ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Friday, June 25, 2010
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Behavior breakthrough: Like animals, plants demonstrate complex ability to integrate information (June 25, 2010) -- Scientists have discovered that a plant's strategy to capture nutrients in the soil is the result of integration of different types of information. They found plants also have the ability to integrate information about the location of both food and competitors. As a result, plants demonstrate unique behavioral strategies to capture soil resources. ... > full story
Seventh graders find a cave on Mars (June 25, 2010) -- Using the camera on NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter, 16 seventh-graders at Evergreen Middle School in Cottonwood, Calif., found lava tubes with one pit that appears to be a skylight to a cave. Mars Odyssey has been orbiting the Red Planet since 2001, returning data and images of the Martian surface and providing relay communications service for Mars Rovers Spirit and Opportunity. ... > full storyLife of plastic solar cell jumps from hours to 8 months (June 25, 2010) -- A team of researchers has extended the operating life of an unsealed plastic solar cell, from mere hours to eight months. The team developed a longer lasting, polymer coating for the electrode. Prior to the new coating the team's plastic solar cell could only operate at high capacity for about 10 hours. ... > full story
Researcher develops green, bio-based process for producing fuel additive (June 25, 2010) -- A new green, bio-based method for producing a much-used fuel additive and industrial chemical that is currently made from petroleum products has been developed. ... > full storyCrack in the case for supersolids: Reports of supersolid helium may have been premature (June 25, 2010) -- New experiments are casting doubt on previously reported observations of supersolid helium. New research suggests that prior experiments that seemed to show signs of supersolidity were in fact the result of the plastic deformation of normal helium. ... > full story
Was Venus once a habitable planet? (June 24, 2010) -- The European Space Agency's Venus Express is helping planetary scientists investigate whether Venus once had oceans. If it did, it may even have begun its existence as a habitable planet similar to Earth. ... > full story
Widespread glacial meltwater valleys found on Mars (June 24, 2010) -- Scientists have documented dozens of channels carved by melted water from glaciers located in the midlatitude region of Mars. The glaciofluvial valleys were carved in Mars' most recent epoch, the team reports, supporting the idea that the Red Planet was home to diverse watery environments in its recent past. ... > full story
Left or right? Early clues to soccer penalty kicks revealed (June 24, 2010) -- In the split second before foot meets ball, a soccer player's body betrays whether a penalty kick will go left or right, according to recent research in cognitive science. The findings could explain how some top goalkeepers are able to head off a penalty kick, diving in the correct direction in advance of the kick. It could also point the way to changes in how players kick, and goalies react. ... > full story
Blast resistance standards keep the boom from the room (June 24, 2010) -- Standards for blast resistance among trash receptacles have now been published by the standards development organization ASTM International. ... > full story
Analyzing food and beverages with magnetic levitation (June 24, 2010) -- Scientists are reporting development of a new use for magnetic levitation, or "maglev," the futuristic technology best known for enabling high-speed passenger trains to float above the tracks. They describe putting maglev to use in an inexpensive sensor for analyzing food, water, and other beverages. ... > full storyDrug mitigates toxic effects of radiation in mice (June 24, 2010) -- Medical researchers have provided one of the first examples of successful radiomitigation in mammals. The investigators found that oral treatment of mice with a drug that inhibits enzymes involved in cell division caused certain groups of bone marrow cells to temporarily stop dividing (which they termed "pharmacological quiescence" or PQ). ... > full story
Liquid crystals light way to better data storage (June 24, 2010) -- Currently, most liquid crystal technologies rely on physical or chemical manipulation, such as rubbing in one direction, to align molecules in a preferred direction. In an important advance, scientists in Japan have created a stable, rewritable memory device that exploits a liquid crystal property called the "anchoring transition." ... > full story
'Ghost particle' sized up by cosmologists (June 24, 2010) -- Cosmologists are a step closer to determining the mass of the elusive neutrino particle, not by using a giant particle detector, but by gazing up into space. ... > full story
New method of peptide synthesis makes it easier to create drugs based on natural compounds (June 24, 2010) -- A team of chemists has developed a novel method for chemically synthesizing peptides that promises to lower the cost and increase the availability of drugs based on natural compounds. ... > full story'BC5' material shows superhard, superconducting potential (June 24, 2010) -- What could be better than diamond when it comes to a superhard material for electronics under extreme thermal and pressure conditions? Quite possibly BC5, a diamond-like material with an extremely high boron content that offers exceptional hardness and resistance to fracture, but unlike diamond, it is a superconductor rather than an insulator. ... > full story
