The EDGE: ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Thursday, September 6, 2012

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Thursday, September 6, 2012

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NASA's 'Mighty Eagle' robotic prototype lander aces major exam (September 5, 2012) -- Completing this round of flight test objectives, the "Mighty Eagle," a NASA robotic prototype lander, flew to an altitude of 100 feet and descended gently to a controlled landing during a successful free flight Sept. 5 at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. ... > full story

Cheers, Voyager: 35 years of exploration (September 5, 2012) -- What would a birthday party be without cake, music and toasts? Thirty-five years ago today, NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft launched on its mission of exploration. It is now the most distant human-made object and the second-longest operating spacecraft. (Voyager 2 is the longest.) NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., which manages the Voyager spacecraft, held a celebration Sept. 5. ... > full story

Albatross 'dynamic soaring' achieved by repeated curve-altitude oscillation (September 5, 2012) -- Albatrosses leverage the energy of the wind to fly with essentially no mechanical cost to themselves, very rarely flapping their wings, and new work offers insight into how exactly they accomplish this feat. ... > full story

Space shuttle Atlantis' new home tops out (September 5, 2012) -- The new home for space shuttle Atlantis was topped out Wednesday with its highest beam in a milestone ceremony marking the continuing construction of a 90,000-square-foot exhibit hall at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. ... > full story

NASA mission to study magnetic explosions passes major review (September 5, 2012) -- On August 31, 2012, NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission proved it was ready for its next steps by passing what's called a Systems Integration Review (SIR), which deems a mission ready to integrate instruments onto the spacecraft. ... > full story

Dawn has departed the giant asteroid Vesta (September 5, 2012) -- Mission controllers received confirmation today that NASA's Dawn spacecraft has escaped from the gentle gravitational grip of the giant asteroid Vesta. Dawn is now officially on its way to its second destination, the dwarf planet Ceres. ... > full story

Computational method for pinpointing genetic factors that cause disease (September 5, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a computational method of identifying "causal" genetic variants that lead to particular diseases, with wide application for genome-wide association studies. ... > full story

LEDs winning light race to save energy, the environment (September 5, 2012) -- Light-emitting diode light bulbs, also known as LEDs, are more environmentally friendly than compact fluorescent and incandescent lights, new research shows. LEDs' environmental edge is expected to grow substantially as technology and manufacturing methods improve by 2017. ... > full story

Seeing the birth of the universe in an atom of hydrogen: Radio waves used to uncover oldest galaxies yet (September 5, 2012) -- Astronomers are using radio telescopes to find radio waves emitted by hydrogen atoms, which were abundant in the early days of the universe. This new field of research, called "21-centimeter cosmology," opens the way to learning more about the universe's oldest galaxies. ... > full story

First holistic view of how human genome actually works: ENCODE study produces massive data set (September 5, 2012) -- The Human Genome Project produced an almost complete order of the 3 billion pairs of chemical letters in the DNA that embodies the human genetic code -- but little about the way this blueprint works. Now, after a multi-year concerted effort by more than 440 researchers in 32 labs around the world, a more dynamic picture gives the first holistic view of how the human genome actually does its job. ... > full story

Tough gel stretches to 21 times its length, recoils, and heals itself: Biocompatible material much tougher than cartilage (September 5, 2012) -- A team of experts in mechanics, materials science, and tissue engineering has created an extremely stretchy and tough gel that may pave the way to replacing damaged cartilage in human joints. Called a hydrogel, because its main ingredient is water, the new material is a hybrid of two weak gels that combine to create something much stronger. Not only can this new gel stretch to 21 times its original length, but it is also exceptionally tough, self-healing, and biocompatible -- a valuable collection of attributes that opens up new opportunities in medicine and tissue engineering. ... > full story

Quantum teleportation goes the distance: Record-breaking distance of 143 kilometers through free space (September 5, 2012) -- An international research team has achieved quantum teleportation over a record-breaking distance of 143 kilometers through free space. ... > full story

DNA sequences need quality time, too; Guidelines for quality control published (September 5, 2012) -- DNA sequence data have become an indispensable source of information in biology, finding diverse uses such as molecular species identification and the exploration of biodiversity in complex environments like soil and seawater. Many research programs enabled by such molecular data would have seemed impossible just a few years ago, and the unparalleled resolution obtained through DNA sequences adds further to their attractiveness in biological research. ... > full story

Champagne proves a fantastic playground for physicists (September 5, 2012) -- The fleeting life of champagne bubbles intrigues scientists; collapsing bubbles are common in our everyday lives but are still not fully understood. Two reviews explore collapsing bubbles and bubble flow patterns in champagne glasses. These phenomena are of much wider interest because of the huge importance of bubbles in many natural and industrial processes. ... > full story

Explosion of galaxy formation lit up early universe (September 5, 2012) -- The universe was dark until the first stars began to form, but really lit up once massive hydrogen clouds began birthing galaxies of stars. A study by researchers using data from the South Pole Telescope finds that this period, the Epoch of Reionization, was later and more explosive than thought, ending 13 billion years ago. The clues come from minute temperature fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background radiation. ... > full story

