The EDGE: ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Saturday, June 18, 2011

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Saturday, June 18, 2011

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Spectacular Hubble view of Centaurus A (June 17, 2011) -- The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has produced a close-up view of the galaxy Centaurus A. Hubble's out-of-this-world location and world-class Wide Field Camera 3 instrument reveal a dramatic picture of a dynamic galaxy in flux. ... > full story

Coming to TV screens of the future: A sense of smell (June 17, 2011) -- In a new paper, engineers demonstrate that it is possible to generate odor, at will, in a compact device small enough to fit on the back of your TV with potentially thousands of odors. ... > full story

ATV preparing for fiery destruction (June 17, 2011) -- ATV Johannes Kepler has been an important part of the International Space Station since February. Next week, it will complete its mission by undocking and burning up harmlessly in the atmosphere high over an uninhabited area of the Pacific Ocean. ... > full story

Poor 'gut sense' of numbers contributes to persistent math difficulties (June 17, 2011) -- Having a poor "gut sense" of numbers can lead to a mathematical learning disability and difficulty in achieving basic math proficiency. This inaccurate number sense is just one cause of math learning disabilities, according to researchers. ... > full story

Stretchable electronics: Wireless sensor measures and inputs intense body movements to computer (June 17, 2011) -- Electronics that can be bent and stretched might sound like science fiction. But scientists have devised a wireless sensor that can stand to be stretched. For example, the sensor can measure intensive body movements and wirelessly send information directly to a computer. ... > full story

Graphene may gain an on-off switch, adding semiconductor to long list of material's achievements (June 17, 2011) -- A team of researchers has proposed a way to turn the material graphene into a semiconductor, enabling it to control the flow of electrons with a laser "on-off switch." ... > full story

Noninvasive brain implant could someday translate thoughts into movement (June 17, 2011) -- A brain implant developed at the University of Michigan uses the body's skin like a conductor to wirelessly transmit the brain's neural signals to control a computer, and may eventually be used to reactivate paralyzed limbs. ... > full story

Taking the 3-D measure of macromolecules (June 17, 2011) -- Researchers have developed the world's first three-dimensional plasmon rulers, capable of measuring nanometer-scale spatial changes in macromolecular systems. These 3-D plasmon rulers could provide unprecedented details on such critical dynamic events in biology as the interaction of DNA with enzymes, the folding of proteins, the motion of peptides or the vibrations of cell membranes. ... > full story

New sensor to measure structural stresses can heal itself when broken (June 17, 2011) -- Researchers have designed a sensor that can measure strain in structural materials and is capable of healing itself -- an important advance for collecting data to help us make informed decisions about structural safety in the wake of earthquakes, explosions or other unexpected events. ... > full story

Firefighters' communications: Wireless 'breadcrumbs' that won’t become toast when baked ... or soggy when hosed (June 17, 2011) -- When Hansel and Gretel ventured into the forest, they left a trail of breadcrumbs to find their way home. In today's world, digital signals connect us to friends, family, and colleagues and help us find our location and map our routes. Yet, with few exceptions, today's firefighters still rely on 20th century radios, whose outdated analog signals have trouble penetrating the modern forest. ... > full story

Mercury: Messenger orbital data confirm theories, reveal surprises (June 17, 2011) -- In March, the Messenger spacecraft entered orbit around Mercury to become that planet's first orbiter. The tiny craft is providing a wealth of new information and some surprises. For instance, Mercury's surface composition differs from that expected for the innermost of the terrestrial planets, and Mercury's magnetic field has a north-south asymmetry that affects the interaction of the surface with charged particles from the solar wind. ... > full story

Landsat 5 satellite helps emergency managers fight largest fire in Arizona history (June 17, 2011) -- The largest fire in the history of the state of Arizona continues to burn and emergency managers and responders are using satellite data from a variety of instruments to plan their firefighting containment strategies and mitigation efforts once the fires are out. ... > full story