ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Friday, June 11, 2010
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Many famous comets originally formed in other solar systems (June 11, 2010) -- Many of the most well known comets, including Halley, Hale-Bopp and, most recently, McNaught, may have been born in orbit around other stars, according to a new theory by an international team of astronomers. ... > full story
'Dark Pulse Laser' produces bursts of ... almost nothing (June 11, 2010) -- In an advance that sounds almost Zen, researchers have demonstrated a new type of pulsed laser that excels at not producing light. ... > full story
Predicting amount of oil in contaminated soils: Scientists develop faster method for testing soils around oil spills (June 11, 2010) -- A team of scientists has demonstrated a new method for testing soils for oil contamination that is faster than traditional testing methods. ... > full story
Absence of organic compounds on surface of Mars explained by new theory (June 10, 2010) -- The ongoing search for evidence of past or present life on Mars includes efforts to identify organic compounds such as proteins in Martian soil, but their absence to date remains a mystery. A new theory to explain what happens to these carbon-based molecules is presented in a new article. ... > full story
Model explains rapid transition toward division of labor in biological evolution (June 10, 2010) -- The transition from colonies of individual cells to multicellular organisms can be achieved relatively rapidly, within one million generations, according to a new mathematical model that simplifies our understanding of this process. ... > full story
Children's testimony may be influenced by co-witnesses (June 10, 2010) -- When children report about an event they can be highly accurate. But if they talk to other witnesses, children's testimony may become tainted. Researchers have examined children's vulnerability to co-witness influence, and present a new method that can help child witnesses to provide more detailed witness reports. ... > full story
Exoplanet caught on the move (June 10, 2010) -- For the first time, astronomers have been able to directly follow the motion of an exoplanet as it moves from one side of its host star to the other. The planet has the smallest orbit so far of all directly imaged exoplanets, lying almost as close to its parent star as Saturn is to the Sun. Scientists believe that it may have formed in a similar way to the giant planets in the Solar System. ... > full story
Waste steel in the Gulf of Mexico (June 10, 2010) -- The huge tonnages of waste steel from decommissioned offshore oil and gas structures represents a serious problem for operators looking to recoup losses and avoid environmental harm. A way to calculate the weight of the problem has been developed by US researchers. ... > full story
Could string theory explain similarities between utracold gases and quark gluon plasma? (June 10, 2010) -- For a few millionths of a second after the Big Bang, the universe consisted of a hot soup of elementary particles called quarks and gluons. A few microseconds later, those particles began cooling to form protons and neutrons, the building blocks of matter. Could string theory explain similarities between utracold gases and quark gluon plasma? ... > full story
New method manipulates particles for sensors, crime scene testing (June 10, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a potential new tool for medical diagnostics, testing food and water for contamination, and crime-scene forensics. The technique uses a combination of light and electric fields to position droplets and tiny particles, such as bacteria, viruses and DNA, which are contained inside the drops. ... > full story
Oil from Gulf spill could have powered 38,000 cars (and more) for a year, researcher says (June 10, 2010) -- As of June 9, 2010, if all the oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico had been used for fuel, it could have powered 38,000 cars, and 3,400 trucks, and 1,800 ships for a full year, according to a researcher who has launched a website that reports the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in terms of lost uses of the lost fuel on a daily basis. ... > full story
Protecting privacy: Make the data 'fade away' like footsteps in the sand (June 10, 2010) -- However well we protect our data, sooner or later we run the risk of information we want to keep private ending up in the public domain. So how can we see information fade away over time? If we could let details gradually disappear from view this would drastically reduce privacy-related problems while ensuring that the information still retains its usefulness to some extent. ... > full story
New software to measure emotional reactions to Web (June 10, 2010) -- A group of Canadian scientists is developing software that can actually measure emotional responses to the Web. ... > full story
Sleep may help you become a 'Guitar Hero' (June 10, 2010) -- The improvement in performance accuracy on "Guitar Hero III" was greater after a night of sleep than after a similar length of daytime wakefulness. At acquisition participants played about 61 percent of the notes correctly. Performance accuracy improved to 63 percent in the wake condition and 68 percent in the sleep condition. The study involved 15 college students -- 13 women and two men -- with a mean age of 20 years. ... > full story
Walls falling faster for solid-state memory (June 9, 2010) -- Researchers have found that flaws in the structure of magnetic nanoscale wires play an important role in determining the operating speed of novel devices using such nanowires to store and process information. ... > full story
TRAPPIST telescope to scout the sky and uncover exoplanets and comets (June 9, 2010) -- A new robotic telescope has had first light at the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla Observatory, in Chile. TRAPPIST (TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope) is devoted to the study of planetary systems through two approaches: the detection and characterization of planets located outside the Solar System (exoplanets) and the study of comets orbiting around the Sun. ... > full story
