ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Monday, December 6, 2010
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Fitting a biological nanopore into an artificial one, new ways to analyze DNA (December 6, 2010) -- Researchers a have announced a new type of nanopore device that could help in developing fast and cheap genetic analysis. They report on a novel method that combines artificial and biological materials to result in a tiny hole on a chip, which is able to measure and analyze single DNA molecules. ... > full story
Satellite tracking campaign tests European abilities (December 6, 2010) -- An experimental tracking campaign using European facilities is helping determine how well existing telescopes and radars can work together to observe objects in Earth orbit. The results will be used to help design the European Space Agency's future Space Situational Awareness system. ... > full story
Heat helped hasten life's beginnings on Earth, research suggests (December 5, 2010) -- New research investigating the effect of temperature on extremely slow chemical reactions suggests that the time required for evolution on a warm earth is shorter than critics might expect. ... > full story
Smashing fluids: The physics of flow (December 5, 2010) -- Hit it hard and it will fracture like a solid... but tilt it slowly and it will flow like a fluid. This is the intriguing property of a type of "complex fluid." ... > full story
Gold and silver nano baubles (December 5, 2010) -- They might just be the smallest Christmas tree decorations ever. Tiny spherical particles of gold and silver that are more than 100 million times smaller than the gold and silver baubles used to decorate seasonal fir trees have been synthesized. ... > full story
Color-changing 'blast badge' detects exposure to explosive shock waves (December 4, 2010) -- Mimicking the reflective iridescence of a butterfly's wing, investigators have developed a color-changing patch that could be worn on soldiers' helmets and uniforms to indicate the strength of exposure to blasts from explosives in the field. Future studies aim to calibrate the color change to the intensity of exposure to provide an immediate read on the potential harm to the brain and the subsequent need for medical intervention. ... > full story
Novel metal catalysts may be able to turn greenhouse gases into liquid fuels (December 4, 2010) -- It sounds a bit like spinning straw into gold, but novel metal catalysts may be able to turn greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide into liquid fuels without producing more carbon waste in the process. ... > full story
Electrocution of birds and collision with power lines: Solutions to a global problem (December 4, 2010) -- Electrocution on power lines is a major threat to many bird species across the world, in particular endangered species such birds of prey, which show the greatest incidence of electrocution. A new study focuses on preventing bird electrocution through the identification and correction of high-risk pylons. ... > full story
More efficient polymer solar cells fabricated (December 4, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a process for fabricating more efficient polymer solar cells. They discovered a textured substrate pattern that allows deposition of a uniformly thin light-absorbing layer. The result is a polymer solar cell that captures more light and produces more power. ... > full story
High performance infrared camera based on type-II InAs/GaSb superlattices created (December 3, 2010) -- Researchers have created a new infrared camera based on Type-II InAs/GaSb superlattices that produces much higher resolution images than previous infrared cameras. ... > full story
New high-performance fiber created (December 3, 2010) -- Researchers have nanoengineered a new kind of fiber that could be tougher than Kevlar. ... > full story
Dark matter could transfer energy in the Sun (December 3, 2010) -- Researchers have studied the effects of the presence of dark matter in the Sun. According to their calculations, low mass dark matter particles could be transferring energy from the core to the external parts of the Sun, which would affect the quantity of neutrinos that reach Earth. ... > full story
Farmers slowed down by hunter-gatherers: Our ancestors' fight for space (December 3, 2010) -- Agricultural -- or Neolithic -- economics replaced the Mesolithic social model of hunter-gathering in the Near East about 10,000 years ago. One of the most important socioeconomic changes in human history, this socioeconomic shift, known as the Neolithic transition, spread gradually across Europe until it slowed down when more northern latitudes were reached. Newly published research details a physical model that can potentially explain how the spreading of Neolithic farmers was slowed down by the population density of hunter-gatherers. ... > full story
Blacker than black: NASA engineers developing material to help gather hard-to-obtain scientific measurements (December 3, 2010) -- Black is black, right? Not so, according to a team of NASA engineers now developing a blacker-than pitch material that will help scientists gather hard-to-obtain scientific measurements or observe currently unseen astronomical objects, like Earth-sized planets in orbit around other stars. ... > full story
'USB' interface for medical diagnosis? (December 3, 2010) -- Biomedical engineers have developed a plug-in interface for the microfluidic chips that will form the basis of the next generation of compact medical devices. They hope that the "fit to flow" interface will become as ubiquitous as the USB interface for computer peripherals. ... > full story
Distribution of gravitational wave sources predicted (December 3, 2010) -- A pair of neutron stars spiraling toward each other until they merge in a violent explosion should produce detectable gravitational waves. A new study predicts for the first time where such mergers are likely to occur in the local galactic neighborhood. ... > full story
Virtual biopsy may allow earlier diagnosis of brain disorder in athletes (December 3, 2010) -- In a study of ex-pro athletes, researchers found that a specialized imaging technique called magnetic resonance spectroscopy may help diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a disorder caused by repetitive head trauma that currently can only be definitively diagnosed at autopsy. ... > full story
