The EDGE: ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Friday, August 17, 2012

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Friday, August 17, 2012

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High-altitude drop tests Rocket U. engineers (August 16, 2012) -- An experimental payload went 25,000 feet higher than planned during a recent test flight but still performed well and will be the basis for a larger flight test next year. ... > full story

Sun's almost perfectly round shape baffles scientists (August 16, 2012) -- The sun is nearly the roundest object ever measured. If scaled to the size of a beach ball, it would be so round that the difference between the widest and narrow diameters would be much less than the width of a human hair. ... > full story

'Soft robots' could camouflage themselves one minute, and stand out, the next (August 16, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a system -- inspired by nature -- that allows soft robots to either camouflage themselves against a background, or to make bold color displays. Such a "dynamic coloration" system could one day have a host of uses, ranging from helping doctors plan complex surgeries to acting as a visual marker to help search crews following a disaster. ... > full story

New form of carbon can put a dent in a diamond (August 16, 2012) -- Scientists have observed a new form of very hard carbon clusters, which are unusual in their mix of crystalline and disordered structure. The material is capable of indenting diamond. This finding has potential applications for a range of mechanical, electronic, and electrochemical uses. ... > full story

Mineral can reduce pollution from diesel engines by almost half (August 16, 2012) -- A catalyst that can replace platinum in diesel engines has been shown to reduce pollution by up to 45 percent. The catalyst, mullite, is from the family of minerals known as oxides. The finding opens new possibilities to create renewable, clean energy technology without precious metals. ... > full story

NASA is tracking electron beams from the sun (August 16, 2012) -- In the quest to understand how the world's weather moves around the globe, scientists have had to tease apart different kinds of atmospheric movement, such as the great jet streams that can move across a whole hemisphere versus more intricate, localized flows. Much the same must currently be done to understand the various motions at work in the great space weather system that links the sun and Earth as the sun shoots material out in all directions, creating its own version of a particle sea to fill up the solar system. ... > full story

Hubble watches star clusters on a collision course (August 16, 2012) -- Astronomers have caught two clusters full of massive stars that may be in the early stages of merging. The clusters are 170,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a small satellite galaxy to our Milky Way. ... > full story

3-D movies in your living room, without the glasses (August 16, 2012) -- New television screens will make it possible for viewers to enjoy three-dimensional television programming without those bothersome 3-D glasses. Still, the content has been rather lacking – until now. A new technology will soon be adapting conventional 3-D films to the new displays in real time. ... > full story

Exoplanet-hosting stars give further insights on planet formation (August 16, 2012) -- Astronomers propose that metals like magnesium might have an important role in the formation of low mass planets. ... > full story

Sunflowers inspire more efficient solar power system (August 16, 2012) -- A field of young sunflowers will slowly rotate from east to west during the course of a sunny day, each leaf seeking out as much sunlight as possible as the sun moves across the sky through an adaptation called heliotropism. It’s a clever bit of natural engineering that inspired imitation from an electrical and computer engineer, who has found a way to mimic the passive heliotropism seen in sunflowers for use in the next crop of solar power systems. ... > full story

Finding the nano-needle in the haystack: Radioactivity used to trace nanoparticles in the environment (August 16, 2012) -- Scientists have used radioactivity to trace nanoparticles in experimental animals and the soil. Their findings have made it easier to identify any negative environmental impact of nanoparticles, which are found in an increasing number of products. ... > full story

Search technology that can gauge opinion and predict the future (August 16, 2012) -- Inspired by a system for categorizing books proposed by an Indian librarian more than 50 years ago, researchers have developed a new kind of internet search that takes into account factors such as opinion, bias, context, time and location. The new technology, which could soon be in use commercially, can display trends in public opinion about a topic, company or person over time - and it can even be used to predict the future. ... > full story

Electronic read-out of quantum bits (August 16, 2012) -- Quantum computers promise to reach computation speeds far beyond that of today’s computers. As they would use quantum effects, however, they would also be susceptible to external interferences. Information flow into and out of the system is a critical point. Researchers have now read out the quantum state of an atom directly by using electrodes. ... > full story

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

MASER power comes out of the cold: Solid-state MASER can operate at room temperature (August 15, 2012) -- Scientists demonstrate, for the time, a solid-state MASER capable of operating at room temperature, paving the way for its widespread adoption. MASER stands for Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Instead of creating intense beams of light, as in the case of LASERs, MASERs deliver a concentrated beam of microwaves. ... > 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