The EDGE: ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Monday, August 27, 2012

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Monday, August 27, 2012

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'Cyborg' tissues: Merging engineered human tissues with bio-compatible nanoscale wires (August 26, 2012) -- Scientists have, for the first, time created a type of "cyborg" tissue by embedding a three-dimensional network of functional, bio-compatible nanoscale wires into engineered human tissues. ... > full story

New wave of technologies possible after ground-breaking analysis tool for nanometer devices developed (August 26, 2012) -- A revolutionary tool has enabled researchers to analyze nanometer-sized devices without destroying them for the first time, opening the door to a new wave of technologies. ... > full story

New device to remove stroke-causing blood clots proves better than standard tool (August 26, 2012) -- Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death and a common cause of long-term disability in the United States, but doctors have very few proven treatment methods. Now a new device that mechanically removes stroke-causing clots from the brain is being hailed as a game-changer. ... > full story

Neil Armstrong, 1930-2012: U.S. astronaut was first man to walk on the moon (August 25, 2012) -- Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon during the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, has died, following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures. He was 82. Armstrong's words "That is one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind," spoken on July 20, 1969, as he became the first person ever to step onto another planetary body, instantly became a part of history. ... > full story

Hubble captures a collection of ancient stars (August 25, 2012) -- The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has produced a beautiful image of the globular cluster Messier 56 (also known as M 56 or NGC 6779), which is located about 33,000 light years away from Earth in the constellation of Lyra (The Lyre). The cluster is composed of a large number of stars, tightly bound to each other by gravity. ... > full story

Rapid-scanning microscope with no loss of quality (August 24, 2012) -- Scientists have developed a rapid-scanning microscope with no loss of quality. ... > full story

Good diet, proper exercise help protect astronauts’ bones (August 24, 2012) -- Eating right and exercising hard in space helps protect International Space Station astronauts' bones, a finding that may help solve one of the key problems facing future explorers heading beyond low Earth orbit. ... > full story

Microwave ovens may help produce lower cost solar energy technology (August 24, 2012) -- The same type of microwave oven technology that most people use to heat up leftover food has found an important application in the solar energy industry, providing a new way to make thin-film photovoltaic products with less energy, expense and environmental concerns. ... > full story

Boston subway system to be used to test new sensors for biological agents (August 24, 2012) -- The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate has scheduled a series of tests in the Boston subways to measure the real-world performance of new sensors recently developed to detect biological agents within minutes. ... > full story

Superior fuel cell material developed (August 24, 2012) -- Using a mixture of gold, copper and platinum nanoparticles, researchers have developed a more powerful and longer lasting fuel cell material. ... > full story

Flat lens offers a perfect image (August 24, 2012) -- Applied physicists have created an ultrathin, flat lens that focuses light without imparting the distortions of conventional lenses. It operates at telecom wavelengths -- i.e., those used for fiber-optics -- and is scalable to a wider range. ... > full story

Mars surface data: ChemCam laser first analyses yield beautiful results (August 24, 2012) -- Scientists squeezed in a little extra target practice after zapping the first fist-sized rock that was placed in the laser's crosshairs last weekend. Much to the delight of the scientific team, the laser instrument has fired nearly 500 shots so far that have produced strong, clear data about the composition of the Martian surface. ... > full story

Simplified approach for high-power, single-mode lasers (August 24, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a new resonator that creates the purest, brightest, and most powerful single-mode quantum cascade lasers yet at the eight-12 micron range, a wavelength of great interest for both military and industrial use. ... > full story

Modeling metastasis (August 24, 2012) -- A technique used by animators helps scientists model how cancer cells enter the bloodstream. ... > full story

Invention will strike a chord with musicians (August 24, 2012) -- Digital software and hardware is set to revolutionize the music industry around the world. ... > full story

