The EDGE: ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Friday, August 10, 2012

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Friday, August 10, 2012

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Evidence further suggests extra-terrestrial origin of quasicrystals (August 9, 2012) -- Results from an expedition to far eastern Russia that set out to find the origin of naturally occurring quasicrystals have provided convincing evidence that they arrived on Earth from outer space. Scientists reveal that new, naturally occurring quasicrystal samples have been found in an environment that does not have the extreme terrestrial conditions needed to produce them, therefore strengthening the case that they were brought to Earth by a meteorite. ... > full story

Tracking fruit flies to understand the function of the nervous system (August 9, 2012) -- Researchers at the Freie Universität Berlin, Germany and the Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona, Spain have designed open source software that allows tracking the position of Drosophila fruit flies as well as their larvae during behavioral experiments. The research appeared in two joint publications in the open access journal PLOS ONE. ... > full story

NASA's Curiosity beams back a color 360 of Mars' Gale Crater (August 9, 2012) -- The first images from Curiosity's color Mast Camera, or Mastcam, have been received by scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. The 130 low-resolution thumbnails, which were received Thursday morning, provide scientists and engineers of NASA's newest Mars rover their first color, horizon-to-horizon glimpse of Gale Crater. ... > full story

Computer scientists reveal how aquatic Olympic gold is captured -- above and below the surface (August 9, 2012) -- Computer scientists have isolated the movements of Olympic swimmers and divers through a cutting-edge technique that reveals their motions above and below the water’s surface. ... > full story

Scientist discovers plate tectonics on Mars (August 9, 2012) -- For years, many scientists had thought that plate tectonics existed nowhere in our solar system but on Earth. Now, a researcher has discovered that the geological phenomenon, which involves the movement of huge crustal plates beneath a planet's surface, also exists on Mars. ... > full story

Searching salt for answers about life on Earth, Mars (August 9, 2012) -- Researchers have discovered that not only is there evidence of liquid water on Mars, but the planet is also rich with magnesium sulfate. One of the questions researchers are seeking to answer is whether microbial life on Earth can grow at high concentrations of magnesium sulfate. ... > full story

ChemCam sends digital ‘thumbs up’: Martian landing area could be a boon for scientific study (August 9, 2012) -- Members of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover ChemCam team got a digital thumbs up about the operational readiness of their instrument just hours after the rover landed on Martian soil late Sunday evening. ... > full story

First 360-degree panorama from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover (August 9, 2012) -- Remarkable image sets from NASA's Curiosity rover and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are continuing to develop the story of Curiosity's landing and first days on Mars. The images from Curiosity's just-activated navigation cameras, or Navcams, include the rover's first self-portrait, looking down at its deck from above. ... > full story

Freezing magnetic monopoles: How dipoles become monopoles and vice versa (August 9, 2012) -- Scientists have sharpened the theoretical framework under which monopoles can be studied. ... > full story

Cheaper and cleaner catalyst for burning methane (August 9, 2012) -- Researchers have created a material that catalyzes the burning of methane 30 times better than do currently available catalysts. ... > full story

Solar power day and night: New storage systems control fluctuation of renewable energies (August 9, 2012) -- Energy storage systems are one of the key technologies for the energy turnaround. With their help, the fluctuating supply of electricity based on photovoltaics and wind power can be stored until the time of consumption. A number of pilot plants of solar cells, small wind power plants, lithium-ion batteries, and power electronics are now under construction to demonstrate how load peaks in the grid can be balanced and what regenerative power supply by an isolated network may look like in the future. ... > full story

Plenty of dark matter near the Sun (August 9, 2012) -- Astronomers have found large amounts of invisible "dark matter" near the Sun. Their results are inconsistent with the theory that the Milky Way Galaxy is surrounded by a massive "halo" of dark matter, but this is the first study of its kind to use a method rigorously tested against mock data from high quality simulations. The authors also find tantalizing hints of a new dark matter component in our Galaxy. ... > full story

