The EDGE: ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Friday, June 29, 2012

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Friday, June 29, 2012

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Palladium-gold nanoparticles clean TCE a billion times faster than iron filings (June 27, 2012) -- In the first side-by-side tests of a half-dozen palladium- and iron-based catalysts for cleaning up the carcinogen TCE, scientists have found that palladium destroys TCE far faster than iron -- up to a billion times faster in some cases. ... > full story

New planet-weighing technique found (June 27, 2012) -- Although there have been about 800 extra-solar planets discovered so far in our galaxy, the precise masses of the majority of them are still unknown, as the most-common planet-finding technique provides only a general idea of an object's mass. Previously, the only way to determine a planet's exact mass was if it transits. Astronomers have, for the first time, determined the mass of a non-transiting planet. ... > full story

Injecting life-saving oxygen into a vein (June 27, 2012) -- Patients unable to breathe because of acute lung failure or an obstructed airway need another way to get oxygen to their blood -- and fast -- to avoid cardiac arrest and brain injury. Medical researchers have designed tiny, gas-filled microparticles that can be injected directly into the bloodstream to quickly oxygenate the blood. ... > full story

New way of probing exoplanet atmospheres (June 27, 2012) -- For the first time a new technique has allowed astronomers to study the atmosphere of an exoplanet in detail -- even though it does not pass in front of its parent star. Astronomers have used ESO's Very Large Telescope to directly catch the faint glow from the planet Tau Boötis b, solving a 15-year-old problem. The team also finds that the planet's atmosphere seems to be cooler higher up, differently from the expected. ... > full story

Scientists measure soot particles in flight (June 27, 2012) -- For the first time, air-polluting soot particles have been imaged in flight down to nanometer resolution. Pioneering a new technique scientists snapped the most detailed images yet of airborne aerosols. ... > full story

Easier way to make new drug compounds (June 27, 2012) -- Scientists have developed a powerful new technique for manipulating the building-block molecules of organic chemistry. The technique enables chemists to add new functional molecules to previously hard-to-reach positions on existing compounds—making it easier for them to generate new drugs and other organic chemicals. ... > full story

ALMA reveals constituent of a galaxy at 12.4 billion light-years away (June 27, 2012) -- How and when did galaxies with hundreds of billions of stars form and evolve? The sun, which is the center of the solar system in which we live, is also only one of the countless stars contained within a galaxy. In brief, it can be said that we need to understand the evolution of galaxies to understand the world we live in. ... > full story

A step toward minute factories that produce medicine inside the body (June 27, 2012) -- Scientists are reporting an advance toward treating disease with minute capsules containing not drugs -- but the DNA and other biological machinery for making the drug. They describe engineering micro- and nano-sized capsules that contain the genetically coded instructions, plus the read-out gear and assembly line for protein synthesis that can be switched on with an external signal. ... > full story

Ability to estimate quantity increases in first 30 years of life (June 27, 2012) -- One of the basic elements of cognition -- the ability to estimate quantities -- grows more precise across the first 30 years or more of a person's life, according to researchers. This intuitive grasp of numbers, also called an approximate number sense, or ANS, is tied to concrete math skills at every stage of life, the researchers found. ... > full story

Most new pesticides have roots in natural substances (June 27, 2012) -- Scientists who search for new pesticides for use in humanity's battle of the bugs and other threats to the food supply have been learning lessons from Mother Nature, according to a new analysis. It concludes that more than two out of every three new pesticide active ingredients approved in recent years had roots in natural substances produced in plants or animals. ... > full story

New technique controls crystalline structure of titanium dioxide (June 27, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a new technique for controlling the crystalline structure of titanium dioxide at room temperature. The development should make titanium dioxide more efficient in a range of applications, including photovoltaic cells, hydrogen production, antimicrobial coatings, smart sensors and optical communication technologies. ... > full story

