The EDGE: ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Thursday, June 7, 2012

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Thursday, June 7, 2012

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Cassini plasma spectrometer turns off (June 6, 2012) -- The Cassini plasma spectrometer instrument (CAPS) aboard NASA's Cassini spacecraft was turned off between Friday, June 1 and Saturday, June 2, when a circuit breaker tripped off after the instrument experienced some unexpected voltage shifts. ... > full story

Dawn mission video shows Vesta's coat of many colors (June 6, 2012) -- A new video from NASA's Dawn mission reveals the dappled, variegated surface of the giant asteroid Vesta. The animation drapes high-resolution false color images over a 3-D model of the Vesta terrain constructed from Dawn's observations. This visualization enables a detailed view of the variation in the material properties of Vesta in the context of its topography. ... > full story

Photosynthesis: A new way of looking at photosystem II (June 6, 2012) -- Using ultrafast, intensely bright pulses of X-rays scientists have obtained the first ever images at room temperature of photosystem II, a protein complex critical for photosynthesis and future artificial photosynthetic systems. ... > full story

Sensors detect contaminants in water in low concentrations (June 6, 2012) -- Many organic contaminants in the air and in drinking water need to be detected at very low-level concentrations. New research could be beneficial in detecting those contaminants. ... > full story

1 million billion billion billion billion billion billion: Number of undiscovered drugs (June 6, 2012) -- A new voyage into "chemical space" – occupied not by stars and planets but substances that could become useful in everyday life – has concluded that scientists have synthesized barely one tenth of one percent of potential medicines. The report estimates that the actual number of these so-called "small molecules" could be one novemdecillion (that's one with 60 zeroes), more than some estimates of the number of stars in the universe. ... > full story

Video games may be helpful in treating 'Lazy eye' in adults (June 6, 2012) -- Suppose someone told you that researchers had discovered that a major cause of vision loss is treatable, and that the most promising new treatment is—playing video games? It may sound far-fetched, but those are the conclusions of a new article. ... > full story

Have you heard? Nearly 15 percent of work email is gossip (June 6, 2012) -- According to some estimates, the average corporate email user sends 112 emails every day. About one out of every seven of those messages, says a new study, can be called gossip. ... > full story

New technique to give us better understanding of human tissues (June 6, 2012) -- Researchers have demonstrated that a relatively new microscopy technique can be used to improve our understanding of human tissues and other biomedical materials. The study focused specifically on eye tissues, which are damaged by scarring in diabetic patients. ... > full story

Artificial noses as diseases busters (June 6, 2012) -- Artificial noses have, until now, been used to detect diseases such as urinary tract infection, Helicobacter pylori, tuberculosis, ear, nose and throat conditions and even lung cancer. They have also been clinically tested for use in continuous monitoring of different disease stages. ... > full story

Compact and flexible thermal storage (June 6, 2012) -- Biogas plants, combined heat and power plants don’t just generate electricity, they also produce heat. However, unlike the electricity they yield, the heat generally dissipates unused. A new technology is set to change this: It will allow the heat to be stored lossfree in the smallest of spaces for lengthy periods of time, for use as and when required. ... > full story

Molecular matchmaking for drug discovery (June 5, 2012) -- Computational drug discovery allows researchers to target a small group of possible molecules for therapeutic use, saving significant time and money. Scientists have now reported on advances in image reconstruction that allow his group to detect the secondary structures of proteins from single particle cryo-electron microscopy. ... > full story

Dream Chaser flight vehicle scales Rocky Mountain summits (June 5, 2012) -- Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) Space Systems' Dream Chaser design passed one of its most complex tests to date with a successful captive-carry test conducted near the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Jefferson County, Colo., on May 29. Just like the space shuttle before it, SNC's Dream Chaser will go through extensive testing to prove its wings will work. The company built a full-scale flight vehicle of the Dream Chaser spacecraft to carry out the evaluations. ... > full story

Venus' transit and the search for other worlds (June 5, 2012) -- It's the final opportunity of the century to witness the rare astronomical reunion of the sun, Venus and Earth. On Tuesday, June 5 or 6, 2012, depending on your location, Venus will make its presence in the solar system visible from Earth's day side. Using special eye safety precautions, viewers may see Venus as a small dot slowly drifting across the golden disk of the sun. ... > full story

Nuclear weapon simulations show performance in molecular detail (June 5, 2012) -- US researchers are perfecting simulations that show a nuclear weapon's performance in precise molecular detail, tools that are becoming critical for national defense because international treaties forbid the detonation of nuclear test weapons. ... > full story

Precise measurement of radiation damage on materials (June 5, 2012) -- Researchers have for the first time simulated and quantified the early stages of radiation damage that will occur in a given material. ... > full story

Keeping up with embryogenesis: New microscope tracks cells as they move and divide (June 5, 2012) -- The transformation of a fertilized egg into a functioning animal requires thousands of cell divisions and intricate rearrangements of those cells. That process is captured with unprecedented speed and precision by a new imaging technology that lets users track each cell in an embryo as it takes shape over hours or days. ... > full story

Halogen bonding helps design new drugs (June 5, 2012) -- Halogens particularly chlorine, bromine, and iodine – have a unique quality which allows them to positively influence the interaction between molecules. This “halogen bonding” has been employed in the area of materials science for some time, but is only now finding applications in the life sciences. ... > full story

Weak bridges identified in Texas (June 5, 2012) -- More than a dozen Gulf Coast bridges in or near Galveston, Texas, would likely suffer severe damage if subjected to a hurricane with a similar landfall as Hurricane Ike but with 30 percent stronger winds, according to researchers. ... > full story

