The EDGE: ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Thursday, July 7, 2011

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Thursday, July 7, 2011

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Baseball cheaters can't hide from the laws of physics (July 7, 2011) -- Some baseball superstitions are accepted as cold, hard truth. But in the world of physics, the most accepted verities are subject to experimentation. A corked bat hits the ball further? Not in Lloyd Smith's lab. Baseballs today are livelier than in the past? See above. A humidor can curb home run production? Yes, but only because Smith has fired the balls through a cannon and measured their bounciness as they hit a bat. ... > full story

Mechanical micro-drum cooled to quantum ground state (July 7, 2011) -- Scientists have demonstrated a flexible, broadly usable technique for steadily calming the vibrations of an engineered mechanical object down to the quantum "ground state," the lowest possible energy level. ... > full story

Branch offices: New family of gold-based nanoparticles could serve as biomedical 'testbed' (July 7, 2011) -- Researchers have demonstrated a sort of gold nanoparticle "testbed" to explore how the tiny particles behave in biological systems. ... > full story

NMR/MRI applied to microfluidic chromatography (July 6, 2011) -- By pairing a remote-detection version of NMR/MRI technology with a unique version of chromatography specifically designed for microfluidic chips, researchers have opened the door to a portable system for highly sensitive multi-dimensional chemical analysis that would be impractical if not impossible with conventional technologies. ... > full story

Cassini captures images and sounds of Saturn storm (July 6, 2011) -- Scientists analyzing data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft now have the first-ever, up-close details of a Saturn storm that is eight times the surface area of Earth. ... > full story

A look back: Scientists raced to estimate oil flow from Deepwater Horizon Macondo well (July 6, 2011) -- The first two weeks of June 2010 were a blur for six Berkeley Lab scientists. As the world focused on the ongoing crisis in the Gulf of Mexico after the blowout of BP's Deepwater Horizon Macondo well, the scientists dropped everything to estimate how much oil was flowing from the mangled wellhead. Their research is recounted in a new article. ... > full story

Mercury vapor released from broken compact fluorescent light bulbs can exceed safe exposure levels for humans, study finds (July 6, 2011) -- Once broken, a compact fluorescent light bulb continuously releases mercury vapor into the air for weeks to months, and the total amount can exceed safe human exposure levels in a poorly ventilated room, according to a new study. ... > full story

You are what you tweet: Tracking public health trends with Twitter (July 6, 2011) -- Computer scientists have sifted through two billion 'tweets' for information on where people are sick, what ails them, and what they're doing about it. ... > full story

Hydrogen peroxide found in space (July 6, 2011) -- Molecules of hydrogen peroxide have been found for the first time in interstellar space. The discovery gives clues about the chemical link between two molecules critical for life: water and oxygen. On Earth, hydrogen peroxide plays a key role in the chemistry of water and ozone in our planet's atmosphere, and is familiar for its use as a disinfectant or to bleach hair blonde. Now it has been detected in space by astronomers using the European Southern Observatory-operated APEX telescope in Chile. ... > full story

Unique gel capsule structure enables co-delivery of different types of drugs (July 6, 2011) -- Chemists have designed a multiple-compartment gel capsule that can simultaneously deliver hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs. The microcapsules could be used for the treatment of diseases like cancer, which is often treated using combination chemotherapy. ... > full story

Termites' digestive system could act as biofuel refinery (July 6, 2011) -- One of the peskiest household pests, while disastrous to homes, could prove to be a boon for cars, according to a new study. ... > full story

New technology makes textiles permanently germ-free (July 6, 2011) -- Researchers have invented a new technology that can inexpensively render medical linens and clothing, face masks, paper towels -- and yes, even diapers, intimate apparel and athletic wear, including smelly socks -- permanently germ-free. ... > full story

Sounding rockets study how winds in space drive currents in the upper atmosphere (July 6, 2011) -- This July, scientists will launch four rockets for a five-minute journey some 100 miles up into the atmosphere. The rockets will collect data on the charged particles as well as winds of neutral particles that sweep through the lower ionosphere and how each affects the other, ultimately causing these dynamo currents. ... > full story

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

Final countdown: Atlantis to carry next-generation vaccine candidate on last space voyage (July 6, 2011) -- The ability of spaceflight to enhance the efficacy of a recombinant attenuated Salmonella vaccine, or RASV, will be the focus of experiments conducted by Cheryl Nickerson and Roy Curtiss, of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University. The payload will be carried aboard the space shuttle Atlantis on its final mission to the International Space Station. ... > full story

Experiment aboard shuttle Atlantis will test novel therapy to build bone during space travel (July 6, 2011) -- When the final mission of NASA's 30-year Space Shuttle program is launched on July 8, an animal experiment to test a novel therapy to increase bone mass will be on board. ... > full story

Food-process engineering: Environmentally friendly process to improve storage stability of probiotics (July 6, 2011) -- Probiotic bacteria are rapidly gaining ground as healthy food supplements. However, the production of this "functional food" has its pitfalls: only few probiotic bacterial strains are robust enough to survive conventional production processes. Researchers have now developed a particularly gentle method that allows the use of thus far unutilized probiotics. The outcome is beneficial for both manufacturers and consumers: it's energy and cost efficient -- and it makes probiotics less perishable. ... > full story

Sun's 'DNA' revealed (July 6, 2011) -- Solar nitrogen is very different from that of meteorites or the Earth. Scientists reached this conclusion after analyzing samples of solar wind collected by the Genesis space mission launched by NASA in 2001. They succeeded in determining the isotopic composition of the Sun, its “DNA”, which reflects the composition of the cloud of gas and dust that gave rise to the solar system. This work could help to elucidate the phenomena behind the origin of the solar system. ... > 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