First 3-D nanoscale optical cavities from metamaterials: Hold promise for nanolasers, LEDs, optical sensors (June 27, 2012) -- Researchers have created the world's smallest three-dimensional optical cavities with the potential to generate the world's most intense nanolaser beams. In addition to nanolasers, these unique optical cavities should be applicable to a broad range of other technologies, including LEDs, optical sensing, nonlinear optics, quantum optics and photonic integrated circuits. ... > full story

Plasma fingers point to the taming of the edge localized modes (June 27, 2012) -- New images from the MAST device at Culham Centre for Fusion Energy could find a solution to one of the biggest plasma physics problems standing in the way of the development of fusion power. ... > full story

Positive at last: A pure phosphorus cation (June 27, 2012) -- Ever since Hennig Brand's discovery in 1669, elementary phosphorus has fascinated chemists around the world. It is industrially produced by the ton and its compounds have numerous applications in materials science and the life sciences. The main known forms of the element are white, red, and black phosphorus. Chemists have now succeeded in creating a positively charged pure phosphorus compound. ... > full story

Self-healing dynamic membrane (June 27, 2012) -- The market for membranes, porous materials used mainly to filter liquids, is booming. However, their design leaves room for improvement. Taking their inspiration from cellular membranes, researchers have developed the first dynamic membrane for water filtration which, depending on the water pressure, can adjust the size of its pores in an autonomous manner. ... > full story

Mars rover Curiosity on track for early August landing (June 26, 2012) -- A maneuver on Tuesday (June 26, 2012) adjusted the flight path of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft for delivering the rover Curiosity to a landing target beside a Martian mountain. ... > full story

Marine energy doubled by predicting wave power (June 26, 2012) -- The energy generated from our oceans could be doubled using new methods for predicting wave power. New research could pave the way for significant advancements in marine renewable energy, making it a more viable source of power. The researchers devised a means of accurately predicting the power of the next wave in order to make the technology far more efficient, extracting twice as much energy as is currently possible. ... > full story

Lab-on-a-chip detects trace levels of toxic vapors in homes near Utah Air Force Base (June 26, 2012) -- A lab-on-a-chip technology that measures trace amounts of air contaminants in homes was successfully field-tested. ... > full story

Musical robot companion enhances listener experience (June 26, 2012) -- Wedding DJs everywhere should be worried about job security now that a new robot is on the scene. Shimi, an interactive musical companion recommends songs, dances to the beat and keeps the music pumping based on listener feedback. ... > full story

Sifting through a trillion electrons (June 26, 2012) -- Modern research tools like supercomputers, particle colliders, and telescopes are generating so much data, so quickly, many scientists fear that soon they will not be able to keep up with the deluge. ... > full story

Denser development is good for single-family home values (June 26, 2012) -- A study shows that, contrary to popular belief, there’s a positive association between higher neighborhood density and the value of single-family residential properties. ... > full story

Scientists find new primitive mineral in meteorite (June 26, 2012) -- In 1969, an exploding fireball tore through the sky over Mexico, scattering thousands of pieces of meteorite across the state of Chihuahua. More than 40 years later, the Allende meteorite is still serving the scientific community as a rich source of information about the early stages of our solar system's evolution. Recently, scientists discovered a new mineral embedded in the space rock -- one they believe to be among the oldest minerals formed in the solar system. ... > full story

National Research Council presents long-term priorities for U.S. nuclear physics program (June 26, 2012) -- Nuclear physics is a discovery-driven enterprise aimed at understanding the fundamental nature of visible matter in the universe. For the past hundred years, new knowledge of the nuclear world has also directly benefited society through many innovative applications. In its fourth decadal survey of nuclear physics, the National Research Council outlines the impressive accomplishments of the field in the last decade and recommends a long-term strategy for the future. ... > full story

Tiny magnetic coils modulate neural activity, may be safer for deep-brain implants (June 26, 2012) -- Magnetic fields generated by microscopic devices implanted into the brain may be able to modulate brain-cell activity and reduce symptoms of several neurological disorders. ... > full story