Oh, my stars and hexagons! DNA code shapes gold nanoparticles (August 8, 2012) -- DNA holds the genetic code for all sorts of biological molecules and traits. But researchers have found that DNA's code can similarly shape metallic structures. The team found that DNA segments can direct the shape of gold nanoparticles -- tiny gold crystals that have many applications in medicine, electronics and catalysis. Each of the four DNA bases codes for a different gold particle shape: rough round particles, stars, flat round discs, and hexagons. ... > full story

Simple mathematical computations underlie brain circuits (August 8, 2012) -- Neuroscientists report that two major classes of brain cells repress neural activity in specific mathematical ways: One type subtracts from overall activation, while the other divides it. ... > full story

Shark teeth help scientists uncover predator's history (August 8, 2012) -- Biologists are studying living great whites and other sharks – as well as fossilized shark teeth – to gain insight into shark behavior and ancestry using the latest in computed tomography scans to analyze shark tooth anatomy, development and evolution. ... > full story

New phenomenon in nanodisk magnetic vortices (August 8, 2012) -- New findings suggest that the road to magnetic vortex RAM might be more difficult to navigate than previously supposed, but there might be unexpected rewards as well. Contrary to suppositions, the formation of magnetic vortices in ferromagnetic nanodisks is an asymmetric phenomenon. ... > full story

Researchers collect and reuse enzymes while maintaining bioactivity (August 8, 2012) -- Researchers are collecting and harvesting enzymes while maintaining the enzyme's bioactivity. The new model system may impact cancer research. ... > full story

New atmospheric compound tied to climate change, human health (August 8, 2012) -- Scientists have discovered a surprising new chemical compound in Earth's atmosphere that reacts with sulfur dioxide to form sulfuric acid, which is known to have significant impacts on climate and health. The new compound, a type of carbonyl oxide, is formed from the reaction of ozone with alkenes, which are a family of hydrocarbons with both natural and human-made sources. ... > full story

How a leaf beetle walks underwater (August 8, 2012) -- Insects are experts when it comes to adhesion on dry surfaces. However, in nature, plants may be covered by water for quite a long period of time, especially after rain. Scientists have now discovered the remarkable ability of the terrestrial leaf beetle to walk underwater. Picking up the beetle’s locomotion mechanism, they designed an artificial material, which sticks to surfaces underwater. ... > full story

Physics and math shed new light on biology by mapping the landscape of evolution (August 8, 2012) -- Researchers capture evolutionary dynamics in a new theoretical framework that could help explain some of the mysteries of how and why species change over time. ... > full story

New substances 15,000 times more effective in destroying chemical warfare agents (August 8, 2012) -- In an advance that could be used in masks to protect against nerve gas, scientists are reporting development of proteins that are up to 15,000 times more effective than their natural counterpart in destroying chemical warfare agents. ... > full story

Advanced explosives detector sniffs out previously undetectable amounts of TNT (August 8, 2012) -- With the best explosive detectors often unable to sniff out the tiny amounts of TNT released from terrorist bombs in airports and other public places, scientists are reporting a potential solution. New research describes the development of a device that concentrates TNT vapors in the air so that they become more detectable. ... > full story

Mockup Orion stack shows path to launch (August 8, 2012) -- The Vehicle Assembly Building's transfer aisle offered a glimpse of the future recently as a full-size Orion spacecraft mock-up was placed atop a model of the service module so engineers and technicians could determine the exact dimensions for connectors that will run from the launch pad structure to the spacecraft before liftoff. ... > full story

Mission success for MSL Entry, Descent, & Landing Instrument (MEDLI) (August 8, 2012) -- Mission success for the MSL Entry, Descent, & Landing Instrument (MEDLI) Suite. When the Curiosity rover touched down on the red planet Aug. 6 at 12:32 p.m. CDT, NASA MEDLI researchers were already cheering. The instrumentation payload, carried in the entry vehicle's heatshield, included an intricate array of sophisticated engineering sensors designed to measure heat, pressure and other conditions impacting the heatshield during atmospheric entry and descent. The shield is jettisoned prior to landing. ... > full story

Molecular economics: New computer models calculate systems-wide costs of gene expression (August 8, 2012) -- Bioengineers have developed a method of modeling, simultaneously, an organism's metabolism and its underlying gene expression. In the emerging field of systems biology, scientists model cellular behavior in order to understand how processes such as metabolism and gene expression relate to one another and bring about certain characteristics in the larger organism. ... > full story

