The EDGE: ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Saturday, February 11, 2012

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Saturday, February 11, 2012

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Electrical engineers build 'no-waste' laser (February 9, 2012) -- Researchers have built the smallest room-temperature nanolaser to date, as well as an even more startling device: a highly efficient, "thresholdless" laser that funnels all its photons into lasing, without any waste. ... > full story

'Dark plasmons' transmit energy (February 9, 2012) -- Microscopic channels of gold nanoparticles have the ability to transmit electromagnetic energy that starts as light and propagates via "dark plasmons," according to researchers. ... > full story

Hydrogen from acidic water: Potential low cost alternative to platinum for splitting water (February 9, 2012) -- A technique for creating a new molecule that structurally and chemically replicates the active part of the molybdenite catalyst paves the way for developing catalytic materials that can serve as effective low-cost alternatives to platinum for generating hydrogen gas from water. ... > full story

Chemists harvest light to create 'green' tool for pharmaceuticals (February 9, 2012) -- Researchers have created a new, “green” method for developing medicines. The researchers used energy from a light bulb to create an organic molecule that may be useful in the treatment of Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases. ... > full story

Seismic resistance: Model analyzes shape-memory alloys for use in earthquake-resistant structures (February 9, 2012) -- Recent earthquake damage has exposed the vulnerability of existing structures to strong ground movement. Researchers are now analyzing shape-memory alloys for their potential use in constructing seismic-resistant structures. ... > full story

New battery could lead to cheaper, more efficient solar energy (February 9, 2012) -- Scientists have found that a new type of battery has the potential to improve the efficiency and reduce the cost of solar power. ... > full story

Nanotube therapy takes aim at breast cancer stem cells (February 9, 2012) -- Researchers have again shown that injecting multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) into tumors and heating them with a quick, 30-second laser treatment can kill them. ... > full story

Barriers to the use of fingerprint evidence in court is unlocked by statistical model (February 9, 2012) -- Fingerprints that are potential key pieces of evidence in court currently are not being considered due to shortcomings in the way this evidence is reported. Now, a statistical model has been developed that enables the weight of fingerprint evidence to be expressed in quantitative terms, paving the way for its full inclusion in the process of identifying criminals, according to a new report. ... > full story

Piranha vs. Arapaima: Engineers find inspiration for new materials in piranha-proof armor (February 9, 2012) -- It's a matchup worthy of a late-night cable movie: put a school of starving piranha and a 300-pound fish together, and who comes out the winner? The surprising answer -- given the notorious guillotine-like bite of the piranha -- is Brazil's massive Arapaima fish. The secret to Arapaima's success lie in its intricately designed scales, which could provide "bioinspiration" for engineers looking to develop flexible ceramics. ... > full story

Mobile launcher tests confirm designs, NASA analysis concludes (February 9, 2012) -- The 355-foot-tall mobile launcher, or ML, behaved as expected during its move to Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in November 2011, an analysis of multiple sensors showed. The top of the tower swayed less than an inch each way. ... > full story

NASA small explorer mission celebrates 10 years and 40,000 X-ray flares (February 9, 2012) -- On February 5, 2002, NASA launched what was then called the High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (HESSI) into orbit. Renamed within months as the Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) after Reuven Ramaty, a deceased NASA scientist who had long championed the mission, the spacecraft's job was to observe giant explosions on the sun called solar flares. Ten years since its launch, RHESSI has observed more than 40,000 X-ray flares, helped craft and refine a model of how solar eruptions form, and fueled additional serendipitous science papers on such things as the shape of the sun and thunder-storm-produced gamma ray flashes. ... > full story

Mars-bound NASA rover carries coin for camera checkup (February 9, 2012) -- The camera at the end of the robotic arm on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has its own calibration target, a smartphone-size plaque that looks like an eye chart supplemented with color chips and an attached penny. When Curiosity lands on Mars in August, researchers will use this calibration target to test performance of the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager, or MAHLI. MAHLI's close-up inspections of Martian rocks and soil will show details so tiny, the calibration target includes reference lines finer than a human hair. This camera is not limited to close-ups, though. It can focus on any target from about a finger's-width away to the horizon. ... > full story