developed a new and rapid method for fabrication of non-reflecting and self-cleaning surfaces. Surface properties are based on the nanostructured surface. ... > full story
Graphene gets a Teflon makeover (November 9, 2010) -- Scientists have created a new material which could replace or compete with Teflon in thousands of everyday applications. The researchers believe that fluorographene -- a flat, crystal version of Teflon and is mechanically as strong as graphene -- could be used as a thinner, lighter version of Teflon, and also find applications in electronics, such as for new types of LED devices. ... > full story
Close-up of hidden galaxies with new cosmic zoom lenses (November 8, 2010) -- Astronomers have discovered a new way of locating a natural phenomenon that acts like a zoom lens and allows astronomers to peer at galaxies in the distant and early Universe. These results are from the very first data taken as part of the "Herschel-ATLAS" project, the largest imaging survey conducted so far with the European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory. ... > full story
Nanoparticles' journey from lungs into body chronicled: Insights into pulmonary drug delivery, air pollution control (November 8, 2010) -- Using a novel, real-time imaging system, scientists have tracked a group of near-infrared fluorescent nanoparticles from the airspaces of the lungs, into the body and out again, providing a description of the characteristics and behavior of these minute particles which could be used in developing therapeutic agents to treat pulmonary disease, as well as offering a greater understanding of the health effects of air pollution. ... > full story
Greater food insecurity from recession poses increased risk to low income individuals with diabetes (November 8, 2010) -- The economic recession impacts many aspects of our lives including an increase incidence of food insecurity. For diseases like diabetes, in which nutrition and menu planning play a key role in treatment, food insecurity can be devastating. Researchers explore how technology advancement in the form of telemedicine can provide cost-effective ways to treat those with diabetes experiencing food insecurity. ... > full story
Taming thermonuclear plasma with a snowflake (November 8, 2010) -- Physicists are one step closer to solving one of the grand challenges of magnetic fusion research -- how to reduce the effect that the hot plasma has on fusion machine walls (or how to tame the plasma-material interface). ... > full story
Simulating black hole radiation with lasers: Lasers produce the first Hawking radiation ever detected (November 8, 2010) -- Hawking radiation from black holes is very dim, and unlikely to be detected any time soon. Now researchers have created a laboratory experiment that produces detectable Hawking radiation with a laser. ... > full story
Solar-powered device affordable, reliable tool to measure blood pressure (November 8, 2010) -- A new solar powered, automated blood pressure monitoring device was equally accurate as the standard device that measures systolic blood pressure. The device was favored by health professionals and patients when tested in Africa. The new device eliminates the need for batteries, which are expensive and scarce in low economic settings. ... > full story
Computer program recognizes human emotions from conversation analysis (November 8, 2010) -- Researchers in Spain have developed a computer program capable of human emotion recognition from automated voice analysis. The software has also been used to program robots participating in the world robot soccer league (RoboCupSoccer). ... > full story
How physical environment influences stem cell development (November 8, 2010) -- Recent research reveals how physical qualities -- and not only chemical ones – may have an influence in determining how adult stem cells from the bone marrow develop into differentiated ones. The finding represents an important step in understanding the mechanisms that direct and regulate the specialization of stem cells from their undefined state. ... > full story
How oscillators -- common electronic components -- get in sync or fall out of sync (November 8, 2010) -- Understanding conditions that cause oscillators to fall in or out of synchronization is necessary to achieve the optimal functioning of oscillator networks that underlie many technologies. The transition from synchronization to desynchronization is the subject of a new investigation by a team of Japanese scientists. ... > full story
'Super-hero' material stretched into a possible electronics revolution (November 8, 2010) -- It's the Clark Kent of oxide compounds, and -- on its own -- it is pretty boring. But slice europium titanate nanometers thin and physically stretch it, and then it takes on super hero-like properties that could revolutionize electronics, according to new research. ... > full story
Rice hulls a sustainable drainage option for greenhouse growers (November 8, 2010) -- Greenhouse plant growers can substitute rice hulls for perlite in their media without the need for an increase in growth regulators, according to a new study. ... > full story
'e-Learning' report shows online professional development aids teachers and students (November 8, 2010) -- Teachers who completed extensive online professional development showed improvement in their knowledge and skills, which translated into modest learning gains for their students, according to a five-year study involving more than 300 teachers and 7,000 students in 13 states. ... > full story
Mathematical model may result in better environment measures for the Baltic (November 8, 2010) -- Eutrophication of the Baltic Sea has clear negative effects, such as dead bottoms and massive blooms of cyanobacteria. But high plankton production can also have positive effects on acidification. Researchers in Sweden have shown that it is possible to work out the aggregate effects of various environmental measures. ... > full story
Elastic electronics: Rules for fabrication of ordered monolayers of semiconducting polymers have been established (November 8, 2010) -- Displays thin like paper, rolled into a tube and other equally futuristic devices will not be created without organic electronics. Creating flexible electronic systems requires knowledge of polymer properties and conditions in which they become self-organized. Scientists have now managed to determine how thin layers of highly ordered polymers can be created -- a key element in the production process of organic electronic systems. ... > full story
