The EDGE: ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Saturday, January 28, 2012

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Saturday, January 28, 2012

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Mars-bound instrument detects solar burst's effects: RAD measures radiation from solar storm (January 27, 2012) -- The largest solar particle event since 2005 hit Earth, Mars and the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft traveling in-between, allowing the onboard Radiation Assessment Detector to measure the radiation a human astronaut could be exposed to en route to the Red Planet. ... > full story

New ideas sharpen focus for greener aircraft (January 27, 2012) -- Leaner, greener flying machines for the year 2025 are on the drawing boards of three industry teams under contract to the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate's Environmentally Responsible Aviation Project. ... > full story

New drug release mechanism utilizes 3-D superhydrophobic materials (January 27, 2012) -- There is a new mechanism of drug release using 3-D superhydrophobic materials that utilizes air as a removable barrier to control the rate at which drug is released. ... > full story

Can the economy bear what oil prices have in store? (January 27, 2012) -- The economic pain of a flattening oil supply will trump the environment as a reason to curb the use of fossil fuels, say scientists. ... > full story

Making better electronic memory (January 27, 2012) -- A rare combination of electric and magnetic properties in a now readily producible material could improve electronic memory devices. ... > full story

Improved ergonomics for wheelchair users: Anatomically designed seat developed for wheelchairs encourages user movement (January 27, 2012) -- Engineers have succeeded in developing an ergonomic seat for electric wheelchairs which encourages the user to move around frequently. The aim is to enhance the freedom of movement of wheelchair users with a range of disabilities. ... > full story

How seawater could corrode nuclear fuel (January 27, 2012) -- Japan used seawater to cool nuclear fuel at the stricken Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant after the tsunami in March 2011 -- and that was probably the best action to take at the time, say experts. But researchers have since discovered a new way in which seawater can corrode nuclear fuel, forming uranium compounds that could potentially travel long distances, either in solution or as very small particles. ... > full story

How to break Murphy's Law (January 27, 2012) -- Murphy's Law is a useful scapegoat for human error: "If something can go wrong, it will." But, a new study hopes to put paid to this unscientific excuse for errors by showing that the introduction of verification and checking procedures can improve structural safety and performance and so prevent the application of the "law". ... > full story

Rap music powers rhythmic action of medical sensor (January 27, 2012) -- The driving bass rhythm of rap music can be harnessed to power a new type of miniature medical sensor designed to be implanted in the body. ... > full story

Silk microneedles deliver controlled-release drugs painlessly (January 27, 2012) -- Bioengineers have developed a silk-based microneedle system able to deliver precise amounts of drugs over time and without refrigeration. Because they are made under normal temperature and pressure and from water, they can be loaded with sensitive biochemical compounds and maintain their activity prior to use. They are also biodegradable and biocompatible. The new system addresses drug delivery challenges, and could be applied to other biological storage applications. ... > full story

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: Can be used to distill alcohol (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