ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Thursday, August 5, 2010
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For the first time ever, scientists watch an atom's electrons moving in real time (August 5, 2010) -- Scientists have used pulses of laser light measuring mere quintillionths of a second long to probe the motion of an atom's outermost electrons in real time. Their methods promises a broad new way to examine how atoms in physical, biological, and chemical systems bond with other atoms to form molecules or crystal structures, and how these bonds break and reform during chemical reactions. ... > full story
Discovery of Saturn’s auroral heartbeat (August 4, 2010) -- Scientists have discovered that Saturn's aurora, an ethereal ultraviolet glow which illuminates Saturn's upper atmosphere near the poles, pulses roughly once per Saturnian day. ... > full story
Cells use water in nano-rotors to power energy conversion (August 4, 2010) -- Researchers have provided the first atomic-level glimpse of the proton-driven motor from a major group of ATP synthases, enzymes that are central to cellular energy conversion. ... > full story
Thought-controlled prosthetic limb system to be tested on human subjects (August 4, 2010) -- Researchers will soon be testing the Modular Prosthetic Limb (MPL) system on human subjects, using a brain-controlled interface. Scientists and engineers developed the underlying technology under an ambitious four-year U.S. government-funded effort to create a prosthetic arm that would by far eclipse the World War II era hook-and-cable device used by most amputees. The program has already produced two complex prototypes, each advancing the art of upper-arm prosthetics. ... > full story
Green laser pointer hazard: High infrared power levels found in some green lasers (August 4, 2010) -- Green laser pointers have become a popular consumer item, delivering light that's brighter to the eye than red lasers, but stories have circulated on the Web about the potential hazards of inexpensive models. Now, scientists have found that in some cases green laser pointers emit high levels of invisible and potentially dangerous infrared light. ... > full story
Physicists develop model that pushes limits of quantum theory, relativity (August 4, 2010) -- Physicists recently developed a new theoretical model to explain how the Pauli exclusion principle can be violated and how, under certain rare conditions, more than one electron can simultaneously occupy the same quantum state. Their model may help explain how matter behaves at the edges of black holes and contribute to the ongoing scientific quest for a unified theory of quantum gravity. ... > full story
Fluorescent probe for oral cancer (August 4, 2010) -- The probe stimulates molecules in the patient's tissues with a laser. Some of these molecules naturally respond by re-emitting fluorescent light. The device rapidly detects and analyzes this light using a process called "time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy." By using sensitive measurements of the change in fluorescence over time, surgeons can see the tumor margins even as they are cutting the tissue. ... > full story
Americans take more risks when they drive the nation's rural highways, new study says (August 4, 2010) -- While Americans are much more likely to die on rural highways than urban freeways, a new survey found that they feel much more relaxed and prone to risk-taking on rural highways. ... > full story
Dark matter may be lurking at heart of the sun (August 4, 2010) -- A scientist in the UK believes dark matter is lurking at the center of the sun and cooling down its core temperature. ... > full story
New diagnostic chip able to generate single-cell molecular 'fingerprints' for brain tumors (August 4, 2010) -- Given the clinical need for improved in vitro molecular diagnostic technologies for brain tumor biopsies, the research team combined the advantages of microfluidics and microscopy-based cell imaging to develop the microfluidic image cytometry platform. The new platform provides multiparameter, single-cell signaling measurements (fingerprints) of brain tumor samples. The ability to measure these molecular fingerprints on small samples marks a new advance in molecular diagnostics that will enable predictive and personalized medicine. ... > full story
Nemesis for oil spills: Bacterial technology may help clean up Gulf (August 4, 2010) -- Researchers in Israel are using naturally occurring oil-munching bacteria, grown in the lab, to clean the hard-to-reach oil pockets that occur when oil mixes with sand and organic matter on beaches and forms a thin layer on the waterways. ... > full story
Generating energy from ocean waters off Hawaii (August 4, 2010) -- Researchers in Hawaii say that the Leeward side of Hawaiian Islands may be ideal for future ocean-based renewable energy plants based on a technology referred to as Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion. ... > full story
Latest findings in CT radiation dose reduction efforts (August 4, 2010) -- In recent years, advances in CT scanner technology have made perfusion computed tomography imaging an important diagnostic tool for patients with suspected stroke. Now, researchers are working to reduce radiation dosages used to acquire perfusion and other CT images. ... > full story
New inexpensive solar cell design (August 4, 2010) -- One of the most promising technologies for making inexpensive but reasonably efficient photovoltaic cells just got much cheaper. Scientists in Canada have shown that inexpensive nickel can work just as well as gold for one of the critical electrical contacts that gather the electrical current produced by colloidal quantum dot solar cells. ... > full story
NASA's hibernating Mars rover may not call home (August 4, 2010) -- NASA mission controllers have not heard from the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit since March 22, and the rover is facing its toughest challenge yet -- trying to survive the harsh Martian winter. ... > full story
Molecules delivering drugs as they walk (August 4, 2010) -- A new paper provides a theoretical model that compares the transport characteristics of straight- and branched-chain polymers in various channels -- work that could aid in the development of carrier molecules for delivering drugs at a controlled rate in the body. ... > full story