Understanding the mechanisms of liver regeneration through computer simulation (June 9, 2010) -- How does the liver manage to regenerate itself even after severe damage? Seeking to find an answer to this significant medical question, scientists in Germany have gained new insights into the underlying processes involved in the regeneration of liver lobules using computer simulation and laboratory experiments. ... > full story
X-ray diffraction microscope reveals 3-D internal structure of whole cell (June 9, 2010) -- Three-dimensional imaging is dramatically expanding our ability to examine biological specimens enabling a peek into internal structures. Recent advance in X-ray diffraction method has greatly extended the limit of this approach. Method can be applied to organelles, viruses and cells and could impact treatment of human diseases. ... > full story
Detecting tumors faster (June 9, 2010) -- To diagnose cancer reliably, doctors usually conduct a biopsy including tissue analysis, which is a time-consuming process. A microscopic image sensor, fitted in an endoscope, is being developed for in vivo cancer diagnosis, to speed up the detection of tumors. ... > full story
Artificial aurora created to help predict space weather (June 9, 2010) -- For more than 25 years, our understanding of terrestrial space weather has been partly based on incorrect assumptions about how nitrogen, the most abundant gas in our atmosphere, reacts when it collides with electrons produced by energetic ultraviolet sunlight and solar wind. Now scientists have fired electrons of differing energies through a cloud of nitrogen gas to measure the ultraviolet light emitted by this collision. ... > full story
First images of sub-nano pore structures captured (June 9, 2010) -- Moore's law marches on: In the quest for faster and cheaper computers, scientists have imaged pore structures in insulation material at sub-nanometer scale for the first time. Understanding these structures could substantially enhance computer performance and power usage of integrated circuits, say scientists. ... > full story
Self-healing air mattresses based on plant wound healing? (June 9, 2010) -- No living organism is better at healing wounds than plants. Researchers have now succeeded in using the healing process of the woody climbing plant liana as a model to create self-healing membranes. ... > full story
Computational model sheds light on how the brain recognizes objects (June 9, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a new mathematical model to describe how the human brain visually identifies objects. The model accurately predicts human performance on certain visual-perception tasks, which suggests that it's a good indication of what actually happens in the brain, and it could also help improve computer object-recognition systems. ... > full story
'Nanocoax' solves solar cell 'thick and thin' dilemma (June 9, 2010) -- Researchers report developing a "nanocoax" technology that can support a highly efficient thin film solar cells. The nanocoax structures prove to be thick enough to absorb a sufficient amount of light, yet thin enough to extract current with increased efficiency. ... > full story
Working toward the next battery breakthrough: Scientist brings fresh perspective to the nation's electrical grid (June 9, 2010) -- If battery-making is an art, then University at Buffalo scientist Esther Takeuchi is among its most prolific masters, with more than 140 US patents, all in energy storage. Takeuchi developed the battery that made possible the first implantable cardiac defibrillators, a feat that was recognized last fall with the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Obama. Millions of heart patients worldwide have benefited from the implantable cardiac defibrillators powered by Takeuchi's silver vanadium oxide battery. With funding from the National Institutes of Health, she is developing new cathode materials for improved implantable cardiac defibrillator batteries. ... > full story
Applying tomographics to the quantum world (June 9, 2010) -- Scientists in Spain have demonstrated the validity of tomographic representation of quantum states, which can help quantum technologies transmit information more safely and efficiently. ... > full story
European Space Agency makes first GOCE dataset available (June 9, 2010) -- The first products based on GOCE satellite data are now available online through the European Space Agency’s Earth observation user services tools. ESA launched the satellite in March 2009 on a mission to map Earth's gravity with unprecedented accuracy and spatial resolution. ... > full story
Will the new World Cup soccer ball bend? (June 8, 2010) -- Physics experts believe the new ball created for the 2010 World Cup, called the Jabulani, will play "harder and faster," bending more unpredictably than its predecessor. ... > full story
Radioactive optical imaging and 'quantum dot' nano-imaging at the forefront of molecular medicine (June 8, 2010) -- Researchers have presented the results of a multidisciplinary study involving the capture of radiation luminescence and radioactive-excited nanoparticles to help detect subtle signs of disease. Currently, nuclear medicine agents and imaging technology image the behavior of particles at the cellular, molecular and atomic levels, but radioactive materials also emit barely visible light that can be detected with highly sensitive optical imaging technology. This discovery could lead to new, state-of-the-art imaging techniques. ... > full story
Polymer-based filter successfully cleans water, recovers oil in Gulf of Mexico test (June 8, 2010) -- In response to the massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, an engineering professor has developed a technique for separating oil from water via a cotton filter coated in a chemical polymer that blocks oil while allowing water to pass through. The researcher reports that the filter was successfully tested off the coast of Louisiana and shown to simultaneously clean water and preserve the oil. ... > full story
No place to hide: New 360-degree video surveillance system uses image stitching technology that is perfectly detailed edge to edge (June 8, 2010) -- The US Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate new Imaging System for Immersive Surveillance is as detailed as 50 full-HDTV movies playing at once, with optical detail to spare. ... > full story
