ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Thursday, February 11, 2010
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Study reveals need to evaluate and regulate 'electronic cigarettes' (February 11, 2010) -- Electronic cigarettes should be evaluated, regulated, labeled and packaged in a manner consistent with cartridge content and product effect -- even if that effect is a total failure to deliver nicotine as demonstrated in a new study. ... > full story
High-performance microring resonator developed (February 11, 2010) -- A new, more efficient low-cost microring resonator for high speed telecommunications systems has been developed. This technological advance capitalizes on the benefits of optical fibers to transmit large quantities of data at ultra-fast speeds. ... > full story
Agricultural scientists sequence genome of grass that can be a biofuel model crop (February 10, 2010) -- Scientists have completed sequencing the genome of a kind of wild grass that will enable researchers to shed light on the genetics behind hardier varieties of wheat and improved varieties of biofuel crops. ... > full story
Social networking sites could solve many communication problems when disaster strikes (February 10, 2010) -- Online social networking sites could solve many problems plaguing information dissemination and communications when disaster strikes, according to a new report. ... > full story
Orion in a new light (February 10, 2010) -- The Orion Nebula reveals many of its hidden secrets in a dramatic image taken by ESO's new VISTA survey telescope. The telescope's huge field of view can show the full splendor of the whole nebula and VISTA's infrared vision also allows it to peer deeply into dusty regions that are normally hidden and expose the curious behavior of the very active young stars buried there. ... > full story
Comprehensive study using bioinformatics predicts the molecular causes of many genetic diseases (February 10, 2010) -- It is widely known that genetic mutations cause disease. What are largely unknown are the mechanisms by which these mutations wreak havoc at the molecular level, giving rise to clinically observable symptoms in patients. Now a new study using bioinformatics reports the ability to predict the molecular cause of many inherited genetic diseases. These predictions have led to the creation of a web-based tool available to academic researchers who study disease. ... > full story
Silver nanoparticles may one day be key to devices that keep hearts beating strong and steady (February 10, 2010) -- Diamonds and gold may make some hearts flutter on Valentine's Day, but in one laboratory, silver nanoparticles are being designed to do just the opposite. ... > full story
Battery-less radios developed (February 10, 2010) -- Scientists report a 2.4GHz/915MHz wake-up receiver which consumes only 51µW power. This record low power achievement opens the door to battery-less or energy-harvesting based radios for a wide range of applications including long-range RFID and wireless sensor nodes for logistics, smart buildings, healthcare etc. ... > full story
Climate 'tipping points' may arrive without warning, says top forecaster (February 10, 2010) -- A new study by a top ecological forecaster says it is harder than experts thought to predict when sudden shifts in Earth's natural systems will occur -- a worrisome finding for scientists trying to identify the tipping points that could push climate change into an irreparable global disaster. ... > full story
High, not flat: nanowires for a new chip architecture (February 10, 2010) -- Silicon is the most prevalent material in electronics, whether for mobile phones, solar cells or computers. Nanometer-sized wires made of silicon have a large potential for a completely new chip architecture. But this requires a detailed investigation and understanding of their electronic properties which is technologically challenging due to the ultra-small size of the nanowires. Researchers were able to describe the electrical resistance and current flow inside individual silicon nanowires. ... > full story
Electrons on the brink: Fractal patterns may be key to semiconductor magnetism (February 10, 2010) -- Scientists have observed electrons in a semiconductor on the brink of the metal-insulator transition for the first time. Caught in the act, the electrons formed complex patterns resembling those seen in turbulent fluids, confirming some long-held predictions and providing new insights into how semiconductors can be turned into magnets. The work also could lead to the production of smaller and more energy-efficient computers. ... > full story
Understanding cement, right down to the atomic scale (February 10, 2010) -- Two thousand years after the Romans invented cement, this material is still the most commonly used in construction throughout the world. Its complex internal structure means that many questions about this material continue to have unsatisfactory answers. ... > full story
