ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Tuesday, September 27, 2011
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New method cleans up textile industry’s most dangerous chemicals (September 27, 2011) -- Textile dying is one of the most environmentally hazardous aspects of the textile industry. During dying, harmful chemicals that are difficult to break down are released, all too often into rivers and agricultural land. However, a researcher in Sweden has developed a new, environmentally friendly purification process which leaves only clean water. ... > full story
Reducing costs of metal casting with plasma technology (September 27, 2011) -- Researchers in Spain are undertaking the innovation of casting processes with its "plasma torch." This new system enables great precision when heating the metal, thus reducing operational costs, enhancing metallurgical quality and saving energy. ... > full story
Bimetallic nanoantenna separates colors of light (September 26, 2011) -- Researchers have built a very simple nanoantenna that directs red and blue colors in opposite directions, even though the antenna is smaller than the wavelength of light. The findings can lead to optical nanosensors being able to detect very low concentrations of gases or biomolecules. ... > full story
Researchers develop optimal algorithm for determining focus error in eyes and cameras (September 26, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered how to extract and use information in an individual image to determine how far objects are from the focus distance, a feat only accomplished by human and animal visual systems until now. ... > full story
How graphene's electrical properties can be tuned (September 26, 2011) -- Graphene is ideally suited for creating components for semiconductor circuits and computers. Now, an accidental discovery in a physicist's laboratory, provides a unique route for tuning the electrical properties of graphene. The researchers found that stacking up three layers of graphene, like pancakes, significantly modifies the material's electrical properties. This simple and convenient "tuning knob" holds great promise for replacing silicon with graphene in the microchip industry. ... > full story
Public image of chemistry: Breaking chemistry's bad rap (September 26, 2011) -- A new show "Breaking Bad" makes chemistry entertaining but is not improving chemistry's tarnished public image, according to a new article. ... > full story
Cheap and efficient solar cell made possible by linked nanoparticles (September 26, 2011) -- Researchers have demonstrated that electrons can move freely in layers of linked semiconductor nanoparticles under the influence of light. This new knowledge will be very useful for the development of cheap and efficient quantum dot solar cells. ... > full story
Better lithium-ion batteries are on the way (September 26, 2011) -- Lithium-ion batteries power everything from smart phones to electric cars, but especially when it comes to lowering the cost and extending the range of all-electric vehicles, they need to store a lot more energy. The critical component for energy storage is the anode, and scientists have developed a new anode material that can absorb eight times the lithium and has far greater energy capacity than today's designs. ... > full story
Structure of a molecular copy machine: How mitochondrial genes are transcribed (September 26, 2011) -- Mitochondria are compartments within cells and have their own DNA. The key protein required for the expression of the genetic information in this DNA is the mitochondrial RNA polymerase enzyme. Its three-dimensional structure has now been determined in atomic detail. ... > full story
E-textiles get fashion upgrade with memory-storing fiber (September 26, 2011) -- In the future when you upgrade your computer, you may also be upgrading your wardrobe as researchers create novel new textiles that pull double-duty as fabrics and electronics. ... > full story
Gold nanowires in engineered patches enhance electrical signaling and contraction (September 26, 2011) -- A team of physicians, engineers and materials scientists have used nanotechnology and tiny gold wires to engineer cardiac patches, with cells all beating in time, that could someday help heart attack patients. ... > full story
Hints of universal behavior seen in exotic three-atom states (September 26, 2011) -- A novel type of inter-particle binding predicted in 1970 and observed for the first time in 2006, is forming the basis for an intriguing kind of ultracold quantum chemistry. A new experiment observing the four 3-atom cesium states reports that the states' sizes are roughly the same. This has taken theorists by complete surprise. ... > full story
Hog waste producing electricity and carbon offsets (September 26, 2011) -- A pilot waste-to-energy system constructed by Duke University and Duke Energy this week garnered the endorsement of Google Inc., which invests in high-quality carbon offsets from across the nation to fulfill its own carbon neutrality goals. The system, on a hog finishing facility 25 miles west of Winston-Salem, converts hog waste into electricity and creates carbon offset credits. ... > full story