Structure of new superhard form of carbon established (June 26, 2012) -- Researchers have established the structure of a new form of carbon. The team used a novel computational method to demonstrate that the properties of what had previously been thought to be only a hypothetical structure of a superhard form of carbon called "M-carbon" matched perfectly the experimental data on “superhard graphite.” ... > full story

Gravitational lensing: Astronomers spot rare arc from hefty galaxy cluster (June 26, 2012) -- Seeing is believing, except when you don't believe what you see. Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have found a puzzling arc of light behind an extremely massive cluster of galaxies residing 10 billion light-years away. The galactic grouping, discovered by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, was observed as it existed when the universe was roughly a quarter of its current age of 13.7 billion years. The giant arc is the stretched shape of a more distant galaxy whose light is distorted by the monster cluster's powerful gravity, an effect called gravitational lensing. The trouble is, the arc shouldn't exist. ... > full story

Reaching, researching between stars: Astronomers use Lonestar supercomputer to explore role of dark matter in galaxy formation (June 26, 2012) -- A new study reveals that dark matter is more distributed than predictions previously stated. Researchers used the TACC Lonestar supercomputer to simulate thousands of galaxy models based on the information retrieved at the McDonald Observatory and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. ... > full story

Better surfaces could help dissipate heat (June 26, 2012) -- Researchers at MIT have found that relatively simple, microscale roughening of a surface can dramatically enhance its transfer of heat. Such an approach could be far less complex and more durable than approaches that enhance heat transfer through smaller patterning in the nanometer (billionths of a meter) range. The new research also provides a theoretical framework for analyzing the behavior of such systems, pointing the way to even greater improvements. ... > full story

Make me an offer, say online shoppers (June 26, 2012) -- Online shoppers would rather receive an offer for a product or service than make their own offer, according to a new study that has implications for the fast-growing e-commerce industry. ... > full story

Thunderstorms have longer reach than thought: Storm researcher calls for new air safety guidelines (June 26, 2012) -- Aircraft turbulence guidelines should be rewritten after new research revealed thunderstorms could produce unexpected turbulence more than 100 km away from storm cells. ... > full story

Seeing inside tissue for no-cut surgeries: Researchers develop technique to focus light inside biological tissue (June 26, 2012) -- Imagine if doctors could perform surgery without ever having to cut through your skin. Or if they could diagnose cancer by seeing tumors inside the body with a procedure that is as simple as an ultrasound. Thanks to a new technique, all of that may be possible in the not-so-distant future. ... > full story

Rewriting quantum chips with a beam of light: Laser technique brings ultrafast computing closer to reality (June 26, 2012) -- The promise of ultrafast quantum computing has moved a step closer to reality with a technique to create rewritable computer chips using a beam of light. Researchers used light to control the spin of an atom's nucleus in order to encode information. ... > full story

Scientists spark new interest in the century-old Edison battery (June 26, 2012) -- Scientists have dramatically improved the performance of Thomas Edison's nickel-iron battery. The enhanced device could be used in electric vehicles, much as Edison originally envisioned. ... > full story

Cheaper cell phones with better signal quality: World's most powerful nanoscale microwave oscillators developed (June 26, 2012) -- Researchers have developed the world's most powerful nanoscale microwave oscillators. The new electron spin-based oscillators use a spin-transfer torque magnetoresistive random access memory or STT-RAM, which has great potential over other types of memory currently in use for both speed and power efficiency. The new oscillators could lead to mobile communication devices that are less expensive to manufacture and deliver a much better signal quality. ... > full story

iPad 2 and other tablet computers may interfere with magnetically programmable shunt valve settings (June 26, 2012) -- Researchers find that magnets within the Apple iPad 2 tablet may interfere with the settings of magnetically programmable shunt devices, resulting in a shunt malfunction until the problem is discovered and the valve readjusted. ... > full story

New toilet turns human waste into electricity and fertilizer (June 26, 2012) -- Scientists have invented a new toilet system that will turn human waste into electricity and fertilizers and also reduce the amount of water needed for flushing by up to 90 per cent compared to current toilet systems in Singapore. ... > full story

