ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Friday, November 26, 2010
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Pulsating star mystery solved in rare alignment of Cepheid variable and another star (November 26, 2010) -- By discovering the first double star where a pulsating Cepheid variable and another star pass in front of one another, an international team of astronomers has solved a decades-old mystery. The rare alignment of the orbits of the two stars in the double star system has allowed a measurement of the Cepheid mass with unprecedented accuracy. The new result shows that the prediction from stellar pulsation theory is spot on, while the prediction from stellar evolution theory is at odds with the new observations. ... > full story
When Belgium sneezes, the world catches a cold (November 26, 2010) -- As the Eurozone continues to wobble, a new analysis of countries' economic interconnectedness finds that some of the countries with the greatest potential to cause a global crash have surprisingly small gross domestic production. ... > full story
New guidance issued for first responders collecting suspected biothreat agents (November 26, 2010) -- The US National Institute of Standards and Technology and a coalition of federal, state and local agencies and other organizations have updated a standard and provided overall guidance and recommendations to help the nation's first responders and law enforcement agencies deal with collecting and managing samples of suspicious powders. ... > full story
Imaging with neutrons: Magnetic domains shown for the first time in 3-D (November 25, 2010) -- Although they exist in almost every magnetic material, you cannot see them: magnetic domains are microscopically small regions of uniform magnetization. Scientists have now developed a method by which they can image the full spatial structure of magnetic domains -- even deep within materials. ... > full story
Massive galaxies formed when universe was young, new findings suggest (November 25, 2010) -- Scientists have found a number of very massive, highly luminous galaxies that existed almost 12 billion years ago when the universe was only about 1.5 billion years old. These findings appear to disagree with the latest predictions from models of galaxy formation and evolution. ... > full story
Short, on-chip light pulses will enable ultrafast data transfer within computers (November 25, 2010) -- Electrical engineers generated short, powerful light pulses on a chip -- an important step toward the optical interconnects that will likely replace the copper wires that carry information between chips within today's computers. Electrical engineers recently developed the first ultra compact, low power pulse compressor on a silicon chip to be described in the scientific literature. ... > full story
The physics of coffee rings (November 25, 2010) -- Researchers have analyzed the stain patterns left behind by coffee droplets on a surface and have presented their "coffee ring" models. ... > full story
New imaging technique accurately finds cancer cells, fast (November 25, 2010) -- The long, anxious wait for biopsy results could soon be over, thanks to a new tissue-imaging technique. Researchers have demonstrated the novel microscopy technique, called nonlinear interferometric vibrational imaging, on rat breast-cancer cells and tissues. It produced easy-to-read, color-coded images of tissue, outlining clear tumor boundaries, with more than 99 percent confidence -- in less than five minutes. ... > full story
Optimizing large wind farms (November 25, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a model to calculate the optimal spacing of wind turbines for the very large wind farms of the future. ... > full story
Scientists crack materials mystery in vanadium dioxide (November 25, 2010) -- A systematic study of phase changes in vanadium dioxide has solved a mystery that has puzzled scientists for decades. ... > full story
City of Vancouver sets transportation records during 2010 Winter Games (November 25, 2010) -- Vancouver residents and visitors set records for sustainable travel during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, more than doubling the number of trips typically taken by public transit, biking or walking, according to a new study completed for the City of Vancouver. ... > full story
Self-assembly of nano-rotors (November 24, 2010) -- Scientists have managed to direct the self-assembly of rod-shaped molecules into rotors only few nanometers in size. The tiny systems serve the study of forces that act on molecules on surfaces and in cage-like structures. ... > full story
Physicists create new source of light: Bose-Einstein condensate 'super-photons' (November 24, 2010) -- Physicists in Germany have developed a completely new source of light, a so-called Bose-Einstein condensate consisting of photons. Until recently, expert had thought this impossible. This method may potentially be suitable for designing novel light sources resembling lasers that work in the X-ray range. Among other applications, they might allow building more powerful computer chips. The scientists are reporting on their discovery in the upcoming issue of the journal Nature. ... > full story
Software allows interactive tabletop displays on web (November 24, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a new type of software that enables people to use large visual displays and touch screens interactively over the Internet for business and homeland security applications. ... > full story
'Russian doll' galaxy reveals black holes' true power (November 24, 2010) -- Following a study of what is in effect a miniature galaxy buried inside a normal-sized one -- like a Russian doll -- astronomers have concluded that massive black holes are more powerful than we thought. ... > full story
