The EDGE: ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Thursday, October 6, 2011

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Thursday, October 6, 2011

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Controlling silicon evaporation allows scientists to boost graphene quality (October 6, 2011) -- Scientists have for the first time provided details of their "confinement controlled sublimation" technique for growing high-quality layers of epitaxial graphene on silicon carbide wafers. ... > full story

Components based on nature’s example (October 6, 2011) -- They are lightweight and yet strong and resilient: straw, bamboo, bones and teeth owe their surprising strength to their cleverly designed internal structures and a judicious combination of materials. The same principles can be applied to produce lighter and more durable plastic products. ... > full story

Unlocking jams in fluid materials: A theoretical model to understand how to best avoid jamming of soft matter (October 6, 2011) -- In a new study, a German scientist constructed a theoretical model to understand how to best avoid jamming of soft matter that can be applied in food and cosmetics production. ... > full story

Athletes' winning streaks may not be all in our -- or their -- heads (October 6, 2011) -- When an athlete consistently does well, sports commentators may describe them as being "hot" or "on fire." Scientists have debunked these streaks as being in the eye of the beholder, but a new study supports the "hot hand" phenomenon: that a streak of positive outcomes is likely to continue. ... > full story

Certain biofuel mandates unlikely to be met by 2022; unless new technologies, policies developed (October 5, 2011) -- It is unlikely the United States will meet some specific biofuel mandates under the current Renewable Fuel Standard by 2022 unless innovative technologies are developed or policies change. ... > full story

People as 'sensors': Twitter messages reveal NFL's big plays and fans (October 5, 2011) -- Using millions of Twitter subscribers as living "sensors," engineers have found a way to monitor fans' levels of excitement and to keep track of the action in National Football League games -- without ever switching on a TV. SportSense is a computer program the engineers created to analyze NFL fan tweets in real time. ... > full story

Pioneering fingermark technology uses mass spectrometry imaging to provide crime scene investigators with key extra details (October 5, 2011) -- A pioneering technology to detect fingermarks at crime scenes, which provides additional information about a suspect, is a step closer to being incorporated into traditional forensic investigations in the UK. ... > full story

Titanic jigsaw challenge: Piecing together a global color map of Saturn’s largest moon (October 5, 2011) -- An international team has pieced together images gathered over six years by the Cassini mission to create a global mosaic of the surface of Titan. ... > full story

Potential key found for unlocking biomass energy (October 5, 2011) -- Researchers have found a potential key for unlocking the energy potential from non-edible biomass materials such as corn leaves and stalks, or switch grass. ... > full story

Kepler spacecraft discovers new multi-planet solar system (October 5, 2011) -- A team of researchers has used NASA’s Kepler spacecraft to discover an unusual multiple-planet system containing a super-Earth and two Neptune-sized planets orbiting in resonance with each other. ... > full story

A 'carbonizing dragon': Construction drives China's growing CO<sub>2</sub> emissions (October 5, 2011) -- Constructing buildings, power plants and roads has driven a substantial increase in China's carbon dioxide emission growth, according to a new study. ... > full story

Depression uncouples brain's 'hate circuit', MRI study finds (October 5, 2011) -- A new study using MRI scans has found that depression frequently seems to uncouple the brain's 'hate circuit'. ... > full story

Physicists move one step closer to quantum computer (October 5, 2011) -- Physicists have created a tiny "electron superhighway" that could one day be useful for building a quantum computer -- a new type of computer that will use quantum particles in place of the digital transistors found in today's microchips. Researchers now describe how to make a "topological insulator," a much-sought device that could help physicists create elusive pairs of quantum particles that are particularly useful for storing information. ... > full story

2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: 'Quasicrystals' once thought impossible have changed understanding of solid matter (October 5, 2011) -- The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences is awarding the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2011 to Daniel Shechtman for the discovery of quasicrystals: non-repeating regular patterns of atoms that were once thought to be impossible. The breakthrough has fundamentally altered how chemists conceive of solid matter. ... > full story