Chemists report promising advance in fuel-cell technology (June 8, 2010) -- Chemists have come up with a promising advance in fuel-cell technology. The team has demonstrated that a nanoparticle with a palladium core and an iron-platinum shell outperforms commercially available pure-platinum catalysts and lasts longer. The finding could move fuel cells a step closer to reality. ... > full story
New yeast can ferment more sugar, make more cellulosic ethanol (June 8, 2010) -- Scientists have improved a strain of yeast that can produce more biofuel from cellulosic plant material by fermenting all five types of the plant's sugars. ... > full story
Gulf oil spill could widen, worsen 'dead zone' (June 8, 2010) -- While an out-of-control gusher deep in the Gulf of Mexico fouls beaches and chokes marshland habitat, another threat could be growing below the oil-slicked surface. The nation's worst oil spill could worsen and expand the oxygen-starved region of the Gulf labeled "the dead zone" for its inhospitality to marine life, suggest scientists. ... > full story
'Psychedelic' maize may help increase crop and biofuel yields (June 8, 2010) -- Scientists have identified new genes in maize which promote carbohydrate export from leaves. These genes are called psychedelic because of the yellow and green streaks they cause in the plant's leaves. Manipulating these genes may increase crop yields and the amount of biofuel that can be derived from each plant. ... > full story
Cyclotrons could alleviate medical isotope shortage (June 8, 2010) -- The most widely used medical radioisotope, Technetium-99m (Tc-99m), is essential for an estimated 70,000 medical imaging procedures that take place daily around the world. Aging reactors, production intermittencies and threats of permanent reactor closures have researchers striving to develop alternative methods of supply. In a comparative study, researchers show that medical cyclotrons could be capable of producing this medical isotope. ... > full story
NASA's FASTSAT satellite readies for shipment to Alaska (June 8, 2010) -- NASA has successfully completed a comprehensive pre-shipment review of the Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology Satellite, or FASTSAT, a small, microsatellite class spacecraft bus that will carry six experiment payloads to low-Earth orbit. ... > full story
Earth and Moon formed later than previously thought, new research suggests (June 7, 2010) -- Astronomers have theorized that the planet Earth and the Moon were created as the result of a giant collision between two planets the size of Mars and Venus. Until now, the collision was thought to have happened when the solar system was 30 million years old, or approximately 4,537 million years ago. But new research shows that Earth and the Moon must have formed much later -- perhaps up to 150 million years after the formation of the solar system. ... > full story
New 'microbead' radiotherapy more effective with molecular imaging (June 7, 2010) -- Research may change the way that a novel form of radiotherapy is set up and tested prior to treatment. This technique, known as radiomicrosphere therapy, involves the injection of tiny highly radioactive beads that "nestle up" with cancerous tumors and destroy them with precision. ... > full story
NASA rover finds clue to Mars' past and environment for life (June 7, 2010) -- Rocks examined by NASA's Spirit Mars Rover hold evidence of a wet, non-acidic ancient environment that may have been favorable for life. Confirming this mineral clue took four years of analysis by several scientists. ... > full story
Life on Titan? New clues to what's consuming hydrogen, acetylene on Saturn's moon (June 7, 2010) -- Two new papers based on data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft scrutinize the complex chemical activity on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan. While non-biological chemistry offers one possible explanation, some scientists believe these chemical signatures bolster the argument for a primitive, exotic form of life or precursor to life on Titan's surface. According to one theory put forth by astrobiologists, the signatures fulfill two important conditions necessary for a hypothesized "methane-based life." ... > full story
Untangling the mystery of knotted flex: Mass experiment to investigate one of the banes of everyday life (June 7, 2010) -- A UK scientist believes his "Loop Conjecture" theory can prevent knots in everything from simple flex through to mountain and sailing ropes and potentially DNA structure. ... > full story
New technique turns proteins into glass: Could lead to new ways to deliver medication (June 7, 2010) -- Researchers have devised a method to dry and preserve proteins in a glassified form that seems to retain the molecules' properties as workhorses of biology. ... > full story
Next generation CT scanner views whole organs in a heartbeat (June 7, 2010) -- A next generation CT scanner allows doctors to image an entire organ in less than a second or track blood flow through the brain or to a tumor -- all with less radiation exposure to patients. ... > full story
Sowing seeds with new agricultural carbon accounting tool (June 7, 2010) -- Carbon dioxide emissions from agricultural activity in the United States can now be tracked with unprecedented resolution, thanks to a recently developed carbon accounting tool. ... > full story
Hold the salt: Engineers develop revolutionary new desalination membrane (June 7, 2010) -- Researchers have unveiled a new class of reverse-osmosis membranes for desalination that resist the clogging which typically occurs when seawater, brackish water and waste water are purified. The highly permeable, surface-structured membrane can easily be incorporated into today's commercial production system, the researchers say, and could help to significantly reduce desalination operating costs. ... > full story
Silver nanoparticles mitigate the cell damage caused by ethanol, study suggests (June 7, 2010) -- In a new study, researchers in Spain describe how nanoparticles formed by very small numbers of silver atoms can protect against the cell damage caused by ethanol. ... > full story
New approach to finding and removing defects in graphene (June 7, 2010) -- Scientists have pinpointed the noncarbon atoms that create defects when graphene is produced through a technique called graphene-oxide reduction. The researchers have also proposed how to make that technique more efficient by precisely applying hydrogen -- rather than heat -- to remove the impurities. ... > full story
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