ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Thursday, December 16, 2010
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Meteorite just one piece of an unknown celestial body (December 16, 2010) -- Scientists from all over the world are taking a second, more expansive, look at the car-sized asteroid that exploded over Sudan's Nubian Desert in 2008, with major implications for the meteorite's origin. In the first round of research, scientists examined one fragment of the asteroid and determined that it fell into a very rare category called ureilites. Now they have expanded the scope of the work and examined 11 meteorite fragments, focusing on the presence of oxygen isotopes. ... > full story
NASA scientific balloons to return to flight (December 16, 2010) -- NASA's scientific balloon program is resuming flights this month after an extensive evaluation of its safety processes following a mishap during an April launch attempt from Australia. NASA's high-altitude balloons fly instruments for scientific and technological investigations that contribute to our understanding of Earth, the solar system, and the universe. ... > full story
Study improves understanding of method for creating multi-metal nanoparticles (December 16, 2010) -- A new study sheds light on how a technique that is commonly used for making single-metal nanoparticles can be extended to create nanoparticles consisting of two metals -- and that have tunable properties. The study also provides insight into the optical properties of some of these nanoparticles. ... > full story
Similarities in the embryonic development of various animal species are also found at molecular level (December 15, 2010) -- The astonishing similarity in the appearance of embryos from different animal species was observed as far back as the 19th century by scientists such as Karl von Baer, Charles Darwin and Ernst Haeckel. Such observations prompted the hypothesis that the individual development of an organism reflects its evolutionary history or phylogeny. Two groups of scientists have now succeeded in demonstrating, for the first time, that parallels exist between individual development and phylogeny on the level of gene expression. ... > full story
NASA's Odyssey spacecraft sets exploration record on Mars (December 15, 2010) -- NASA's Mars Odyssey, which launched in 2001, broke the record Dec. 15, 2010 for longest-serving spacecraft at the Red Planet. The probe began its 3,340th day in Martian orbit at 5:55 p.m. PST (8:55 p.m. EST) on Wednesday to break the record set by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor, which orbited Mars from 1997 to 2006. ... > full story
'Green genes' in yeast may boost biofuel production by increasing stress tolerance (December 15, 2010) -- An effort to increase biofuel production has led scientists to discover genes in yeast that improve their tolerance to ethanol, allowing the production of more ethanol from the same amount of nutrients. A new study shows how genetically altered yeast cells survive higher ethanol concentrations, addressing a bottleneck in the production of ethanol from cellulosic material (nonfood plant sources) in quantities that could compete economically with fossil fuels. ... > full story
Plasma therapy: An alternative to antibiotics? (December 15, 2010) -- Cold plasma jets could be a safe, effective alternative to antibiotics to treat multi-drug resistant infections, according to a new study. ... > full story
Rare Earth metal and cousin of platinum is attractive for improving flash memory chips (December 15, 2010) -- One of the rarest metals on Earth may be an excellent option for enabling future flash memory chips to continue increasing in speed and density, according to a group of researchers in Taiwan, who describe incorporating nanocrystals of iridium into critical components of flash memory. ... > full story
New method for making tiny catalysts holds promise for air quality (December 15, 2010) -- Researchers have demonstrated a simpler method of adding iron to tiny carbon spheres to create catalytic materials that have the potential to remove contaminants from gas or liquid. In one continuous process, it produces tiny, micrometer-sized spheres of porous, spongy carbon embedded with iron nanoparticles -- all in the span of a few seconds. ... > full story
Fabric softener sheets repel gnats: Scientists prove Bounce sheets fend off insect pests (December 15, 2010) -- Gardeners often claim that putting Bounce fabric softener sheets in their pockets is an effective way to repel pests like mosquitoes and gnats. In a new study, researchers discussed a series experiments they conducted to ascertain whether Bounce dryer sheets (Outdoor Fresh Scent, Procter and Gamble) repel fungus gnat adults under laboratory conditions. The research team also analyzed the volatile compounds in the dryer sheets using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. ... > full story
