The EDGE: ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Thursday, May 12, 2011

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Thursday, May 12, 2011

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New technology fuses MRI, ultrasound to achieve targeted biopsy of prostate cancer (May 12, 2011) -- A new prostate-imaging technology that fuses MRI with real-time, three-dimensional ultrasound may offer a more exacting method to obtain biopsy specimens from suspicious areas within the organ. ... > full story

Secret behind new gas detector? Chirp before sniffing (May 12, 2011) -- Trace gas detection, the ability to detect a scant handful of a particular molecule in a vast sea of others, underlies many important applications, from medical tests to breathalyzers to bomb sniffers. Now, a recently developed sensor recently that is hundreds of times faster and more sensitive than others may make such detectors portable, economical and fast enough to be used everywhere. ... > full story

It's not easy flying green: Large variability in greenhouse gas emissions from alternative fuels (May 11, 2011) -- In an effort to combat soaring fuel prices and cut greenhouse gas emissions, the aviation industry is racing toward the use of biofuels. However, researchers the industry should make sure it has examined biofuels' complete carbon footprint before making an all-out push. They say that when a biofuel's origins are factored in, conventional fossil fuels may sometimes be the "greener" choice. ... > full story

Surge in obesity correlates with increased automobile usage, study finds (May 11, 2011) -- The surge in passenger vehicle usage in the U.S. between the 1950s and today may be associated with surging levels of obesity, says a researcher who specializes in statistics and data analysis. ... > full story

NASA's Fermi spots 'superflares' in the Crab Nebula (May 11, 2011) -- The famous Crab Nebula supernova remnant has erupted in an enormous flare five times more powerful than any flare previously seen from the object. On April 12, NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope first detected the outburst, which lasted six days. ... > full story

Build safety into the very beginning of the computer system (May 11, 2011) -- A new publication provides guidelines to secure the earliest stages of the computer boot process, the so-called BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) that initializes the computer hardware when you switch on the machine. ... > full story

NASA's Dawn spacecraft captures first image of nearing asteroid (May 11, 2011) -- NASA's Dawn spacecraft has obtained its first image of the giant asteroid Vesta, which will help fine-tune navigation during its approach. Dawn is expected to achieve orbit around Vesta on July 16, when the asteroid is about 188 million kilometers (117 million miles) from Earth. ... > full story

Lessening the dangers of radiation: Ultrasound as effective as CT scans for most diagnoses, research finds (May 11, 2011) -- A new study exploring the efficacy of expensive and invasive CT scans has found that, in many cases, they don't offer a clinical advantage over a simple, inexpensive ultrasound procedure. ... > full story

Doppler effect found even at molecular level -- 169 years after its discovery (May 11, 2011) -- For the first time, scientists have experimentally shown a different version of the Doppler effect at a much, much smaller level -- the rotation of an individual molecule. Prior to this such an effect had been theorized, but it took a complex experiment with a synchrotron to prove it's for real. ... > full story

Harnessing the energy of the Sun: New technique improves artificial photosynthesis (May 11, 2011) -- Transforming solar energy into a usable form is a real challenge. One technique is to use semiconductors to store the energy as hydrogen. Unfortunately, the most efficient semiconductors are not the most stable. Scientists have just discovered that it is possible to protect the semiconductor with a uniform layer just a few nanometers thick. ... > full story

Proton dripping tests a fundamental force in nature (May 11, 2011) -- A recent discovery of an extremely exotic, short-lived nucleus called fluorine-14 in laboratory experiments may indicate that scientists are gaining a better grasp of the rules of strong interaction. ... > full story

Gaming, simulation tools merged to create models for border security (May 11, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a high-fidelity simulation and analysis program that aids policy and decision-makers tasked with making key procurements and funding choices. ... > full story

Portuguese software enables automatic analysis of mammograms (May 11, 2011) -- Engineers in Portugal have developed computer software to automatically analyze and validate mammograms. ... > full story

Maryland, US poll: Traditional media and internet more trusted than social media for research news (May 11, 2011) -- Most Maryland residents trust the health and medical research information provided by traditional media -- newspapers (77 percent), television (71 percent), magazines (68 percent), radio (66 percent) -- and the Internet (also 66 percent), according to a new state poll. Social media fared less well, with 51 percent saying social media is not trustworthy for health and medical research issues. Fewer than 20 percent use their cell phone or other mobile device to find health information. ... > full story

Watching how cancer patients interact online could help clinicians provide better services (May 11, 2011) -- Men who visited a major online support group after being diagnosed with prostate cancer were most likely to seek advice on therapy and treatment, together with emotional support. But, surprisingly, they went to great lengths to avoid using the word cancer. "It was almost as if the word was taboo," say researchers, who analyzed 1,630 posts on 82 threads during a 32-month period on Germany's largest prostate cancer forum. ... > full story

