The EDGE: ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Wednesday, October 12, 2011

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Wednesday, October 12, 2011

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Liquid can turn into solid under high electric field, physicists show in simulations (October 12, 2011) -- Physicists have demonstrated in simulations that under the influence of sufficiently high electric fields, liquid droplets of certain materials will undergo solidification, forming crystallites at temperature and pressure conditions that correspond to liquid droplets at field-free conditions. ... > full story

New knowledge about 'flawed' diamonds could speed the development of diamond-based quantum computers (October 12, 2011) -- Scientists have established the presence of a dynamic Jahn-Teller effect in defective diamonds, a finding that will help advance the development of diamond-based systems in applications such as quantum information processing. ... > full story

Cyber threats forecast for 2012 released (October 12, 2011) -- The year ahead will feature new and increasingly sophisticated means to capture and exploit user data, as well as escalating battles over the control of online information that threatens to compromise content and erode public trust and privacy, according to computer security experts. ... > full story

Suspects in the quenching of star formation exonerated (October 11, 2011) -- Some supermassive black holes power luminous, rapidly growing objects called active galactic nuclei (AGN) that gather and condense enormous quantities of matter. Because astronomers had seen these objects primarily in massive, old galaxies with aging stars, many thought AGN might help to end the formation of new stars, though the evidence was always circumstantial. Now, a new survey has found AGN in all kinds of galaxies, including young, star-making factories. ... > full story

Astronomers find bounty of failed stars: One youngster only six times heftier than Jupiter (October 11, 2011) -- A team of astronomers has discovered over two dozen new free-floating brown dwarfs, including a lightweight youngster only about six times heftier than Jupiter, that reside in two young star clusters. What's more, one cluster contains a surprising surplus of them, harboring half as many of these astronomical oddballs as normal stars. ... > full story

New computer program promises to save the whales (October 11, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a computer program that enables regulators to evaluate the ecological and economic trade-offs between marine mammal conservation, whale watching and marine transportation activities in the Saint Lawrence Estuary. ... > full story

New equation predicts molecular forces in hydrophobic interactions (October 11, 2011) -- The physical model to describe the hydrophobic interactions of molecules has been a mystery that has challenged scientists and engineers since the 19th century. Hydrophobic interactions are central to explaining why oil and water don't mix, how proteins are structured, and what holds biological membranes together. Chemical engineering researchers have developed a novel method to study these forces at the atomic level, and have for the first time defined a mathematical equation to measure a substance's hydrophobic character. ... > full story

X-ray camera makes A-grade particle detector (October 11, 2011) -- Combining an off-the-shelf X-ray camera with a thin piece of carbon foil yields a device that can detect high-energy organic atoms and heavy molecules better than the typical devices used for these jobs, with potential benefits ranging from the science of cancer treatment to star chemistry. ... > full story

Fall market jitters a SAD thing: Less daylight in fall may lead to depressed markets (October 11, 2011) -- It's no surprise to researchers that financial market dips and crashes typically happen in the fall. Researchers now show that people who experience seasonal depression shun financial risk-taking during seasons with diminished daylight but are more willing to accept risk in spring and summer. Seasonal depression may be sufficiently powerful to move financial markets. ... > full story

New 'diamond?' New form of superhard carbon is as strong as a diamond (October 11, 2011) -- Carbon is the fourth-most-abundant element in the universe and takes on a wide variety of forms, called allotropes, including diamond and graphite. Scientists have now discovered a new form of carbon, which is capable of withstanding extreme pressure stresses that were previously observed only in diamond. ... > full story

Pendulums and floating film: Two seemingly unrelated phenomena share surprising link (October 11, 2011) -- A coupled line of swinging pendulums apparently has nothing in common with an elastic film that buckles and folds under compression while floating on a liquid, but scientists have discovered a deep connection between the two phenomena. ... > full story

