The EDGE: ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Friday, January 27, 2012

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Friday, January 27, 2012

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Cumulative impact of mountaintop mining documented (January 27, 2012) -- Increased salinity and concentrations of trace elements in one West Virginia watershed have been tied directly to multiple surface coal mines upstream by a detailed new survey of stream chemistry. Researchers who conducted the study said it provides new evidence of the cumulative effects multiple mountaintop mining permits can have in a river network. ... > full story

Graphene: Supermaterial goes superpermeable (January 27, 2012) -- Wonder material graphene has revealed another of its extraordinary properties Scientists have now found that it is superpermeable with respect to water. Graphene is one of the wonders of the science world, with the potential to create foldaway mobile phones, wallpaper-thin lighting panels and the next generation of aircraft. The new finding gives graphene’s potential a most surprising dimension – graphene can also be used for distilling alcohol. ... > full story

Durable NASA rover beginning ninth year of Mars work (January 27, 2012) -- Eight years after landing on Mars for what was planned as a three-month mission, NASA's enduring Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is working on what essentially became a new mission five months ago. ... > full story

Sensor sensibility: Better protection for concrete coastal structures (January 27, 2012) -- Innovative sensors have been developed that will dramatically improve the ability to spot early warning signs of corrosion in concrete. More resilient and much longer lasting than traditional corrosion sensors they will make monitoring the safety of structures such as bridges and vital coastal defenses much more effective. ... > full story

Scientists map one of life's molecular mysteries: Visualisation of the molecular gateway across and into cellular membranes (January 26, 2012) -- All living organisms are made up of cells, behind these intricate life forms lie complex cellular processes that allow our bodies to function. Researchers working on protein secretion -- a fundamental process in biology -- have revealed how protein channels in the membrane are activated by special signals contained in proteins destined for secretion. The results help explain the underlying mechanism responsible for the release of proteins such as hormones and antibodies into the blood stream. ... > full story

Rotational motion of cells plays a critical role in their normal development, researchers find (January 26, 2012) -- Researchers have discovered a rotational motion that plays a critical role in the ability of breast cells to form the spherical structures in the mammary gland known as acini. This rotation, called "CAMo," for coherent angular motion, is necessary for the cells to form spheres. Otherwise, cells undergo random motion, leading to loss of structure and malignancy. ... > full story

Microbubbles provide new boost for biofuel production (January 26, 2012) -- A solution to the difficult issue of harvesting algae for use as a biofuel has been developed using microbubble technology. ... > full story

NASA's Kepler announces 11 new planetary systems hosting 26 planets (January 26, 2012) -- NASA's Kepler mission has discovered 11 new planetary systems hosting 26 confirmed planets. These discoveries nearly double the number of verified Kepler planets and triple the number of stars known to have more than one planet that transits, or passes in front of, the star. Such systems will help astronomers better understand how planets form. ... > full story

Scorpions inspire scientists in making tougher surfaces for machinery (January 26, 2012) -- Taking inspiration from the yellow fattail scorpion, which uses a bionic shield to protect itself against scratches from desert sandstorms, scientists have developed a new way to protect the moving parts of machinery from wear and tear. ... > full story

Optimal basketball shooting rate proposed based on mathematical model (January 26, 2012) -- NBA players may be too conservative with their shots, according to a comparison with a theoretical model describing shot selection. ... > full story

Giant asteroid Vesta likely cold and dark enough for ice (January 26, 2012) -- Though generally thought to be quite dry, roughly half of the giant asteroid Vesta is expected to be so cold and to receive so little sunlight that water ice could have survived there for billions of years, according to the first published models of Vesta's average global temperatures and illumination by the sun. ... > full story

Classifying solar eruptions (January 26, 2012) -- Solar flares are giant explosions on the sun that send energy, light and high speed particles into space. These flares are often associated with solar magnetic storms known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs). While these are the most common solar events, the sun can also emit streams of very fast protons -- known as solar energetic particle (SEP) events -- and disturbances in the solar wind known as corotating interaction regions (CIRs). All of these can produce a variety of "storms" on Earth that can -- if strong enough -- interfere with short wave radio communications, GPS signals, and Earth's power grid, among other things. ... > full story