Scientists achieve guiding of electrons by purely electric fields (May 10, 2011) -- The investigation of the properties of electrons plays a key role for the understanding of the fundamental laws of nature. However, being extremely small and quick, electrons are difficult to control. Physicists in Germany have now demonstrated efficient guiding of slow electrons by applying a microwave voltage to electrodes fabricated on a planar substrate. This new technique of electron guiding – which resembles the guiding of light waves in optical fibres – promises a variety of applications, from guided matter-wave experiments to non-invasive electron microscopy. ... > full story

Razing Seattle's viaduct doesn’t guarantee nightmare commutes, model says (May 10, 2011) -- Statisticians used new methods to looks at how demolishing Seattle's waterfront thoroughfare would affect commuters. They found that relying on surface streets would likely have less impact on travel times than previously reported, and that effects on commute times are highly uncertain. ... > full story

Virtual possessions have powerful hold on teenagers, researchers say (May 10, 2011) -- Digital imagery, Facebook updates, online music collections, email threads and other immaterial artifacts of today's online world may be as precious to teenagers as a favorite book that a parent once read to them or a t-shirt worn at a music festival. The fact that virtual possessions don't have a physical form may actually enhance their value, researchers discovered in a study of 21 teenagers. ... > full story

Bats lend an ear to sonar engineering (May 10, 2011) -- Researchers have mapped out the diversity of bat ears in a hope to inspire the design of new intuitive methods of manipulating waves with physical shapes, such as sonar and radar. ... > full story

Pairing quantum dots with fullerenes for nanoscale photovoltaics (May 10, 2011) -- In a step toward engineering ever-smaller electronic devices, scientists have assembled nanoscale pairings of particles that show promise as miniaturized power sources. Composed of light-absorbing, colloidal quantum dots linked to carbon-based fullerene nanoparticles, these tiny two-particle systems can convert light to electricity in a precisely controlled way. ... > full story

Fundamental question on how life started solved: Supercomputer calculates carbon nucleus (May 10, 2011) -- For carbon, the basis of life, to be able to form in the stars, a certain state of the carbon nucleus plays an essential role. In cooperation with US colleagues, physicists in Germany have been able to calculate this legendary carbon nucleus, solving a problem that has kept science guessing for more than 50 years. ... > full story

Original versus copy: Researchers develop forgery-proof prototypes for product authentication (May 10, 2011) -- Styrian pumpkin-seed oil or cheap copy? When you choose a product, you want the quality you’ve paid for. But how can you test that what’s inside is what it says on the label? The future of quality protection belongs to electronic components and so-called RFID tags. In the future, consumers will be able to test the authenticity of a product using their mobile phones. ... > full story

Robotics: A tiltable head could improve the ability of undulating robots to navigate disaster debris (May 10, 2011) -- Researchers have built a robot that can penetrate and "swim" through granular material. In this study, they show that by varying the shape of the robot's head or by tilting it up or down, they can control the robot's vertical movement in complex environments. Machines able to navigate through complex dirt and rubble environments could help rescuers after natural disasters like earthquakes and landslides. ... > full story

New sensor can detect tiny traces of explosives (May 10, 2011) -- Researchers have created a new detector so sensitive it can pick up a single molecule of an explosive such as TNT. ... > full story

Teenage alcohol consumption associated with computer use (May 10, 2011) -- Teenagers who drink alcohol spend more time on their computers for recreational use, including social networking and downloading and listening to music, compared with their peers who don't drink. ... > full story

New insect repellant may be thousands of times stronger than DEET (May 10, 2011) -- Imagine an insect repellant that not only is thousands of times more effective than DEET -- the active ingredient in most commercial mosquito repellants -- but also works against all types of insects, including flies, moths and ants. That possibility has been created by the discovery of a new class of insect repellant made in the laboratory. ... > full story

A simple, mildly invasive solution for conserving historic buildings (May 10, 2011) -- Stone masonry arches form part of numerous historic buildings -- religious edifices, bridges, walkways and aqueducts. Although solid structures are involved, the environmental and historical conditions of the bearing load, use and accidental factors can cause their collapse. An industrial engineer in Spain studied an innovative system for the rehabilitation of these masonry arches. ... > full story

Methane levels 17 times higher in water wells near hydrofracking sites, study finds (May 10, 2011) -- Researchers have found high levels of leaked methane in well water collected near shale-gas drilling and hydrofracking sites. The scientists collected and analyzed water samples from 68 private groundwater wells across five counties in northeastern Pennsylvania and New York. ... > full story

Airborne pollutants: New view of how water and sulfur dioxide mix (May 10, 2011) -- High in the sky, water in clouds can act as a temptress to lure airborne pollutants such as sulfur dioxide into reactive aqueous particulates. Although this behavior is not incorporated into today's climate-modeling scenarios, emerging research provides evidence that it should be. ... > full story

Hydrogen opens the road to graphene ... and graphane (May 10, 2011) -- An international research team has discovered a new method to produce belts of graphene called nanoribbons. By using hydrogen, they have managed to unzip single-walled carbon nanotubes. The method also opens the road for producing nanoribbons of graphane, a modified and promising version of graphene. ... > full story

