The EDGE: ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Wednesday, July 6, 2011

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Wednesday, July 6, 2011

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Gold nanoparticles bring scientists closer to a treatment for cancer (July 6, 2011) -- Scientists have developed smart nanomaterials, which can disrupt the blood supply to cancerous tumors. They have shown that a small dose of gold nanoparticles can activate or inhibit genes that are involved in angiogenesis -- a complex process responsible for the supply of oxygen and nutrients to most types of cancer. ... > full story

Bone loss prevention experiment on the last space shuttle flight (July 6, 2011) -- An experiment aboard Atlantis -- the last space shuttle launch of the NASA program -- is aimed at revealing strategies to protect future astronauts from bone loss during extended exposure to micro-gravity. ... > full story

New method used to detect 20 drugs in cow, goat and human milk (July 6, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a method that makes it possible to simultaneously detect 20 pharmaceutical products in cow, goat and human milk. The samples of the three types of milk studied showed that they all contain anti-inflammatories, although the largest number of drugs was found in whole cows' milk. ... > full story

New laser technology could kill viruses and improve DVDs (July 5, 2011) -- Engineers have made a discovery in semiconductor nanowire laser technology that could potentially do everything from kill viruses to increase storage capacity of DVDs. ... > full story

NASA's Hubble makes one millionth science observation (July 5, 2011) -- NASA's Hubble Space Telescope crossed another milestone in its space odyssey of exploration and discovery. On Monday, July 4, the Earth-orbiting observatory logged its one millionth science observation during a search for water in an exoplanet's atmosphere 1,000 light-years away. ... > full story

Hot springs microbe yields record-breaking, heat-tolerant enzyme (July 5, 2011) -- Scientists looking for unusual cellulose-digesting enzymes, called cellulases, have found one that works at a higher temperature, 109 Celsius, than any others found to date. The cellulase comes from an Archaea found in a Nevada hot spring. Enzymes like this may prove useful in reaction chambers where plant fiber (lignocellulose) is digested to release cellulose. The cellulase could then convert this cellulose to sugar to be fermented into biofuel. ... > full story

Laser, electric fields combined for new 'lab-on-chip' technologies (July 5, 2011) -- Researchers are developing new technologies that combine a laser and electric fields to manipulate fluids and tiny particles such as bacteria, viruses and DNA for a range of potential applications, from drug manufacturing to food safety. ... > full story

Nature uses screws and nuts: Previously unknown musculoskeletal system discovered in weevils (July 5, 2011) -- A musculoskeletal system so far unknown in the animal world was recently discovered in weevils. The hip of Trigonopterus oblongus does not consist of the usual hinges, but of joints based on a screw-and-nut system. This first biological screw thread is about half a millimeter in size and was studied in detail using synchrotron radiation. ... > full story

Key ingredient: Change in material boosts prospects of ultrafast single-photon detector (July 5, 2011) -- By swapping one superconducting material for another, researchers have found a practical way to boost the efficiency of the world's fastest single-photon detector, while also extending light sensitivity to longer wavelengths. ... > full story

Ultimate energy efficiency: Magnetic microprocessors could use million times less energy than today's silicon chips (July 5, 2011) -- Information theory and the second law of thermodynamics dictate that a logical operation in a computer must consume a minimum amount of energy. Today's computers consume a million times more energy per operation than this limit, but magnetic computers with no moving electrons could theoretically operate at the minimum energy, called the Landauer limit, according to electrical engineers. ... > full story

New technique advances bioprinting of cells (July 5, 2011) -- By extending pioneering acoustical work that applied sound waves to generate droplets from fluids, researchers have made encouraging preliminary findings at an early and crucial point in a stem cell's career known as embroid body formation. ... > full story

Specialized seeds can really float your boat (July 5, 2011) -- A new artificial surface inspired by floating seeds could provide an alternative to the toxic paints currently used to prevent fouling on ship hulls. The artificial surface, developed by German scientists, is covered with fibers to prevent marine organisms from settling -- the same strategy used by the seeds. ... > full story