Rotating magnetic moments: Spin pumping effect demonstrated for first time (September 26, 2011) -- Physicists have demonstrated the spin pumping effect in magnetic layers for the first time experimentally. The behavior of the spin pumping had previously only been predicted theoretically. Scientists have now succeeded in measuring the effect using ultrafast X-ray scattering with picosecond resolution. Through their rotation of the magnetic moments, the so-called magnetic precession, single electrons can mutually influence each other's rotation (spin) through a non-magnetic intermediate layer. ... > full story
Ceramics researchers shed light on metal embrittlement (September 26, 2011) -- Liquid metal embrittlement, or LME, has baffled metallurgists for a century. Now, ceramics researchers have obtained atomic-scale images of unprecedented resolution of the grain boundaries, or internal interfaces, where LME occurs. ... > full story
Strong solar storm reaching Earth (September 26, 2011) -- NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center -- the nation's official source of warnings and alerts about space weather and its impacts on Earth -- issued a warning for a strong, G3 geomagnetic storm on Earth resulting from a significant explosion from the sun's corona Saturday morning (Sept. 24, 2011). G-scale solar storms range from G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme). ... > full story
Sunspot 1302 continues to turn toward Earth (September 26, 2011) -- A strong-to-severe (Kp=8) geomagnetic storm is in progress following the impact of a coronal mass ejection (CME) at approximately 8:15a.m. EDT (12:15 UT) on Sept. 26. The Goddard Space Weather Lab reported a strong compression of Earth's magnetosphere. Simulations indicate that solar wind plasma has penetrated close to geosynchronous orbit starting at 9am. Geosynchronous satellites could therefore be directly exposed to solar wind plasma and magnetic fields. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras after nightfall. ... > full story
Journalists prefer Twitter, according to a new study (September 26, 2011) -- New research analyzing how Spanish journalists use the main social networks shows that Twitter is the most widely used, particularly to disseminate information. ... > full story
Research leads to enhanced kit to improve design and processing of plastics (September 26, 2011) -- Scientists have developed a new pvT (pressure-volume-temperature) and thermal conductivity test kit. The kit is based on more than nine years of extensive research. It can be used to help improve the design and processing of plastics, including the injection molding process used to make specialized polymers and everyday plastic items such as CDs. ... > full story
Edible carbon dioxide sponge: All-natural nanostructures could address pressing environmental problem (September 25, 2011) -- A year ago chemists published a recipe for a new class of nanostructures made of sugar, salt and alcohol. Now, the same team has discovered the edible compounds can efficiently detect, capture and store carbon dioxide. The porous crystals -- known as metal-organic frameworks -- are made from all-natural ingredients and simple to prepare, giving them a huge advantage over other MOFs, which are usually prepared from materials derived from crude oil. ... > full story
Ultrasonic instrument may be helpful for rhinoplasty, study finds (September 25, 2011) -- The ultrasonic bone aspirator, which uses sound waves to remove bone without damage to surrounding soft tissue or mucous membranes, may be a useful tool for surgeons performing cosmetic rhinoplasty (cosmetic surgery of the nose), according to a new study. ... > full story
Racing against time: New tool available for rapidly rescuing those trapped beneath concrete (September 25, 2011) -- When the World Trade Center's Twin Towers collapsed on Sept. 11, 2011, one of the most critical challenges that first responders faced was cutting through concrete to get to victims trapped. A new tool has been developed to help rescue those trapped beneath concrete. ... > full story
From the comfort of home, web users may have found new planets (September 25, 2011) -- Since the online citizen science project Planet Hunters launched last December, 40,000 web users from around the world have been helping professional astronomers analyze the light from 150,000 stars in the hopes of discovering Earth-like planets orbiting around them. ... > full story
Amazing electrical properties in polymers discovered (September 25, 2011) -- Crystals and ceramics pale when compared to a material researchers discovered that has 10 times their piezoelectric effect, making it suitable for perhaps hundreds of everyday uses. ... > full story
Nature shows the way: Self-healing membranes (September 24, 2011) -- The plant liana, whose stabilization rings of woody cells heal spontaneously after suffering damage, serves as a natural example to bionic experts of self-repairing membranes. Such membranes could find use, for example, in rubber dinghies. Researchers have borrowed this trick from nature and developed a polymer foam surface coating with a closed cell construction which not only reduces the pressure loss after the membrane is damaged but also makes the inflatable structure more resistant and giving it a longer operational life. ... > full story