Robotic exoskeletal device: Preliminary research findings for Ekso in spinal cord injury (September 5, 2012) -- Preliminary research findings have been released from a clinical study of the wearable robotic exoskeletal device, Ekso (Ekso Bionics). Initial results are promising for the potential application of Ekso-assisted walking in rehabilitation, in exercise/wellness programs, in the community and for home use. ... > full story

Adolescents in foster care require guidelines for safe social media use, expert says (September 5, 2012) -- About 73 percent of online American teens use social networking sites, such as Facebook, to share photos, interests and experiences with others. For youths in the foster care system, sharing information online presents additional safety and privacy issues. A researcher recommends that child welfare agencies develop policies to guide how adolescents in foster care use social media. ... > full story

Galileo didn't invent thermometer that bears his name (September 5, 2012) -- The great Italian scientist Galileo may have been the first person to use a telescope to observe the heavens, helping spark the scientific revolution of the 16th century, but Galileo definitely did not invent the famous thermometer and captivating curiosity that bears his name, according to a new article. ... > full story

Powerful new explosive could replace today's state-of-the-art military explosive (September 5, 2012) -- Borrowing a technology used to improve the effectiveness of drugs, scientists are reporting discovery of a new explosive more powerful than the current state-of-the-art explosive used by the military, and just as safe for personnel to handle. ... > full story

Wireless window sentinel draws its power from its environment (September 5, 2012) -- Window contacts tell users if a window is open or closed. Typically, such sensors are wire-based. Scientists working with industry partners recently developed a new system that operates without wires or batteries. It draws its power from its environment: from sunlight and ambient heat. ... > full story

Can videogaming benefit young people with autism spectrum disorder? (September 5, 2012) -- Children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder are typically fascinated by screen-based technology such as video games, and these can be used for educational and treatment purposes, as described in a new article. ... > full story

Cybersecurity experts researching how to keep medical devices secure, communicating on hospital networks (September 5, 2012) -- What if you could shut down several emergency rooms simultaneously without leaving your own home? How about hacking a pacemaker and reprogramming it to cause a heart attack? Although these could be scenes from an espionage film, they are also some of the plausible scenarios that cybersecurity experts are working to prevent. ... > full story

Nanosystems engineering research center on self-powered health monitoring (September 5, 2012) -- North Carolina State University will lead a national nanotechnology research effort to create self-powered devices to help people monitor their health and understand how the surrounding environment affects it, the National Science Foundation announced. ... > full story

Globular star cluster with a secret (September 5, 2012) -- A new image from the European Southern Observatory's La Silla Observatory in Chile shows the spectacular globular star cluster Messier 4. This ball of tens of thousands of ancient stars is one of the closest and most studied of the globular clusters and recent work has revealed that one of its stars has strange and unexpected properties, apparently possessing the secret of eternal youth. ... > full story

Astronomers discover 'pigtail' molecular cloud (September 5, 2012) -- A research team has discovered a molecular cloud with a peculiar helical structure by observation with the NRO 45m Telescope at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. The team named it a "pigtail" molecular cloud from its morphology. The "pigtail" molecular cloud is located in the galactic center, approximately 30,000 light years away from the solar system. ... > full story

Biofuel waste product recycled for electricity (September 4, 2012) -- A by-product of biofuel manufacture can power microbial fuel cells to generate electricity cheaply and efficiently, according to scientists. The work could help develop self-powered devices that would depollute waste water and be used to survey weather in extreme environments. ... > full story

NASA's SDO sees massive filament erupt on sun (September 4, 2012) -- On August 31, 2012 a long filament of solar material that had been hovering in the sun's atmosphere, the corona, erupted out into space at 4:36 p.m. EDT. The coronal mass ejection, or CME, traveled at over 900 miles per second. The CME did not travel directly toward Earth, but did connect with Earth's magnetic environment, or magnetosphere, with a glancing blow. causing aurora to appear on the night of Monday, September 3. ... > full story

Violent video games not so bad when players cooperate (September 4, 2012) -- New research suggests that violent video games may not make players more aggressive -- if they play cooperatively with other people. ... > full story

Quest for Higgs boson enters new phase (September 4, 2012) -- This summer, physicists at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva announced the discovery of a new particle with a mass somewhere between 125 and 126 giga-electron volts, or 134 times the mass of the proton. This figure falls within the predicted range for the Higgs boson. So what's next? "This is the beginning. We still don’t know what this thing is," says one researcher. ... > full story

Showing the way to improved water-splitting catalysts: Chemists identify the mechanism by which such catalysts work (September 4, 2012) -- Scientists and engineers around the world are working to find a way to power the planet using solar-powered fuel cells. Such green systems would split water during daylight hours, generating hydrogen that could be stored and used later to produce water and electricity. But robust catalysts are needed to drive the water-splitting reaction. Now chemists have determined the mechanism by which some highly effective cobalt catalysts work. ... > full story

Watching quantum mechanics in action: Researchers create world record laser pulse (September 4, 2012) -- A research team has created the world's shortest laser pulse and in the process may have given scientists a new tool to watch quantum mechanics in action -- something that has been hidden from view until now. ... > full story