Scientists create first free-standing 3-D cloak (January 26, 2012) -- Researchers in the US have, for the first time, cloaked a three-dimensional object standing in free space, bringing the much-talked-about invisibility cloak one step closer to reality. ... > full story

Chemists synthesize artificial cell membrane (January 26, 2012) -- Chemists have taken an important step in making artificial life forms from scratch. Using a novel chemical reaction, they have created self-assembling cell membranes, the structural envelopes that contain and support the reactions required for life. Instead of complex enzymes embedded in membranes, they used a simple metal ion as the catalyst. By assembling an essential component of earthly life with no biological precursors, they hope to illuminate life's origins. ... > full story

Swallow a pill and let your doctor tour your insides (January 26, 2012) -- Researchers have successfully tested a controllable endoscopic capsule, inspired by science fiction, that has the ability to "swim" through the body and could provide clinicians with unprecedented control when photographing the inside of the human body. ... > full story

An easier way to remove gallstones (January 26, 2012) -- A new patented, ultra-specialized endoscope removes gallstones without the need to remove the gallbladder, too. ... > full story

Photo from NASA Mars orbiter shows wind's handiwork (January 26, 2012) -- Some images of stark Martian landscapes provide visual appeal beyond their science value, including a recent scene of wind-sculpted features from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. ... > full story

Under the electron microscope: 3-D image of an individual protein showing structure (January 26, 2012) -- Scientists are reporting the first 3-D images of an individual protein ever obtained with enough clarity to determine its structure. ... > full story

New standard for vitamin D testing to ensure accurate test results (January 26, 2012) -- At a time of increasing concern about low vitamin D levels in the world's population and increased use of blood tests for the vitamin, scientists are reporting development of a much-needed reference material to assure that measurements of vitamin D levels are accurate. ... > full story

Nanocrystals make dentures shine (January 26, 2012) -- Chemists have developed novel glass ceramics for dentistry. The new kind of glass ceramic with a nanocrystalline structure seems to be well suited to be used in dentistry due to its high strength and its optical characteristics. ... > full story

World's most powerful X-ray laser creates 2-million-degree matter (January 25, 2012) -- Researchers working at the US Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have used the world's most powerful X-ray laser to create and probe a 2-million-degree piece of matter in a controlled way for the first time. This feat takes scientists a significant step forward in understanding the most extreme matter found in the hearts of stars and giant planets, and could help experiments aimed at recreating the nuclear fusion process that powers the sun. ... > full story

Strategic research plan needed to help avoid potential risks of nanomaterials (January 25, 2012) -- Despite extensive investment in nanotechnology and increasing commercialization over the last decade, insufficient understanding remains about the environmental, health, and safety aspects of nanomaterials. Without a coordinated research plan to help guide efforts to manage and avoid potential risks, the future of safe and sustainable nanotechnology is uncertain, says a new report. ... > full story

Adolescents with autism spend free time using solitary, screen-based media (January 25, 2012) -- Children with autism spectrum disorders tend to be fascinated by screen-based technology. A new study found that adolescents with autism (64.2 percent) spend most of their free time using solitary, or non-social, screen-based media (television and video games) while only 13.2 percent spend time on socially interactive media (e-mail, Internet chatting). ... > full story

Scientists create first atomic X-ray laser (January 25, 2012) -- Scientists have created the shortest, purest X-ray laser pulses ever achieved, fulfilling a 45-year-old prediction and opening the door to a new range of scientific discovery. The researchers aimed SLAC's Linac Coherent Light Source at a capsule of neon gas, setting off an avalanche of X-ray emissions to create the world's first "atomic X-ray laser." ... > full story

Injecting sulfate particles into stratosphere won't fully offset climate change (January 25, 2012) -- New research demonstrates that one suggested method of geoengineering the atmosphere to deal with climate change, injecting sulfate particles into the stratosphere, probably would have limited success. ... > full story

