ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Tuesday, June 1, 2010
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Scientists decipher structure of nature's 'light switch' (June 1, 2010) -- Opening a window into the process by which plants turn on the greenery and unleash a floral profusion of color, scientists have deciphered the structure of a molecular "switch" much like the one plants use to sense light. Their findings help explain how the switch works and could be used to design new ways to modify plant growth. ... > full story
Better animal-free test for chemicals that can cause contact dermatitis (June 1, 2010) -- Scientists are reporting development of a fast, simple, inexpensive method for determining whether chemicals in consumer products and workplaces may cause skin allergies in people -- a method that does not involve use of animals. ... > full story
Classic grammar model can be used for computerized parsing (June 1, 2010) -- A classic Nordic grammar model can be used for computerized grammatical analyses and technical applications of modern Swedish text, new research reveals. One such application enables queries answered by a digital text to be generated when it is opened, and then used to search for specific information in the text. ... > full story
Air traffic poised to become a major factor in global warming, scientists predict (May 31, 2010) -- The first new projections of future aircraft emissions in 10 years predict that carbon dioxide and other gases from air traffic will become a significant source of global warming as they double or triple by 2050. ... > full story
NASA's airborne infrared observatory sees 'first light' (May 31, 2010) -- The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a joint program by NASA and the German Aerospace Center, achieved a major milestone May 26, with its first in-flight night observations. ... > full story
From butterflies' wings to bank notes: How nature's colors could cut bank fraud (May 31, 2010) -- Scientists have discovered a way of mimicking the stunningly bright and beautiful colors found on the wings of tropical butterflies. The findings could have important applications in the security printing industry, helping to make bank notes and credit cards harder to forge. ... > full story
New technology will make election voting more efficient (May 31, 2010) -- Did you stay up all night to hear your local result during the recent election? Time-consuming manual vote-counts and ballot boxes could soon be consigned to the history books, thanks to innovative new secure voting technology. ... > full story
Scientists design a more efficient democratic voting system (May 31, 2010) -- Researchers in Spain have developed a relatively simple democratic voting system which improves the efficiency of the usual common plurality voting system, and that protects minorities better and takes them more into consideration. ... > full story
Computational model being developed for estimating populations of large carnivores (May 31, 2010) -- Finnish researchers are developing a computational method for estimating populations of large carnivores. The new method will provide a quicker and more cost-effective way of keeping track of the number of large carnivores. ... > full story
Precise trace gas analysis, without the noise (May 30, 2010) -- Analyzing trace atmospheric gases can now be considerably more precise with the help of a device that delivers stable and reliable power to the lasers used in gas sensors. ... > full story
Improved carbon sponges to strip carbon dioxide from power plant exhausts (May 29, 2010) -- A new class of materials with a record-shattering internal surface area may have the right stuff to efficiently strip carbon dioxide from a power plant's exhaust. ... > full story
Researcher decodes Rembrandt's 'magic' (May 29, 2010) -- A researcher using computer-rendering programs has uncovered what makes Rembrandt's masterful portraits so appealing. Rembrandt may have pioneered a technique that guides the viewer's gaze around a portrait, creating a special narrative and "calmer" viewing experience. ... > full story
Clue to origin of Milky Way gas clouds discovered (May 29, 2010) -- A study of hydrogen gas clouds in two different regions of the Milky Way shows that they are much more abundant above areas of intense star formation, indicating they are blown away from the Galaxy's plane by stellar winds and supernova explosions. ... > full story
Zeroing in on quantum effects: New materials yield clues about high-temperature superconductors (May 29, 2010) -- US and Chinese physicists are zeroing in on critical effects at the heart of the newest high-temperature superconductors, the family of iron-based compounds called "pnictides." The scientists used similarly structured materials called "oxychalcogenides" to investigate the effect of expanding the distance between iron atoms in the crystal lattice. ... > full story
