The EDGE: ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Wednesday, February 8, 2012

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Wednesday, February 8, 2012

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Mars Express radar yields strong evidence of ocean that once covered part of Red Planet (February 7, 2012) -- ESA's Mars Express has returned strong evidence for an ocean once covering part of Mars. Using radar, it has detected sediments reminiscent of an ocean floor within the boundaries of previously identified, ancient shorelines on Mars. ... > full story

Metabolic 'breathalyzer' reveals early signs of disease (February 6, 2012) -- The future of disease diagnosis may lie in a “breathalyzer”-like technology currently under development. ... > full story

NASA's Juno spacecraft refines its path to Jupiter (February 6, 2012) -- NASA's solar-powered Juno spacecraft successfully refined its flight path Feb. 1 with the mission's first trajectory correction maneuver. The maneuver is the first of a dozen planned rocket firings that, over the next five years, will keep Juno on course for its rendezvous with Jupiter. ... > full story

More environmental rules needed for shale gas, says geophysicist (February 6, 2012) -- In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama praised the potential of the country's tremendous supply of natural gas buried in shale. But the "Halliburton exclusion" passed by Congress says gas companies don't have to disclose the chemicals used in fracturing fluids. That was a real mistake because it makes the public needlessly paranoid, says a geophysicist. ... > full story

PET techniques provide more accurate diagnosis, prognosis in challenging breast cancer cases (February 6, 2012) -- Researchers are revealing how molecular imaging can be used to solve mysteries about difficult cases of breast cancer. One recent article focuses on an imaging agent that targets estrogen receptors in estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer patients with formerly inconclusive assessments, and the second highlights a different imaging agent's ability to help predict the prognosis for patients undergoing chemotherapy for a very aggressive type of breast cancer. ... > full story

Playing RFID tag with sheets of paper (February 6, 2012) -- Researchers in France have developed a way to deposit a thin aluminum RFID tag onto paper that not only reduces the amount of metal needed for the tag, and so the cost, but could open up RFID tagging to many more systems, even allowing a single printed sheet or flyer to be tagged. ... > full story

Engineers weld nanowires with light (February 6, 2012) -- At the nano level, researchers have discovered a new way to weld together meshes of tiny wires. Their work could lead to exciting new electronics and solar applications. To succeed, they called upon plasmonics. ... > full story

Early study suggests nanodiamonds safe for implants (February 5, 2012) -- As the number of knee and hip joint replacements grows, nanodiamond coatings could answer problems related to metal surfaces. ... > full story

To make a social robot, key is satisfying the human mind (February 3, 2012) -- Understanding the human mind is the key to social robotics, and researchers describe what we can expect from this field in the future. ... > full story

Classic portrait of a barred spiral galaxy (February 3, 2012) -- The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has taken a picture of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1073, which is found in the constellation of Cetus (The Sea Monster). Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is a similar barred spiral, and the study of galaxies such as NGC 1073 helps astronomers learn more about our celestial home. ... > full story

Schizophrenia: When hallucinatory voices suppress real ones, new electronic application may help (February 3, 2012) -- When a patient afflicted with schizophrenia hears inner voices something is taking place inside the brain that prevents the individual from perceiving real voices. A simple electronic application may help the patient learn to shift focus. ... > full story

Surface of Mars an unlikely place for life after 600-million-year drought, say scientists (February 3, 2012) -- Mars may have been arid for more than 600 million years, making it too hostile for any life to survive on the planet’s surface, according to researchers who have been carrying out the painstaking task of analyzing individual particles of Martian soil. ... > full story

Judder-free videos on the smartphone (February 3, 2012) -- Overloaded cellular networks can get annoying – especially when you want to watch a video on your smartphone. An optimized Radio Resource Manager will soon be able to help network operators accommodate heavy network traffic. ... > full story

Google Earth ocean terrain receives major update: Data sharpen resolution of seafloor maps, correct 'discovery' of Atlantis (February 2, 2012) -- Internet information giant Google updated ocean data in its Google Earth application this week, reflecting new bathymetry data assembled by researchers from around the world. The newest version of Google Earth includes more accurate imagery in several key areas of ocean using data collected by research cruises over the past three years. ... > full story

Hand counts of votes may cause errors (February 2, 2012) -- Hand counting of votes in postelection audit or recount procedures can result in error rates of up to two percent, according to a new study. ... > full story

Unraveling a butterfly's aerial antics could help builders of bug-size flying robots (February 2, 2012) -- By figuring out how butterflies flutter among flowers with amazing grace and agility, researchers hope to help build small airborne robots that can mimic those maneuvers. ... > full story

New way to study ground fractures (February 2, 2012) -- Geophysics researchers have created a new way to study fractures by producing elastic waves, or vibrations, through using high-intensity light focused directly on the fracture itself. ... > full story

