The EDGE: ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Monday, June 4, 2012

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Monday, June 4, 2012

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Expanding the genetic alphabet may be easier than previously thought (June 3, 2012) -- A new study suggests that the replication process for DNA -- the genetic instructions for living organisms that is composed of four bases (C, G, A and T) -- is more open to unnatural letters than had previously been thought. An expanded "DNA alphabet" could carry more information than natural DNA, potentially coding for a much wider range of molecules and enabling a variety of powerful applications, from precise molecular probes and nanomachines to useful new life forms. ... > full story

Computer-designed proteins programmed to disarm variety of flu viruses (June 1, 2012) -- Proteins found in nature, but that do not normally bind the flu, can be engineered to act as broad-spectrum antiviral agents against many flu virus strains, including H1N1 pandemic influenza. One engineered protein has a flu-fighting potency that rivals several monoclonal antibodies. The proteins are constructed via computer modeling to fit neatly onto a nano-sized target on flu viruses, and prevent that part of the virus from changing shape to infect cells. ... > full story

Venus Transit: June 5-6, 2012 (June 1, 2012) -- On June 5, 2012, at 6:03 PM EDT, the planet Venus will do something it has done only seven times since the invention of the telescope: cross in front of the sun. This transit is among the rarest of planetary alignments and it has an odd cycle. Two such Venus transits always occur within eight years of each other and then there is a break of either 105 or 121 years before it happens again. ... > full story

Northern Lights process like untangling twisted strands of spaghetti? (June 1, 2012) -- Scientists have reached a milestone in describing how the northern lights work by way of a process called "magnetic reconnection." The process is best imagined as untangling twisted strands of spaghetti. ... > full story

Skeleton key: Diverse complex networks have similar skeletons (June 1, 2012) -- Researchers have discovered that very different complex networks -- ranging from global air traffic to neural networks -- share very similar backbones. By stripping each network down to its essential nodes and links, they found each network possesses a skeleton and these skeletons share common features, much like vertebrates do. The findings could be particularly useful in understanding how something -- a disease, a rumor or information -- spreads across a network. ... > full story

Prototype device translates sign language (June 1, 2012) -- The hearing impaired may soon have an easier time communicating with those who do not understand sign language due to a new device. During the past semester, students in engineering technology and industrial design programs teamed up to develop the concept and prototype for MyVoice, a device that reads sign language and translates its motions into audible words. ... > full story

Venus: Planetary portrait of inner beauty (June 1, 2012) -- A Venus transit across the face of the sun is a relatively rare event -- occurring in pairs with more than a century separating each pair. There have been all of 53 transits of Venus across the sun between 2000 B.C. and the last one in 2004. On Wednesday, June 6 (Tuesday, June 5 from the Western Hemisphere), Earth gets another shot at it -- and the last for a good long while. But beyond this uniquely celestial oddity, why has Venus been an object worthy of ogling for hundreds of centuries? ... > full story

Saturn's geyser moon Enceladus provides a new kind of plasma laboratory (June 1, 2012) -- Recent findings from NASA's Cassini mission reveal that Saturn's geyser moon Enceladus provides a special laboratory for watching unusual behavior of plasma, or hot ionized gas. In these recent findings, some Cassini scientists think they have observed "dusty plasma," a condition theorized but not previously observed on site, near Enceladus. Data from Cassini's fields and particles instruments also show that the usual "heavy" and "light" species of charged particles in normal plasma are actually reversed near the plume spraying from the moon's south polar region. ... > full story

New compound could become 'cool blue' for energy efficiency in buildings (June 1, 2012) -- A new type of durable, environmentally-benign blue pigment has also been found to have unusual characteristics in reflecting heat -- it's a "cool blue" compound that could become important in new approaches to saving energy in buildings. ... > full story

Unique approach to materials allows temperature-stable circuits (June 1, 2012) -- Scientists have developed a unique materials approach to multilayered, ceramic-based, 3-D microelectronics circuits, such as those used in cell phones. The approach compensates for how changes due to temperature fluctuations affect something called the temperature coefficient of resonant frequency, a critical property of materials used in radio and microwave frequency applications. ... > full story