Faster, more sensitive photodetector created by tricking graphene (June 5, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a highly sensitive detector of infrared light that can be used in applications ranging from detection of chemical and biochemical weapons from a distance and better airport body scanners to chemical analysis in the laboratory and studying the structure of the universe through new telescopes. ... > full story

Splitting the unsplittable: Physicists split an atom using quantum mechanics precision (June 5, 2012) -- Researchers have just shown how a single atom can be split into its two halves, pulled apart and put back together again. While the word "atom" literally means "indivisible," the laws of quantum mechanics allow dividing atoms -- similarly to light rays -- and reuniting them. The researchers want to build quantum mechanics bridges by letting the atom touch adjacent atoms while it is being pulled apart so that it works like a bridge span between two pillars. ... > full story

Chiral asymmetry can emerge from maximal symmetry (June 5, 2012) -- Maximally symmetric systems of particles can spontaneously produce two different patterns, which are mirror images of each other, new research shows. The research group is working towards a mathematical design of self-assembling nanomaterials. ... > full story

The mysterious arc of Venus (June 4, 2012) -- When Venus transits the sun on June 5-6, an armada of spacecraft and ground-based telescopes will be on the lookout for something elusive and, until recently, unexpected: the arc of Venus. ... > full story

RHESSI will use Venus transit to improve measurements of the sun's diameter (June 4, 2012) -- With the new data obtained during the Venus transit on June 5-6, 2012, the RHESSI team hopes to improve the knowledge of the exact shape of the sun and provide a more accurate measure of the diameter than has previously been obtained. ... > full story

Energy-dense biofuel from cellulose close to being economical (June 4, 2012) -- A new process for creating biofuels has shown potential to be cost-effective for production scale, opening the door for moving beyond the laboratory setting. ... > full story

Zeroing in on the best shape for cancer-fighting nanoparticles (June 4, 2012) -- A pair of new articles suggests that cancer-fighting nanoparticles ought to be disc-shaped, not spherical or rod-shaped, when targeting cancers at or near blood vessels. ... > full story

Physicists close in on a rare particle-decay process: Underground experiment may unlock mysteries of the neutrino (June 4, 2012) -- In the biggest result of its kind in more than ten years, physicists have made the most sensitive measurements yet in a decades-long hunt for a hypothetical and rare process involving the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. If discovered, the researchers say, this process could have profound implications for how scientists understand the fundamental laws of physics and help solve some of the universe's biggest mysteries. ... > full story

Giant black hole kicked out of home galaxy (June 4, 2012) -- Astronomers have found strong evidence that a massive black hole is being ejected from its host galaxy at a speed of several million miles per hour. New observations suggest that the black hole collided and merged with another black hole and received a powerful recoil kick from gravitational wave radiation. ... > full story

Ancient jugs hold the secret to practical mathematics in Biblical times (June 4, 2012) -- Archaeologists and mathematicians alike have been puzzled for centuries by the use of spherical jugs in trade in the ancient world, and how merchants measured the volume of the commodities they held. Now researchers have revealed that these ancient cultures had their own unique means of measurement, accurate enough for business and other uses. ... > full story

Flexible channel width improves user experience on wireless systems (June 4, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a technique to efficiently divide the bandwidth of the wireless spectrum in multi-hop wireless networks to improve operation and provide all users in the network with the best possible performance. ... > full story

Artificial muscle as shock absorber: Dampen annoying vibrations in a car or supply wireless power (June 4, 2012) -- Engineers are working on intelligent materials that can diminish vibrations and extract power from the environment. These electro-active elastomers could dampen annoying vibrations in a car, for example, or supply wireless power to sensors in otherwise inaccessible places. ... > full story

Repelling the drop on top (June 4, 2012) -- It would make life a lot easier if the surfaces of window panes, corrosion coatings or microfluidic systems in medical labs could keep themselves free of water and other liquids. A new simulation program can now work out just how such surfaces have to look for a variety of applications. ... > full story

Filming life in the fast lane (June 4, 2012) -- A new microscope enabled scientists to film a fruit fly embryo, in 3D, from when it was about two-and-a-half hours old until it walked away from the microscope as a larva. ... > full story

Molecular algebra in mammalian cells (June 4, 2012) -- Researchers have reprogrammed mammalian cells in such a way as to perform logical calculations like a pocket calculator. The cells owe this ability to one of the most complex gene networks that has ever been incorporated into a higher cell. ... > full story

Search engine for social networks based on the behavior of ants (June 4, 2012) -- Researchers are developing an algorithm, based on ants’ behavior when they are searching for food, which accelerates the search for relationships among elements that are present in social networks. One of the main technical questions in the field of social networks, whose use is becoming more and more generalized, consists in locating the chain of reference that leads from one person to another, from one node to another. The greatest challenges that are presented in this area is the enormous size of these networks and the fact that the response must be rapid. ... > full story

Powerful new tool for research and drug development (June 4, 2012) -- Scientists have harnessed bioinformatics and molecular biology to create powerful software that promises to become a “must have” tool in drug development research labs the world over. The software is used to analyze kinases – a type of enzyme involved in virtually every cellular function, from energy use and reproduction to modifying gene expression. ... > full story

New statistical model lets patient's past forecast future ailments (June 4, 2012) -- Analyzing medical records from thousands of patients, statisticians have devised a statistical model for predicting what other medical problems a patient might encounter. ... > full story

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

US and European energy supplies vulnerable to climate change (June 3, 2012) -- Higher water temperatures and reduced river flows in Europe and the United States in recent years have resulted in reduced production, or temporary shutdown, of several thermoelectric power plants, resulting in increased electricity prices and raising concerns about future energy security in a changing climate. A new study projects further disruption to supply, with a likely decrease in thermoelectric power generating capacity of between 6-19% in Europe and 4-16% in the United States for the period 2031-2060, due to lack of cooling water. ... > 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