Rangers and Brewers solid favorites for championships, math professor says (October 11, 2011) -- The Major League Baseball Division Series is underway and math professors have once again analyzed the probability of each team advancing to the World Series. ... > full story

How to count nanoparticles (October 11, 2011) -- Nanoparticles of a substance can be counted and the size distribution can be determined by dispersing the nanoparticles into a gas. But some nanoparticles tend to aggregate when the surrounding conditions change. Scientists have now shown that it is possible to sort and count the particles, even when they have formed aggregates. ... > full story

Measuring elusive solar neutrinos flowing through the Earth, physicists learn more about the sun (October 11, 2011) -- Using one of the most sensitive neutrino detectors on the planet, physicists are now measuring the flow of solar neutrinos reaching Earth more precisely than ever before. The detector probes matter at the most fundamental level and provides a powerful tool for directly observing the sun's composition. ... > full story

Critical minerals ignite geopolitical storm (October 11, 2011) -- The clean energy economy of the future hinges on a lot of things, chief among them the availability of the scores of rare earth minerals and other elements used to make everything from photovoltaic panels and cellphone displays to the permanent magnets in cutting edge new wind generators. And right out of the gate trouble is brewing over projected growth in demand for these minerals and the security of their supplies. ... > full story

Almahata Sitta meteorite could come from triple asteroid mash-up (October 11, 2011) -- Analysis of fragments of the Almahata Sitta meteorite, which landed in Sudan in 2008, has shown that the parent asteroid was probably formed through collisions of three different types of asteroids. The meteorites are of particular interest because they contain material both primitive and evolved types of asteroids. ... > full story

Crowdsourcing democracy through social media (October 11, 2011) -- Today the citizens of Liberia will participate in just their second presidential election since the country emerged from a brutal civil war in 2003, and in such an environment the specter of violence or other unrest is never far away. But what if social media, a professor is asking, could identify and even help prevent dangerous situations from occurring? ... > full story

Graphene's 'Big Mac' creates next generation of chips (October 10, 2011) -- Scientists in the UK have come one step closer to creating the next generation of computer chips using wonder material graphene. ... > full story

New optical signal processing to satisfy power-hungry, high-speed networks (October 10, 2011) -- A new all-optical signal processing device to meet the demands of high capacity optical networks and with a wide range of applications including ultrafast optical measurements and sensing has been developed. ... > full story

Removal of restrictions can decrease music piracy, study suggests (October 10, 2011) -- Contrary to the traditional views of the music industry, removal of digital rights management restrictions can actually decrease piracy, according to new research. ... > full story

Series of bumps sent Uranus into its sideways spin, new research suggests (October 10, 2011) -- Uranus' highly tilted axis makes it something of an oddball in our solar system. The accepted wisdom is that Uranus was knocked on its side by a single large impact, but new research rewrites our theories of how Uranus became so tilted and also solves fresh mysteries about the position and orbits of its moons. ... > full story

New membrane lipid measuring technique may help fight disease (October 10, 2011) -- Chemists have developed a technique which successfully quantifies signaling lipids on live cell membranes in real time, opening up possible new routes for treating diseases. ... > full story

Supersaturated water vapor in Martian atmosphere (October 10, 2011) -- Analysis of data collected by the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft leaves no room for doubt: the Martian atmosphere of contains water vapor in a supersaturated state. This surprising finding will enable scientists to better understand the water cycle on Mars, as well as the evolution of its atmosphere. ... > full story

Smart phones: Keeping business data secure while allowing installation of personal apps (October 10, 2011) -- More and more companies are providing their employees with smartphones. While companies seek the best security available for their data, employees would also like to install apps of their own. Security experts have now developed equipment software with two separate areas: the business area and the personal area. ... > full story

Nanopores on a chip: Applications for analytical tasks in chemistry and biology (October 10, 2011) -- Biological nanopores are proteins of only a few nanometers in diameter that form tiny water-filled canals. They have proven to be promising tools in the field of nanobiotechnology. Researchers in Germany have succeeded in arranging nanopores on a tiny microchip and using it to determine the mass of chain-like molecules called polymers with a high degree of precision. ... > full story