Hyperactive Hartley 2 has a split history, comet-exploring spacecraft finds (October 5, 2011) -- The latest analysis of data from NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft shows that comet 103P/Hartley 2 is hyperactive in terms of the material it spews out, compared to the other comets observed up close to date. The comet also shows surprising diversity - ice on the comet’s sunlit surface is found in patches that are isolated from areas of dust. In addition, one lobe of the dog-bone shaped comet may have lost much more of the primordial material from the formation of the comet than the other, suggesting that Hartley 2 was originally two comets that came together in a gentle collision. ... > full story

When water and air meet: New light shed on mysterious structure of world's most common liquid interface (October 5, 2011) -- New findings have resolved a long-standing debate over the structure of water molecules at the water surface. The research combines theoretical and experimental techniques to pinpoint, for the first time, the origin of water's unique surface properties in the interaction of water pairs at the air-water interface. ... > full story

Guidelines set out for obtaining more efficient latex (October 5, 2011) -- A chemical engineer has presented guidelines for obtaining better quality and more efficient latex,. This involves a strategy which facilitates obtaining a more concentrated material without it losing its handling properties. ... > full story

Advance offers new opportunities in chemistry education, research (October 4, 2011) -- Researchers have created a new, unifying method to describe a basic chemical concept called "electronegativity," first described almost 80 years ago by Linus Pauling and part of the work that led to his receiving the Nobel Prize. The new system offers simplicity of understanding that should rewrite high school and college chemistry textbooks around the world, even as it opens important new avenues in materials and chemical research. ... > full story

Researchers identifiy more accurate treatment delivery for robotic radiosurgery system (October 4, 2011) -- A new study now reports that there is an alternative to the conventional CyberKnife treatment delivery system. This new technique uses a multileaf collimator (MLC) and can flexibly sculpt a single radiation beam to match the exact contour of a tumor -- significantly reducing the treatment time and minimizing the amount of radiation to the neighboring tissues. ... > full story

'Mirage-effect' helps researchers hide objects (October 4, 2011) -- Scientists have created a working cloaking device that not only takes advantage of one of nature's most bizarre phenomenon, but also boasts unique features; it has an "on and off" switch and is best used underwater. ... > full story

Researchers transform iPhone into high-quality medical imaging device (October 4, 2011) -- In a feat of technology tweaking that would rival MacGyver, a team of researchers has transformed everyday iPhones into medical-quality imaging and chemical detection devices. With materials that cost about as much as a typical app, the decked-out smartphones are able to use their heightened senses to perform detailed microscopy and spectroscopy. ... > full story

NASA's Dawn spacecraft begins new Vesta mapping orbit (October 4, 2011) -- NASA's Dawn spacecraft has completed a gentle spiral into its new science orbit for an even closer view of the giant asteroid Vesta. Dawn began sending science data on Sept. 29 from this new orbit, known as the high altitude mapping orbit (HAMO). ... > full story

Engineers build smart petri dish: Device can be used for medical diagnostics, imaging cell growth continuously (October 4, 2011) -- The cameras in our cell phones have dramatically changed the way we share the special moments in our lives, making photographs instantly available to friends and family. Now, the imaging sensor chips that form the heart of these built-in cameras are helping engineers transform the way cell cultures are imaged by serving as the platform for a "smart" petri dish. ... > full story

From compost to sustainable fuels: Heat-loving fungi sequenced (October 4, 2011) -- Two heat-loving fungi, often found in composts that self-ignite without flame or spark, could soon have new vocations. The complete genetic makeup of Myceliophthora thermophila and Thielavia terrestris has now been decoded. The findings may lead to the faster and greener development of biomass-based fuels, chemicals and other industrial materials. ... > full story

Robot brain implanted in a rodent: Researcher implants robotic cerebellum to repair motor function (October 4, 2011) -- With new cutting-edge technology aimed at providing amputees with robotic limbs, a researcher has successfully implanted a robotic cerebellum into the skull of a rodent with brain damage, restoring its capacity for movement. ... > full story