Electromechanics also operates at the nanoscale (May 10, 2011) -- What limits the behavior of a carbon nanotube? This is a question that many scientists are trying to answer. Physicists have now shown that electromechanical principles are valid also at the nanometer scale. In this way, the unique properties of carbon nanotubes can be combined with classical physics -- and this may prove useful in the quantum computers of the future. ... > full story

More effective and less risky when you paint the hull of your boat (May 10, 2011) -- Every boat owner recognizes the dilemma: environmentally friendly paint or effective paint. Researchers have now found a way of reconciling these two almost unattainable aims. By using smart combinations of the most environmentally friendly biocides in the paint, it is possible to both reduce the total quantity of biocides and dramatically reduce the environmental impact. ... > full story

Astronomers find newly discovered asteroid is Earth's companion (May 9, 2011) -- Astronomers have found that a recently discovered asteroid has been following the Earth in its motion around the Sun for at least the past 250,000 years, and may be intimately related to the origin of our planet. ... > full story

Direct removal of carbon dioxide from air likely not viable, report suggests (May 9, 2011) -- Technologies for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere are unlikely to offer an economically feasible way to slow human-driven climate change for several decades, according to a new report. ... > full story

Caught in the act: Herschel detects gigantic storms sweeping entire galaxies clean (May 9, 2011) -- With observations the Herschel space observatory, scientists have found gigantic storms of molecular gas gusting in the centres of many galaxies. Some of these massive outflows reach velocities of more than 1000 kilometers per second -- thousands of times faster than in terrestrial hurricanes. The observations show that the more active galaxies contain stronger winds, which can blow away the entire gas reservoir in a galaxy, thereby inhibiting both further star formation and the growth of the central black hole. This finding is the first conclusive evidence for the importance of galactic winds in the evolution of galaxies. ... > full story

High temperature milestone achieved in silicon spintronics (May 9, 2011) -- Researchers have demonstrated that spin accumulation in silicon -- semiconductor spintronics -- is viable as a basis for practical devices relying on electron spin rather than electron charge, providing higher performance, lower power consumption and less heat dissipation. ... > full story

Battery-less chemical detector developed (May 9, 2011) -- Unlike many conventional chemical detectors that require an external power source, researchers have now developed a nanosensor that relies on semiconductor nanowires, rather than traditional batteries. ... > full story

Measurement of 'hot' electrons could have solar energy payoff; Nanoantennas hold promise for infrared photovoltaics (May 9, 2011) -- Basic scientific curiosity paid off in unexpected ways when researchers investigating the fundamental physics of nanomaterials discovered a new technology that could dramatically improve solar energy panels. ... > full story

Antibody-based biosensor can guide environmental clean-ups, provide early warning system for spills (May 9, 2011) -- Researchers have developed an antibody-based biosensor that can detect marine pollutants like oil much faster and more cheaply than current technologies. ... > full story

Electronic life on the edge: Scientists discover the edge states of graphene nanoribbons (May 9, 2011) -- Scientists have used new techniques to confirm the existence of long-predicted edge states in graphene nanoribbons, opening new prospects for characterizing and controlling the electronic, spintronic, magnetic, and optical properties of nanoscale devices. ... > full story

Toward optical computing in handheld electronics: Graphene optical modulators could lead to ultrafast communications (May 9, 2011) -- Researchers have shown that graphene, a one-atom-thick layer of crystallized carbon, can be tuned electrically to modify the amount of photons absorbed. This ability to switch light on and off is the fundamental characteristic of a network modulator, opening the door to optical computing in handheld electronics. ... > full story

A renewable twist on fossil fuels (May 9, 2011) -- Pulling valuable fuels out of thin air? It sounds like magic, but a chemist is now working to transform carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, into gas for your car and clean-energy future fuels. ... > full story

Ethics of biofuels: Framework outlined (May 9, 2011) -- A new article outlines a framework for evaluating biofuels in order to address ethical issues surrounding the rapidly evolving race to develop biofuels. ... > full story

'Swiss cheese' design enables thin film silicon solar cells with potential for higher efficiencies (May 8, 2011) -- A bold new design for thin film solar cells that requires significantly less silicon -- and may boost their efficiency -- is the result of a new Sw1ss-Czech collaboration. ... > full story

New online mechanism for electric vehicle charging (May 8, 2011) -- Researchers have designed a new pricing mechanism that could change the way in which electric vehicles are charged. It is based on an online auction protocol that makes it possible to charge electric vehicles without overloading the local electricity network. ... > full story

Pentagonal tiles pave the way towards organic electronics (May 8, 2011) -- New research paves way for the nanoscale self-assembly of organic building blocks, a promising new route towards the next generation of ultra-small electronic devices. ... > full story

Engineers patch a heart: Tissue-engineering platform enables heart tissue to repair itself (May 7, 2011) -- Engineering researchers have established a new method to patch a damaged heart using a tissue-engineering platform that enables heart tissue to repair itself. The breakthrough is an important step forward in combating cardiovascular disease, one of the most serious health problems of our day. ... > full story

Computers sing to a better tune (May 7, 2011) -- Would you dance to a synthetic song? Scientists are reporting on a new approach to making computer-generated vocals more human sounding. ... > full story

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