Millisecond pulsar paradox: Stellar astrophysics helps explain behavior of fast rotating neutron stars in binary systems (February 2, 2012) -- Pulsars are among the most exotic celestial bodies known. They have diameters of about 20 kilometers, but at the same time roughly the mass of our sun. A sugar-cube sized piece of its ultra-compact matter on Earth would weigh hundreds of millions of tons. A sub-class of them, known as millisecond pulsars, spin up to several hundred times per second around their own axes. Previous studies reached the paradoxical conclusion that some millisecond pulsars are older than the universe itself. Now this paradox may be solved by computer simulations, new research shows. ... > full story

New super-Earth detected within the habitable zone of a nearby cool star (February 2, 2012) -- Sientists have discovered a potentially habitable super-Earth orbiting a nearby star. The star is a member of a triple star system and has a different makeup than our Sun, being relatively lacking in metallic elements. This discovery demonstrates that habitable planets could form in a greater variety of environments than previously believed. ... > full story

Graphene electronics moves into a third dimension (February 2, 2012) -- Wonder material graphene has been touted as the next silicon, with one major problem -- it is too conductive to be used in computer chips. Now scientists have given its prospects a new lifeline. Scientists have now literally opened a third dimension in graphene research. Their research shows a transistor that may prove the missing link for graphene to become the next silicon. ... > full story

Hubble zooms in on a magnified galaxy (February 2, 2012) -- Astronomers aimed Hubble at one of the most striking examples of gravitational lensing, a nearly 90-degree arc of light in the galaxy cluster RCS2 032727-132623. Hubble's view of the distant background galaxy, which lies nearly 10 billion light-years away, is significantly more detailed than could ever be achieved without the help of the gravitational lens. ... > full story

Do black holes help stars form? (February 2, 2012) -- The center of just about every galaxy is thought to host a black hole, some with masses of thousands of millions of Suns and consequently strong gravitational pulls that disrupt material around them. They had been thought to hinder the birth of stars, but now astronomers studying the nearby galaxy Centaurus A have found quite the opposite: a black hole that seems to be helping stars to form. ... > full story

Biosolar breakthrough promises cheap, easy green electricity (February 2, 2012) -- Scientists are turning the term "power plant" on its head. A team of researchers has developed a system that taps into photosynthetic processes to produce efficient and inexpensive energy. ... > full story

NASA mission returns first video from moon's far side (February 1, 2012) -- A camera aboard one of NASA's twin Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) lunar spacecraft has returned its first unique view of the far side of the moon. MoonKAM, or Moon Knowledge Acquired by Middle school students, will be used by students nationwide to select lunar images for study. ... > full story

Facebook is not such a good thing for those with low self-esteem, study finds (February 1, 2012) -- In theory, the social networking website Facebook could be great for people with low self-esteem. Sharing is important for improving friendships. But in practice, people with low self-esteem seem to behave counterproductively, bombarding their friends with negative tidbits about their lives and making themselves less likeable, according to a new study. ... > full story

Building a better light bulb: Energy efficient organic LEDs (February 1, 2012) -- Incandescent light bulbs are energy hogs, but many people prefer them for the cozy quality of light they emit. Scientists in Germany have set out to build energy efficient organic LED (OLED) lights that could rival incandescent bulbs in white-light color quality. ... > full story

Precision time: A matter of atoms, clocks, and statistics (February 1, 2012) -- The ability to accurately measure a second in time is at the heart of many essential technologies; the most recognizable may be the Global Positioning System (GPS). A new paper addresses how achieving a stable and coordinated global measure of time requires more than just the world's most accurate timepieces; it also requires approximately 400 atomic clocks working as an ensemble. ... > full story

Powering pacemakers with heartbeat vibrations (February 1, 2012) -- Aerospace engineers have developed a prototype device that could power a pacemaker using a source that is surprisingly close to the heart of the matter: vibrations in the chest cavity that are due mainly to heartbeats. ... > full story

Self-assembling nanorods: Researchers obtain 1-, 2- and 3-D nanorod arrays and networks (February 1, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a relatively fast, easy and inexpensive technique for inducing nanorods to self-assemble into aligned and ordered macroscopic structures. This technique should enable more effective use of nanorods in solar cells, magnetic storage devices and sensors, and boost the electrical and mechanical properties of nanorod-polymer composites. ... > full story

Sun delivered curveball of powerful radiation at Earth (February 1, 2012) -- A potent follow-up solar flare, which occurred Jan. 17, 2012, just days after the Sun launched the biggest coronal mass ejection seen in nearly a decade, delivered a powerful radiation punch to Earth's magnetic field despite the fact that it was aimed away from our planet. ... > full story

Nano-oils keep the electronic devices really cool (February 1, 2012) -- Scientists have created a nano-infused oil that could greatly enhance the ability of devices as large as electrical transformers and as small as microelectronic components to shed excess heat. ... > full story