Improving performance of electric induction motors (January 25, 2012) -- New research describes advanced motor control devices. These control devices are units designed to correct errors and improve the performance of the motors. This researcher has opted for cutting-edge models and has developed them so that they can be applied to an induction motor, and in this way he has transferred them from theory to practice. ... > full story

Cassini sees the two faces of Titan's dunes (January 25, 2012) -- A new analysis of radar data from NASA's Cassini mission, in partnership with the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency, has revealed regional variations among sand dunes on Saturn's moon Titan. The result gives new clues about the moon's climatic and geological history. ... > full story

Toward lowering the power consumption of microprocessors (January 25, 2012) -- The first systematic power profiles of microprocessors could help lower the energy consumption of both small cell phones and giant data centers. ... > full story

Babies are born with 'intuitive physics' knowledge, says researcher (January 25, 2012) -- While it may appear that infants are helpless creatures that only blink, eat, cry and sleep, one researcher says that studies indicate infant brains come equipped with knowledge of "intuitive physics." ... > full story

Lab mimics Jupiter's Trojan asteroids inside a single atom (January 25, 2012) -- Physicists have built an accurate model of part of the solar system inside a single atom. Scientists have shown that they could make an electron orbit the atomic nucleus in the same way that Jupiter's Trojan asteroids orbit the sun. The findings uphold a 1920 prediction by physicist Niels Bohr. ... > full story

Bilayer graphene works as an insulator: Research has potential applications in digital and infrared technologies (January 25, 2012) -- Physicists have identified a property of "bilayer graphene" that the researchers say is analogous to finding the Higgs boson in particle physics. The physicists found that when the number of electrons on the BLG sheet is close to 0, the material becomes insulating -- a finding that has implications for the use of graphene as an electronic material in the semiconductor and electronics industries. ... > full story

Chemists devise chemical reaction that holds promise for new drug development (January 25, 2012) -- Scientists have devised a new method for making complex molecules. The reaction they have come up with should enable chemists to synthesize new varieties of a whole subclass of organic compounds called nitrogen-containing heterocycles, thus opening up new avenues for the development of novel pharmaceuticals and natural products ranging from chemotherapeutic compounds to bioactive plant materials such as morphine. ... > full story

New breed of electron interactions in quantum systems (January 25, 2012) -- Physicists have observed a new kind of interaction that can arise between electrons in a single-atom silicon transistor, offering a more complete understanding of the mechanisms that govern electron conduction in nano-structures at the atomic scale. ... > full story

Power generation is blowing in the wind (January 25, 2012) -- By looking at the stability of the atmosphere, wind farm operators could gain greater insight into the amount of power generated at any given time. Power generated by a wind turbine largely depends on the wind speed. In a wind farm in which the turbines experience the same wind speeds but different shapes (such as turbulence) to the wind profile, a turbine will produce different amounts of power. This variable power can be predicted by looking at atmospheric stability, according to new research. ... > full story

Speed limit on the quantum highway: Physicists measure propagation velocity of quantum signals in a many-body system (January 25, 2012) -- A quantum computer based on quantum particles instead of classical bits, can in principle outperform any classical computer. However, it still remains an open question, how fast and how efficient quantum computers really may be able to work. A critical limitation will be given by the velocity with which a quantum signal can spread within a processing unit. For the first time, a group of physicists has succeeded in observing such a process in a solid-state like system. ... > full story

NASA's NuSTAR ships to Vandenberg for March 14 launch (January 25, 2012) -- NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, shipped to Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., on Jan. 24, 2012, to be mated to its Pegasus launch vehicle. The observatory will detect X-rays from objects ranging from our sun to giant black holes billions of light-years away. It is scheduled to launch March 14 from an aircraft operating out of Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. ... > full story