Researchers find mathematical patterns to forecast earthquakes (December 3, 2010) -- Researchers in Spain have found patterns of behavior that occur before an earthquake on the Iberian peninsula. The team used clustering techniques to forecast medium-large seismic movements when certain circumstances coincide. ... > full story
Three-dimensional chemistry demonstrated by grinding powder (December 3, 2010) -- During the normal grinding of powders in a mortar, the powders can enter into chemical reactions with each other. This phenomenon has been known for years but only now it has become possible to transform in this way three-dimensional clusters of certain chemical compounds into other, also three-dimensional, clusters. The spectacularly easy reaction was conducted by scientists in Poland. The discovery was brought about by the development of a new method of creation of unique compounds that are precursors of nano zinc oxide – a material used, in particular, in modern electronics. ... > full story
Breakthrough chip technology lights path to exascale computing: Optical signals connect chips together faster and with lower power (December 3, 2010) -- IBM scientists have unveiled a new chip technology that integrates electrical and optical devices on the same piece of silicon, enabling computer chips to communicate using pulses of light (instead of electrical signals), resulting in smaller, faster and more power-efficient chips than is possible with conventional technologies. ... > full story
New microscopy tracks molecules in live tissue at video rate; scientists push SRS microscopy to new levels of spatial, temporal precision (December 2, 2010) -- A novel type of biomedical imaging, made possible by new advances in microscopy, is so fast and sensitive it can capture "video" of blood cells squeezing through capillaries. The new technique makes possible label-free chemical movies, with streaming footage at the subcellular level, catching video of proteins, lipids, and water within cells. ... > full story
Online game drives genetic research (December 2, 2010) -- Playing online can mean more than killing time, thanks to a new game developed by a team of bioinformaticians. Now, players can contribute in a fun way to genetic research. ... > full story
Physicists create supernova in a jar (December 2, 2010) -- A team of physicists has mimicked a supernova -- an explosion of a star -- in miniature. In a certain type of supernova, the detonation starts with a flame ball buried deep inside a white dwarf. The flame ball is much lighter than its surroundings, so it rises rapidly making a plume topped with an accelerating smoke ring. In their experiment, the researchers created a smaller version of this process by triggering a special chemical reaction in a closed container that generates similar plumes and vortex rings. ... > full story
Cancer risk from medical radiation may have been overestimated (December 2, 2010) -- The risk of developing radiation-induced cancer from computed tomography may be lower than previously thought, according to a new study. ... > full story
Governments worldwide censor web content: New study analyzes where, why and how access to the web is controlled (December 2, 2010) -- Where you live in the world largely determines how freely you can access the internet. The level of cyber censorship in different countries around the world is directly related to how authoritarian the governing regime is, according to a new comprehensive analysis of the geographical nature of Internet censorship. ... > full story
Cassini returns images of bright jets at Saturn's moon Enceladus (December 2, 2010) -- NASA's Cassini spacecraft successfully dipped near the surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus on Nov. 30. Though Cassini's closest approach took it to within about 48 kilometers (30 miles) of the moon's northern hemisphere, the spacecraft also captured shadowy images of the tortured south polar terrain and the brilliant jets that spray out from it. ... > full story
'Perfumery radar' brings order to odors (December 2, 2010) -- Scientists are announcing development and successful testing of the first "perfumery radar (PR)." It's not a new electronic gadget for homing in on the source of that Eau de Givenchy or Jungle Tiger in a crowded room. Rather, PR is a long-awaited new tool for bringing scientific order to the often arbitrary process of classifying the hundreds of odors that make-up perfumes. ... > full story
Life built with toxic chemical: First known microbe on Earth able to thrive and reproduce using arsenic (December 2, 2010) -- NASA-funded astrobiology research has changed the fundamental knowledge about what comprises all known life on Earth. Researchers conducting tests in the harsh environment of Mono Lake in California have discovered the first known microorganism on Earth able to thrive and reproduce using the toxic chemical arsenic. The microorganism substitutes arsenic for phosphorus in its cell components. ... > full story
Declining energy quality could be root cause of current recession, expert suggests (December 2, 2010) -- An overlooked cause of the economic recession in the US is a decade long decline in the quality of the nation's energy supply, according to an energy expert. Using a new measure of energy quality, energy intensity ratio (EIR), he shows the worst recessions of the past 65 years were preceded by declines in EIR. ... > full story
Hurricanes and other swirling natural phenomena explained (December 2, 2010) -- Scientists can use cylinders as small as teapots to study the mechanisms involved in powerful hurricanes and other swirling natural phenomena. ... > full story
Can engineered bugs help generate biofuels? (December 2, 2010) -- The versatile organism Lactococcus lactis, the workhorse bacterium that helps turn milk into cheese, may also be valuable in the understanding of how microbes turn the organic compound cellulose into biofuels. New research suggests the bacterium can be engineered to transform plant material into biofuels or other chemicals. ... > full story