Quantum computers will be able to simulate particle collisions (June 1, 2012) -- Quantum computers are still years away, but a trio of theoretical physicists can already make the claim "there's an app for that." The theorists have developed a mathematical algorithm that will be used by a future quantum computer to study the inner workings of the universe in ways that are far beyond the reach of even the most powerful conventional supercomputers. ... > full story

Astronomers discover faintest distant galaxy (June 1, 2012) -- Astronomers have found an exceptionally distant galaxy, ranked among the top 10 most distant objects currently known in space. Light from the recently detected galaxy left the object about 800 million years after the beginning of the universe, when the universe was in its infancy. The team of astronomers identified the remote galaxy after scanning a moon-sized patch of sky with an instrument on the Magellan Telescopes at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. ... > full story

Integrated sensors handle extreme conditions (June 1, 2012) -- Engineers have designed and fabricated integrated amplifier circuits that operate under extreme temperatures -- up to 600 degrees Celsius. The silicon carbide amplifiers have applications in both aerospace and energy industries. ... > full story

Silkmoth inspires novel explosive detector (June 1, 2012) -- Imitating the antennas of the silkmoth, Bombyx mori, researchers have designed a system for detecting explosives with unparalleled performance. Made up of a silicon microcantilever bearing nearly 500,000 aligned titanium dioxide nanotubes, this device is capable of detecting concentrations of trinitrotoluene (TNT) of around 800 ppq (1) (i.e. 800 molecules of explosive per 10^15 molecules of air), thereby improving one thousand-fold the detection limit attainable until now. This innovative concept could also be used to detect drugs, toxic agents and traces of organic pollutants. ... > full story

Catching solar particles infiltrating Earth's atmosphere (May 31, 2012) -- On May 17, 2012, an M-class flare exploded from the sun. They caused a shower of particles to cascade down toward Earth's surface. The shower created what's called a ground level enhancement (GLE). ... > full story

X-ray 'echoes' map a supermassive black hole's environs in distant galaxies (May 31, 2012) -- Astronomers have identified a long-sought X-ray "echo" that promises a new way to probe supersized black holes in distant galaxies. ... > full story

Nanotechnology breakthrough could dramatically improve medical tests (May 31, 2012) -- A laboratory test used to detect disease and perform biological research could be made more than 3 million times more sensitive, according to researchers who combined standard biological tools with a breakthrough in nanotechnology. ... > full story

New small solid oxide fuel cell reaches record efficiency (May 31, 2012) -- A new solid oxide fuel cell system can achieve a record of up to 57 percent efficiency and is designed to be scaled up to generate electricity for individual homes or neighborhoods. ... > full story

Slingshot-driven device stops high-velocity projectiles without destroying them (May 31, 2012) -- What do you get when you combine a slingshot, a fish tank, a stack of 2-by-4s and five engineering students determined to help the United States Air Force? A device to stop high-velocity projectiles without destroying them. ... > full story

Cosmic calculations for exploring where stars are born (May 31, 2012) -- Astrophysicists can now analyze the vast molecular clouds of gas and dust where stars are born more accurately. New research has solved equations of quantum mechanics to describe more precisely the interactions between molecules of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, the two most abundant gases in space. ... > full story

Predicting burglary patterns through math modeling of crime (May 31, 2012) -- Pattern formation in physical, biological, and sociological systems has been studied for many years. One area where it has been of growing interest is in crime modeling. ... > full story

X-ray laser probes biomolecules to individual atoms (May 31, 2012) -- Scientists have demonstrated how the world's most powerful X-ray laser can assist in cracking the structures of biomolecules, and in the processes helped to pioneer critical new investigative avenues in biology. ... > full story

Building molecular 'cages' to fight disease (May 31, 2012) -- Biochemists have designed specialized proteins that assemble themselves to form tiny molecular cages hundreds of times smaller than a single cell. The creation of these miniature structures may be the first step toward developing new methods of drug delivery or even designing artificial vaccines. ... > full story

