ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Thursday, May 27, 2010
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NASA's Swift Survey finds 'smoking gun' of black hole activation (May 27, 2010) -- Data from an ongoing survey by NASA's Swift satellite have helped astronomers solve a decades-long mystery about why a small percentage of black holes emit vast amounts of energy. ... > full story
Computer model for locating and forecasting sunken oil following spills (May 27, 2010) -- A team of researchers has developed a computer model for finding and projecting in time sunken oil masses on the bottom of bays, after an oil spill. The unique model can be used in oil spill planning, response, and recovery applications. ... > full story
Physicists pin down proton-halo state in Flourine-17 (May 27, 2010) -- A halo may be difficult to acquire in terms of virtue, but it can also be tough to calculate in terms of physics. Physicists have managed to do just that, however. A halo nucleus differs from the more traditional nuclei because it has one or more nucleons (protons or neutrons) that are only weakly bound to the nuclear core. Consequently, they drift far away from it, forming, in effect, a halo. These nuclei are difficult to study because their lives are both short (often lasting only milliseconds) and fragile. ... > full story
Elderly drivers' ability to detect hazards doesn't degrade with age, study suggests (May 27, 2010) -- Advanced age does not affect older drivers' ability to perceive hazards according to a new study. The study also found that older drivers are more sensitive to potential hazards than young-inexperienced drivers. ... > full story
Undersea forces from hurricanes may threaten Gulf pipelines (May 27, 2010) -- Hurricanes could snap offshore oil pipelines in the Gulf of Mexico and other hurricane-prone areas, since the storms whip up strong underwater currents, a new study suggests. ... > full story
Discovery may lead to safer drinking water, cheaper medicine (May 27, 2010) -- A discovery that may pave the way to helping reduce health hazards such as E. coli in water could also make chemicals and drugs such as insulin cheaper to produce and their production more environmentally friendly. By creating a three-dimensional model, biochemists discovered exactly how the AceK protein acts as a switch in some bacteria to bypass the energy-producing cycle that allows bacteria like E. coli and salmonella to go into a survival mode and adapt to low-nutrient environments, such as water. ... > full story
Love it or hate it, PowerPoint shapes strategy-making, says new paper (May 27, 2010) -- It's a staple presentation tool in most businesses. Its been banned as a productivity killer. Say what you like about PowerPoint, the computer software that presents business cases like a slide show, but one researcher at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management says that such critiques ignore the ways the technology is used to shape idea generation and build corporate strategies. ... > full story
Virtual Romanesque monuments being created (May 26, 2010) -- Researchers in Spain have created full color plans in 3-D of places of cultural interest, using laser scanners and photographic cameras. The technique has been used to virtually recreate five churches in the Merindad de Aguilar de Campoo, a region between Cantabria, Palencia and Burgos which boasts the highest number of Romanesque monuments in the world. ... > full story
Changing 'channels' to eliminate chronic pain: Researcher maps drug target to wipe pain away (May 26, 2010) -- Researchers are developing new computer-derived models of drugs that might affect chronic pain -- such as pain from backaches, sore limbs and arthritis -- which are targeted for calcium channels. ... > full story
Quantum communication in random networks: Theorists find surprising behaviours in quantum random networks (May 26, 2010) -- The Internet, networks of connections between Hollywood actors, etc., are examples of complex networks, whose properties have been intensively studied in recent times. The 'small-world' property (that everyone has a few-step connection to celebrities), for instance, is a famous example. Scientists have now introduced complex networks in the quantum realm. ... > full story
Could humans be infected by 'computer viruses?' (May 26, 2010) -- A scientist at the University of Reading has become the first person in the world to be infected by a computer virus. He contaminated a computer chip which had been inserted into his hand as part of research into human enhancement and the potential risks of implantable devices. ... > full story
Supermassive black holes may frequently roam (May 26, 2010) -- The supermassive black hole (SMBH) at the center of the most massive local galaxy (M87) is not where it was expected. Research, conducted using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), concludes that the SMBH in M87 is displaced from the galaxy center. ... > full story