Robot arm improves performance of brain-controlled device (December 15, 2010) -- The performance of a brain-machine interface designed to help paralyzed subjects move objects with their thoughts is improved with the addition of a robotic arm providing sensory feedback, a new study finds. ... > full story
Nanoscale gene 'ignition switch' may help spot and treat cancer (December 15, 2010) -- In a proof of principal study in mice, scientists have shown that a set of genetic instructions encased in a nanoparticle can be used as an "ignition switch" to rev up gene activity that aids cancer detection and treatment. ... > full story
IBEX makes first images of magnetotail structures, dynamic interactions occurring in space (December 15, 2010) -- NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) spacecraft, designed to image the invisible interactions occurring at the edge of the solar system, captured images of magnetospheric structures and a dynamic event occurring in the magnetosphere as the spacecraft observed from near lunar distance. ... > full story
New hot Jupiter-like exoplanet discovered (December 15, 2010) -- Astronomers have discovered a new alien world. This "hot Jupiter," now named Qatar-1b, adds to the growing list of alien planets orbiting distant stars. ... > full story
NASA helps create a more silent night (December 15, 2010) -- The holidays are here and the nation's airports are busier than ever -- thousands of airplanes taking off and landing. Passengers and people living around airports are reminded that the airplane is not the quietest mode of transportation; certainly not as quiet as a sleigh pulled by eight tiny reindeer. ... > full story
Is Internet backbone vulnerable to cyber attack? (December 15, 2010) -- While cyber attacks on the internet involving malware, hacking and distributed denial of service are featured in the headlines most often, researchers in Switzerland suggest that physical attack on internet backbones, servers and internet data hubs could be just as important a problem in sustaining network functions. ... > full story
Microchip harvests its own energy (December 15, 2010) -- Microchips that ‘harvest’ the energy they need from their own surroundings, without depending on batteries or mains electricity. That will be possible now that researchers have for the first time succeeded in manufacturing a microchip with an efficient solar cell placed on top of the microelectronics. ... > full story
More than 25% of teenagers have suffered cyber bullying in the past year (December 15, 2010) -- Cyber bullying is an emerging phenomenon that is becoming increasingly common among teenagers. Research in Spain shows that between 25% and 29% of all teenagers have been bullied via their mobile phone or the internet over the past year. ... > full story
Hubble spots a celestial bauble (December 15, 2010) -- Hubble has spotted a festive bauble of gas in our neighbouring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud. Formed in the aftermath of a supernova explosion that took place four centuries ago, this sphere of gas has been snapped in a series of observations made between 2006 and 2010. ... > full story
NASA discovers asteroid delivered assortment of meteorites (December 15, 2010) -- An international team of scientists studying remnants of an asteroid that crashed into the Nubian Desert in October 2008 discovered it contained at least 10 different types of meteorites. Some of them contained chemicals that form the building blocks of life on Earth, and those chemicals were spread through all parts of the asteroid by collisions. ... > full story
Experiment hurtled into aurora above Norway by NASA rocket (December 14, 2010) -- Scientists launched an instrument-laden, four-stage sounding rocket from Norway's Andoya Rocket Range into the aurora about 200 miles above Earth early in the morning of Dec. 12, 2010, just before the two-week launch window slammed shut. ... > full story
Two people receive kidney transplants with computerized matching program (December 14, 2010) -- A man in St. Louis and a woman in New Hampshire have received the first kidney transplants made possible through a new national program of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network that uses a new computer algorithm to match transplant candidates with living donors. ... > full story
Sweet and biodegradable: Sugar and cornstarch make environmentally safer plastics (December 14, 2010) -- A new lactide-based variety of catalysts, which initiate or sustain reactions in chemical processes, is improving the production of "green" plastics, making them stronger and more heat-resistant. This research has applications in a variety of manufacturing fields, from car parts to plastic cups -- and is a significant step in the "greening" of the plastics and chemical industries. ... > full story
Post-9/11 security zones blight landscape, create 'architecture of fear' (December 14, 2010) -- A new study says post-9/11 "security zones" in major American cities blight landscape, create "architecture of fear" and safety effects may be negligible. ... > full story