'Law-like' mathematical patterns in human preference behavior discovered (May 28, 2010) -- Scientists have found mathematical patterns underlying the way individuals unconsciously distribute their preferences regarding approaching or avoiding objects in their environment. These patterns appear to meet the strict criteria used to determine whether something is a scientific law and, if confirmed in future studies, could potentially be used to guide diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders. ... > full story
Toward a useful quantum computer: Researchers design and test microfabricated planar ion traps (May 28, 2010) -- Researchers are designing, fabricating and testing planar ion traps that can be more readily combined into large, interconnected trap arrays. In the future, these arrays may be used to create a useful quantum computer. ... > full story
Novel 'cuckoo search algorithm' beats particle swarm optimization in engineering design (May 28, 2010) -- The familiar early summer call of the cuckoo has inspired composer and poet alike, but the sound belies the bird's true parasitic nature. Now, researchers have taken the cuckoo's wont to deposit its eggs in the nests of other birds as inspiration for a new approach to engineering design. ... > full story
Planetary scientists solve 40-year-old mysteries of Mars' northern ice cap (May 28, 2010) -- Scientists have reconstructed the formation of two curious features in the northern ice cap of Mars -- a chasm larger than the Grand Canyon and a series of spiral troughs -- solving a pair of mysteries dating back four decades while finding new evidence of climate change on Mars. ... > full story
Electric supercar team aims for UK first in lead-up to world record attempt across the Americas (May 28, 2010) -- Students driving an electric supercar are attempting to be the first to drive an all-electric vehicle around the M25 twice on one battery charge, in the lead-up to the team's attempt to cross the Americas in July this year and break a world record. ... > full story
Electric ash found in Eyjafjallajokull's plume, say UK researchers (May 28, 2010) -- In the first peer-reviewed scientific paper to be published about the Icelandic volcano since its eruption in April 2010, UK researchers write that the ash plume which hovered over Scotland carried a significant and self-renewing electric charge. ... > full story
Advances made in walking, running robots (May 28, 2010) -- Researchers have made an important fundamental advance in robotics, in work that should lead toward robots that not only can walk and run effectively, but use little energy in the process. By achieving an optimal approach with robotic mechanisms, studies are moving closer to robots that could take on dangerous missions in the military, create prosthetic limbs for humans that work much better, or even help some people who use wheelchairs to gain "walking" abilities. ... > full story
Solar panels can attract breeding water insects ... but scientists propose a simple fix (May 28, 2010) -- Solar power might be nature's most plentiful and benign source of energy, but shiny dark solar cells can lure water insects away from critical breeding areas, scientists warn. Applying white grids or other methods to break up the polarized reflection of light, however, makes mayflies and other aquatic insects far less likely to deposit eggs on the panels thinking that they are water, the group discovered. ... > full story
Optical Legos: Building nanoshell structures (May 28, 2010) -- Imagine creating novel devices with amazing and exotic optical properties not found in nature -- by simply evaporating a droplet of particles on a surface. Scientists have created a way to use light-activated nanoshells as building blocks for 2-D and 3-D structures that could be useful for making chemical sensors, nanolasers and bizarre light-absorbing metamaterials. Much as a child might use Lego blocks to build 3-D models of complex buildings or vehicles, the scientists are using the new chemical self-assembly method to build complex structures that can trap, store and bend light. ... > full story
Nondestructive methods for evaluating ancient coins could be worth their weight in gold (May 28, 2010) -- Researchers have demonstrated that sensitive nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques can be used to determine the elemental composition of ancient coins, even coins that generally have been considered too corroded for such methods. ... > full story
Largest supercomputers to simulate life on Earth, including economies and whole societies (May 28, 2010) -- Scientists are planning to use the largest supercomputers to simulate life on Earth, including the financial system, economies and whole societies. The project is called "Living Earth Simulator" and part of a huge EU research initiative named FuturIcT. ... > full story