Major step ahead for cryptography (May 26, 2010) -- Scientists have taken a step towards a fully practical system to compute on encrypted data. This work could have wide ranging impact on areas as diverse as database access, electronic auctions and electronic voting. ... > full story
NASA develops enhanced search and rescue technologies (May 26, 2010) -- NASA, which pioneered the technology used for the satellite-aided search and rescue capability that has saved more than 27,000 lives worldwide since its inception nearly three decades ago, has developed new technology that will more quickly identify the locations of people in distress and reduce the risk of rescuers. ... > full story
Criminals have their own distictive 'local haunts' when committing crimes (May 26, 2010) -- Research conducted by psychologists and the police has found that criminals have their own distinctive "local haunts" when committing crime. ... > full story
Grin and bear it: Texas dentists to test students' portable suction device (May 26, 2010) -- A group of university students has created a portable dental suction device, an inexpensive, battery-powered version of the vacuum system commonly used in dentists' offices to remove blood and saliva from a patient's mouth. ... > full story
Nearby black hole is feeble and unpredictable (May 25, 2010) -- A decade-long study by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory reveals that the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Andromeda galaxy was in a very dim, or quiet, state before 2006. However, on January 6, 2006, the black hole became more than a hundred times brighter, suggesting an outburst of X-rays. This was the first time such an event had been seen from a supermassive black hole in the nearby, local universe. ... > full story
Perennial grass Miscanthus shows promise as energy crop while lowering atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> (May 25, 2010) -- A new article reveals that Miscanthus x giganteus, a perennial grass, could effectively reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, while lowering atmospheric carbon dioxide. ... > full story
Weird orbits of neighbors can make 'habitable' planets not so habitable (May 25, 2010) -- New findings from computer modeling indicate some exoplanets might fluctuate between being habitable and being inhospitable to life because of forces exerted by giant neighbors with eccentric orbits. ... > full story
Preventing cells from getting the kinks out of DNA (May 25, 2010) -- Some of the most common antibiotics and anticancer drugs block topoisomerases that snip the tangles out of DNA. If a cell cannot remove the tangles, it dies. Researchers investigating the structure of these enzymes have found that Type II topoisomerases, which snip double-stranded DNA, use their metal catalysts in a novel way that could help drug designers improve antimicrobials and cancer poisons and make them less toxic to the host. ... > full story
Inspired by a cotton candy machine, engineers put a new spin on creating tiny nanofibers (May 25, 2010) -- Hailed as a "cross between a high-speed centrifuge and a cotton candy machine," a new, practical technology for fabricating tiny nanofibers has been developed by bioengineers. The reference to the fairground treat of spun sugar is deliberate, as the device literally -- and just as easily -- spins, stretches and pushes out 100 nanometer-diameter polymer-based threads using a rotating drum and nozzle. ... > full story
Chott el Jerid, Tunisia: Closest thing to Mars on Earth? (May 25, 2010) -- Scientists are analyzing one of the most Mars-like places on Earth -- Chott el Jerid in South West Tunisia -- in preparation for future missions to the Red Planet. ... > full story
Self-healing concrete: Research yields cost-effective system to extend life of structures (May 25, 2010) -- Efforts to extend the life of structures and reduce repair costs have led engineers to develop "smart materials" that have self-healing properties, but many of these new materials are difficult to commercialize. A new self-healing concrete, however, may prove to be cost-effective. ... > full story
To attack H1N1, other flu viruses, gold nanorods deliver potent payload (May 25, 2010) -- Future pandemics of seasonal flu, H1N1 and other drug-resistant viruses may be thwarted by a potent, immune-boosting payload that is effectively delivered to cells by gold nanorods, scientists report. ... > full story
Pollution dispersion research aids understanding of 2002 break-up of Antarctic ozone hole (May 25, 2010) -- Researchers report findings on the flow of particles that will aid in understanding and controlling global-scale phenomena, such as pollution dispersion in the atmosphere and the ocean. For instance, the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico might be modeled to provide greater insight into how the particles might be dragged into the Loop Current. ... > full story