Cassini spots potential ice volcanoes on Saturn's moon Titan (December 14, 2010) -- NASA's Cassini spacecraft has found possible ice volcanoes on Saturn's moon Titan that are similar in shape to those on Earth that spew molten rock. Topography and surface composition data have enabled scientists to make the best case yet in the outer solar system for an Earth-like volcano landform that erupts in ice. ... > full story
Biological computers: Genetically modified cells communicate like electronic circuits (December 14, 2010) -- Genetically modified cells can be made to communicate with each other as if they were electronic circuits. Using yeast cells, a group of researchers has taken a groundbreaking step towards being able to build complex systems in the future where the body's own cells help to keep us healthy. ... > full story
Engineers test underground border security system between US and Mexico (December 14, 2010) -- A unique underground surveillance system tested by researchers could be used to watch the entire US-Mexico border continuously. The border-monitoring system, known as Helios, consists of laser pulses transmitted through fiber-optic cables buried in the ground that respond to movements on the surface above. ... > full story
NASA probe sees solar wind decline en route to interstellar space (December 14, 2010) -- The 33-year odyssey of NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft has reached a distant point at the edge of our solar system where there is no outward motion of solar wind. Now hurtling toward interstellar space some 10.8 billion miles from the sun, Voyager 1 has crossed into an area where the velocity of the hot ionized gas, or plasma, emanating directly outward from the sun has slowed to zero. Scientists suspect the solar wind has been turned sideways by the pressure from the interstellar wind in the region between stars. The event is a major milestone in Voyager 1's passage through the heliosheath, the turbulent outer shell of the sun's sphere of influence, and the spacecraft's upcoming departure from our solar system. ... > full story
Hot stuff: Magma at shallow depth under Hawaii (December 14, 2010) -- Researchers have found a new way to gauge the depth of the magma chamber that forms the Hawaiian Island volcanic chain, and determined that the magma lies much closer to the surface than previously thought. The finding could help scientists predict when Hawaiian volcanoes are going to erupt. It also suggests that Hawaii holds great potential for thermal energy. ... > full story
New evidence that magnetism is driving force behind superconductivity (December 14, 2010) -- Physicists are offering up the strongest evidence yet that magnetism is the driving force behind unconventional superconductivity. Researchers can now describe how collective fluctuations of electrons at the border of magnetism provided more than enough energy to drive superconductivity in recent heavy-fermion experiments. ... > full story
Smartphone technology improves prosthetic limbs (December 14, 2010) -- By combining smartphone technology with artificial limbs, researchers are paving the way for a new generation of prostheses. The technology, called an accelerometer, gives users a better sense of the orientation of their artificial limb – thus making the limb easier to operate. ... > full story
Bioengineers discover how particles self-assemble in flowing fluids (December 14, 2010) -- Bioengineers have been exploring a unique phenomenon whereby randomly dispersed microparticles will self-assemble into a highly organized structure during flow through micro-scale channels. ... > full story
Highly unidirectional 'whispering gallery' microlasers created (December 13, 2010) -- Utilizing a century-old phenomenon discovered in St. Paul's Cathedral, London, scientists have demonstrated, for the first time, highly collimated unidirectional microlasers. The breakthrough elliptical cavity enables a wide range of applications in photonics. ... > full story
Scientists take molecule's temperature (December 13, 2010) -- A new article details a technique that measures the temperature of molecules set between two gold nanowires and heated either by current applied to the wires or laser light. ... > full story
How Saturn's moon Iapetus got its ridge (December 13, 2010) -- Two scientists propose an explanation for the bizarre ridge belting Saturn's moon Iapetus at the equator. At one time Iapetus itself may have had a satellite, created by a giant impact with another body. The satellite's orbit, would have decayed because of tidal interactions with Iapetus, and at some point it would have been ripped apart, forming a ring of debris around Iapetus that would eventually slam into the moon near its equator. ... > full story
Large uncertainty in carbon footprint calculating (December 13, 2010) -- The calculation of carbon footprints for products if often riddled with large uncertainties, particularly related to electronic goods. ... > full story