GPS not working? A shoe radar may help you find your way (December 2, 2010) -- The prevalence of global positioning system (GPS) devices in everything from cars to cell phones has almost made getting lost a thing of the past. But what do you do when your GPS isn't working? Researchers have developed a shoe-embedded radar system that may help you find your way. ... > full story
New psychology theory enables computers to mimic human creativity (December 2, 2010) -- A mathematical model based on psychology theory allows computers to mimic human creative problem-solving, and provides a new roadmap to architects of artificial intelligence. ... > full story
Project pioneers use of silicon-germanium for space electronics applications (December 2, 2010) -- An innovative project has developed a novel approach to space electronics that could change how space vehicles and instruments are designed. The new capabilities are based on silicon-germanium technology. ... > full story
Manufacturing 'made to measure' atomic-scale electrodes (December 2, 2010) -- It is possible to determine and control the number of atoms in contact between a molecule and a metal electrode of copper, at the same time as the electric current passing through the union being recorded. ... > full story
Pits, flows, other scenes in new set of Mars images (December 2, 2010) -- Newly released images from 340 recent observations of Mars by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show details of a wide assortment of Martian environments. ... > full story
Researchers demystify glasses by studying crystals (December 2, 2010) -- Glass is something we all know about. It's what we sip our drinks from, what we look out of to see what the weather is like before going outside and it is the backbone to our high speed communications infrastructure. But what most people don't know is that "glass transitions," where changes in structure of a substance accompanying temperature change get "frozen in," can show up during cooling of most any material, liquids through metals. ... > full story
CT best at uncovering drug mule payload, study finds (December 1, 2010) -- According to a study, the best way to detect cocaine in the body of a human drug courier, known as a mule, is through computed tomography. ... > full story
Electron 'pairing': Triplet superconductivity proven experientially for first time (December 1, 2010) -- Researchers have made the first experimental breakthrough in quantum physics: Their studies on the 'pairing behavior' of electrons have proven for the first time the existence of electron pairs, so-called Cooper pairs, with parallel spin direction. Cooper pairs cause superconductivity -- this is a particular state of material, in which the electrical resistance disappears. Until now the existence of triplet Cooper pairs has only been predicted theoretically. ... > full story
Super-Earth has an atmosphere, but is it steamy or gassy? (December 1, 2010) -- In December 2009, astronomers announced the discovery of a super-Earth known as GJ 1214b. At the time, they reported signs that the newfound world likely had a thick, gaseous atmosphere. Now astronomers have made the first measurements of GJ 1214b's atmosphere. However, the measurements raise as many questions about the planet's atmospheric composition as they answer. ... > full story
Engineers discover graphene's weakness (December 1, 2010) -- Using quantum theory and supercomputers, scientists have revealed the mechanisms of mechanical failure of pure graphene under tensile stress. They shows that, when graphene is subject to strain equal in all directions, it morphs into a new structure which is mechanically unstable. ... > full story
Cassini finds warm cracks on Saturn's moon Enceladus (December 1, 2010) -- New images and data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft give scientists a unique Saturn-lit view of active fissures through the south polar region of Saturn's moon Enceladus. They reveal a more complicated web of warm fractures than previously thought. ... > full story
Rotating light provides indirect look into the nucleus (December 1, 2010) -- Nuclear magnetic resonance is one of the best tools for gaining insight into the structure and dynamics of molecules and how they behave in a variety of chemical environments. Now researchers have described an alternative way to get this information, by using light to observe nuclei indirectly via the orbiting electrons. ... > full story
Discovery triples number of stars in universe (December 1, 2010) -- Astronomers have discovered that small, dim stars known as red dwarfs are much more prolific than previously thought -- so much so that the total number of stars in the universe is likely three times bigger than realized. ... > full story
World's fastest camera takes a new look at biosensing (December 1, 2010) -- Scientists have developed a Megaframe Imager -- an ultrafast camera capable of recording images at the incredible rate of one million frames. ... > full story
Nano-diamond qubits and photonic crystals: Milestone reached on the path to integrated quantum technology (December 1, 2010) -- Researchers in Germany have successfully fabricated a rudimentary quantum computing hybrid system using electronic excitations in nano-diamonds as qubits and optical nanostructures, so-called photonic crystals with tailored optical properties. This architecture may allow integration of multi-qubit systems on a single micrometer-sized chip for future quantum computers. ... > full story
Astronomers use moon in effort to corral elusive cosmic particles (December 1, 2010) -- Radio telescopes normally can't detect neutrinos, but astronomers aimed Very Large Array antennas at the Moon in an innovative effort to detect radio "flashes" caused by the interaction of cosmic neutrinos with lunar material. ... > full story
Measuring the temperature of nanoparticles (December 1, 2010) -- Scientists have developed a new technique for probing the temperature rise in the vicinity of nanoparticles using fluorescent quantum dots as temperature sensors. The results may have implications for the medical use of nanoparticles. ... > full story
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