Jellyfish-inspired pumps: Researchers investigate next-generation medical and robotic devices (November 24, 2010) -- To some researchers, the undulations of the simple invertebrate jellyfish hold secrets that may make possible a new generation of tiny pumps for medical applications and soft robotics. ... > full story
Heating nanoparticles to kill tumor cells (November 24, 2010) -- Magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) is a promising new cancer treatment that essentially "fries" cells inside tumors. Nanoparticles are heated, cancer cells die with no adverse effects to the surrounding healthy tissue. ... > full story
Age estimation from blood has immediate forensic application (November 24, 2010) -- Scientists have devised a method that would allow them to estimate the age of crime suspects or missing persons from blood collected at the scene of a crime. In principle, the new profiling method could be put to immediate practical use by law enforcement, according to researchers. They have already begun the required validation of the test, which is designed to assure that quality standards are met. ... > full story
Making stars: How cosmic dust and gas shape galaxy evolution (November 24, 2010) -- Galaxy formation is one of the biggest remaining questions in astrophysics, one that's closer to being answered thanks to a combination of new observations and supercomputer simulations. ... > full story
World first to provide building blocks for new nano devices (November 24, 2010) -- Scientists have made a major breakthrough that could help shape the future of nanotechnology, by demonstrating for the first time that 3-D molecular structures can be built on a surface. ... > full story
Novel fuel cell catalyst lowers need for precious metal (November 24, 2010) -- A test performed in Copenhagen proves that a new catalyst might show the way to cheap and easy fuel cells. ... > full story
Saving our data from digital decay (November 23, 2010) -- An old-school alternative to digital storage has a modern spin that could save us from future information loss as technology changes and today's state of the art devices become tomorrow's museum pieces. ... > full story
Early universe was a liquid, nuclei collisions at the Large Hadron Collider show (November 23, 2010) -- In an experiment to collide lead nuclei together at CERN's Large Hadron Collider physicists have discovered that the very early Universe was not only very hot and dense but behaved like a hot liquid. ... > full story
Hybrid tugboat cuts emissions (November 23, 2010) -- A new study of what is believed to be the world's only hybrid electric tugboat found that the vessel is effective in reducing emissions at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. ... > full story
Flying snakes, caught on camera (November 23, 2010) -- New video analysis and mathematical modeling by engineers reveals how certain types of snakes can "fly" by flinging themselves off their perches, flattening their bodies, and sailing from tree to tree. ... > full story
Ultrathin alternative to silicon for future electronics (November 23, 2010) -- There's good news in the search for the next generation of semiconductors. Researchers have successfully used ultra-thin layers of the semiconductor indium arsenide to create a nanoscale transistor with excellent electronic properties. The technique could be applied to other III-V semiconductors for future high-speed, low-power electronic devices. ... > full story
Heart health: Implanted devices as effective in 'real world' as in clinical trial settings (November 23, 2010) -- Survival rates for patients with implanted defibrillators and resynchronization devices in the general population are similarly high as rates in clinical trial settings. Remote monitoring of the devices over a network is linked to improved survival odds. ... > full story
Fighting antibiotic-resistant bacteria by treating municipal wastewater at higher temperatures (November 23, 2010) -- New findings by civil engineering researchers show that treating municipal wastewater solids at higher temperatures may be an effective tool in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. ... > full story
Astronomers find 'Rosetta Stone' for T-dwarf stars (November 23, 2010) -- Astronomers have discovered a unique and exotic star system with a very cool methane-rich (or T-) dwarf star and a 'dying' white dwarf stellar remnant in orbit around each other. The system is a 'Rosetta Stone' for T-dwarf stars, giving scientists the first good handle on their mass and age. ... > full story
Gene find could lead to healthier food, better biofuel production (November 23, 2010) -- Scientists have found the last undiscovered gene responsible for the production of the amino acid phenylalanine, a discovery that could lead to processes to control the amino acid to boost plants' nutritional values and produce better biofuel feedstocks. ... > full story
Flexible wings driven by simple oscillation may be viable for efficient micro air vehicles (November 23, 2010) -- To avoid some of the design challenges involved in creating micro-scale air vehicles that mimic the flapping of winged insects or birds, researchers propose using flexible wings that are driven by a simple sinusoidal flapping motion. ... > full story
'M8' earthquake simulation breaks computational records, promises better quake models (November 23, 2010) -- Researchers have developed the world's most advanced earthquake shaking simulation. The "M8" simulation represents how a magnitude 8.0 earthquake on the southern San Andreas Fault will shake a larger area, in greater detail, than previously possible, and advances the state-of-the-art in terms of the speed and efficiency at which such calculations can be performed. ... > full story