Phoenix Mars Lander is silent, new image shows damage (May 25, 2010) -- NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has ended operations after repeated attempts to contact the spacecraft were unsuccessful. A new image transmitted by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows signs of severe ice damage to the lander's solar panels. ... > full story
Comet dives into Sun: STEREO, SOHO spacecraft catch crash (May 25, 2010) -- Solar physicists have used STEREO data to track the path of a sun-grazing comet and have caught it crashing through the corona and chromosophere to evaporate in the photosphere. ... > full story
First realistic simulation of DNA unfolding (May 25, 2010) -- The separation of the two DNA strands occurs in millionths of a second. Consequently, it is extremely difficult to study this phenomenon experimentally and researchers must rely on computational simulations. After four years of fine-tuning an effective physical model and massive use of the supercomputer Mare Nostrum, researchers have managed to produce the first realistic simulation of DNA opening at high resolution. ... > full story
Nile delta natural gas potential is significant (May 25, 2010) -- An estimated 223 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered, technically recoverable natural gas are in the Nile Delta Basin Province, located in the Eastern Mediterranean region. This is the first U.S. Geological Survey assessment of this basin to identify potentially extractable resources. ... > full story
Tissue engineering technique yields potential biological substitute for dental implants (May 25, 2010) -- A pioneering tissue engineering technique can orchestrate stem cells to migrate to a 3-D scaffold infused with growth factor, holding the translational potential to yield an anatomically correct tooth in as soon as nine weeks once implanted. ... > full story
Antibacterial silver nanoparticles are a blast (May 25, 2010) -- In a new article, researchers explain how blasting silver nitrate solution with an electron beam can generate nanoparticles that are more effective at killing all kinds of bacteria, including gram-negative species that are not harmed by conventional antibacterial agents. ... > full story
GATOR approach can help surfers to evaluate web-based health information (May 25, 2010) -- Patients researching health conditions on the Internet should use reputable and frequently updated websites and not see online research as a replacement for consulting healthcare professionals. A research review has found that 86% of adult patients use the internet to get answers to health-related questions, but only 28 to 41% consult primary healthcare providers about the information they find out. The discrepancy suggests that the majority of users accept web-based health recommendations in lieu of professional advice. That’s why the team have come up with an acronym - GATOR (genuine, accurate, trustworthy, origin and readability) - to encourage healthy surfing. Short for alligator, it provides a reminder of the dangers that people can face if they surf for health advice without sufficient safeguards in place. ... > full story
Ribbon at edge of our solar system: Will the Sun enter a million-degree cloud of interstellar gas? (May 24, 2010) -- Is the Sun going to enter a million-degree galactic cloud of interstellar gas soon? A U.S.-Polish team of scientists suggests that the ribbon of enhanced emissions of energetic neutral atoms, discovered last year by the NASA Small Explorer satellite IBEX, could be explained by a geometric effect due to the approach of the Sun to the boundary between the Local Cloud of interstellar gas and another cloud of a very hot gas called the Local Bubble. If this hypothesis is correct, IBEX is catching matter from a hot neighboring interstellar cloud, which the Sun might enter in a hundred years. ... > full story
New method for producing 'libraries' of important carbohydrate molecules (May 24, 2010) -- A team of scientists has created a method for the rapid chemical synthesis of complex carbohydrates, and that method could dramatically change the availability of such molecules for research. ... > full story
Intelligent therapies with virtual reality for the psychological treatment of patients suffering from fibromyalgia (May 24, 2010) -- Researchers in Spain have developed a new therapy based on the use of mobile devices and virtual reality for the psychological treatment of patients suffering from fibromyalgia. ... > full story
Invention could aid Mars probes' search for life (May 24, 2010) -- The next generation of Mars rovers could have smaller, cheaper, more robust and more sensitive life-detecting instruments, thanks to an advance in mass spectrometry that will make it easier to direct ions along specified paths. Equipment based on the technology could make the Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer -- part of the 2018 ExoMars mission -- a better life-detecting tool. ... > full story