NASA's UARS satellite re-enters Earth's atmosphere (September 24, 2011) -- NASA's decommissioned Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) fell back to Earth between 11:23 p.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 23 and 1:09 a.m. Sept. 24, 20 years and nine days after its launch on a 14-year mission that produced some of the first long-term records of chemicals in the atmosphere. The precise re-entry time and location of debris impacts have not been determined. During the re-entry period, the satellite passed from the east coast of Africa over the Indian Ocean, then the Pacific Ocean, then across northern Canada, then across the northern Atlantic Ocean, to a point over West Africa. The vast majority of the orbital transit was over water, with some flight over northern Canada and West Africa. ... > full story
Nature offers key lessons on harvesting solar power, say chemists (September 24, 2011) -- Clean solutions to human energy demands are essential to our future. While sunlight is the most abundant source of energy at our disposal, we have yet to learn how to capture, transfer and store solar energy efficiently. According to a new study, the answers can be found in the complex systems at work in nature. ... > full story
NASA to demonstrate communications via laser beam (September 24, 2011) -- It currently takes 90 minutes to transmit high-resolution images from Mars, but NASA would like to dramatically reduce that time to just minutes. A new optical communications system that NASA plans to demonstrate in 2016 will lead the way and even allow the streaming of high-definition video from distances beyond the moon. ... > full story
Researchers pinpoint the cause of MRI vertigo: Machine's magnetic field pushes fluid in the inner ear's balance organ (September 23, 2011) -- A team of researchers says it has discovered why so many people undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), especially in newer high-strength machines, get vertigo, or the dizzy sensation of free-falling, while inside or when coming out of the tunnel-like machine. ... > full story
New source of super-chilled neutrons provides tools for understanding fundamental physics concepts (September 23, 2011) -- Research into fundamental constants of nature and the search for new particles will benefit from new production method for ultra-cold neutrons. ... > full story
Cloaking magnetic fields: First antimagnet developed (September 23, 2011) -- Spanish researchers have designed what they believe to be a new type of magnetic cloak, which shields objects from external magnetic fields, while at the same time preventing any magnetic internal fields from leaking outside, making the cloak undetectable. ... > full story
Producing flexible CIGS solar cells with record efficiency (September 23, 2011) -- New technology has yielded flexible solar cells with an 18.7% record efficiency. Key to the breakthrough is the control of the energy band gap grading in the copper indium gallium (di)selenide semiconductor, also known as CIGS, the layer that absorbs light and converts it into electricity. Scientists achieved this by controlling the vapor flux of elements during different stages of the evaporation process for growing the CIGS layer. ... > full story
Solar activity can affect re-entry of UARS satellite (September 23, 2011) -- The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) is headed toward Earth, but it hasn't been easy to precisely determine the path and pace of UARS because space itself changes over time -- in response to incoming energy and particles from the sun. ... > full story
Particles appear to travel faster than light: OPERA experiment reports anomaly in flight time of neutrinos (September 23, 2011) -- Scientists with the OPERA experiment, which observes a neutrino beam from CERN 730 km away at Italy's INFN Gran Sasso Laboratory, are presenting surprising new results that show neutrinos traveling faster than light. The OPERA result is based on the observation of over 15,000 neutrino events measured at Gran Sasso, and appears to indicate that the neutrinos travel at a velocity 20 parts per million above the speed of light, nature's cosmic speed limit. Given the potential far-reaching consequences of such a result, independent measurements are needed before the effect can either be refuted or firmly established. ... > full story
New targets for the control of HIV predicted using a novel computational analysis (September 23, 2011) -- Over 25 years of intensive research have failed to create a vaccine for preventing HIV. A new computational approach has predicted numerous human proteins that the human immunodeficiency virus requires to replicate itself -- "a powerful resource for experimentalists who desire to discover new targets." ... > full story
