The EDGE: ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Thursday, August 16, 2012

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Thursday, August 16, 2012

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Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spectrometer detects helium in moon's atmosphere (August 15, 2012) -- Scientists using the Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) spectrometer aboard NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) have made the first spectroscopic observations of the noble gas helium in the tenuous atmosphere surrounding the Moon. ... > full story

Designing tiny molecules that glow in water to shed light on biological processes (August 15, 2012) -- Scientists have developed a way to switch fluorescent molecules on and off within aqueous environments, by strategically trapping the molecules inside water-soluble particles and controlling them with ultraviolet light. ... > full story

First direct observations of quantum effects in an optomechanical system (August 15, 2012) -- Using a unique optical trapping system that provides ensembles of ultracold atoms, scientists have recorded the first direct observations of distinctly quantum optical effects -- amplification and squeezing -- in an optomechanical system. Their findings point the way toward low-power quantum optical devices and enhanced detection of gravitational waves among other possibilities. ... > full story

New nanoparticles shrink tumors in mice (August 15, 2012) -- Researchers have developed RNA-delivering nanoparticles that allow for rapid screening of new drug targets in mice. In a study of mice with ovarian tumors, the researchers found that treatment with the RNAi nanoparticles eliminated most of the tumors. ... > full story

Phoenix cluster sets record pace at forming stars (August 15, 2012) -- Astronomers have found an extraordinary galaxy cluster, one of the largest objects in the universe, that is breaking several important cosmic records. Observations of the Phoenix cluster with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, the National Science Foundation's South Pole Telescope, and eight other world-class observatories may force astronomers to rethink how these colossal structures and the galaxies that inhabit them evolve. ... > full story

New report presents research program for solar and space physics over the next decade (August 15, 2012) -- A new report from the National Research Council presents a prioritized program of basic and applied research for 2013-2022 that will advance scientific understanding of the sun. ... > full story

Behaviors of the tiniest water droplets revealed (August 15, 2012) -- A new study has uncovered fundamental details about the hexamer structures that make up the tiniest droplets of water, the key component of life -- and one that scientists still don't fully understand. ... > full story

Future increases in US natural gas exports and domestic prices may not be as large as thought (August 15, 2012) -- Amid policy debate over potential liquefied natural gas exports from the United States, a new article predicts the long-term volume of exports from the US will not likely be very large. ... > full story

New method to remove phosphorus from wastewater (August 15, 2012) -- Researchers are developing a new method of removing phosphorus from wastewater -- a problem seriously affecting lakes and streams across the United States. ... > full story

Recreating a slice of the universe: Computational approach follows thousands of galaxies over billions of years (August 15, 2012) -- Scientists have invented a new computational approach that can accurately follow the birth and evolution of thousands of galaxies over billions of years. For the first time it is now possible to build a universe from scratch that brims with galaxies like we observe around us. ... > full story

Novel nano-structures to realize hydrogen's energy potential (August 15, 2012) -- Using a unique nanostructure, researchers have demonstrated for the first time that a promising hydrogen storage material can release and reabsorb energy. ... > full story

This is not a pipe: Curious dark Pipe Nebula seen as never before (August 15, 2012) -- Just as René Magritte wrote “This is not a pipe” on his famous painting, this is also not a pipe. It is however a picture of part of a vast dark cloud of interstellar dust called the Pipe Nebula. By coincidence this image is appearing on the 45th anniversary of the painter’s death. ... > full story

Structure of superheavy elements in 'island of stability': Nucleus 256Rf can now be studied in depth (August 15, 2012) -- One of the most sought-after goals in nuclear physics is an understanding of the structure of superheavy elements in the so-called "island of stability". These nuclei contain a large number of protons, and would ordinarily be ripped apart by the strong Coulomb repulsion between them. However, quantum mechanical shell-effects act to stabilize the nuclei, meaning that they can then live long enough to be observed in the laboratory. Now, experimental advances make it possible to study the nucleus 256Rf in detail for the first time. ... > full story

Flexible snake armor could inspire abrasion-resistant materials (August 15, 2012) -- Snakes are highly specialized legless animals, which have evolved around 150 million years ago. Although without extremities their body is exposed to constant friction forces. Snake skin could inspire systems in engineering with minimized abrasion. ... > full story

Future light component produced in printing press (August 15, 2012) -- Scientists have produced organic light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) using a roll-to-roll compatible process under ambient conditions. ... > full story

Single sign-on for Internet use had major vulnerabilites: Many now fixed (August 15, 2012) -- Online shopping, cloud computing, online CRM systems: Each day many IT systems require the user to identify himself/herself. Single Sign-On (SSO) systems were introduced to circumvent this problem, and to establish structured Identity Management (IDM) systems in industry: Here the user only has to identify once, all subsequent authentications are done automatically. However, SSO systems based on the industry standard SAML have huge vulnerabilities: Roughly 80 percent of these systems could be broken by the researchers. ... > full story