Students fly in zero gravity to protect satellites from tiny meteoroids (November 22, 2010) -- Researchers have completed the first successful tests in zero gravity of a canopy for CubeSats -- the tiny satellites that hitch rides on rockets sending larger satellites into orbit. The goal is gathering data on what happens when micrometeoroids slam into satellites. Such impacts often knock out electronic equipment on satellites. The encounters are poorly understood, but canopies could be a first step in eventually building "black boxes" for satellites similar to airplane flight recorders. ... > full story
NASA's Stardust spacecraft burns for another comet flyby (November 22, 2010) -- Eighty-six days out from its appointment with a comet, NASA's Stardust spacecraft fired its thrusters to help refine its flight path. The Stardust-NExT mission will fly past comet Tempel 1 next Valentine's Day (Feb. 14, 2011). It will perform NASA's second comet flyby within four months. ... > full story
Electrowetting breakthrough may lead to disposable e-Readers fast enough for video (November 22, 2010) -- A new discovery could revolutionize display technology with e-paper that's fast enough for video yet cheap enough to be disposable. ... > full story
New spinal implant to help people with paraplegia exercise paralyzed limbs (November 22, 2010) -- Engineers have developed a new type of microchip muscle stimulator implant that will enable people with paraplegia to exercise their paralyzed leg muscles. It is the first time that researchers have developed a device of this kind that is small enough to be implanted into the spinal canal and incorporates the electrodes and muscle stimulator in one unit. The implant is the size of a child's fingernail. ... > full story
Jump rope aerodynamics (November 22, 2010) -- Engineers have built a robotic jump rope device and used it to study the underlying physics of jumping rope. ... > full story
Nanoparticles’ effects on plants examined (November 22, 2010) -- Using particles that are 1/100,000 the width of a human hair to deliver drugs to cells or assist plants in fighting off pests may become commonplace in the near future. However, results of studies in animals have also raised concerns about the potential toxicity of nanoparticles. ... > full story
Military experts provide civilian surgeons with guidance on handling bomb blast injuries (November 22, 2010) -- Hospitals all over the world need to be aware of how to treat emergency blast injuries and military surgeons can provide valuable knowledge and advice to their civilian counterparts based on their experience of battlefield injuries. ... > full story
Should airplanes look like birds? (November 22, 2010) -- Airplanes do not look much like birds, but should they? This question is exactly what a pair of engineers inadvertently answered recently in experiments. ... > full story
Disaster spawning new concepts in bridge research, testing and safety (November 22, 2010) -- Civil engineers have developed a new system to better analyze the connections that hold major bridge members together, which may improve public safety, help address a trillion-dollar concern about aging infrastructure around the world, and save lives. When testing is complete and the technology implemented, the system might allow a technician working for a day to produce a better analysis of a bridge's structural condition than a more expensive and highly-trained engineer could do in weeks. ... > full story
New microscope reveals ultrastructure of cells (November 22, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a new X-ray nanotomography microscope. Using their new system, they can reveal the structures on the smallest components of mammalian cells in three dimensions. ... > full story
How hummingbirds fight the wind: Robotic wing may reveal answer (November 22, 2010) -- Hummingbirds rank among the world's most accomplished hovering animals, but how do they manage it in gusty winds? Researchers have built a robotic hummingbird wing to discover the answer. ... > full story
Jet engine too hot? Schedule an MRI (November 22, 2010) -- Researchers are using MRI to improve jet engine efficiency. The technique could also provide insights into other fluid mixing problems, ranging from combustion to the flow of oil through porous rock in a well. ... > full story
Enhancing the efficiency of wind turbines (November 22, 2010) -- New ideas for enhancing the efficiency of wind turbines have been developed. These include a new type intelligent system for turbines operating under many different wind conditions and a way to reduce drag on turbine blades by covering them with tiny grooves. ... > full story
Getting bubbles out of fuel pumps (November 22, 2010) -- When vapor bubbles form and collapse in fluids moving swiftly over steel objects such as those inside fuel pumps, they can damage them. Now researchers detail the results of the first detailed experiments aimed at preventing cavitation damage in jet fuel pumps, which are essential components in modern aircraft. ... > full story
Improving ammonia synthesis could have major implications for agriculture and energy (November 22, 2010) -- Scientists are working on ways to improve the efficiency of the ammonia synthesis process. With between 3-5 percent of the world's natural gas used to create artificial fertilizers, the new research could have major implications for both the agricultural and energy sectors. ... > full story
Painless needles? Self-adminstered skin patches for vaccines under development (November 21, 2010) -- Scientists are developing painless 'needles' self-administration of flu vaccine using patches containing tiny microneedles that dissolve into the skin. ... > full story
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