New metal hydride clusters provide insights into hydrogen storage (September 23, 2011) -- A new study has shed light on a class of heterometallic molecular structures whose unique features point the way to breakthroughs in the development of lightweight fuel cell technology. The structures contain a previously-unexplored combination of rare-earth and d-transition metals ideally suited to the compact storage of hydrogen. ... > full story
Spiral constriction: How dynamin mediates cellular nutrient uptake (September 23, 2011) -- Researchers have determined the molecular structure of dynamin -- a "wire-puller" that mediates nutrient uptake into the cell. Since pathogens such as HIV can also enter the body's cells in this way, understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms can potentially open up new approaches for medical applications. ... > full story
Lessons to be learned from nature in photosynthesis (September 23, 2011) -- Lessons to be learned from nature could lead to the development of an artificial version of photosynthesis that would provide us with an absolutely clean and virtually inexhaustible energy source, say researchers. ... > full story
Scientists lay out plans for efficient harvesting of solar energy (September 23, 2011) -- Solar power could be harvested more efficiently and transported over long distances using tiny molecular circuits, according to research inspired by new insights into natural photosynthesis. ... > full story
Faster than light? Neutrino finding puzzles scientists (September 23, 2011) -- Neutrinos that travel faster than light? This seems to be the conclusion of the measurements performed by a team of researchers with the OPERA international experiment. ... > full story
Nanoscale nonlinear light source optical device can be controlled electronically (September 22, 2011) -- By harnessing plasmonics to intensify light, engineers have created an ultra-compact nonlinear light source that shrinks a large-scale, high-energy device to the nanoscale with research implications ranging from data communications to a better understanding of fundamental science. ... > full story
Scientists observe how superconducting nanowires lose resistance-free state (September 22, 2011) -- Physicists have measured the temperatures at which collections of electrons build up enough heat to force regions along superconducting aluminum nanowires to switch to a non-superconducting state. The information could help engineers build more reliable nanowires and more efficient nano-electronics. ... > full story
Carnivorous plant inspires coating that resists just about any liquids (September 22, 2011) -- Adopting the pitcher plant's slick prey-catching strategy, a group of applied scientists have created a material that repels just about any type of liquid, including blood and oil, and does so even under harsh conditions like high pressure and freezing temperatures. The bio-inspired liquid repellence technology should find applications in biomedical fluid handling, fuel transport, and anti-fouling and anti-icing technologies. It could even lead to self-cleaning windows and improved optical devices. ... > full story
Radiation boost for artificial joints (September 22, 2011) -- A blast of gamma radiation could toughen up plastic prosthetic joints to make them strong enough to last for years, according to researchers. ... > full story
Saturn's moon Enceladus spreads its influence (September 22, 2011) -- Chalk up one more feat for Saturn's intriguing moon Enceladus. The small, dynamic moon spews out dramatic plumes of water vapor and ice -- first seen by NASA's Cassini spacecraft in 2005. It possesses simple organic particles and may house liquid water beneath its surface. Its geyser-like jets create a gigantic halo of ice, dust and gas around Enceladus that helps feed Saturn's E ring. Now, thanks again to those icy jets, Enceladus is the only moon in our solar system known to influence substantially the chemical composition of its parent planet. ... > full story
Bionic bacteria may help make new drugs, biofuels: Artificially enhanced bacteria capable of producing new kinds of synthetic chemicals (September 22, 2011) -- A strain of genetically enhanced bacteria developed by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies may pave the way for new synthetic drugs and new ways of manufacturing medicines and biofuels, according to a new paper. ... > full story
Could the Higgs boson explain the size of the universe? (September 22, 2011) -- The race to identify the Higgs boson is on at CERN. This Holy Grail of particle physics would help explain why the majority of elementary particles possess mass. The mysterious particle would also help us understand the evolution of the universe from the moment of its birth, according to a group of physicists. If their theory is verified with data from the Planck satellite, it would clear up several questions about the universe, past and future. ... > full story
Information technologies foster freedom or reinforce repression (September 22, 2011) -- The media may portray text messaging and social networks as powerful new weapons for freedom fighters, but these new communication tools may not be as uniformly beneficial or as robust as suggested, according to researchers. ... > full story
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