ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Wednesday, March 24, 2010
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Are hand sanitizers better than handwashing against the common cold? (March 24, 2010) -- A new study suggests that hand sanitizers containing ethanol are much more effective at removing rhinovirus from hands than washing with soap and water. Sanitizers containing both ethanol and organic acids significantly reduced recovery of the virus from hands and rhinovirus infection up to 4 hours following application. ... > full story
Laser security for the Internet: Scientist invents a digital security tool good enough for the CIA -- and for you (March 24, 2010) -- A new invention promises an information security system that can beat today's hackers -- and the hackers of the future -- with existing fiber optic and computer technology. ... > full story
New method could revolutionize dating of ancient treasures (March 23, 2010) -- Scientists have developed a first-of-its-kind method for determining the age of ancient artifacts without causing damage to the objects. The method could help shed new light on the history of mummified bodies, old maps, cave paintings, and other treasures, they say. ... > full story
New approach to water desalination could lead to small, portable units for disaster sites or remote locations (March 23, 2010) -- A new approach to desalination could lead to small, portable desalination units that could be powered by solar cells or batteries and could deliver enough fresh water to supply the needs of a family or small village. As an added bonus, the system would also remove many contaminants, viruses and bacteria at the same time. ... > full story
Proof in humans of RNA interference using targeted nanoparticles (March 23, 2010) -- A team of researchers and clinicians has published the first proof that a targeted nanoparticle -- used as an experimental therapeutic and injected directly into a patient's bloodstream -- can traffic into tumors, deliver double-stranded small interfering RNAs, and turn off an important cancer gene using a mechanism known as RNA interference. Moreover, the team provided the first demonstration that this new type of therapy can make its way to human tumors in a dose-dependent fashion. ... > full story
Nanowire advances promise improved light-emitting diodes and solar-energy generation (March 23, 2010) -- Researchers are making improvements to semiconductor alloys that will help overcome some of the technical roadblocks to producing more effective photovoltaic cells for generating solar energy and will enable light-emitting diodes to provide more versatile and efficient lighting. ... > full story
How strong is your booze? True strength of alcohol revealed by new portable device (March 23, 2010) -- Both legitimate brewers and distillers -- and authorities on the track of illicit alcohol from home stills -- will soon have a helping hand. Measurement experts have unveiled a portable device to determine the strength of alcoholic drinks quickly and easily, almost anywhere. In a new study, the researchers show that their technique is just as accurate, and more sophisticated, than widely used lab-based methods. ... > full story
New bone-hard biomaterial for surgical screws (March 23, 2010) -- Screws used in surgical operations are often made of titanium. They usually have to be removed after a while or replaced by new ones. A new biomaterial makes this unnecessary. It promotes bone growth and is biodegradable. ... > full story
Helium rain on Jupiter explains lack of neon in atmosphere (March 23, 2010) -- When the Galileo probe descended through Jupiter's atmosphere in 1995, it found neon to be one-tenth as abundant as predicted. This unexpected finding has led researchers to propose an explanation: at about 10,000 kilometers below the cloud tops, helium condenses into droplets and falls inward, dragging neon with it and depleting Jupiter's outer layers of neon as well as helium. ... > full story
Giant 'microscope' will use neutrons to study glass transition mystery in solid-state research (March 23, 2010) -- Scientists are building an electrostatic levitation chamber that will be installed at the Spallation Neutron Source in Oakridge National Laboratory. Using neutrons as a probe, the instrument will allow scientists to watch atoms in a suspended drop of liquid as the drop cools and solidifies. Researchers are particularly eager to see what the new instrument will tell them about the "glass transition," the smooth change a glass undergoes from a freely flowing liquid to a viscous liquid to a rigid structure. The physics underlying the transition has been called "the deepest and most interesting unsolved problem in solid-state research." ... > full story
Sticky environmental problem with carpet tiles solved (March 22, 2010) -- A new adhesive for use in carpet tiles could help dramatically reduce their impact on the environment. The powerful adhesives currently used to bind the layers of carpet tiles together make it challenging to recycle them. In Europe, around 70 million kilograms of carpet tile waste is incinerated or sent to landfill sites every year. ... > full story
Spying on a cellular director in the cutting room (March 22, 2010) -- Like a film director cutting out extraneous footage to create a blockbuster, the cellular machine called the spliceosome snips out unwanted stretches of genetic material and joins the remaining pieces to fashion a template for protein production. But more than box office revenues are at stake: if the spliceosome makes a careless cut, disease likely results. Researchers have now managed to spy on the splicing process in single molecules. ... > full story
Supermassive black holes: Hinting at the nature of dark matter? (March 22, 2010) -- About 23 percent of the universe is made up of mysterious 'dark matter' -- invisible material only detected through its gravitational influence on its surroundings. Now astronomers have found a hint of the way it behaves near black holes. ... > full story
Incorporating biofunctionality into nanomaterials for medical, environmental devices (March 22, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered how to use atomic layer deposition to incorporate "biological functionality" into complex nanomaterials, which could lead to a new generation of medical and environmental health applications. For example, the researchers show how the technology can be used to develop effective, low-cost water purification devices that could be used in developing countries. ... > full story