Cell-phone bans while driving have more impact in dense, urban areas (February 10, 2010) -- A new study analyzing the impact of hand-held cell phone legislation on driving safety concludes that usage-ban laws had more of an impact in densely populated urban areas with a higher number of licensed drivers than in rural areas where there are fewer licensed drivers. ... > full story
New perspective for understanding the mechanisms of catalytic conversion (February 10, 2010) -- The oxidation of toxic carbon monoxide (CO) to carbon dioxide occurs every day in millions of cars. Despite being one of the most studied catalytic processes, the exact mechanism of interaction between the carbon monoxide molecule and the catalyst, often platinum, is not fully understood. An important step in the reaction is the adsorption of CO on the surface of the catalyst. Scientists have now managed to see how the electrons in the platinum reorganize as the adsorption is taking place and why catalysts are “poisoned”, i.e. why their activity is reduced. ... > full story
New genome sequence will aid study of important food, fuel crops (February 10, 2010) -- A global initiative has successfully sequenced the genome of the wild grass Brachypodium distachyon, which will serve as a model to speed research on improved varieties of wheat, oats and barley, as well as switchgrass, a crop of major interest for biofuel production. ... > full story
First member of the wheat and barley group of grasses is sequenced (February 10, 2010) -- A few grass species provide the bulk of our food supply and new grass crops are being domesticated for sustainable energy and feedstock production. However there are significant barriers limiting crop improvement, such as a lack of knowledge of gene function and their large and complex genomes. Now an international consortium present an analysis of the complete genome sequence of the wild grass Brachypodium distachyon. ... > full story
First wild grass species and model system for energy crops sequenced (February 10, 2010) -- As the US Department of Energy works toward developing sustainable sources of clean renewable energy, perennial grasses have emerged as major candidates for the commercial production of cellulosic biofuels from feedstocks. However, little is known about the specific biological traits of the grasses that might contribute to their usefulness for energy production, in part because such grasses typically have long lifecycles and possess large, complex genomes, making them difficult to study. ... > full story
Locust study promises new insights into limb control (February 9, 2010) -- New research into how the brain controls the movements of limbs could prompt major advances in understanding the human brain and the development of prosthetic limbs. ... > full story
The new civil defense: Researchers look at public's role in national cybersecurity (February 9, 2010) -- "Duck and cover!" should now be updated to "Scan and protect!" according to a new research article. Experts cite individual users as the weakest link in the nation's cybersecurity, and call for a new phase of civil defense. ... > full story
'Ingredients for life' present on Saturn's moon Enceladus, say scientists (February 9, 2010) -- Some of 'the major ingredients for life' are present on one of Saturn's moons, according to scientists. A team working on the Cassini-Huygens mission have found negatively charged water ions in the ice plume of Enceladus. Their analysis of data gathered during the spacecraft's plume fly-throughs in 2008 provide evidence for the presence of liquid water. ... > full story
Cars of the future could be powered by their bodywork, thanks to new battery technology (February 9, 2010) -- Parts of a car’s bodywork could one day double up as its battery, according to the scientists behind a new project in the UK. ... > full story
Probing exoplanets from the ground: A little telescope goes a long way (February 9, 2010) -- NASA astronomers have successfully demonstrated that a David of a telescope can tackle Goliath-size questions in the quest to study Earth-like planets around other stars. Their work provides a new tool for ground-based observatories, promising to accelerate by years the search for prebiotic, or life-related, molecules on planets orbiting stars beyond our solar system. ... > full story
Detecting cancer early (February 9, 2010) -- A new testing method is being developed to detect cancer soon after the tumor has formed. It will identify characteristic substances in the blood which accompany a certain type of tumor. The first steps in the development have already been completed. ... > full story
Ultra-cold chemistry: First direct observation of exchange process in quantum gas (February 9, 2010) -- Considerable progresses made in controlling quantum gases open up a new avenue to study chemical processes. An Austrian research team has now succeeded in directly observing chemical exchange processes in an ultra-cold sample of cesium atoms and Feshbach molecules. ... > full story