New toilet developed: Needs no connection to water supply (August 15, 2012) -- There are 2.6 billion people in the world who have no access to a decent toilet. A new toilet model will provide a sanitary solution that ensures human dignity and hygiene, while also being environment-friendly and economically feasible. All for less than five cents per day and person. ... > full story

Need an expert? Try the crowd (August 14, 2012) -- Can a crowd be an expert? Apparently, yes. Scientists have created the first-ever crowd-sourced predictive model. ... > full story

Online obesity treatment programmes show promise (August 14, 2012) -- Computer and web-based weight management programs may provide a cost effective way of addressing the growing problem of obesity, according to a recent review. The researcher found that delivering weight loss or weight maintenance programs online or by computer helped overweight and obese patients lose and/or maintain weight. ... > full story

An artificial retina with the capacity to restore normal vision (August 14, 2012) -- For the first time, researchers decipher the retina’s neural code for brain communication to create novel, more effective prosthetic retinal device for blindness. ... > full story

Health consequences of meltdown, damage to Fukushima nuclear power plants in Japan (August 14, 2012) -- Researchers report on the psychological status of workers at the Fukushima nuclear power plants in Japan several months after the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, and the amount of internal radiation exposure among residents of a city north of the power plant that experienced a meltdown. ... > full story

Deep inside the body, tiny mechanical microscope diagnoses disease (August 14, 2012) -- Tiny space age probes -- those that can see inside single living cells -- are increasingly being used to diagnose illness in hard-to-reach areas of the body. ... > full story

Orbiter views NASA's new Mars rover in color (August 14, 2012) -- The first color image taken from orbit showing NASA's rover Curiosity on Mars includes details of the layered bedrock on the floor of Gale Crater that the rover is beginning to investigate. ... > full story

Mass spectrometry opens new frontiers in a single cell (August 14, 2012) -- Pioneering mass spectrometry methods are helping plant biologists get their first glimpses of never-before-seen plant tissue structures. The new method opens up new realms of study, ones that might have long-ranging implications for biofuels research and crop genetics. ... > full story

Plants exhibit a wide range of mechanical properties, engineers find (August 14, 2012) -- From an engineer's perspective, plants such as palm trees, bamboo, maples and even potatoes are examples of precise engineering on a microscopic scale. Like wooden beams reinforcing a house, cell walls make up the structural supports of all plants. Depending on how the cell walls are arranged, and what they are made of, a plant can be as flimsy as a reed, or as sturdy as an oak. ... > full story

Quark matter’s connection with the Higgs: Heavy ion collisions delve deeper into the origin of (visible) mass (August 14, 2012) -- You may think you've heard everything you need to know about the origin of mass. After all, scientists colliding protons at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Europe recently presented stunning evidence strongly suggesting the existence of a long-sought particle called the Higgs boson, thought to "impart mass to matter." But while the Higgs particle may be responsible for the mass of fundamental particles such as quarks, quarks alone can't account for the mass of most of the visible matter in the universe -- that's everything we see and sense around us. ... > full story

US wind power market riding a wave that is likely to crest in 2012 (August 14, 2012) -- Facing looming policy uncertainty beyond 2012, the US remained one of the fastest-growing wind power markets in the world in 2011 -- second only to China -- according to a new report. Driven by the threat of expiring federal incentives, new wind power installations are widely expected to be substantially higher in 2012 than in 2011, and perhaps even in excess of 2009's record build. ... > full story

New process doubles production of alternative fuel while slashing costs (August 14, 2012) -- A new discovery should make the alternative fuel butanol more attractive to the biofuel industry. Scientists have found a way around the bottleneck that has frustrated producers in the past and could significantly reduce the cost of the energy involved in making it as well. ... > full story

Engineers assess Dawn spacecraft's reaction wheel (August 14, 2012) -- Engineers working on NASA's Dawn spacecraft are assessing the status of a reaction wheel -- part of a system that helps the spacecraft point precisely -- after onboard software powered it off on Aug. 8. Dawn's mission is to study the geology and geochemistry of the giant asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres, the two most massive objects in the main asteroid belt. Dawn is now using its thrusters to point at Earth for communications. The rest of the spacecraft is otherwise healthy. ... > full story

Success of engineered tissue depends on where it's grown (August 14, 2012) -- Researchers have now shown that implanted cells' therapeutic properties depend on their shape, which is determined by the type of scaffold on which they are grown. The work could allow scientists to develop even more effective implants and also target many other diseases, including cancer. ... > full story

Closing in on the border between primordial plasma and ordinary matter (August 14, 2012) -- Scientists have observed first glimpses of a possible boundary separating ordinary nuclear matter, composed of protons and neutrons, from the seething soup of their constituent quarks and gluons that permeated the early universe. ... > full story