Final space shuttle to carry five University of Colorado at Boulder-built payloads (July 5, 2011) -- The University of Colorado Boulder is involved with five different space science payloads ranging from antibody tests that may lead to new bone-loss treatments to an experiment to improve vaccine effectiveness for combating salmonella when Atlantis thunders skyward July 8 on the last of NASA's 135 space shuttle missions. ... > full story

Design and print your own 3-D chocolate objects (July 4, 2011) -- Manufacturing and retail could get a much needed boost from a newly developed 3-D chocolate printer. In the long term the technology could be used by customers to design many different products themselves -- tailor-made to their needs and preferences. Using new digital technology the printer allows you to create your own designs on a computer and reproduce them physically in three dimensional form in chocolate. ... > full story

Tree frogs' self-cleaning feet could solve a sticky problem (July 4, 2011) -- Tree frogs have specially adapted self-cleaning feet which could have implications for new designs of medical bandages, tires, and even long lasting adhesives. Researchers have now discovered how tree frogs prevent their feet from picking up dirt while maintaining stickiness. ... > full story

Researchers map the physics of Tibetan singing bowls (July 4, 2011) -- Researchers have been investigating the connection between fifth century Himalayan instruments used in religious ceremonies and modern physics. ... > full story

First cookiecutter shark attack on a live human (July 4, 2011) -- A new study provides details on the first cookiecutter shark attack on a live human, a concern as warm summer waters attract more people to the ocean. ... > full story

Important step in next generation of computing: Vital insight into spintronics (July 4, 2011) -- Scientists have taken one step closer to the next generation of computers. New research provides insight into spintronics, which has been hailed as the successor to the transistor. ... > full story

Red wine: Exercise in a bottle? (July 3, 2011) -- As strange as it sounds, a new research study suggests that the "healthy" ingredient in red wine, resveratrol, prevents the negative effects that spaceflight and sedentary lifestyles have on people. The report describes experiments in rats that simulated the weightlessness of spaceflight, during which the group fed resveratrol did not develop insulin resistance or a loss of bone mineral density, as did those who were not fed resveratrol. ... > full story

Droplets for detecting tumoral DNA (July 3, 2011) -- New research suggests it may be possible, in the near future, to detect cancer by a simple blood or urine test. Biologists from France have developed a technique capable of detecting minute traces of tumoral DNA present in the biological fluids of patients suffering from cancer. ... > full story

New light shed on the private lives of electrons: Lasers allow scientists to observe how electrons become entangled (July 3, 2011) -- Scientists have used lasers to peek into the complex relationship between a single electron and its environment, a breakthrough that could aid the development of quantum computers. ... > full story

Toward a more efficient use of solar energy (July 3, 2011) -- The exploitation and utilization of new energy sources are considered to be among today's major challenges. Solar energy plays a central role, and its direct conversion into chemical energy, for example hydrogen generation by water splitting, is one of its interesting variants. Titanium oxide-based photocatalysis is the presently most efficient, yet little understood conversion process. ... > full story

Nuclear waste requires cradle-to-grave strategy, study finds (July 3, 2011) -- After Fukushima, it is now imperative to redefine what makes a successful nuclear power program -- from cradle to grave. If nuclear waste management is not thought out from the beginning, the public in many countries will reject nuclear power as an energy choice, according to new research. ... > full story

'Odd couple' binary star system makes dual gamma-ray flares (July 2, 2011) -- In December 2010, a pair of mismatched stars in the southern constellation Crux whisked past each other at a distance closer than Venus orbits the sun. The system possesses a so-far unique blend of a hot and massive star with a compact fast-spinning pulsar. The pair's closest encounters occur every 3.4 years and each is marked by a sharp increase in gamma rays, the most extreme form of light. ... > full story

Flapping micro air vehicles inspired by swifts (July 2, 2011) -- A new design of micro air vehicle (MAV) will be able to flap, glide and hover. Researchers have been inspired by birds to design a MAV that combines flapping wings, which will allow it to fly at slow speeds and hover, with the ability to glide, ensuring good quality images from any on-board camera. ... > full story