Joining 'unjoinable' materials: New polymer linking technology based on nano crystals (August 24, 2012) -- Ever tried to paint on top of silicone? After a few hours, the paint will peel off. Annoying. Silicone is a so-called low surface energy polymer, well known from flexible baking forms: A synthetic material that has an extremely low adhesion or "stickiness." Teflon is similarly non-sticky and well known from frying pans. Researchers have now developed the first technology which is capable of joining these two "unjoinable" materials. The technology applies passive nano-scaled crystal linkers as internal staples. ... > full story

Physicists search for hidden magnetic states (August 24, 2012) -- Physicists have used the new high magnetic-field beamline at Diamond Light Source, the UK's national synchrotron facility, to search for 'hidden magnetic states'. If found, they will provide important confirmation of a theoretical model, which could have important applications in magnetic data storage. ... > full story

Scientists investigate using artificial intelligence for next-generation traffic control (August 24, 2012) -- Researchers are investigating the application of artificial intelligence (AI) technology for controlling traffic lights. The development of artificial intelligence-based approaches to junction control is one of many new and promising technologies that can make better use of existing urban and road capacity, while reducing the environmental impacts of road traffic. ... > full story

New model gives hands-on help for learning the secrets of molecules (August 24, 2012) -- Squishy models are anything but child’s play as they help researchers understand the building-block nature of proteins. ... > full story

Virus detector harnesses ring of light in 'whispering gallery mode' (August 24, 2012) -- By affixing nanoscale gold spheres onto a microscopic bead of glass, researchers have created a super-sensor that can detect even single samples of the smallest known viruses. The sensor uses a peculiar behavior of light known as "whispering gallery mode," named after the famous circular gallery in St. Paul's Cathedral in London, where a whisper near the wall can be heard around the gallery. ... > full story

Nanoparticles reboot blood flow in brain (August 23, 2012) -- Nanoparticles show promise in restoring blood flow to the brain when administered soon after a traumatic brain or other injury. ... > full story

Collective motion in schools of fish can evolve as finely tuned defense against attack from predators: Virtual fish simulation (August 23, 2012) -- Researchers have designed a video game for predatory fish that has unraveled some lingering evolutionary questions about group formation and movement in animals. ... > full story

Webb Telescope's 'golden spider' (August 23, 2012) -- What looks like a giant golden spider weaving a web of cables and cords, is actually ground support equipment, including the Optical Telescope Simulator (OSIM), for the James Webb Space Telescope. OSIM's job is to generate a beam of light just like the one that the real telescope optics will feed into the actual flight instruments. Because the real flight instruments will be used to test the real flight telescope, their alignment and performance first have to be verified by using the OSIM. Engineers are thoroughly checking out OSIM now in preparation for using it to test the flight science instruments later. ... > full story

Smooth sailing: Space launch system giving Marshall, Langley wind tunnels a workout (August 23, 2012) -- Since well before the inception of NASA, engineers used wind tunnels and scale models to test how vehicles would respond and interact with the atmosphere. At the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., and Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., engineers are using wind tunnel testing to enhance the development of NASA's Space Launch System, a heavy-lift launch vehicle that will propel science and human exploration into deep space and launch NASA's Orion spacecraft to expand human presence beyond low Earth orbit. ... > full story

More exoplanets discovered: 41 new transiting planets in Kepler field of view (August 23, 2012) -- Two newly submitted studies verify 41 new transiting planets in 20 star systems. These results may increase the number of Kepler's confirmed planets by more than 50 percent: to 116 planets hosted in 67 systems, over half of which contain more than one planet. ... > full story

Novel technique to synthesize nanocrystals that harvest solar energy (August 23, 2012) -- A new video protocol focuses on the liquid phase synthesis of two nanocrystals that produce hydrogen gas or an electric charge when exposed to light. ... > full story

Link found between cold European winters and solar activity (August 23, 2012) -- Scientists have long suspected that the Sun's 11-year cycle influences climate of certain regions on Earth. Yet records of average, seasonal temperatures do not date back far enough to confirm any patterns. Now, armed with a unique proxy, an international team of researchers show that unusually cold winters in Central Europe are related to low solar activity – when sunspot numbers are minimal. ... > full story