Nanodiamonds cut through dirt to bring back 'bling' to low temperature laundry (June 26, 2012) -- Nanodiamonds, pieces of carbon less than ten-thousandths the diameter of a human hair, have been found to help loosen crystallized fat from surfaces in a project that transforms the ability of washing powders to shift dirt in eco-friendly low-temperature laundry cycles. ... > full story

The Internet of things: Smart houses, smart traffic, smart health (June 26, 2012) -- 'The Internet of Things' involves the technology we use when the things around us are 'talking' to each other. The chips and sensors that identify these things also enable them to 'talk' to each other, or talk via the Internet and thus share and transfer information to the rest of the world. The fridge can tell you that a chicken fillet is on the verge if its expiry date. Your electric car can transfer power back to the grid so that it doesn't become overcharged, and if you have a chronic illness, you can be medically monitored and cared for via wireless sensor systems. We will soon have smart houses, smart traffic and smart health. Technology optimists claim that IoT technology will be the vital missing link enabling us to meet the major challenges associated with climate change, energy efficiency, mobility and future health services. The new technology will also create new products, new services, new interfaces and new applications. ... > full story

Researchers develop new method for analyzing cell function (June 26, 2012) -- Researchers have developed an open-source software that will make it significantly easier to process bioimaging data. The software, named BioImageXD, will help in analyzing cell and tissue functions. ... > full story

Cartilage regeneration for bone and joint repair is closer for patients, researchers say (June 26, 2012) -- Biomedical engineering researchers say better implantable sensors and cartilage-growing techniques are making engineered cartilage a clinical reality for patients suffering from joint damage. ... > full story

Math formula leads researchers to source of pollution (June 25, 2012) -- The leaking of environmentally damaging pollutants into our waters and atmosphere could soon be counteracted by a simple mathematical algorithm, according to researchers. ... > full story

Mercury mineral evolution tied to Supercontinent assembly over last 3 billion years (June 25, 2012) -- Mineral evolution posits that Earth's near-surface mineral diversity gradually increased through an array of chemical and biological processes. A dozen different species in interstellar dust particles that formed the solar system have evolved to more than 4500 species today. New work demonstrates that the creation of most minerals containing mercury is fundamentally linked to several episodes of supercontinent assembly over the last 3 billion years. ... > full story

Scientists struggle with mathematical details, study by biologists finds (June 25, 2012) -- Many people remember struggling with maths at school, but few of us would expect that professional scientists suffer from a similar problem in their daily work. A new study shows that scientists tend to overlook their colleagues' research if it is packed full of mathematical equations. ... > full story

Biological switch paves way for improved biofuel production (June 25, 2012) -- A mechanism that controls the way organisms breathe or photosynthesize has been discovered by scientists. The research could pave the way for improved biofuel production. ... > full story

Citizen science: Study allows thousands to test 'gut sense' for numbers (June 25, 2012) -- A first-of-its kind study using the World Wide Web to collect data from more than 10,000 study subjects ages 11 to 85 found that humans' inborn "number sense" improves during school years, declines during old age, and remains linked throughout the entire lifespan to academic mathematics achievement. ... > full story

Cassini shows why jet streams cross-cut Saturn (June 25, 2012) -- Turbulent jet streams, regions where winds blow faster than in other places, churn east and west across Saturn. Scientists have been trying to understand for years the mechanism that drives these wavy structures in Saturn's atmosphere and the source from which the jets derive their energy. ... > full story

Scientists twist light to send data: Beams of light can be twisted and combined to transmit data dramatically faster (June 25, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a system of transmitting data using twisted beams of light at ultra-high speeds -- up to 2.56 terabits per second. ... > full story

Unraveling the mysteries of exotic superconductors: Magnetism may be responsible for superconductivity in iron-based superconductors (June 25, 2012) -- Scientists are using specialized techniques to help unravel the mysteries of iron-based superconductors. An international collaboration that magnetism may be helping or even responsible for superconductivity in iron-based superconductors. ... > full story