First BOSS data: 3-D map of 500,000 galaxies, 100,000 quasars (August 8, 2012) -- Now available to the public: spectroscopic data from over 500,000 galaxies up to 7 billion light years away, over 100,000 quasars up to 11.5 billion light years away, and many thousands of other astronomical objects in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey's Data Release 9. This is the first data from BOSS, the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, the largest spectroscopic survey ever for measuring evolution of large-scale galactic structure. ... > full story

New global warming culprit: Methane emissions jump dramatically during dam drawdowns (August 8, 2012) -- Researchers have documented an underappreciated suite of players in global warming: dams, the water reservoirs behind them, and surges of greenhouse gases as water levels go up and down. In separate studies, researchers saw methane levels jump 20- and 36-fold during drawdowns. ... > full story

Orbiter images NASA's latest additions to Martian landscape (August 7, 2012) -- Late Monday night, an image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured the Curiosity rover and the components that helped it survive its seven-minute ordeal from space to its present location in Mars' Gale Crater. ... > full story

Transformed X-48c flies successfully (August 7, 2012) -- The remotely piloted X-48C aircraft successfully flew for the first time Aug. 7 at Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert. The aircraft, designed by The Boeing Co. and built by Cranfield Aerospace Limited of the United Kingdom, is flying again in partnership with NASA. The new X-48C model, which was formerly the X-48B Blended Wing Body aircraft, was modified to evaluate the low-speed stability and control of a low-noise version of a notional, future Hybrid Wing Body (HWB) aircraft design. The HWB design stems from concept studies being conducted by NASA's Environmentally Responsible Aviation project of future potential aircraft designs 20 years from now. ... > full story

Chemists advance clear conductive thin films (August 7, 2012) -- Thin, conductive films are useful in displays and solar cells. A new solution-based chemistry for making indium tin oxide films could allow engineers to employ a much simpler and cheaper manufacturing process. ... > full story

Nanoparticle discovery opens door for pharmaceuticals (August 7, 2012) -- What a student thought was a failed experiment has led to a serendipitous discovery hailed by some scientists as a potential game changer for the mass production of nanoparticles. ... > full story

California's hydropower stations to generate less electricity in summer as climate warms (August 7, 2012) -- California's hydropower is vulnerable to climate change, a scientist has advised policymakers. According to the scientist, if California loses snowpack under climate warming, high-elevation hydropower-plant reservoirs may not be able to store enough water for hydropower generation in summer months when the demand is much higher and hydropower is priced higher. ... > full story

Composite nanofibers open next chapter in orthopaedic biomaterials (August 7, 2012) -- Scientists have developed and validated a new technology in which composite nanofibrous scaffolds provide a loose enough structure for cells to colonize without impediment, but still can instruct cells how to lay down new tissue. ... > full story

Searching for tumors or handguns can be like looking for food (August 7, 2012) -- If past experience makes you think there's going to be one more cashew at the bottom of the bowl, you're likely to search through those mixed nuts a little longer. But what keeps the attention of a radiologist or baggage screener who can go hours without finding anything? The answer may be to make those professional searchers believe there are more targets to be found. ... > full story

Greater working memory capacity benefits analytic, but not creative, problem-solving (August 7, 2012) -- Psychological scientists have long known that the amount of information we can actively hold in mind at any given time – known as working memory – is limited. Our working memory capacity reflects our ability to focus and control attention and strongly influences our ability to solve problems. Psychological scientists find that while increased working memory capacity seems to boost mathematical problem-solving, it might actually get in the way of creative problem solving. ... > full story

A simple way to help cities monitor traffic more accurately (August 7, 2012) -- New software helps in-road traffic detectors count cars more accurately -- and save city planners money. ... > full story

What makes Paris look like Paris? Software finds stylistic core (August 7, 2012) -- Paris is one of those cities that has a look all its own, something that goes beyond landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower or Notre Dame. Researchers have developed visual data mining software that can automatically detect these sometimes subtle features, such as street signs, streetlamps and balcony railings, that give Paris and other cities a distinctive look. ... > full story