Sensor detects glucose in saliva and tears for diabetes testing (August 23, 2012) -- Researchers have created a new type of biosensor that can detect minute concentrations of glucose in saliva, tears and urine and might be manufactured at low cost because it does not require many processing steps to produce. ... > full story

How to feed data-hungry mobile devices? Use more antennas (August 23, 2012) -- Researchers have just unveiled Argos, a new multi-antenna technology that could help wireless providers keep pace with the voracious demands of data-hungry smartphones and tablets. Argos aims to dramatically increase network capacity by allowing cell towers to simultaneously beam signals to more than a dozen customers on the same frequency. ... > full story

Novel microscopy method offers sharper view of brain's neural network (August 23, 2012) -- An Italian research team has, for the first time, imaged a fluorescent mouse brain in its entirety with the highest resolution to date. The novel method, which uses a new microscopy technique, produced 100 percent sharper images of the neural pathways, and should be applicable to human brain samples in the future – opening the door to a better understanding of brain disorders such as autism and ischemic stroke. ... > full story

Supernovae of the same brightness, cut from vastly different cosmic cloth (August 23, 2012) -- Astronomers have presented the first-ever direct observations of a Type 1a supernova progenitor system. Astronomers have collected evidence indicating that the progenitor system of a Type 1a supernova contains a red giant star. They also show that the system previously underwent at least one much smaller nova eruption before it ended its life in a destructive supernova. By comparison, indirect observations of another Type 1a supernova progenitor system showed no evidence of a red giant star. Taken together, these observations unequivocally show that just because Type 1a supernovae look the same, that doesn't mean they are all born the same way. ... > full story

Engineers achieve longstanding goal of stable nanocrystalline metals (August 23, 2012) -- Most metals -- from the steel used to build bridges and skyscrapers to the copper and gold used to form wires in microchips -- are made of crystals: orderly arrays of molecules forming a perfectly repeating pattern. In many cases, the material is made of tiny crystals packed closely together, rather than one large crystal. The crystals tend to merge and grow larger if subjected to heat or stress. Now, researchers have found a way to avoid that problem. They've designed and made alloys that form extremely tiny grains -- called nanocrystals -- that are only a few billionths of a meter across. ... > full story

Mini-camera with maxi-brainpower (August 23, 2012) -- Torrential rapids, plunging mud holes and soaring hurdles: in the outdoor competitions at the Olympic Games, athletes pushed themselves to the limit. But it’s hard to depict this in pictures alone. This is why researchers created an intelligent camera that instantly delivers additional metadata, such as acceleration, temperature or heart rate. ... > full story

New standard high efficiency video coding encodes films more efficiently (August 23, 2012) -- Television resolution is constantly improving – and this must go hand-in-hand with transmitting the data more efficiently. Reputable manufacturers of televisions, computers and mobile telephones are developing a new standard for data transmission. ... > full story

One-molecule-thick material has big advantages (August 23, 2012) -- New research suggests that a whole family of two-dimensional materials may open up possibilities for applications that could change many aspects of modern life. ... > full story

Scientists produce hydrogen for fuel cells using an inexpensive catalyst under real-world conditions (August 23, 2012) -- Scientists have produced hydrogen, a renewable energy source, from water using an inexpensive catalyst under industrially relevant conditions (using pH neutral water, surrounded by atmospheric oxygen, and at room temperature). ... > full story

Spacetime: A smoother brew than we knew (August 23, 2012) -- Spacetime may be less like beer and more like sipping whiskey. Or so an intergalactic photo finish would suggest. Physicists reached this heady conclusion after studying the tracings of three photons of differing wavelengths that were recorded by NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope in May 2009. Photons from a gamma-ray burst jetted 7 billion light years across the universe and arrived at Earth in a dead heat, calling into question just how foamy the universe may be. ... > full story