New tool to attack the mysteries of high-temperature superconductivity (May 31, 2012) -- Using ultrafast lasers, scientists have tackled the long-standing mystery of how Cooper pairs form in high-temperature superconductors. With pump and probe pulses spaced just trillionths of a second apart, the researchers used photoemission spectroscopy to map rapid changes in electronic states across the superconducting transition, revealing relationships of energy and momentum never seen before in these promising, but stubborn, complex materials. ... > full story

Finding good music in noisy online markets (May 31, 2012) -- Researchers have analyzed data on 14,000 users of a music-sharing site and have concluded that, while social-media marketing -- getting lots of "likes" on Facebook, for instance -- can drive users to listen to excerpts from new songs, it has a negligible effect on their purchases. ... > full story

Crash of the Titans: Milky Way is destined for head-on collision with Andromeda Galaxy (May 31, 2012) -- Astronomers can now predict with certainty the next major cosmic event to affect our galaxy, Sun, and solar system: the titanic collision of our Milky Way galaxy with the neighboring Andromeda galaxy. The Milky Way is destined to get a major makeover during the encounter, which is predicted to happen four billion years from now. It's likely the Sun will be flung into a new region of our galaxy, but our Earth and solar system are in no danger of being destroyed. ... > full story

NASA preparing to launch its newest X-ray eyes (May 31, 2012) -- NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, is being prepared for the final journey to its launch pad on Kwajalein Atoll in the central Pacific Ocean. The mission will study everything from massive black holes to our own sun. It is scheduled to launch no earlier than June 13. ... > full story

SpaceX Dragon capsule returns to Earth after first commercial flight to space station (May 31, 2012) -- SpaceX's Dragon capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 11:42 a.m. EDT a few hundred miles west of Baja California, Mexico, marking a successful end to the first mission by a commercial company to resupply the International Space Station. ... > full story

New device warns workers of high levels of airborne metals in minutes rather than weeks (May 31, 2012) -- Scientists are reporting development of a new paper-based device that can warn workers that they are being exposed to potentially unhealthy levels of airborne metals almost immediately, instead of the weeks required with current technology. The device costs about one cent to make and could prevent illness in the millions of people who work with metal. ... > full story

ALMA Turns its Eyes to Centaurus A (May 31, 2012) -- A new image of the center of the distinctive galaxy Centaurus A shows how the new observatory allows astronomers to see through the opaque dust lanes that obscure the galaxy’s center, with unprecedented quality. ... > full story

Methane on Mars is not an indication of life: UV radiation releases methane from organic materials from meteorites (May 31, 2012) -- It was a sensation when scientists discovered methane in Mars’ atmosphere nine years ago. Many saw the presence of the gas as a clear indication of life on the inhospitable planet, as on Earth methane is produced predominantly by biological processes. Others assumed geological processes, such as volcanoes, to be the cause. Researchers have now been able to show that methane escapes from a meteorite if it is irradiated with ultraviolet light under Martian conditions. ... > full story

Electric moon jolts the solar wind (May 31, 2012) -- With the moon as the most prominent object in the night sky and a major source of an invisible pull that creates ocean tides, many ancient cultures thought it could also affect our health or state of mind -- the word "lunacy" has its origin in this belief. Now, a powerful combination of spacecraft and computer simulations is revealing that the moon does indeed have a far-reaching, invisible influence -- not on us, but on the Sun, or more specifically, the solar wind. ... > full story

New type of biosensor is fast, super-sensitive (May 31, 2012) -- A whole new class of biosensor that can detect exceptionally small traces of contaminants in liquids in just 40 minutes has now been developed. Known as a biochemiresistor, it meets a long-standing challenge to create a sensor that is not only super-sensitive to the presence of chemical compounds but responds quickly. It has countless potential uses for detecting drugs, toxins and pesticides for biomedical or environmental analysis. ... > full story

Rewriting DNA to understand what it says (May 31, 2012) -- Our ability to "read" DNA has made tremendous progress in the past few decades, but the ability to understand and alter the genetic code, that is, to "rewrite" the DNA-encoded instructions, has lagged behind. A new study advances our understanding of the genetic code: It proposes a way of effectively introducing numerous carefully planned DNA segments into genomes of living cells and of testing the effects of these changes. New technology speeds up DNA "rewriting" and measures the effects of the changes in living cells. ... > full story