Breaking Kasha's rule: Scientists find unique luminescence in tetrapod nanocrystals (July 2, 2011) -- Researchers created tetrapod molecules of semiconductor nanocrystals and watched them break a fundamental principle of photoluminescence known as "Kasha's rule." The discovery holds promise for multi-color light emission technologies, including LEDs. ... > full story

Clocking Neptune's spin by tracking atmospheric features (July 1, 2011) -- By tracking atmospheric features on Neptune, a planetary scientist has accurately determined the planet's rotation, a feat that had not been previously achieved for any of the gas planets in our solar system except Jupiter. ... > full story

Making a spectacle of star formation in Orion (July 1, 2011) -- Looking like a pair of eyeglasses only a rock star would wear, a new nebula view brings into focus a murky region of star formation. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope exposes the depths of this dusty nebula with its infrared vision, showing stellar infants that are lost behind dark clouds when viewed in visible light. ... > full story

Why 'event cloaks' could be the key to the ultimate bank heist (July 1, 2011) -- In this month's special issue of Physics World, which examines the science and applications of invisibility, Martin McCall and Paul Kinsler of Imperial College London describe a new type of invisibility cloak that does not just hide objects -- but events. ... > full story

Quantum 'graininess' of space at smaller scales? Gamma-ray observatory challenges physics beyond Einstein (July 1, 2011) -- The European Space Agency's Integral gamma-ray observatory has provided results that will dramatically affect the search for physics beyond Einstein. It has shown that any underlying quantum 'graininess' of space must be at much smaller scales than previously predicted. ... > full story

At the feet of the pharaohs: Capturing the majesty of Luxor in 3-D (July 1, 2011) -- For a while, it seemed the revolution in Egypt would end his mission before it had even begun. Thomas A. DeFanti, an expert in data visualization, had been planning for months to capture spectacular 3-D surround images of Egypt's temples at Luxor on his way to Saudi Arabia early in April. It would be a proof-of-concept expedition to see if the 3-D CAVEcam -- two Lumix GF1 cameras carefully calibrated to take simultaneous right and left images -- would be functional in the super bright, hot and dusty conditions of the Nile River Valley. But for DeFanti, an avid traveler and lover of photography, it would also be a way to bring the splendors of one of the primary world heritage sites back to his state-of-the-art visualization facility in California. ... > full story

WiFi 'napping' doubles phone battery life (July 1, 2011) -- A graduate student has found a way to double the battery life of mobile devices -- such as smartphones or laptop computers -- by making changes to WiFi technology. ... > full story

Scientists use 'optogenetics' to control reward-seeking behavior (July 1, 2011) -- The findings suggest that therapeutics targeting the path between two critical brain regions, the amygdala and the nucleus accumbens, represent potential treatments for addiction and other neuropsychiatric diseases. ... > full story

Electromagnetic fields can disturb learning, study suggests, but only at very high levels (July 1, 2011) -- The effects of high-frequency electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile phones on humans have been hotly debated for years. In a new study, neuroscientists from Germany have shed light on this question. For the first time, they provide evidence that extremely high-powered electromagnetic fields can influence learning processes on the synaptic level within the brain, independent from other factors such as stress. However, such high levels are not encountered during typical use of mobile phones, the researchers note. ... > full story

Social networking -- 400 years ago (July 1, 2011) -- Renaissance specialists in the UK have discovered that the art of social networking pre-dates the Twitter and Facebook generations by more than 400 years. ... > full story

NASA's Spitzer finds distant galaxies grazed on gas (July 1, 2011) -- Galaxies once thought of as voracious tigers are more like grazing cows, according to a new study using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Astronomers have discovered that galaxies in the distant, early universe continuously ingested their star-making fuel over long periods of time. This goes against previous theories that the galaxies devoured their fuel in quick bursts after run-ins with other galaxies. ... > full story