Waste silicon gets new life in lithium-ion batteries (September 4, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a way to make flexible components for rechargeable lithium-ion (LI) batteries from discarded silicon. ... > full story

Realizing the promise of RNA nanotechnology for new drug development (September 4, 2012) -- The use of RNA in nanotechnology applications is highly promising for many applications, including the development of new therapeutic compounds. Key technical challenges remain, though, and the challenges and opportunities associated with the use of RNA molecules in nanotechnology approaches are presented in a review article. ... > full story

Every atom counts in graphene formation: Nanoreactor theory could advance quality of material’s growth (September 4, 2012) -- Researchers detail the atom-by-atom energies at play in the chemical vapor deposition process of creating graphene. ... > full story

Experts propose 'cyber war' on cancer: Universities aim to break cancer's codes for social networking (September 4, 2012) -- Mounting evidence of intricate social cooperation among cancer cells has led researchers to suggest a new strategy for outsmarting cancer through its own social intelligence. The researchers call for a "cyber war" to co-opt the communications systems that allow cancer cells to work together to sense danger and avoid attacks by the immune system and chemotherapy drugs. ... > full story

Using magnetism to understand superconductivity (September 4, 2012) -- Research in atomic scale magnetism could play a role in the development of new materials that could permit lossless electricity transmission. ... > full story

PharmaNet system dramatically reduced inappropriate prescriptions of potentially addictive drugs (September 4, 2012) -- A centralized prescription network providing real-time information to pharmacists in British Columbia, Canada, resulted in dramatic reductions in inappropriate prescriptions for opioid analgesics and benzodiazepines, widely used and potentially addictive drugs. ... > full story

Spinach power gets a big boost: Reseachers combine spinach protein with silicon to make biohybrid solar cell (September 4, 2012) -- Spinach power has just gotten a big boost. Researchers have combined the photosynthetic protein that converts light into electrochemical energy in spinach with silicon, the material used in solar cells, in a fashion that produces substantially more electrical current than has been reported by previous "biohybrid" solar cells. ... > full story

Australian shipping emissions identified (September 4, 2012) -- Ship engine exhaust emissions make up more than a quarter of nitrogen oxide emissions generated in the Australian region according to a recently published study. Nitrogen oxide is a non-greenhouse gas, unlike similarly named nitrous oxide. ... > full story

Scanning for drunks with a thermal camera (September 4, 2012) -- Thermal imaging technology might one day be to identify drunks before they become a nuisance in bars, airports or other public spaces. Researchers in Greece are developing software that can objectively determine whether a person has consumed an excessive amount of alcohol based solely on the relative temperature of different parts of the person's face. ... > full story

Rapid response in cases of smoke poisoning (September 4, 2012) -- Smoke poisoning can be caused by a number of things, including cyanides, the salts of hydrocyanic acid. Because the quick diagnosis and treatment of victims with cyanide poisoning is critical and often lifesaving, it is very surprising that a cyanide test for emergency situations is not yet available. Now, chemists have developed a simple and reliable procedure to detect blood cyanide in less than two minutes. ... > full story

Using RNA nanotechnology to treat cancers and viral infections: New study shows promise (September 4, 2012) -- A new study shows promise for developing ultrastable RNA nanoparticles that may help treat cancer and viral infections by regulating cell function and binding to cancers without harming surrounding tissue. ... > full story

'Magic carpet' could help prevent falls (September 3, 2012) -- A 'magic carpet' can immediately detect when someone has fallen and can help to predict mobility problems. ... > full story

Mass spectrometry makes the clinical grade (September 3, 2012) -- A new mass spectrometry-based test identifies proteins from blood with as much accuracy and sensitivity as the antibody-based tests used clinically, researchers report. The head-to-head comparison using blood samples from cancer patients measured biomarkers, proteins whose presence identifies a disease or condition. The technique should be able to speed up development of protein-specific diagnostic tests and treatment. ... > full story

Intelligent self-repairing clothing and sensors will detect potential onset of an epileptic seizure (September 3, 2012) -- Intelligent self-repairing clothing and sensors that can detect the potential onset of an epileptic seizure sound like the stuff of science fiction but designers and engineers are turning them into reality. ... > full story

Peek-a-blue Moon (September 3, 2012) -- Europe's latest weather satellite got a glimpse of the Moon before our celestial neighbour disappeared from view behind Earth on Friday. Since its launch two months ago, MSG-3 has been working well and is on its way to entering service. ... > full story

Web-TV: A perfect match? (September 3, 2012) -- Do you surf the web in front of the TV, or tweet what you are watching? Researchers are creating technologies that combine web, social media and TV to enhance our experience and interactions across media. ... > full story

Waste cooking oil makes bioplastics cheaper (September 2, 2012) -- 'Bioplastics' that are naturally synthesized by microbes could be made commercially viable by using waste cooking oil as a starting material. This would reduce environmental contamination and also give high-quality plastics suitable for medical implants, according to scientists. ... > full story

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