'Virtual mates' reveal role of romance in parrot calls (August 4, 2010) -- Parrots are famed for their ability to mimic sounds and now researchers have used "virtual mates" to discover if female parrots judge male contact calls when deciding on a mate. The research challenges traditional understandings of the difference between birds "songs" and "calls." ... > full story
High resolution stereo color imager selected for Mars mission (August 4, 2010) -- University of Arizona's High Resolution Stereo Color Imager was selected as one of five instruments for the first joint mission to Mars by NASA and the European Space Agency. HiSCI is designed to uncover interactions between the Red Planet's surface and atmosphere. ... > full story
New tagging technique enhances view of living cells (August 4, 2010) -- A research team has developed a new technique to tag and image proteins within living mammalian cells, providing the clearest, most dynamic microscopic protein-protein interaction in cells ever viewed. ... > full story
Discovering life-bearing planets: Scientists take a step closer (August 3, 2010) -- The discovery of new life-bearing planets is a step closer as the result of a new space mission. Known as PLATO (Planetary Transits and Oscillations of Stars), the mission is designed to seek out planets far beyond earth’s solar system, orbiting stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. ... > full story
Pilot safety protocol could help dentists reduce errors (August 3, 2010) -- Pilots and dentists have more in common than one might think: Both jobs are highly technical and require teamwork. Both are subject to human error where small, individual mistakes may lead to catastrophe if not addressed early. ... > full story
Iron oxide nanoparticles becoming tools for brain tumor imaging and treatment (August 3, 2010) -- Tiny particles of iron oxide could become tools for simultaneous tumor imaging and treatment, because of their magnetic properties and toxic effects against brain cancer cells. In mice, researchers have demonstrated how these particles can deliver antibodies to implanted brain tumors, while enhancing tumor visibility via magnetic resonance imaging. ... > full story
Behind the secrets of silk lie high-tech opportunities (August 3, 2010) -- Tougher than a bullet-proof vest yet synonymous with beauty and luxury, silks spun by worms and spiders are a masterpiece of nature whose properties have yet to be fully replicated in the laboratory. But scientists have begun to unravel the secrets of silk. Biomedical engineers report that silk-based materials have been transformed from commodity textile to a growing web of high tech applications. ... > full story
Silicon can be made to melt in reverse (August 3, 2010) -- Like an ice cube on a warm day, most materials melt -- that is, change from a solid to a liquid state -- as they get warmer. But a few oddball materials do the reverse: They melt as they get cooler. Now a team of researchers has found that silicon, the most widely used material for computer chips and solar cells, can exhibit this strange property of "retrograde melting" when it contains high concentrations of certain metals dissolved in it. ... > full story
Pathological Internet use among teens may lead to depression (August 3, 2010) -- Teens who use the Internet pathologically appear more likely to develop depression than those who do not, according to a new report. ... > full story
Aurora alert: The Sun is waking up (August 3, 2010) -- Sky viewers might get to enjoy some spectacular Northern Lights, or aurorae. After a long slumber, the Sun is waking up. Early Sunday morning, the Sun's surface erupted and blasted tons of plasma (ionized atoms) into interplanetary space. That plasma is headed our way, and when it arrives, it could create a spectacular light show. ... > full story
New catalyst of platinum nanoparticles could lead to conk-out free, stable fuel cells (August 3, 2010) -- In the quest for efficient, cost-effective and commercially viable fuel cells, scientists have discovered a catalyst and catalyst-support combination that could make fuel cells more stable, conk-out free, inexpensive and more resistant to carbon monoxide poisoning. ... > full story
Universal law for material evolution found (August 3, 2010) -- Scientists found that when a material composed of more than one phase is heated, it breaks into smaller pieces and the shape of the interfaces during break-up is universal. ... > full story
Crowd control and traffic problems: Mutually entangled social, economic, and technological systems under investigation (August 3, 2010) -- Just a few days ago, at the Love Parade dance and music festival in Duisburg, Germany, 21 people were trampled to death in a human stampede. Apparently, the responsible decision-makers did not see the problem looming before the event. But couldn’t we foresee at least some of the disasters before they strike? ... > full story
New solar energy conversion process could double solar efficiency of solar cells (August 2, 2010) -- A new process that simultaneously combines the light and heat of solar radiation to generate electricity could offer more than double the efficiency of existing solar cell technology, say the engineers who discovered it and proved that it works. The process, called 'photon enhanced thermionic emission," or PETE, could reduce the costs of solar energy production enough for it to compete with oil as an energy source. ... > full story
Instruments selected for Mars (August 2, 2010) -- ESA and NASA have selected the scientific instruments for their first joint Mars mission. Scheduled for 2016, it will study the chemical makeup of the martian atmosphere, including methane. Discovered in 2003, methane could point to life on the Red Planet. ... > full story
Nano 'pin art': Arrays are step toward mass production of nanowires (August 2, 2010) -- Researchers have cultivated many thousands of nanocrystals in what looks like a pinscreen or "pin art" on silicon, a step toward reliable mass production of semiconductor nanowires for millionths-of-a-meter-scale devices such as sensors and lasers. ... > full story