New material to remove radioactive gas from spent nuclear fuel (January 24, 2012) -- Research by chemists could impact worldwide efforts to produce clean, safe nuclear energy and reduce radioactive waste. They have used metal-organic frameworks to capture and remove volatile radioactive gas from spent nuclear fuel. ... > full story

Supercomputers take a cue from microwave ovens: Co-design may be the answer to modeling clouds and other big problems (January 24, 2012) -- As sophisticated as modern climate models are, one critical component continues to elude their precision -- clouds. Clouds modulate the climate. Experts agree that getting their effect on the climate system correct is critical to increasing confidence in projections of future climate change. To build the breakthrough supercomputers that these researchers need, computer scientists are taking a cue from the world of consumer electronics. ... > full story

Scientists produce world's first magnetic soap (January 24, 2012) -- Scientists have developed a soap, composed of iron rich salts dissolved in water, that responds to a magnetic field when placed in solution. The soap’s magnetic properties were shown to result from tiny iron-rich clumps that sit within the watery solution. The generation of this property in a fully functional soap could calm concerns over the use of soaps in oil-spill clean ups and revolutionize industrial cleaning products. ... > full story

Tactile imaging sensor can assist doctors with early identification of tumors (January 24, 2012) -- A handheld tactile imaging sensor could aid doctors in early identification of cancerous lesions or tumors. ... > full story

Solar Dynamics Observatory helps measure magnetic fields on the sun's surface (January 24, 2012) -- A subset of data that helps map out the sun's magnetic fields was recently released from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Observations that measure the strength and direction of magnetic fields on the solar surface -- known as vector magnetograms -- play a crucial role in understanding how those fields change over time and trigger giant eruptions off the surface of the sun such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). ... > full story

Metadynamics technique offers insight into mineral growth and dissolution (January 24, 2012) -- By using a novel technique to better understand mineral growth and dissolution, researchers are improving predictions of mineral reactions and laying the groundwork for applications ranging from keeping oil pipes clear to sequestering radium. ... > full story

New tool enhances view of muscles (January 24, 2012) -- New research is adding to the arsenal of increasingly sophisticated medical imaging tools with a new signal-processing method for viewing muscle activation details never seen before. A novel method using ultrasound imaging, 3-D motion-capture technology and proprietary data-processing software can scan and capture 3-D maps of the muscle structure in just 90 seconds. Previous methods took 15 minutes -- far too long to ask people to hold a muscle contraction. ... > full story

Ultrafast magnetic processes observed 'live' using an X-ray laser (January 23, 2012) -- In first-of-their-kind experiments, scientists have been able to precisely follow how the magnetic structure of a material changes. The study was carried out on cupric oxide (CuO). The change of structure was initiated by a laser pulse, and then, with the help of short X-ray pulses, near-instantaneous images were obtained at different points in time for individual intermediate steps during the process. ... > full story

Revisiting the 'Pillars of Creation' (January 23, 2012) -- In 1995, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took an iconic image of the Eagle nebula, dubbed the "Pillars of Creation," highlighting its finger-like pillars where new stars are thought to be forming. Now, the Herschel Space Observatory has a new, expansive view of the region captured in longer-wavelength infrared light. ... > full story

Charges going astray: New transfer paths for electrons discovered (January 23, 2012) -- In the development of materials for energy production and distribution, knowledge of molecular processes in electrical charge transfer is fundamental. Scientists have once more discovered that nature provides interesting templates for long-range electron transfer. ... > full story

Easier testing for diabetics? Biochip measures glucose in saliva, not blood (January 23, 2012) -- Engineers have designed a biological device that can measure glucose concentrations in human saliva. The technique could eliminate the need for diabetics to draw blood to check their glucose levels. The biochip uses plasmonic interferometers and could be used to measure a range of biological and environmental substances. ... > full story

Bucky balls for next-generation spintronics devices (January 23, 2012) -- The beauty of an electron’s spin is that it responds very rapidly to small magnetic fields. Such external magnetic fields can be used to reverse the direction of spin. In this way, information can be carried by a flow of electrons. ... > full story