Hunting planets with laser rulers (May 31, 2012) -- Laser frequency combs can be used for the calibration of astronomical spectrographs. This will help to find extra-solar planets, i.e. planets that are orbiting a star outside our solar-system. By refining this technology it might become possible to directly measure even very small changes in the expansion velocity of the universe. ... > full story

Four telltale signs of propaganda on Twitter (May 31, 2012) -- A new study identifies four characteristic behaviors of Twitter hyperadvocates, whose actions clearly separate them from the tweeting behavior of typical users. ... > full story

New properties of carbon material graphene discovered (May 30, 2012) -- Scientists have shown that graphene has two properties that could have applications in high-speed telecommunications devices and laser technology -- population inversion of electrons and broadband optical gain. ... > full story

Could sarcastic computers be in our future? New math model can help computers understand inference (May 30, 2012) -- Researchers have created a mathematical model that helps predict pragmatic reasoning and may eventually lead to the manufacture of machines that can better understand inference, context and social rules. ... > full story

Mars missions may learn from meteorite from Australia (May 30, 2012) -- A discovery about the make-up of the atmosphere of Mars could help inform future missions searching for life there. ... > full story

Nanodevice manufacturing strategy using DNA 'Building blocks' (May 30, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a method for building complex nanostructures out of interlocking DNA "building blocks" that can be programmed to assemble themselves into precisely designed shapes. With further development, the technology could one day enable the creation of new nanoscale devices that deliver drugs directly to disease sites. ... > full story

Stellar archeology traces Milky Way's history (May 30, 2012) -- Unfortunately, stars don't have birth certificates. So, astronomers have a tough time figuring out their ages. Knowing a star's age is critical for understanding how our Milky Way galaxy built itself up over billions of years from smaller galaxies. But an astronomer has now found the next best thing to a star's birth certificate. ... > full story

Why Earth is not an ice ball: Possible explanation for faint young sun paradox (May 30, 2012) -- More than 2 billion years ago, a much fainter sun should have left the Earth as an orbiting ice ball. Why we avoided the deep freeze is a question that has puzzled scientists, but one astronomer might have an answer. ... > full story

More atomic hydrogen gas lurks in universe: There's more star-stuff out there, but it's not dark matter (May 30, 2012) -- More atomic hydrogen gas -- the ultimate fuel for stars -- is lurking in today's universe than we thought, astronomers have found. This is the first accurate measurement of this gas in galaxies close to our own. ... > full story

BioChip may make diagnosis of leukemia and HIV faster, cheaper (May 30, 2012) -- Inexpensive, portable devices that can rapidly screen cells for leukemia or HIV may soon be possible thanks to a chip that can produce three-dimensional focusing of a stream of cells, according to researchers. ... > full story

Freecycling has viral effect on community spirit and generosity (May 30, 2012) -- Reinforcing that the best things in life are free, a new study shows that online freebie-exchange communities such as "Freecycle" and "Couchsurfing" foster greater team spirit among their members than do cash-for-goods websites. ... > full story

Arctic bacteria help in the search to find life on Jupiter's moon Europa (May 30, 2012) -- In a fjord in Canada, scientists have found a landscape similar to one of Jupiter's icy moons: Europa. It consists of a frozen and sulfurous environment, where sulfur associated with Arctic bacteria offer clues for the upcoming missions in the search for traces of life on Europa. ... > full story

Pollution deadening contruction: Nanoparticle coating interacts with sunlight to eliminate contaminants (May 30, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a type of coating for construction materials. It is based on nanoparticles that interact with sunlight and trigger a chemical reaction that eliminates certain air pollutants. It is reckoned that the reduction in atmospheric pollution could be 90% of nitrogen oxides, 80% of hydrocarbons, and 75% of carbon monoxides emitted. ... > full story

Microreactors to produce explosive materials (May 30, 2012) -- The larger the reaction vessel, the quicker products can be made – or so you might think. Microreactors show just how wrong that assumption is: in fact, they can be used to produce explosive materials – nitroglycerine, for instance – around ten times faster than in conventional vessels, and much more safely as well. ... > full story