Secure updates for navigation systems (October 10, 2011) -- At the push of a button by the driver, control units download the car manufacturer's new software -- such as enhanced map material for the navigation system. To ensure that this data channel is protected from hacker attack, the system needs the right cryptographic key. To date, these keys have been stored in each one of a vehicle's electronic control units. Thanks to a new form of trust anchor, this will be simpler and more economical in the future. ... > full story

CMOS integrated poly-SiGe piezoresistive pressure sensor demonstrated (October 10, 2011) -- A new integrated poly-SiGe-based piezoresistive pressure sensor has been directly fabricated above 0.13 µm copper (Cu) -backend CMOS technology. This represents not only the first integrated poly-SiGe pressure sensor directly fabricated above its readout circuit, but also the first time that a poly-SiGe MEMS device is processed on top of Cu-backend CMOS. ... > full story

Extremely high-speed heterojunction bipolar transistors demonstrated (October 10, 2011) -- Researchers have realized a fT/fMAX 245GHz/450GHz SiGe:C heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) device, a key enabler for future high-volume millimeter-wave low-power circuits to be used in automotive radar applications. These HBT devices also pave the way to silicon-based millimeter wave circuits penetrating the so-called THz gap, enabling enhanced imaging systems for security, medical and scientific applications. ... > full story

Venus has an ozone layer too, space probe discovers (October 9, 2011) -- The European Space Agency’s Venus Express spacecraft has discovered an ozone layer high in the atmosphere of Venus. Comparing its properties with those of the equivalent layers on Earth and Mars will help astronomers refine their searches for life on other planets. ... > full story

Tougher, lighter wind turbine blade developed: Polyurethane reinforced with carbon nanotubes (October 9, 2011) -- Efforts to build larger wind turbines able to capture more energy from the air are stymied by the weight of blades. Researchers have now built a prototype blade that is substantially lighter and eight times tougher and more durable than currently used blade materials. ... > full story

Laser light used to cool object to quantum ground state (October 9, 2011) -- For the first time, researchers have managed to cool a miniature mechanical object to its lowest possible energy state using laser light. The achievement paves the way for the development of exquisitely sensitive detectors as well as for quantum experiments that scientists have long dreamed of conducting. ... > full story

New software models immune responses (October 9, 2011) -- New software lets researchers see how the immune system responds to pathogens that invade the bacteria-rich environment of the gut. ... > full story

Electricity from the nose: Engineers make power from human respiration (October 8, 2011) -- The same piezoelectric effect that ignites your gas grill with the push of a button could one day power sensors in your body via the respiration in your nose. ... > full story

Early detection of plant disease (October 8, 2011) -- Each year, plant viruses and fungal attacks lead to crop losses of up to 30 percent. That is why it is important to detect plant disease early on. Yet laboratory tests are expensive and often time-consuming. Researchers are now developing a low-cost quick test for use on site. ... > full story

Wireless window contacts: No maintenance, no batteries (October 8, 2011) -- Window contacts tell us which of a house's windows are open or closed. Researchers have now developed a fail-safe system that is particularly easy to use and needs no wiring or batteries. The sensors harvest the energy they need to run from ambient radio signals. ... > full story

Astrophysics and extinctions: News about planet-threatening events (October 7, 2011) -- Space is a violent place. If a star explodes or black holes collide anywhere in our part of the Milky Way, they'd give off colossal blasts of lethal gamma-rays, X-rays and cosmic rays and it's perfectly reasonable to expect Earth to be bathed in them. A new study of such events has yielded some new information about the potential effects of what are called "short-hard" interstellar radiation events. ... > full story