H1N1: Infrared thermal detection systems useful for patient screening (March 22, 2010) -- Researchers found an Infrared Thermal Detection System (ITDS) to be a fast and effective fever screening tool in clinical settings during the H1N1 influenza pandemic. The ITDS detected fever in patients through split-second, non-contact skin temperature measurements. Fever is a primary symptom of seasonal influenza, H1N1, avian influenza, SARS and other infectious diseases. ... > full story
E-waste: Crude recycling methods used in developing countries contaminate air, water and soil, researchers say (March 22, 2010) -- A proposed US ban on the export of electronics waste won't accomplish its goal of stopping crude methods of recycling "e-waste" -- especially junked computers -- that are resulting in environmental damage in developing countries, researchers say. A new paper calls into question conventional thinking that trade bans can prevent "backyard recycling" of electronics waste -- primarily old and obsolete computers -- in developing countries. ... > full story
Online ostracism damages children’s self esteem (March 22, 2010) -- Research by psychologists has revealed that online ostracism is a threat to children’s self-esteem. The study looked at how children, adolescents and adults react to being ostracised by other players during an online computer game. ... > full story
Early galaxy went through 'teenage growth spurt,' scientists say (March 22, 2010) -- Scientists have found a massive galaxy in the early universe creating stars like our sun up to 100 times faster than the modern-day Milky Way. ... > full story
Multifunctional polymer neutralizes both biological and chemical weapons (March 22, 2010) -- In an effort to mirror the ability of biological tissues to respond rapidly and appropriately to changing environments, scientists have synthesized a single, multifunctional polymer material that can decontaminate both biological and chemical toxins. ... > full story
Imperfect chips pave the way for new quantum technology (March 22, 2010) -- When it comes to optical chips, disorder can actually be desirable. The surprising finding was made by a research group in Denmark, overturning the common notion that optical chips must be perfect. ... > full story
'Cold fusion' moves closer to mainstream acceptance (March 22, 2010) -- "Cold fusion," a controversial energy source once relegated to the scientific equivalent of banishment to Siberia, is now moving closer toward acceptance by the mainstream scientific community, as evidenced by a special two-day symposium at the American Chemical Society's 239th National Meeting. ... > full story
Direct injection of gold nanoparticles into tumors opens door to new treatment for pancreatic cancer (March 22, 2010) -- Pancreatic cancer -- known as the most fatal cancer with no known effective treatment -- requires a radical new therapy. A promising approach may come in the form of tiny gold nanoparticles -- loaded with a therapeutic agent to kill cancer -- in a novel procedure called "nanoembolization," said researchers. ... > full story
Mastery of rare-earth elements vital to America's security (March 22, 2010) -- Used in everything from batteries to electric motors, rare earth elements are vital to America's security, a senior metallurgist at the US Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory, told members of the Investigations & Oversight Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science and Technology. Yet, the great majority of rare earth mining and production currently takes place in China. ... > full story
New spam targeting Facebook users is invisible to most virus scans, says expert (March 22, 2010) -- Cyber-criminals are using fake e-mails to target Facebook users and deliver computer viruses that were being detected only by one-third of the 42 most common anti-virus products as of 12 noon March 18, says a leading cyber-crime researcher. ... > full story
Clean snowmobile challenge tests lower-emission, quieter sleds (March 22, 2010) -- Neither sun, nor mud, nor atypically warm March weather in northern Michigan could keep three hardy entries from completing the Endurance Run at the 2010 SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge. ... > full story
Bully galaxy rules the neighborhood (March 21, 2010) -- In general, galaxies can be thought of as "social" -- hanging out in groups and frequently interacting. However, a new Hubble Space Telescope image highlights how some galaxies appear to be hungry loners. These cosmic oddities have set astronomers on the "case of the missing neighbor galaxies." ... > full story
Frequency and cost of copying college homework revealed (March 21, 2010) -- The history of students who copy homework from classmates may be as old as school itself. But in today's age of lecture-hall laptops and online coursework, how prevalent and damaging to the education of students has such academic dishonesty become? According to new research, it turns out that unnoticed student cheating is a significant cause of course failure nationally. ... > full story
First parasitic nematodes reported in biofuel crops (March 21, 2010) -- Researchers in Illinois have discovered widespread occurrence of plant-parasitic nematodes in the first reported nematode survey of Miscanthus and switchgrass plants used for biofuels. ... > full story
Brain scans could be marketing tool of the future (March 21, 2010) -- Using advanced tools to see the human brain at work, a new generation of marketing experts may be able to test a product's appeal while it is still being designed, according to a new analysis. ... > full story
UK scientists devise worldwide food alert system (March 21, 2010) -- Countries producing food containing harmful bacteria and toxins could be named and shamed more quickly using a worldwide alert system devised by a team of scientists from the UK. ... > full story
Microbe detective seeks out germs (March 20, 2010) -- Microorganisms are everywhere and most of them are harmless, but they can do a lot of damage in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals or in tissue transplants. With the aid of a new device, germs can be detected in artificial cartilage within a few hours. ... > full story