Scientists help define structure of exoplanets (February 1, 2012) -- Using models similar to those used in weapons research, scientists may soon know more about exoplanets, those objects beyond the realm of our solar system. Astronomers have come up with new methods for deriving and testing the equation of state of matter in exoplanets and figured out the mass-radius and mass-pressure relations for materials relevant to planetary interiors. ... > full story

'Life and activity monitor' provides portable, constant recording of vital signs (February 1, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a type of wearable, non-invasive electronic device that can monitor vital signs such as heart rate and respiration at the same time it records a person's activity level, opening new opportunities for biomedical research, diagnostics and patient care. ... > full story

Scientists confirm first 'frequency comb' to probe ultraviolet wavelengths (February 1, 2012) -- Physicists have created the first "frequency comb" in the extreme ultraviolet band of the spectrum, high-energy light less than 100 nanometers in wavelength. Laser-generated frequency combs are the most accurate method available for precisely measuring frequencies, or colors, of light. The new tool can aid in the development of "nuclear clocks" based on ticks in the nuclei of atoms, and measurements of previously unexplored behavior in atoms and molecules. ... > full story

Spider web's strength lies in more than its silk (February 1, 2012) -- A study that combines experimental observations of spider webs with complex computer simulations has shown that web durability depends not only on silk strength, but on how overall web design compensates for damage and the response of individual strands to continuously varying stresses. ... > full story

New technology shows molecules and cells in action (February 1, 2012) -- A new affinity capture device provides a platform for viewing cancer cells and other macromolecules in dynamic, life-sustaining liquid environments. ... > full story

Brain capacity limits exponential online data growth (February 1, 2012) -- Scientists have found that the capacity of the human brain to process and record information - and not economic constraints - may constitute the dominant limiting factor for the overall growth of globally stored information. ... > full story

Quarter of tweets not worth reading, Twitter users tell researchers (February 1, 2012) -- Twitter users choose the microblogs they follow, but that doesn't mean they always like what they get. Researchers found that users say only a little more than a third of the tweets they receive are worthwhile. Other tweets are either so-so or, in one out of four cases, not worth reading at all. ... > full story

Artificial intelligence: Getting better at the age guessing game (February 1, 2012) -- The active learning algorithm is faster and more accurate in guessing the age of an individual than conventional algorithms. ... > full story

Data storage: Magnetic memories (February 1, 2012) -- Magnetic random-access memory based on new spin transfer technology achieves higher storage density by packing multiple bits of data into each memory cell. ... > full story

New tool determines value of solar photovoltaic power systems (February 1, 2012) -- Consistent appraisals of real estate outfitted with photovoltaic installations are a challenge for the nation's real estate industry, but a new tool addresses that issue. ... > full story

Stellar nursery: A pocket of star formation (February 1, 2012) -- A new view shows a stellar nursery called NGC 3324. It was taken using the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. The intense ultraviolet radiation from several of NGC 3324's hot young stars causes the gas cloud to glow with rich colors and has carved out a cavity in the surrounding gas and dust. ... > full story

Breakthrough in understanding ultrafast magnetism (February 1, 2012) -- Scientists from The Netherlands, Sweden and Ukraine claim a breakthrough in the theory of ultrafast magnetic phenomena. ... > full story

Genes linked to cancer could be easier to detect with liquid lasers (January 31, 2012) -- Using a liquid laser, researchers have developed a better way to detect the slight genetic mutations that might predispose a person to a particular type of cancer or other diseases. ... > full story

'Your password is invalid': Improving website password practices (January 31, 2012) -- Internet users are increasingly asked to register with a user name and password before being able to access the content of many sites. Researchers have now identified impediments to efficient password creation and provided design strategies for enhancing the user experience. ... > full story

Risk-based passenger screening could make air travel safer (January 31, 2012) -- Intensive screening of all airline passengers actually makes the system less secure by overtaxing security resources, while risk-based methods increase overall security, according to new research. The researchers developed three algorithms dealing with risk uncertainty in the passenger population. Then, they ran simulations to demonstrate how their algorithms could estimate risk in the overall passenger population and how errors in this estimation procedure can be mitigated to reduce the risk to the overall system. ... > full story

Ultra-fast photodetector and terahertz generator (January 31, 2012) -- Photodetectors made from graphene can process and conduct light signals as well as electric signals extremely fast. Within picoseconds the optical stimulation of graphene generates a photocurrent. Until now, none of the available methods were fast enough to measure these processes in graphene. Scientists have now developed a method to measure the temporal dynamics of this photo current. Furthermore they discovered that graphene can emit terahertz radiation. ... > full story

IBEX spacecraft measures 'alien' particles from outside solar system (January 31, 2012) -- Using data from NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer spacecraft, an international team of researchers has measured neutral "alien" particles entering our solar system from interstellar space. A suite of studies provides a first look at the constituents of the interstellar medium, the matter between star systems, and how they interact with our heliosphere. ... > full story