2011 Nobel Prize in Physics: Discovery of expanding universe by observing distant supernovae (October 4, 2011) -- The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for 2011 to Saul Perlmutter, Brian P. Schmidt and Adam G. Riess, for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe through observations of distant supernovae. ... > full story

Saturn's geyser moon Enceladus shows off for NASA's Cassini (October 4, 2011) -- NASA's Cassini spacecraft successfully completed its Oct. 1 flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus and its jets of water vapor and ice. At its closest approach, the spacecraft flew approximately 62 miles (100 kilometers) above the moon's surface. The close approach was designed to give some of Cassini's instruments, including the ion and neutral mass spectrometer, the chance to "taste" the jets themselves. ... > full story

Virtual reality worm-tracking challenge leads to new tool for brain research (October 4, 2011) -- Using new optical equipment, researchers put roundworms into a world of virtual reality, monitored both their behavior and brain activity and gained unexpected information on how the organism's brain operates as it moves. ... > full story

First images from ALMA telescope: Hidden star-formation in Antennae Galaxies revealed (October 4, 2011) -- First visualizations of ALMA test data are made public with unprecedented views of once-hidden star-formation in the colliding galaxy pair, the Antennae. ... > full story

Novel energy-storage membrane: Performance surpasses existing rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors (October 4, 2011) -- Researchers in Singapore have developed a novel membrane with a performance that surpasses existing rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors, promising a low-cost, environmentally-friendly energy source. ... > full story

Helium raises resolution of whole cell imaging (October 4, 2011) -- The ability to obtain an accurate three-dimensional image of an intact cell is critical for unraveling the mysteries of cellular structure and function. However, for many years, tiny structures buried deep inside cells have been practically invisible to scientists due to a lack of microscopic techniques that achieve adequate resolution at the cell surface and through the entire depth of the cell. Now, a new study demonstrates that microscopy with helium ions may greatly enhance both surface and sub-cellular imaging. ... > full story

Social media sites may reveal information about problem drinking among college students (October 4, 2011) -- Social media websites, such as Facebook and MySpace, may reveal information that could identify underage college students who may be at risk for problem drinking, according to a new study. ... > full story

Dawn at Vesta: Massive mountains, rough surface, and old-young dichotomy in hemispheres (October 4, 2011) -- NASA's Dawn mission, which has been orbiting Vesta since mid-July, has revealed that the asteroid's southern hemisphere boasts one of the largest mountains in the System. Other results show that Vesta's surface, viewed at different wavelengths, has striking diversity in its composition particularly around craters. The surface appears to be much rougher than most asteroids in the main asteroid belt. Preliminary results from crater age dates indicate that areas in the southern hemisphere are as young as 1-2 billion years old, much younger than areas in the north. ... > full story

Two early stages of carbon nanotube growth discovered (October 3, 2011) -- Orderly rows of neatly aligned carbon nanotubes have served as the standard for nanotechnology researchers. But physicists now report the discovery of two early stages of carbon nanotube growth that produce tangled or semi-aligned tubes with characteristics that could lend themselves to thermal management and other applications. ... > full story

Cosmic weight watching reveals black hole-galaxy history (October 3, 2011) -- Using state-of-the-art technology and sophisticated data analysis tools, a team of astronomers has developed a new and powerful technique to directly determine the mass of an active galaxy at a distance of nearly 9 billion light-years from Earth. This pioneering method promises a new approach for studying the co-evolution of galaxies and their central black holes. First results indicate that for galaxies, the best part of cosmic history was not a time of sweeping changes. ... > full story

Polymeric material has potential for noninvasive procedures (October 3, 2011) -- Scientists have developed what they believe to be the first polymeric material that is sensitive to biologically benign levels of near infrared irradiation, enabling the material to disassemble in a highly controlled fashion. The study represents a significant milestone in the area of light-sensitive material for non-invasive medical and biological applications. ... > full story