Breakthrough for the quantum simulator: When ultra-cold atoms can be anything (March 20, 2010) -- For the first time, physicists have succeeded in describing a quantum simulator realizable with current technology. The scientists have shown that the level of control needed for such a simulator can be achieved using ultra-cold atoms in a highly excited Rydberg states. ... > full story
Sleep deprivation influences drug use in teens' social networks, study finds (March 20, 2010) -- Recent studies have shown that behaviors such as happiness, obesity, smoking and altruism are "contagious" within adult social networks. In other words, your behavior not only influences your friends, but also their friends and so on. Researchers have taken this a step farther and found that the spread of one behavior in social networks influences the spread of another behavior -- adolescent drug use. ... > full story
Freezing out breast cancer (March 20, 2010) -- Interventional radiologists have opened the door to an encouraging potential future treatment for the nearly 200,000 women who are diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States each year: image-guided, multiprobe cryotherapy. In the first reported study, researchers were able to successfully freeze breast cancer in patients who refused surgery; the women did not have to undergo surgery after treatment to ensure that tumors had been killed. ... > full story
Silver proves its mettle for nanotech applications (March 20, 2010) -- Scientists have introduced a new method to deterministically and precisely position silver nanoparticles onto self-assembling DNA scaffolds. ... > full story
Perils of plastics? Survey of risks to human health and the environment (March 20, 2010) -- Researchers have undertaken a survey of existing scientific literature concerning the hazards of plastics to human health and to the ecosystems we depend on. ... > full story
Designer nanomaterials on demand: Scientists report universal method for creating nanoscale composites (March 20, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a universal method by which designer nanomaterials can be created on demand. This scheme can be used to create materials for battery electrodes, photovoltaics and electronic data storage among a great many other possible applications. ... > full story
Biology may not be so complex after all, physicist finds (March 19, 2010) -- Centuries ago, scientists began reducing the physics of the universe into key laws described by a handful of parameters. Such simple descriptions have remained elusive for complex biological systems -- until now. A biophysicist has identified parameters for several biochemical networks that distill the entire behavior of these systems into simple equivalent dynamics. The discovery may hold the potential to streamline the development of drugs and diagnostic tools, by simplifying the research models. ... > full story
Light twists rigid structures in unexpected nanotech finding (March 19, 2010) -- In findings that took the experimenters three years to believe, engineers have demonstrated that light itself can twist ribbons of nanoparticles. ... > full story
Mineral studies advance antibacterial alternatives (March 19, 2010) -- Alternative approaches to medicine are stock-in-trade in the Arizona State University laboratory of microbiologist Shelley Haydel. So when ASU senior Jenny Koehl joined Haydel's investigative team seeking firsthand knowledge of how basic research is done, how drugs are tested and potential cures produced, she found it and much more. ... > full story
Shutting out soft tissue cancers in the cold (March 19, 2010) -- Cryotherapy, an interventional radiology treatment to freeze cancer tumors, may become the treatment of the future for cancer that has metastasized in soft tissues (such as ovarian cancer) and in bone tumors. Such patients are often not candidates for surgery and would benefit from minimally invasive treatment, say researchers. ... > full story
Weak laser can ignite nanoparticles, with exciting possibilities (March 19, 2010) -- Engineering researchers have found they can ignite certain nanoparticles using a low-power laser, a development they say opens the door to a wave of new technologies in health care, computing and automotive design. ... > full story
Layered graphene sheets could solve hydrogen storage issues (March 19, 2010) -- Stacked sheets of graphene may be a promising material for capturing and storing hydrogen for future fuel-cell systems according to recent research. ... > full story
New statistical method for genetic studies could cut computation time from years to hours (March 19, 2010) -- Mathematicians have developed a new computational strategy for genome-wide association studies that corrects for population structure and is both faster and easier to use. ... > full story
WISE captures a cosmic rosebud blossoming with new stars (March 19, 2010) -- A new infrared image from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, shows a cosmic rosebud blossoming with new stars. The stars, called the Berkeley 59 cluster, are the blue dots to the right of the image center. They are ripening out of the dust cloud from which they formed, and at just a few million years old, are young on stellar time scales. ... > full story
Stem cells suspended in X-ray-visible microbubbles build new blood vessels to treat peripheral arterial disease (March 19, 2010) -- Bone marrow stem cells suspended in X-ray-visible microbubbles dramatically improve the body's ability to build new blood vessels in the upper leg -- providing a potential future treatment for those with peripheral arterial disease or PAD, say researchers. ... > full story
New lunar images and data available to the public (March 19, 2010) -- The general public can now follow along with NASA on its journey of lunar discovery. On March 15, the publicly accessible Planetary Data System released data sets from the seven instruments on board NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. ... > full story
Nano-based RFID tags could replace bar codes (March 19, 2010) -- Researchers have come up with an inexpensive, printable transmitter that can be invisibly embedded in packaging. It would allow a customer to walk a cart full of groceries or other goods past a scanner on the way to the car. ... > full story
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