Physicists localize 3-D matter waves for first time (October 7, 2011) -- Physicists have experimentally demonstrated for the first time how three-dimensional conduction is affected by the defects that plague materials. The researchers achieved complete Anderson localization of quantum matter waves in three dimensions. The team also measured the energy a particle needs to escape localization, known as the mobility edge. They found that as disorder increased, so did the mobility edge, meaning that materials with high concentrations of defects induce more localization. ... > full story

Ancient supernovas discovered: 10-billion-year-old exploding stars were a source of Earth's iron, researchers say (October 7, 2011) -- Astronomers have just discovered 12 of the most distant and ancient supernovas ever seen, 10 of them in a part of the sky called the Subaru Deep Field. ... > full story

Ionic liquid catalyst helps turn emissions into fuel (October 7, 2011) -- Scientists have overcome one major obstacle to artificial photosynthesis, a promising technology that simultaneously reduces atmospheric carbon dioxide and produces fuel. They have now used an ionic liquid to catalyze the conversion of CO2 to CO, the first step in making fuel, greatly reducing the energy required to drive the process. ... > full story

Mine-hunting software helping doctors to identify rare cells in human cancer (October 7, 2011) -- Medical researchers are demonstrating new software developed for finding and recognizing undersea mines can help doctors identify cancer-related cells. The problem that physicians encounter in analyzing human cell images is similar to the Navy's challenge of finding undersea mines. Doctors must sift through hundreds of microscopic images containing millions of cells. To pinpoint specific cells, they use automated image analysis software called FARSIGHT, or Fluorescence Association Rules for Quantitative Insight. ... > full story

Practical play: Interactive video games appear valuable for ICU patients (October 7, 2011) -- Interactive video games, already known to improve motor function in recovering stroke patients, appear to safely enhance physical therapy for patients in intensive care units, new research suggests. ... > full story

Crab pulsar beams most energetic gamma rays ever detected from a pulsar (October 7, 2011) -- Astrophysicists have detected pulsed gamma-ray emission from the Crab pulsar at energies far beyond what current theoretical models of pulsars can explain. With energies exceeding 100 billion electron-volts (100 GeV), the surprising gamma-ray pulses were detected by the VERITAS telescope array. ... > full story

One room -- 63 different dust particles? Researchers aim to build dust library (October 7, 2011) -- Researchers recently isolated 63 unique dust particles from their laboratory -- and that's just the beginning. The chemists were testing a new kind of sensor when dust got stuck inside it, and they discovered that they could measure the composition of single dust particles. ... > full story

New technique for understanding quantum effects in water (October 7, 2011) -- The use of oxygen isotope substitution will lead to more accurate structural modeling of oxide materials found in everything from biological processes to electronic devices, new research suggests. ... > full story

Hold the phone for vital signs: Researchers turn a smart phone into a medical monitor (October 7, 2011) -- Researchers are turning smartphones into sophisticated medical monitors able to capture and transmit vital physiological data. The team has already developed an app that measures heart rate, heart rhythm, respiration rate, and blood oxygen saturation using the phone's built-in video camera. ... > full story

Technology to make old-age safer (October 7, 2011) -- A fall alarm. Automatic nightlight. Oven reminder. Refrigerator alarm. These are just a few of the new welfare technology solutions that may become a normal part of the lives of the elderly in the future. A Norwegian technology company has developed a complete electronic safety package for the elderly. ... > full story

Engineers: Non-compete agreements have high cost for employees (October 7, 2011) -- A new study of more than 1,000 engineers shows that non-compete agreements come with a high cost for employees: When those workers do shift jobs, roughly one-third of them end up leaving their chosen industry altogether, often at significant financial cost to themselves. ... > full story

NASA's moon twins going their own way (October 7, 2011) -- NASA's Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL)-B spacecraft successfully executed its first flight path correction maneuver Wednesday, Oct. 5. The rocket burn helped refine the spacecraft's trajectory as it travels from Earth to the moon and provides separation between itself and its mirror twin, GRAIL-A. The first burn for GRAIL-A occurred on Sept. 30. ... > full story