Music, not gadgets, related to teenagers' headaches (February 9, 2010) -- Use of most electronic media is not associated with headaches, at least not in adolescents. A study of 1,025 13- to 17-year-olds found no association between the use of computer games, mobile phones or television and the occurrence of headaches or migraines. However, listening to one or two hours of music every day was associated with a pounding head. ... > full story
Smart coating opens door to safer hip, knee and dental implants (February 9, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a "smart coating" that helps surgical implants bond more closely with bone and ward off infection. ... > full story
New method for measuring fluid flow in algae could herald revolution for fluid mechanics (February 9, 2010) -- Researchers in fluid dynamics have studied algae to illuminate fluid mechanics. One of the researchers said, "Nature has long inspired researchers in fluid mechanics to explore the mechanical strategies used by living creatures. Where better to look for innovative solutions to a technological challenge than to organisms that have had millions of years to devise strategies for related challenges?" ... > full story
The Stars behind the Curtain (February 8, 2010) -- Astronomers have obtained a new image of the giant stellar nursery surrounding NGC 3603, in which stars are continuously being born. Embedded in this scenic nebula is one of the most luminous and most compact clusters of young, massive stars in our Milky Way, which therefore serves as an excellent “local” analogue of very active star-forming regions in other galaxies. The cluster also hosts the most massive star to be “weighed” so far. ... > full story
Industrial cleaner linked to increased risk of Parkinson's disease (February 8, 2010) -- Workers exposed to tricholorethylene, a chemical once widely used to clean metal such as auto parts, may be at a significantly higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to a new study. ... > full story
Hackers at the movies (February 8, 2010) -- Researchers in Ireland have analyzed 50 non-documentary movies from the last four decades featuring hackers and come to some intriguing conclusions about the hacker stereotype with implications for policy makers and education. ... > full story
Soft intelligence for hard decisions: Soft metrics improve homeland security and other critical decisions (February 8, 2010) -- An approach to decision making based on soft metrics could allow problems to be solved where no definitive "yes-no" answer is possible in fields as diverse as health care, defense, economics, engineering, public utilities and science. ... > full story
Growing cartilage: bioactive nanomaterial promotes growth of new cartilage (February 8, 2010) -- Researchers have designed a bioactive nanomaterial that promotes the growth of new cartilage in vivo and without the use of expensive growth factors. The therapy is minimally invasive, utilizes bone marrow stem cells and produces natural cartilage. Unlike bone, cartilage does not grow back, and it cannot effectively be replaced. Countless people learn this all too well when they bring their bad knees, shoulders and elbows to an orthopedic surgeon. ... > full story
Second 'quantum logic clock' based on aluminum ion is now world's most precise clock (February 8, 2010) -- Physicists have built an enhanced version of an experimental atomic clock based on a single aluminum atom that is now the world's most precise clock, more than twice as precise as the previous pacesetter based on a mercury atom. The new aluminum clock would neither gain nor lose one second in about 3.7 billion years. ... > full story
NASA, GM take giant leap in robotic technology (February 7, 2010) -- Engineers and scientists from NASA and GM are working together to build a new humanoid robot capable of working side by side with people. Using leading edge control, sensor and vision technologies, future robots could assist astronauts during hazardous space missions and help GM build safer cars and plants. ... > full story
Instruments to study space weather set for NASA launch (February 7, 2010) -- A million instrument package set for launch Feb. 9 by NASA should help scientists better understand the violent effects of the sun on near-Earth space weather that can affect satellites, power grids, ground communications systems and even astronauts and aircraft crews. ... > full story
Scientists demonstrate world's fastest graphene transistor; holds promise for improving performance of transistors (February 7, 2010) -- IBM researchers have demonstrated a radio-frequency graphene transistor with the highest cut-off frequency achieved so far for any graphene device -- 100 billion cycles/second (100 GigaHertz). The high frequency record was achieved using wafer-scale, epitaxially grown graphene using processing technology compatible to that used in advanced silicon device fabrication. ... > full story