Unique light-activated membrane acts like a traffic signal for gas (August 2, 2010) -- A newly developed membrane blocks gas from flowing through it when one color of light is shined on its surface, and permits gas to flow through when another color of light is used. It is the first time that scientists have developed a membrane that can be controlled in this way by light. ... > full story
When screen time becomes a pain (August 2, 2010) -- The amount of time teenagers spend in front of TV screens and monitors has been associated with physical complaints. A large study of more than 30,000 Nordic teenagers has shown that TV viewing, computer use and computer gaming (screen time) were consistently associated with back pain and recurrent headaches. ... > full story
Martian dust devil whirls into Opportunity's view (August 2, 2010) -- In its six-and-a-half years on Mars, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity had never seen a dust devil before this month, despite some systematic searches in past years and the fact that its twin rover, Spirit, has seen dozens of dust devils at its location halfway around the planet. ... > full story
Body of evidence: New fast, reliable method to detect gravesoil (August 2, 2010) -- Finding bodies buried by someone who wanted them to stay undiscovered can be difficult. However a new technique can reliably detect biochemical changes in a decomposing cadaver. ... > full story
'Sea urchin'-shaped nanostructures grown in the lab (August 1, 2010) -- Researchers have succeeded in growing sea-urchin shaped nanostructures from minute balls of polystyrene beads using a simple electrochemical process. The spines of the sea urchin consist of zinc oxide nanowires. The structured surface should help increasing the efficiency of photovoltaic devices. ... > full story
Reading terrorists minds about imminent attack: Brain waves correlate to guilty knowledge in mock terrorism scenarios (August 1, 2010) -- Imagine technology that allows you to get inside the mind of a terrorist to know how, when and where the next attack will occur. That may not be as far-fetched as it sounds. Northwestern brain wave research suggests that if the lab test had been employed in the real world with the same type of outcome, law enforcement officials ultimately may be able to confirm details about an attack that emerges from terrorist chatter. ... > full story
Ultra-strong interaction between light and matter realized: One more step on the path to quantum computers (August 1, 2010) -- Researchers around the world are working on the development of quantum computers that will be vastly superior to present-day computers. The strong coupling of quantum bits with light quanta plays a pivotal role. Researchers have now realized an extremely strong interaction between light and matter that may represent a first step in this direction. ... > full story
Blowing in the wind: Cassini helps with dune whodunit on Saturn's moon Titan (July 31, 2010) -- The answer to the mystery of dune patterns on Saturn's moon Titan did turn out to be blowing in the wind. It just wasn't from the direction many scientists expected. ... > full story
Decontaminating dangerous drywall (July 31, 2010) -- A nanomaterial originally developed to fight toxic waste is now helping reduce debilitating fumes in homes with corrosive drywall. ... > full story
Some like it hot: How to heat a 'nano bathtub' (July 31, 2010) -- Researchers have demonstrated the use of infrared laser light to quickly and precisely heat the water in "nano bathtubs" -- tiny sample containers -- for microscopy studies of the biochemistry of single molecules and nanoparticles. ... > full story
Breaking the language barrier: Language translation devices for US troops tested (July 31, 2010) -- In recent tests evoking visions of the universal translator on "Star Trek," researchers evaluated three two-way, real-time, voice-translation devices designed to improve communications between the US military and non-English speakers in foreign countries. ... > full story
How not to blow up a molecule (July 30, 2010) -- Can single-shot imaging with femtosecond x-ray pulses from powerful new free electron lasers really work, or will the beam damage the sample too quickly? Pulse length is the key. A new study reveals that "frustrated absorption" explains why ultrashort pulses, even if their peak power is greater, do less damage to molecules than longer pulses. ... > full story
Rocks on Mars may provide link to evidence of living organisms roughly 4 billion years ago (July 30, 2010) -- A new paper reveals groundbreaking research on the hydrothermal formation of Clay-Carbonate rocks in the Nili Fossae region of Mars. The findings may provide a link to evidence of living organisms on Mars, roughly 4 billion years ago in the Noachian period. ... > full story
Brown dwarf found orbiting a young sun-like star (July 30, 2010) -- Astronomers have imaged a very young brown dwarf, or failed star, in a tight orbit around a young nearby sun-like star. The discovery is expected to shed light on the early stages of solar system formation. ... > full story
Fluorescent biosensor to aid in drug development (July 30, 2010) -- Scientists have developed a new fluorescent biosensor that could aid in the development of an important class of drugs that target a crucial class of proteins called G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). GPCRs are popular drug targets because of the pivotal role they play in cells' communication circuits responsible for regulating functions critical to health, including circuits involved in heart and lung function, mood, cognition and memory, digestion and the inflammatory response. ... > full story
Best hope for saving Arctic sea ice is cutting soot emissions, say researchers (July 30, 2010) -- Soot from the burning of fossil fuels and solid biofuels contributes far more to global warming than has been thought, according to a new study. But, unlike carbon dioxide, soot lingers only a few weeks in the atmosphere, so cutting emissions could have a significant and rapid impact on the climate. Controlling it may be the only option for saving the Arctic sea ice before it all melts. ... > full story
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