Webb telescope's actuators: Curving mirrors in space (December 13, 2010) -- NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is a wonder of modern engineering. As the planned successor to the Hubble Space telescope, even the smallest of parts on this giant observatory will play a critical role in its performance. A new video takes viewers behind the Webb's mirrors to investigate "actuators," one component that will help Webb focus on some of the earliest objects in the universe. ... > full story
Contorting batteries: Charging makes nano-sized electrodes swell, elongate and spiral (December 13, 2010) -- New high-resolution images of electrode wires made from materials used in rechargeable lithium ion batteries shows them contorting as they become charged with electricity. The thin, nano-sized wires writhe and fatten as lithium ions flow in during charging. The work suggests how rechargeable batteries eventually give out and might offer insights for building better batteries. ... > full story
Physicists make atoms and dark matter add up (December 13, 2010) -- Physicists have proposed a unified explanation for dark matter and the so-called baryon asymmetry -- the apparent imbalance of matter with positive baryon charge and antimatter with negative baryon charge in the universe. ... > full story
Digital video recorders do not change shopping behavior, study suggests (December 13, 2010) -- Research finds that owning a DVR does not influence the demand for advertised products despite its ad-skipping feature. In fact, only a small percentage of ads were fast-forwarded by DVR users who participated in the study, and even that did not have an adverse effect on sales. ... > full story
Carbon fluxes in the oceans: The strange behavior of small particles at density interfaces (December 13, 2010) -- Researchers have found a remarkable effect while studying how marine particles sink, which could affect the way scientists assess global carbon fluxes. Their question: How fast does organic material and debris clumped together forming porous particles settle to the sea floor? Microbes colonizing these particles degrade the organic matter and release carbon dioxide back to the water. The downward velocity of the particles determines the amount of carbon exported to the deep sea. ... > full story
Improving children's diets using behavior change video games shows promise (December 13, 2010) -- Obesity in youngsters has risen dramatically in recent decades. Fruit and vegetable consumption and increased water intake can lower the risk of obesity, as can increased physical activity, but it is not always easy to convince children to eat better and exercise more. In a new study, researchers found that video games designed to encourage these behaviors were effective. ... > full story
Microbatteries with nanowire hearts (December 13, 2010) -- Researchers have moved a step closer to creating robust, three-dimensional microbatteries that would charge faster and hold other advantages over conventional lithium-ion batteries. They could power new generations of remote sensors, display screens, smart cards, flexible electronics and biomedical devices. ... > full story
Practical, tunable, 3-D microdroplet laser developed (December 13, 2010) -- Scientists have developed a microdroplet 3-D laser system in which laser light shines forth in all directions from dye molecules lodged within spherical drops of helical molecules dispersed in a liquid solution. ... > full story
SpaceX launches success with Falcon 9/Dragon flight (December 13, 2010) -- SpaceX Corp. tested its Falcon 9 and a fully functioning Dragon capsule combination during a brief mission launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Dec. 8, 2010. The uncrewed capsule parachuted back to Earth about three hours after liftoff following maneuvers in orbit, a first for the privately owned company. ... > full story
A swarm of ancient stars (December 12, 2010) -- We know of about 150 of the rich collections of old stars called globular clusters that orbit our galaxy, the Milky Way. A sharp new image of Messier 107 displays the structure of one such globular cluster in exquisite detail. Studying these stellar swarms has revealed much about the history of our galaxy and how stars evolve. ... > full story
Synchrotron study shows how nitric oxide kills (December 12, 2010) -- Nitric oxide is a toxic pollutant, but the human body also creates it and uses it to attack invading microbes and parasites. A new study by researchers in the U.S. and the Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute shows how nitric oxide, attacks an important group of proteins critical to cell survival. ... > full story
'Green' water treatments may not kill bacteria in large building cooling systems (December 12, 2010) -- Non-chemical water treatment systems -- touted as environmentally conscious stand-ins for such chemicals as chlorine -- may allow dangerous bacteria to flourish in the cooling systems of hospitals, commercial offices and other water-cooled buildings. The study is the first to thoroughly investigate the ability of nonchemical treatment devices to control the growth of bacteria in water-based air-conditioning systems found in many large buildings. ... > full story
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