Bursting 'bubbles' the origin of galactic gas clouds, astronomers find (May 28, 2010) -- Like bubbles bursting on the surface of a glass of champagne, "bubbles" in our galaxy burst and leave flecks of material in the form of clouds of hydrogen gas, researchers using CSIRO's Parkes radio telescope in eastern Australia have found. Their study explains the origin of these clouds for the first time. ... > full story
Scaffold gradients: Finding the right environment for developing cells (May 28, 2010) -- A research team has developed a way to offer cells a 3-D scaffold that varies over a broad range of degrees of stiffness to determine where they develop best. Their technique is a way to rapidly optimize 3-D cell growth media to meet the developmental needs of specific cell types for a wide variety of potential tissue-replacement therapies. ... > full story
Computers can effectively detect diabetes-related eye problems, analysis finds (May 28, 2010) -- People with diabetes have an increased risk of blindness, yet nearly half of the approximately 23 million Americans with diabetes do not get an annual eye exam to detect possible problems. But it appears that cost-effective computerized systems to detect early eye problems related to diabetes can help meet the screening need, a new analysis shows. ... > full story
X-51 Waverider makes historic ramjet-powered hypersonic flight (May 27, 2010) -- An X-51A Waverider flight-test vehicle successfully made the longest supersonic combustion ramjet-powered hypersonic flight May 26 off the southern California Pacific coast. ... > full story
Secrets of a chiral gold nanocluster unveiled (May 27, 2010) -- Researchers have resolved the structural, electronic and optical properties of a chiral gold nanocluster that remained a mystery for 10 years. ... > full story
Ultrasound could boost tissue implant success (May 27, 2010) -- New research shows low-intensity ultrasound stimulation would be able to enhance the survival of implanted tissue graft, which could vastly increase the rates of success of a broad range of tissue-graft therapies. ... > full story
Oil spill threatens toothy marine predator that is cultural and historic icon (May 27, 2010) -- The BP oil blowout in the Gulf of Mexico threatens the existence of a critically endangered sawfish and its relative that recently has been proposed to join it as the only two marine fish in United States waters to receive such federal protection. ... > full story
Electron ‘spin’ in silicon will lead to revolutionary quantum chips (May 27, 2010) -- A silicon-based nanoscale system which aims to harness the 'spin' of electrons to boost the processing power of future computer systems is being developed. ... > full story
Astronomers discover new star-forming regions in Milky Way (May 27, 2010) -- Newly-discovered star-forming regions are revealing new view of Milky Way's structure and promise new clues about the Galaxy's chemical composition ... > full story
Household detergents, shampoos may form harmful substance in wastewater (May 27, 2010) -- Scientists are reporting evidence that certain ingredients in shampoo, detergents and other household cleaning agents may be a source of precursor materials for formation of a suspected cancer-causing contaminant in water supplies that receive water from sewage treatment plants. The study sheds new light on possible environmental sources of this poorly understood water contaminant, called NDMA, which is of ongoing concern to health officials. ... > full story
Graphane yields new potential: Physicists dig theoretical wells to mine quantum dots (May 27, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered the strategic extraction of hydrogen atoms from a 2-D sheet of graphane naturally opens up spaces of pure graphene that look -- and act -- like quantum dots. ... > full story
WISE telescope has Heart and Soul (May 27, 2010) -- NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, has captured a huge mosaic of two bubbling clouds in space, known as the Heart and Soul nebulae. The space telescope, which has completed about three-fourths of its infrared survey of the entire sky, has already captured nearly one million frames like the ones making up this newly released mosaic. ... > full story
Outstanding in their field effect: Researchers print field-effect transistors with nano-infused ink (May 27, 2010) -- Researchers have discovered thin films of nanotubes created with ink-jet printers offer a new way to make field-effect transistors, the basic element in integrated circuits. ... > full story
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
Robotic-assisted vasectomy reversal offers greater chance of fatherhood (May 27, 2010) -- Northwestern Memorial is the first center in the Midwest to perform a pioneering robotic assisted vasectomy reversal. Experts believe this approach gives couples greater success at conceiving naturally. ... > 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
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