Hearing the telltale sounds of dangerous chemicals (August 14, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a new chemical sensor that can simultaneously identify multiple nerve agents. ... > full story

New research promises quiet cars -- even when hitting unexpected bumps in the road (August 14, 2012) -- New research featuring a mathematical model for quick-response, noise-cancellation designed to minimize sudden and unexpected noise caused by road hazards -- bumps or potholes for example -- has just been developed. ... > full story

Graphene's behavior depends on where it sits: Materials beneath determine how it react chemically and electrically (August 14, 2012) -- Surprising new experiments show that a one-atom-thick material called graphene, a form of pure carbon whose atoms are joined in a chicken-wire-like lattice, behaves quite differently depending on the nature of material it's wrapped around. ... > full story

A model designed to balance the bolting load of wind turbines developed (August 14, 2012) -- A researcher has built a simplified simulation model for wind turbines. All one has to do is enter the characteristics that the tower and its parts will have, and in a matter of seconds the model predicts the load that has to be given to each of the bolts, which leads to great advantages in the construction and maintenance process. ... > full story

Military aircraft will soon be quieter (August 14, 2012) -- Innovations on reducing the noise of the United State's most sophisticated military aircraft have been developed. ... > full story

NASA's 'Mighty Eagle' robotic prototype lander flies again at Marshall (August 13, 2012) -- The "Mighty Eagle," a NASA robotic prototype lander, is soaring high again for a series of tests being conducted at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. ... > full story

Second flight instrument delivered for James Webb Space Telescope (August 13, 2012) -- The second of four main instruments to fly aboard NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) has been delivered to NASA. The Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) will enable the telescope to accurately and precisely point at the correct, intended objects for it to observe. The FGS is packaged together as a single unit with the Near-Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS) science instrument. ... > full story

New technology delivers sustained release of drugs for up to six months (August 13, 2012) -- A new technology which delivers sustained release of therapeutics for up to six months could be used in conditions which require routine injections, including diabetes, certain forms of cancer and potentially HIV/AIDS. ... > full story

NASA STEREO observes one of the fastest CMEs on record (August 13, 2012) -- On July 23, 2012, a massive cloud of solar material erupted off the sun's right side, zooming out into space, passing one of NASA's Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft along the way. Using the STEREO data, scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. clocked this giant cloud, known as a coronal mass ejection, or CME, as traveling between 1,800 and 2,200 miles per second as it left the sun. ... > full story

Speedy ions could add zip to quantum computers (August 13, 2012) -- Take that, sports cars! Physicists can accelerate their beryllium ions from zero to 100 miles per hour and stop them in just a few microseconds. The researchers think their zippy ions may be useful in future quantum computers. ... > full story

Supercomputers solve riddle of congenital heart defects (August 13, 2012) -- With the aid of pioneering technology, Danish scientists have charted several of the complex biological processes behind congenital heart defects. In time, the research promises to provide better ways to prevent, diagnose and cure heart disease. ... > full story

New system could predict solar flares, give advance warning (August 13, 2012) -- Researchers may have discovered a new method to predict solar flares more than a day before they occur, providing advance warning to help protect satellites, power grids and astronauts from potentially dangerous radiation. ... > full story

Nanoparticle solar panel coating helps maintain panel efficiency (August 13, 2012) -- A physics researcher has developed a nanoparticle coating for solar panels. This coating helps maintain the panels efficiency and reduces maintenance and operation costs. ... > full story

Nano, photonic research gets boost from new 3-D visualization technology (August 13, 2012) -- For the first time X-ray scientists have combined high-resolution imaging with 3-D viewing of the surface layer of material using X-ray vision in a way that does not damage the sample. This new technique expands the range of X-ray research possible for biology and many aspects of nanotechnology, particularly nanofilms, photonics, and micro- and nano-electronics. This new technique also reduces "guesswork" by eliminating the need for modeling-dependent structural simulation often used in X-ray analysis. ... > full story

Gamma rays from galactic center could be evidence of dark matter (August 13, 2012) -- Gamma-ray photons seen emanating from the center of the Milky Way galaxy are consistent with the intriguing possibility that dark-matter particles are annihilating each other in space, according to new research. ... > full story

A new energy source: Major advance made in generating electricity from wastewater (August 13, 2012) -- Engineers have made a breakthrough in the performance of microbial fuel cells that can produce electricity directly from wastewater, opening the door to a future in which waste treatment plants not only will power themselves while cleaning sewage, but will sell excess electricity. ... > full story

How computation can predict group conflict: Fighting among captive pigtailed macaques provides clues (August 13, 2012) -- When conflict breaks out in social groups, individuals make strategic decisions about how to behave based on their understanding of alliances and feuds in the group. But it's been challenging to quantify the underlying trends that dictate how individuals make predictions, given they may only have seen a small number of fights or have limited memory. In a new study of primates (pigtailed macaques), scientists have developed a computational approach to determine whether individuals behave predictably. ... > full story