Neuroscientists' discovery could bring relief to epilepsy sufferers; Computational model of epileptic seizures at molecular level (July 1, 2011) -- Researchers have made a discovery that could help drug manufacturers develop new antiepileptic drugs and explore novel strategies for treating seizures associated with epilepsy. The researchers used a computational model of the cortical network to show that during seizure there is a slow and progressive buildup of intracellular sodium in neurons, and that it is this accumulation of intracellular sodium that leads to the termination of the seizure. ... > full story

Scientists hope to get glimpse of adolescent universe from revolutionary instrument-on-a-chip (July 1, 2011) -- Thanks to technological advances,scientists hope to provide a picture of how the cosmos developed into the kind of place that could support life like that found on Earth. ... > full story

Transmission lines for nanofocusing of infrared light (July 1, 2011) -- Researchers in Spain report an innovative method to focus infrared light with tapered transmission lines to nanometer-size dimensions. This device could trigger the development of novel chemical and biological sensing tools, including ultra-small infrared spectrometers and lab-on-a-chip integrated biosensors. ... > full story

Takeoffs and landings cause more precipitation near airports, researchers find (July 1, 2011) -- Researchers have found that areas near commercial airports sometimes experience a small but measurable increase in rain and snow when aircraft take off and land under certain atmospheric conditions. The new study is part of ongoing research that focuses on so-called hole punch and canal clouds that form when planes fly through certain mid-level clouds, forcing nearby air to rapidly expand and cool. ... > full story

Recalculation of the Potsdam geoid shows time-dependent variation of gravity (July 1, 2011) -- The "Potsdam Gravity potato", as this representation of terrestrial gravity has become known, can for the first time display gravity variations that change with time. The seasonal fluctuations of the water balance of continents or melting or growing ice masses, i.e. climate-related variables, are now included in the modeling of the gravity field. ... > full story

‘Nanocrystal doping’ results in semiconductor nanocrystals with enhanced electrical function (July 1, 2011) -- Researchers have achieved a breakthrough in the field of nanoscience by successfully altering nanocrystal properties with impurity atoms -- a process called doping -- thereby opening the way for the manufacture of improved semiconductor nanocrystals. ... > full story

Big hole filled in cloud research (July 1, 2011) -- Under certain conditions, private and commercial propeller planes and jet aircraft may induce odd-shaped holes or canals into clouds as they fly through them. These holes and canals have long fascinated the public and now new research shows they may affect precipitation in and around airports with frequent cloud cover in the wintertime. ... > full story

Picture archiving and communication system (PACS) improves radiologists' use of clinical decision support systems (July 1, 2011) -- Integration with a picture archiving and communication system (PACS) improves radiologists' use of clinical decision support tools, according to a new study. ... > full story

Novel analysis method organizes genomic cancer data (June 30, 2011) -- The technology that allows scientists to profile the entire genome of individual tumors offers new hope for discovering ways to select the best treatment for each patient's particular type of cancer. However, these profiles produce huge amounts of data, and the volume alone creates unique analytical problems. In a new study, researchers describe a new analytical approach based on a concept called multiplicity, that can organize large amounts of varied genetic data. ... > full story

Moving microscopic vision into another new dimension (June 30, 2011) -- Scientists who pioneered a revolutionary 3-D microscope technique are now describing an extension of that technology into a new dimension that promises sweeping applications in medicine, biological research, and development of new electronic devices. ... > full story

X-rays reveal patterns in the plumage of the first birds (June 30, 2011) -- Researchers report in Science Express that they have taken a big step in determining what the first birds looked like more than 100 million years ago, when their relatives, the dinosaurs, still ruled the Earth. At the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, they discovered chemical traces of a pigment, an important component of color, that once formed patterns in the feathers of the fossilized birds. ... > full story

Evolutionary kings of the hill use good, bad and ugly mutations to speed ahead of competition (June 30, 2011) -- Evolutionary adaptation is often compared to climbing a hill, and organisms making the right combination of multiple mutations -- both good and bad -- can become the king of the mountain, according to new research. Through computer simulations, researchers were able to watch evolution play out and see how populations use these combinations to evolve from one adaptive state to another. ... > full story