Identifying aggressive breast cancers by interpreting the mathematical patterns in the cancer genome (August 23, 2012) -- It is now possible to identify aggressive breast cancers by interpreting the mathematical patterns in the cancer genome. ... > full story

Shaking the electron has strengthened quantum mechanics (August 23, 2012) -- Atomic orbital electrons react to change of nucleus electric charge following each beta decay and to flying nearby particles emitted from the nucleus. Physicists have simulated such processes for 6He nuclei. Theoretical calculations were recently confirmed. ... > full story

Milky Way now has a twin (or two): Astronomers find first group of galaxies just like ours (August 22, 2012) -- Researchers have found the first group of galaxies that is just like ours, a rare sight in the local Universe. The Milky Way is a fairly typical galaxy on its own, but when paired with its close neighbours -- the Magellanic Clouds -- it is very rare, and could have been one of a kind, until a survey of our local Universe found another two examples just like us. ... > full story

Batteries made from world’s thinnest material could power tomorrow’s electric cars (August 22, 2012) -- Engineering researchers have made a sheet of paper from the world’s thinnest material, graphene, and then zapped the paper with a laser or camera flash to blemish it with countless cracks, pores, and other imperfections. The result is a graphene anode material that can be charged or discharged 10 times faster than conventional graphite anodes used in today's lithium-ion batteries. ... > full story

Scientists create chemical 'brain': Giant network links all known compounds and reactions (August 22, 2012) -- Scientists have connected 250 years of organic chemical knowledge into one giant computer network -- a chemical Google on steroids. This "immortal chemist" will never retire and take away its knowledge but instead will continue to learn, grow and share. The software optimizes syntheses of drug molecules and other important compounds, combines long (and expensive) syntheses of compounds into shorter and more economical routes and identifies suspicious chemical recipes that could lead to chemical weapons. ... > full story

Elusive metal discovered: Nickel oxide turned into an electricity-conducting metal (August 22, 2012) -- Scientists have discovered the conditions under which nickel oxide can turn into an electricity-conducting metal. Nickel oxide is one of the first compounds to be studied for its electronic properties, but until now scientists have not been able to induce a metallic state. The compound becomes metallic at enormous pressures of 2.4 million times the atmospheric pressure (240 gigapascals). ... > full story

Researchers probe invisible vacancies in fuel cell materials (August 22, 2012) -- Knowing the position of missing oxygen atoms could be the key to cheaper solid oxide fuel cells with longer lifetimes. New microscopy research is enabling scientists to map these vacancies at an atomic scale. ... > full story

Mars rover Curiosity begins driving at Bradbury landing (August 22, 2012) -- NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has begun driving from its landing site, which scientists announced Aug. 22 they have named for the late author Ray Bradbury. Making its first movement on the Martian surface, Curiosity's drive combined forward, turn and reverse segments. This placed the rover roughly 20 feet (6 meters) from the spot where it landed 16 days ago. ... > full story

Biorefinery makes use of every bit of a soybean (August 22, 2012) -- Scientists have unveiled new technology intended to move soybeans, second only to corn as the top food crop in the U.S., along the same use-to-all path of corn and crude oil as a raw material for a wider portfolio of products. ... > full story

Super-strong, high-tech material found to be toxic to aquatic animals (August 22, 2012) -- Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have potential uses in everything from medicine to electronics to construction. However, CNTs are not without risks. A new study found that they can be toxic to aquatic animals. The researchers urge that care be taken to prevent the release of CNTs into the environment as the materials enter mass production. ... > full story

Future memory: Ferroelectric materials could bring down cost of cloud computing and electronic devices (August 22, 2012) -- A new class of organic materials boasts an attractive but elusive property: Ferroelectricity. The crystalline materials also have a great memory, which could be very useful in computer and cellphone memory applications, including cloud computing. The very long crystals with desirable properties are made using just two small organic molecules that are extremely attracted to each other. The starting compounds are simple and inexpensive, making the lightweight materials scalable for technology applications. ... > full story

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