Advance in X-ray imaging shines light on nanomaterials (August 7, 2012) -- A new advance in X-ray imaging has revealed the dramatic three-dimensional shape of gold nanocrystals, and is likely to shine a light on the structure of other nano-scale materials. ... > full story

Higgs transition of north and south poles of electrons in a magnet (August 7, 2012) -- Minimal evidence of a Higgs transition;1 of north and south poles of electron spins was observed in a magnet Yb2Ti2O7 at the absolute temperature;2 0.21 K. A fractionalization of these monopoles from electron spins was observed on cooling to 0.3 K. On further cooling below 0.21 K, the material showed the ferromagnetism to be understood as a superconductivity of monopoles. The work is reported in an online science journal “Nature Communications” in UK on August 7, by an international collaboration team of Dr. Shigeki Onoda (Condensed Matter Theory Lab., RIKEN Advanced Science Institute), Dr. Lieh-Jeng Chang (Quantum Beam Science Dictorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency and Dept. of Physics, National Cheng Kung Univ.), and Dr. Yixi Su (Jülich Center for Neutron Science JCNS-FRM II, Forschungszentrum Jülich), and coworkers. ... > full story

Eco-computer with a natural wood look (August 7, 2012) -- Surfing for hours on the Internet consumes a lot of electricity and is harmful to the environment. However, a new ecological PC saves energy as it operates: It produces about 70 percent less CO2 than conventional computers. ... > full story

Using wastewater as fertilizer (August 7, 2012) -- Sewage sludge, wastewater and liquid manure are valuable sources of fertilizer for food production. Researchers have now developed a chemical-free, eco-friendly process that enables the recovered salts to be converted directly into organic food for crop plants. ... > full story

Bruce Willis couldn’t save us from asteroid doom (August 7, 2012) -- According to the internet hysteria surrounding the ancient Mayan calendar, an asteroid could be on its way to wipe out the world on December 21, 2012. Obviously this is pretty unlikely -- but if an asteroid really is on its way, could we take a cue from the disaster movie Armageddon in order to save the planet? According to new research the answer is definitely "no." ... > full story

Astronomers crack mystery of the 'monster' stars (August 7, 2012) -- In 2010 scientists discovered four ‘monster’ sized stars, with the heaviest more than 300 times as massive as our Sun. Despite their incredible luminosity, these exotic objects, located in the giant star cluster R136 in the nearby galaxy the Large Magellanic Cloud; have oddly so far been found nowhere else. Now a group of astronomers have a new explanation: the ultramassive stars were created from the merger of lighter stars in tight binary systems. ... > full story

New metamaterials device focuses sound waves like a camera lens (August 7, 2012) -- Researchers have designed and computationally tested a type of humanmade metamaterial capable for the first time of manipulating a variety of acoustic waves with one simple device. ... > full story

New Mars rover beams back images showing its descent (August 7, 2012) -- Just hours after NASA's Curiosity rover landed on Mars, a select group of images taken by the onboard Mars Descent Imager, or MARDI, were beamed back to Earth. The 297 color, low-resolution images, provide a glimpse of the rover's descent into Gale Crater. They are a preview of the approximately 1,504 images of descent currently held in the rover's onboard memory. When put together in highest resolution, the resulting video is expected to depict the rover's descent from the moment the entry system's heat shield is released through touchdown. ... > full story

Extreme plasma theories put to the test (August 6, 2012) -- The first controlled studies of extremely hot, dense matter have overthrown the widely accepted 50-year-old model used to explain how ions influence each other's behavior in a dense plasma. The results should benefit a wide range of fields, from research aimed at tapping nuclear fusion as an energy source to understanding the inner workings of stars. ... > full story

Researchers unlock secret of the rare 'twinned rainbow' (August 6, 2012) -- Scientists have yet to fully unravel the mysteries of rainbows, but a group of researchers have used simulations of these natural wonders to unlock the secret to a rare optical phenomenon known as the twinned rainbow. ... > full story

USGS science goes to Mars (August 6, 2012) -- With the Mars rover Curiosity's successful landing Sunday, Aug. 5, at 10:32 p.m. PDT, U.S. Geological Survey scientists continue their strategic role in the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), the most advanced mission yet to explore whether the Red Planet has ever offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life. ... > full story