NASA's EPOXI flyby reveals new insights into comet features (November 8, 2010) -- NASA's EPOXI mission spacecraft successfully flew past comet Hartley 2 on Nov. 4, 2010. Scientists say initial images from the flyby provide new information about the comet's volume and material spewing from its surface. ... > full story
New propulsion method developed for metallic micro- and nano-objects (November 7, 2010) -- A new propulsion method for metallic micro- and nano-objects has been developed. The process is based on the novel concept of bipolar electrochemistry: under the influence of an electric field, one end of a metallic object grows while the other end dissolves. Thanks to this permanent self-regeneration, objects can move at speeds of the order of a hundred micrometers per second. This work could find applications in fields ranging from nanomedicine to micromechanics. ... > full story
Scientists develop device to enable improved global data transmission (November 7, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a new data transmission system that could substantially improve the transmission capacity and energy efficiency of the world's optical communication networks. ... > full story
Water purification: Is colloidal silver necessary for bacteria removal? (November 7, 2010) -- Scientists traveled to Guatemala twice in the past year to conduct research on ceramic pot filters that are used locally to remove bacteria from water. They found that silver may not be necessary to effectively remove bacteria from source water. ... > full story
Specialization builds trust among Web users (November 7, 2010) -- If you name it, they will use it, according to researchers who investigated how people perceive the trustworthiness of online technology. In an experiment, participants said they trusted websites, recommendation-providing software and even computers labeled to perform specific functions more than the same Internet tools with general designations. ... > full story
On the way to CO<sub>2</sub>-free power plants (November 7, 2010) -- A new pilot power plant in Germany will capture carbon dioxide contained in flue gases. Researchers plan to utilize the plant for investigating two innovative methods for CO2 capture that require less energy and lower operating costs than earlier approaches. ... > full story
Cosmic curiosity reveals ghostly glow of dead quasar (November 6, 2010) -- Astronomers have discovered that the strange-looking object discovered two years ago as part of the Galaxy Zoo citizen science project, called "Hanny's Voorwerp," is a large cloud of glowing gas illuminated by the light from a quasar that died out up to 70,000 years ago. ... > full story
'Nano-drug' hits brain-tumor target: Unique triggering device delivers antitumor drugs (November 6, 2010) -- Employing new drug-engineering technology that is part of an advanced science called nanomedicine, a research team has created a "nanobioconjugate" drug that may be given by intravenous injection and carried in the blood to target the brain tumor. It is engineered to specifically permeate the tumor cell wall, entering endosomes, mobile compartments within cells. ... > full story
Math professor illuminates cellular basis of neural impulse transmission (November 6, 2010) -- A new mathematical model shows that the calcium current through an N-type channel is larger than calcium channels that are not involved in synaptic transmission, contrary to the currently accepted channel conductance hierarchy. ... > full story
X-rays offer first detailed look at hotspots for calcium-related disease (November 6, 2010) -- Using intense X-rays, researchers have determined the detailed structure of a key part of the ryanodine receptor, a protein associated with calcium-related disease. Their results pinpoint the locations of more than 50 mutations that cluster in disease "hotspots" along the receptor and offer insights into how the mutations might cause the receptor to malfunction. ... > full story
New statistical model moves human evolution back three million years (November 5, 2010) -- Evolutionary divergence of humans and chimpanzees likely occurred some 8 million years ago rather than the 5 million year estimate widely accepted by scientists, a new statistical model suggests. ... > full story
Nanoshells provide golden 'touch' in killing breast tumors (November 5, 2010) -- Using tiny gold "nanoshells" to deliver just a little heat to breast tumor cells already treated with radiation boosts the killing potential of the treatment -- not just shrinking the tumor but killing the cancer stem cells, said researchers. ... > full story
Nuclear materials detector shows exact location of radiation sources (November 5, 2010) -- A table-top gamma-ray detector can not only identify the presence of dangerous nuclear materials, but can pinpoint and show their exact location and type, unlike conventional detectors. ... > full story
Colonic navigation: Nanotechnology helps deliver drugs to intestinal target (November 5, 2010) -- Nanoparticles help smuggle drugs into the gut, according to a new study. There are several drugs that would have more beneficial therapeutic effects if they could be targeted at absorption by the lower intestine. ... > full story
New Way to Peer at Distant Galaxies (November 5, 2010) -- Astronomers have discovered a new way of finding cosmic zoom lenses, which allows astronomers to peer at galaxies in the distant Universe. ... > full story
The Large Hadron Collider enters a new phase (November 5, 2010) -- Proton running for 2010 in the LHC at CERN came to a successful conclusion on November 4. Since the end of March, when the first collisions occurred at a total energy of 7 TeV, the machine and experiment teams have achieved all of their objectives for the first year of proton physics at this record energy and new ground has been explored. For the rest of the year the LHC is moving to a different phase of operation, in which lead ions will be accelerated and brought into collision in the machine for the first time. ... > full story