Sunny Record: Breakthrough for Hybrid Solar Cells (February 7, 2010) -- Scientists in Germany have succeeded in developing a method for treating the surface of nanoparticles which greatly improves the efficiency of organic solar cells. The researchers were able to attain an efficiency of 2 percent by using so-called quantum dots composed of cadmium selenide. These measurements, well above the previous efficiency ratings of 1 to 1.8 percent, were confirmed. ... > full story
Toward safer plastics that lock in potentially harmful plasticizers (February 6, 2010) -- Scientists have published the first report on a new way of preventing potentially harmful plasticizers -- the source of long-standing human health concerns -- from migrating from one of the most widely used groups of plastics. ... > full story
Quantum computing leap forward: altering a lone electron without disturbing its neighbors (February 6, 2010) -- A major hurdle in the ambitious quest to design and construct a radically new kind of quantum computer has been finding a way to manipulate the single electrons that very likely will constitute the new machines' processing components or "qubits." Now, a physicist has discovered how to do just that -- demonstrating a method that alters the properties of a lone electron without disturbing the trillions of electrons in its immediate surroundings. The feat is essential to the development of future varieties of superfast computers with near-limitless capacities for data. ... > full story
Leaves whisper their properties through ultrasound (February 6, 2010) -- The water content of leaves, their thickness, their density and other properties can now be determined without even having to touch them. Researchers in Spain have presented an innovative technique that enables plant leaves to be studied using ultrasound in a quick, simple and noninvasive fashion. ... > full story
Sweet! Sugar plays key role in cell division (February 6, 2010) -- Using an elaborate sleuthing system they developed to probe how cells manage their own division, scientists have discovered that common but hard-to-see sugar switches are partly in control. ... > full story
Where did today's spiral galaxies come from? (February 6, 2010) -- Using data from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have created a demographic census of galaxy types and shapes from a time before the Earth and the sun existed, to the present day. The results show that more than half of the present-day spiral galaxies had peculiar shapes only six billion years ago, which, if confirmed, highlights the importance of collisions and mergers in the recent past of many galaxies. It also provides clues for the unique status of our own galaxy. ... > full story
Craters young and old in southern highlands of Mars (February 6, 2010) -- The Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera has imaged craters both young and old in a new view of the southern highlands of Mars. ... > full story
Super material will make lighting cheaper and fully recyclable (February 6, 2010) -- With the use of the new super material graphene, Swedish and American researchers have succeeded in producing a new type of lighting component. It is inexpensive to produce and can be fully recycled. ... > full story
New system provides hybrid electric autos with power to spare (February 5, 2010) -- An advancement in hybrid electric vehicle technology is providing powerful benefits beyond transportation. ... > full story
'Artificial pancreas' a step nearer for children with type 1 diabetes (February 5, 2010) -- Scientists have made a significant step towards developing a so-called "artificial pancreas" system for managing type 1 diabetes in children. The team has developed and successfully tested a new algorithm, providing a stepping stone to home testing for the artificial pancreas. ... > full story
Madly mapping the universe (February 5, 2010) -- It takes special software to map the universe from noisy data. Scientists have developed a code called MADmap to do just that for the cosmic microwave background, then posted it on the web for other interested sky mappers. Scientists probing the sky with the PACS instrument aboard the Herschel satellite have adapted MADmap to make spectacular images of the infrared universe. ... > full story
Engineers aim to make air travel greener (February 5, 2010) -- Carbon emissions from air travel could be reduced, thanks to a new collaboration between engineers in the UK and the aerospace industry. The million project will investigate new ways of using composite materials for wing panels in aircraft. The research will be using carbon fibres that are curved within flat plates to produce damage-tolerant, buckle-free structures. ... > full story
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