The EDGE: ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Monday, August 20, 2012

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Monday, August 20, 2012

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Rover's laser instrument zaps first Martian rock (August 19, 2012) -- NASA's Mars rover Curiosity fired its laser for the first time on Mars, using the beam from a science instrument to interrogate a fist-size rock called "Coronation." The mission's Chemistry and Camera instrument, or ChemCam, hit the fist-sized rock with 30 pulses of its laser during a 10-second period. Each pulse delivers more than a million watts of power for about five one-billionths of a second. ... > full story

Researchers make quantum processor capable of factoring a composite number into prime factors (August 19, 2012) -- Computing prime factors may sound like an elementary math problem, but try it with a large number, say one that contains more than 600 digits, and the task becomes enormously challenging and impossibly time-consuming. Now, a group of researchers has designed and fabricated a quantum processor capable of factoring a composite number -- in this case the number 15 -- into its constituent prime factors, 3 and 5. Factoring very large numbers is at the heart of cybersecurity protocols, such as the most common form of encoding, known as RSA encryption. ... > full story

Inspired by genetics, chemistry finally takes hold of its own code: Chemists can attain more complex supramolecular structures? (August 19, 2012) -- Nature proves every day that it is both complex and efficient. Organic chemists are envious of it; their conventional tools confine them to simpler achievements. These limitations could become a thing of the past. New research offers a new kind of code to chemists, allowing them to access new levels of complexity. ... > full story

'DNA wires' could help physicians diagnose disease (August 19, 2012) -- Scientists have found that Mother Nature uses DNA as a wire to detect the constantly occurring genetic damage and mistakes that can result in diseases like cancer. DNA wires are potentially useful in identifying people at risk for certain diseases. ... > full story

A new route to dissipationless electronics (August 19, 2012) -- A team of researchers has demonstrated a new material that promises to eliminate loss in electrical power transmission. The surprise is that their methodology for solving this classic energy problem is based upon the first realization of a highly exotic type of magnetic semiconductor first theorized less than a decade ago - a magnetic topological insulator. ... > full story

New space-age insulating material for homes, clothing and other everyday uses (August 19, 2012) -- A major improvement in the world’s lightest solid material and best solid insulating material may put more of this space-age wonder into insulated clothing, refrigerators with thinner walls that hold more food, building insulation and other products. ... > full story

New technology combats global pandemic of drug counterfeiting (August 19, 2012) -- Drug counterfeiting is so common in some developing countries that patients with serious diseases in Southeast Asia and elsewhere have been more likely to get a fake drug than one with ingredients that really treat their illness, a scientist involved in combating the problem says. ... > full story

Simple new test to combat counterfeit drug problem in developing countries (August 19, 2012) -- In a thrust against the major problem of counterfeit medicines sold in developing countries, which causes thousands of illnesses and deaths annually, scientists have developed a simple, paper-strip test that people could use to identify counterfeit versions of one of the most-frequently faked medicines in the world. ... > full story

Artificial intelligence allows automated worm sorting (August 19, 2012) -- Scientists have demonstrated an automated system that uses artificial intelligence and cutting-edge image processing to rapidly examine large numbers of individual nematodes -- a species widely used in biological research. ... > full story

Hubble sees a lonely galactic island (August 18, 2012) -- In terms of intergalactic real estate, our solar system has a plum location as part of a big, spiral galaxy, the Milky Way. Numerous, less glamorous dwarf galaxies keep the Milky Way company. Many galaxies, however, are comparatively isolated, without close neighbors. One such example is the small galaxy known as DDO 190, snapped in a new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. ... > full story

As smart electric grid evolves, engineers show how to include solar technologies (August 17, 2012) -- Scientists have developed an economically feasible way to store solar energy in existing residential power networks. ... > full story

NASA Curiosity team pinpoints site for first drive on Mars (August 17, 2012) -- The scientists and engineers of NASA's Curiosity rover mission have selected the first driving destination for their one-ton, six-wheeled mobile Mars laboratory. The target area, named Glenelg, is a natural intersection of three kinds of terrain. The choice was described by Curiosity Principal Investigator John Grotzinger of the California Institute of Technology during a media teleconference on Aug. 17. ... > full story

Writing the book in DNA: Geneticist encodes his book in life's language (August 17, 2012) -- Using next-generation sequencing technology and a novel strategy to encode 1,000 times the largest data size previously achieved in DNA, a geneticist encodes his book in life's language. ... > full story

New 'microthrusters' could propel small satellites: As small as a penny, these thrusters run on jets of ion beams (August 17, 2012) -- A penny-sized rocket thruster may soon power the smallest satellites in space. The device bears little resemblance to today’s bulky satellite engines, which are laden with valves, pipes and heavy propellant tanks. ... > full story

Cholesterol test with only a photo of patient's hand (August 17, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a total cholesterol test that uses a digital camera to take a snapshot of the back of the patient's hand rather than a blood sample. The image obtained is cropped and compared with images in a database for known cholesterol levels. ... > full story

Computer-simulated knitting goes right down to the yarn (August 17, 2012) -- A new method for building computer-simulated knitted fabric out of an array of individual stitches has just been developed. The innovation creates a 3-D model of a single stitch and then combine multiple copies into a mesh, like tiles in a mosaic. ... > full story

Molecular 'movies' may accelerate anti-cancer drug discovery (August 17, 2012) -- Using advanced computer simulations, researchers have produced moving images of a protein complex that is an important target for anti-cancer drugs. ... > full story

Taking the edge off a pipe bomb -- literally (August 17, 2012) -- A new device for dismantling pipe bombs may look like a tinkerer's project, but it's sophisticated enough to do the job and preserve the forensic evidence. ... > full story

Aerospace materials used to build 'endless' pipeline (August 17, 2012) -- Carbon fiber fabric and lightweight honeycomb materials, plus a mobile manufacturing platform, make infinite pipeline technology cheaper and greener while boosting local economies. ... > full story

Constructive conflict in the superconductor (August 17, 2012) -- Charge density waves improve our understanding of the zero-resistance transport of electricity and could explain an unusual interplay of superconducting and magnetic materials. ... > full story

Hot solar wind: Magnetic turbulence trumps collisions to heat solar wind (August 17, 2012) -- New research has provided significant insight into how the solar wind heats up when it should not. The solar wind rushes outwards from the raging inferno that is our Sun, but from then on the wind should only get cooler as it expands beyond our solar system since there are no particle collisions to dissipate energy. However, the solar wind is surprisingly hotter than it should be, which has puzzled scientists for decades. Two new articles may have solved that puzzle. ... > full story

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

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