Neutron stars may be too weak to power some gamma-ray bursts; Black holes may be power source (November 5, 2010) -- Long-duration gamma-ray bursts flash across the universe to signal the collapse of a massive star, but this collapsar model predicts either a neutron star or a black hole is left behind. New calculations of the energy released by gamma-ray bursts find it too large to be powered by a neutron star, even highly magnetized, spinning magnetars. Thus, astronomers conclude, the likely power source is a black hole. ... > full story
Deep impact spacecraft successfully flies by comet Hartley 2 (November 4, 2010) -- The EPOXI mission successfully flew by comet Hartley 2 on Nov. 3, 2010, and the spacecraft has begun returning images. Hartley 2 is the fifth comet nucleus visited by any spacecraft and the second one visited by the Deep Impact spacecraft. ... > full story
Built-in timer for improving accuracy of cost saving paper-strip medical tests (November 4, 2010) -- Scientists are reporting the development of a simple, built-in timer intended to improve the accuracy of paper tests and test strips for diagnosing diseases inexpensively at-home and elsewhere. ... > full story
Corn starch solution can help shape solid materials (November 4, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a method to shape solid materials using a corn starch solution. The process offers a potential technique for material cutting and manufacturing processes. ... > full story
How some plants spread their seeds: Ready, set, catapult (November 4, 2010) -- Catapults are often associated with a medieval means of destruction, but for some plants, they are an effective way to launch new life. Dispersing seeds greater distances by catapulting can provide selective advantages, including the establishment of populations in new environments and escape from certain threats. Researchers measured the mechanics involved in catapulting seeds for the ballistic disperser Cardamine parviflora. ... > full story
Transparent conductive material could lead to power-generating windows (November 4, 2010) -- Scientists have fabricated transparent thin films capable of absorbing light and generating electric charge over a relatively large area. The material could be used to develop transparent solar panels or even windows that absorb solar energy to generate electricity. ... > full story
Electrons get confused: Researchers may have observed the fastest melting of all time (November 4, 2010) -- Scientists have observed exotic behavior from beryllium oxide (BeO) when they bombarded it with high-speed heavy ions: after being shot in this way, the electrons in the BeO appeared "confused", and seemed to completely forget the material properties of their environment. The researchers' measurements show changes in the electronic structure that can be explained by extremely rapid melting around the firing line of the heavy ions. ... > full story
What will Webb see? Supercomputer models yield sneak previews (November 4, 2010) -- As scientists and engineers work to make NASA's James Webb Space Telescope a reality, they find themselves wondering what new sights the largest space-based observatory ever constructed will reveal. With Webb, astronomers aim to catch planets in the making and identify the universe's first stars and galaxies, yet these are things no telescope -- not even Hubble -- has ever shown them before. ... > full story
'Bouncy' cell membranes behave like cornstarch and water, researchers find (November 3, 2010) -- Mix two parts cornstarch and one part water. Swirl your fingers in it slowly and the mixture is a smoothly flowing liquid. Punch it quickly with your fist and you meet a rubbery solid -- so solid you can jump up and down on a vat of it. It turns out that cell membranes behave the same way. ... > full story
Broadband coming wirelessly to Australia's bush (November 3, 2010) -- A major breakthrough in wireless technology designed to bring broadband to people living beyond the optical fiber network has been unveiled in Australia. ... > full story
Moving holograms: From science fiction to reality (November 3, 2010) -- Scientists have developed a new type of holographic telepresence that allows the projection of a three-dimensional, moving image without the need for special eyewear such as 3-D glasses or other auxiliary devices. The technology is likely to take applications ranging from telemedicine, advertising, updatable 3-D maps and entertainment to a new level. ... > full story
New retinal implant enables blind people to see shapes and objects (November 3, 2010) -- Researchers in Germany have developed a retinal implant that has allowed three blind people to see shapes and objects within days of the implant being installed. One blind person was even able to identify and find objects placed on a table in front of him, as well as walking around a room independently and approaching people, reading a clock face and differentiating seven shades of gray. The device represents an unprecedented advance in electronic visual prostheses and could eventually revolutionize the lives of up 200,000 people worldwide who suffer from blindness as a result of retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease. ... > full story
Plants and animals under stress may provide the key to better stock market predications (November 3, 2010) -- Stock markets react to crisis in a similar way to plants and the human body, according to a major new study that may help to predict future financial down-turns. An extensive analysis of biological and financial data suggests that systems under stress exhibit similar symptoms, whether they be polluted forests, cancer patients or the FTSE 100. ... > full story
New approaches needed to gauge safety of nanotech-based pesticides, researchers urge (November 3, 2010) -- Nanotechnology is about to emerge in the world of pesticides and pest control, and a range of new approaches are needed to understand the implications for public health, ensure that this is done safely, maximize the potential benefits and prevent possible risks, researchers say in a new report. ... > full story
Quantum simulator and supercomputer at the crossroads (November 3, 2010) -- Scientists in an international collaboration have measured for the first time a many-body phase diagram with ultracold atoms in optical lattices at finite temperatures. ... > full story
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