Exotic quantum states: A new research approach (October 3, 2011) -- Theoretical physicists have formulated a new concept to engineer exotic, so-called topological states of matter in quantum mechanical many-body systems. They linked concepts of quantum optics and condensed matter physics and show a direction to build a quantum computer which is immune against perturbations. ... > full story

Gravitational waves that are 'sounds of the universe' (October 3, 2011) -- Einstein wrote about them, and we're still looking for them -- gravitational waves, which are small ripples in the fabric of space-time, that many consider to be the sounds of our universe. Just as sound complements vision in our daily life, gravitational waves will complement our view of the universe taken by standard telescopes. ... > full story

Pathways of pain-blocking medications modeled by computer (October 3, 2011) -- Although local anesthetics are commonly used, in many cases scientists still don't understand the finer points of how the drugs act on cell membranes. A new computer model may help by showing how readily cell membranes made up of different compounds absorb anesthetics. ... > full story

Neuronal stem cells tracked using MRI: Technology could inform treatment for brain injury and neurological disease (October 3, 2011) -- Biologists have developed an MRI-based technique that allows researchers to non-invasively follow neural stem cells in vivo. The recently patented technology could be used to further the study of neural stem cells and inform the development of new treatments for brain injury caused by trauma, stroke, Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders. ... > full story

Baseball's winning formula: Statistical analysis debunks the old adage 'Pitching is 75 percent of the game' (October 3, 2011) -- A new analysis found hitting accounts for more than 45 percent of Major League Baseball teams' winning records, fielding for 25 percent and pitching for 25 percent. And, the impact of stolen bases is greatly overestimated. ... > full story

Physicists consider their own carbon footprint (October 3, 2011) -- An astrophysicist calls on physicists to pull their weight when it comes to climate change, drawing on his own research showing that astronomers average 23,000 air miles per year flying to observatories, conferences and meetings, and use 130 KWh more energy per day than the average US citizen. ... > full story

Online informed consent tool could boost number of patients in cancer clinical trials (October 3, 2011) -- A new multimedia informed consent tool accessed via the Internet may make it easier for cancer patients to understand and feel comfortable enrolling in clinical trials. The research group points to the tool as a potential way to buoy the low percentage of adult cancer patients who participate in clinical trials, which hovers between 2 and 4 percent nationwide. ... > full story

Astronomers reveal supernova factory (October 2, 2011) -- A team of astronomers has detected seven previously unknown supernovae in a galaxy 250 million light years away. Never before have so many supernovae been discovered at the same time in the same galaxy. ... > full story

High-performance simulation, neutrons uncover three classes of protein motion (October 2, 2011) -- Molecular motion in proteins comes in three distinct classes, according to researchers. The research team combined high-performance computer simulation with neutron scattering experiments to understand atomic-level motions that underpin the operations of proteins. ... > full story

Single ions -- extremely cool: Single magnesium ion brought to a standstill by means of novel, simple laser cooling (October 2, 2011) -- One of the fundamental questions in the search for the "theory of everything" is whether fundamental constants possibly vary. To prove this in the case of the fine-structure constant, for instance, scientists have to measure the spectral lines of atoms more accurately. Quantum logic spectroscopy provides such a method. Physicists have come one decisive step closer to this goal. ... > full story

Galaxy caught blowing bubbles (October 1, 2011) -- Hubble's famous images of galaxies typically show elegant spirals or soft-edged ellipses. But these neat forms are only representative of large galaxies. Smaller galaxies like the dwarf irregular galaxy Holmberg II come in many shapes and types that are harder to classify. This galaxy's indistinct shape is punctuated by huge glowing bubbles of gas. ... > full story

Pressurized vascular systems for self-healing materials (October 1, 2011) -- Artificial microvascular systems for self-repair of materials damage, such as cracks in a coating applied to a building or bridge, have relied on capillary force for transport of the healing agents. Now, researchers have demonstrated that an active pumping capability for pressurized delivery of liquid healing agents in microvascular systems significantly improves the degree of healing compared with capillary force methods. ... > full story