Regular violent eruptions from interacting pair of stars (May 24, 2010) -- Astronomers have spotted violent eruptions from an interacting pair of stars that orbit around each other every 25 minutes. Unusually, these outbursts take place at regular and predictable intervals, erupting every two months. The new observations were made using the fully robotic Liverpool Telescope sited in the Canary Islands and the orbiting Swift observatory. ... > full story
3-D model of blood flow by supercomputer predicts heart attacks (May 24, 2010) -- Researchers in Switzerland have developed a flowing 3-D model of the cardiovascular system that should allow for predictions of certain heart diseases before they become dangerous. ... > full story
'Printing' pills to order: Research to create safer, faster-acting medicines (May 24, 2010) -- A collaboration in the UK is looking at 'printing' pills to order, to create safer and faster-acting medicines. The research is set to revolutionize a process which has remained unchanged for over a thousand years. ... > full story
Semiconductor manufacturing technique holds promise for solar energy (May 24, 2010) -- Thanks to a new semiconductor manufacturing method, the future of solar energy just got brighter. Researchers have developed a more efficient, lower-cost method of manufacturing compound semiconductors such as gallium arsenide for many electronic device applications, including solar cells. The group deposits multiple layers of the material on a single wafer, creating a layered stack of gallium arsenide thin films, then transfers one layer at a time to another substrate -- glass, plastic or silicon. ... > full story
Decoding our network communities (May 24, 2010) -- A new way of finding community structure within networks -- anything from social networks such as Facebook, to power grids, political voting networks, and protein interaction networks in biology -- could help us understand how people are connected and how connections change over time. The new technique aims to be more realistic than conventional approaches, which only capture one type of connection or a network at only one moment in time. ... > full story
Game theoretic machine learning methods can help explain long periods of conflict (May 24, 2010) -- Researchers have developed new machine learning methods to study conflict. The new method, which they call Inductive Game Theory, has been applied to a time series of fights gathered from detailed observations of an animal society model system. ... > full story
Physicists develop a quantum interface between light and atoms (May 24, 2010) -- Physicists in Germany have developed a quantum interface which connects light particles and atoms. The interface is based on an ultra-thin glass fiber and is suitable for the transmission of quantum information. This is an essential prerequisite for quantum communication which shall be used for secure data transmission via quantum cryptography. ... > full story
Two peas in an irregular pod: How binary stars may form (May 24, 2010) -- Our sun may be an only child, but most of the stars in the galaxy are actually twins. The sibling stars circle around each other at varying distances, bound by the hands of gravity. How twin stars form is an ongoing question in astronomy. Do they start out like fraternal twins developing from two separate clouds, or "eggs"? Or do they begin life in one cloud that splits into two, like identical twins born from one egg? ... > full story
Danger in the internet cafe? New computer security threat for wireless networks: Typhoid adware (May 24, 2010) -- There's a potential threat lurking in your internet café, say computer science researchers. It's called Typhoid adware and works in similar fashion to Typhoid Mary, the first identified healthy carrier of typhoid fever who spread the disease to dozens of people in the New York area in the early 1900s. ... > full story
Geometry Drives Selection Date for 2011 Mars Launch (May 24, 2010) -- Planners of NASA's next Mars mission have selected a flight schedule that will use favorable positions for two currently orbiting NASA Mars orbiters to obtain maximum information during descent and landing. ... > full story
Surprising new evidence for asymmetry between matter and antimatter (May 24, 2010) -- Why is there matter in the universe and not antimatter, its opposite? Physicists at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory have announced that they may have an answer. ... > full story
Why do Earth’s storm tracks differ from those of Jupiter? (May 23, 2010) -- Computer simulations show that both ocean dynamics, such as the Gulf Stream, and mountain ranges influence the pattern of storm tracks on Earth. This also explains why Earth's storm tracks are so different from those on the gas giant Jupiter. ... > full story
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