Asymetric nanostructures for early and more accurate prediction of cancer (June 24, 2010) -- Nanotechnology Researchers in Belgium have demonstrated biosensors based on novel nanostructure geometries that increase the sensitivity and allow to detect extremely low concentrations of specific disease markers. This paves the way to early diagnostics of for example cancer by detecting low densities of cancer markers in human blood samples. ... > full story
Early results from the world's brightest X-ray source (June 23, 2010) -- The first published research to emerge from the SLAC linear collider since it was reconfigured as an ultra-bright, high-energy free electron laser offers a high speed closeup of ionizing nitrogen gas. ... > full story
'Quantum computer' a stage closer with silicon breakthrough (June 23, 2010) -- The remarkable ability of an electron to exist in two places at once has been controlled in the most common electronic material -- silicon -- for the first time. The research findings marks a significant step towards the making of an affordable "quantum computer." ... > full story
Underwater gliders may change how scientists track fish (June 23, 2010) -- Tracking fish across Alaska's vast continental shelves can present a challenge to any scientist studying Alaska's seas. Researchers have successfully tested a possible solution in the form of underwater gliders. ... > full storyComputer program detects depression in bloggers' texts (June 23, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a computer program capable of identifying language that can indicate a writer's psychological state, which could serve as a screening tool. The software was used to scan more than 300,000 English language blogs that were posted to mental health Web sites. The program identified what it perceived to be the 100 "most depressed" and 100 "least depressed" bloggers. ... > full story
First superstorm on exoplanet detected (June 23, 2010) -- Astronomers have measured a superstorm for the first time in the atmosphere of an exoplanet, the well-studied "hot Jupiter" HD209458b. The very high-precision observations of carbon monoxide gas show that it is streaming at enormous speed from the extremely hot day side to the cooler night side of the planet. The observations also allow another exciting "first" -- measuring the orbital speed of the exoplanet itself, providing a direct determination of its mass. ... > full story
Separation between Neanderthal and Homo sapiens might have occurred 500,000 years earlier, DNA from teeth suggests (June 23, 2010) -- The separation of Neanderthal and Homo sapiens might have occurred at least one million years ago, more than 500,000 years earlier than previously believed, according to recent research in Spain using DNA-based analyses of teeth and computer modeling. ... > full story
Supercomputer provides new insights into the vibrations of water (June 23, 2010) -- Using Terahertz spectroscopy, chemists recently detected the surprisingly long-ranged influence of solvated biomolecules on the "dance" of surrounding water molecules. With extensive simulations on a supercomputer, they have now succeeded in describing this choreography in detail. ... > full storyChemical element 114: One of heaviest elements created (June 23, 2010) -- An international team of scientists in Germany has succeeded in the observation of the chemical element 114, one of the heaviest elements created until now. The production of element 114 is very difficult and requires dedicated particle accelerators. So far, this feat was achieved at only two other research centers, in the US and Russia. ... > full story
Researchers create self-assembling nanodevices that move and change shape on demand (June 23, 2010) -- By emulating nature's design principles, researchers have created nanodevices made of DNA that self-assemble and can be programmed to move and change shape on demand. Double helices fold up into larger, rigid linear struts that connect by intervening single-stranded DNA. These single strands of DNA pull the struts up into a 3D form. The resulting nanodevices are light, flexible and strong "tensegrities," so-called because they balance tension and compression. ... > full story
Hubble captures bubbles and baby stars (June 23, 2010) -- A spectacular new Hubble Space Telescope image — one of the largest ever released of a star-forming region — highlights N11, part of a complex network of gas clouds and star clusters within our neighboring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud. This region of energetic star formation is one of the most active in the nearby universe. ... > full storyNo link between early childhood cancers and living near mobile phone base station during pregnancy, says study (June 23, 2010) -- A new study looking at the patterns of early childhood cancers across Great Britain has found no association between a mother living near to a mobile phone base station during her pregnancy and the risk of that child developing cancer before reaching the age of five. ... > full story
Quantum gas in free fall: Bose-Einstein condensate at zero gravity (June 23, 2010) -- Physicists have produced a Bose-Einstein condensate at zero gravity -- a step towards extremely sensitive quantum sensors for gravitation. ... > full storyInsight into cells could lead to new approach to medicines (June 22, 2010) -- A surprising discovery about the complex make-up of our cells could lead to the development of new types of medicines, a study suggests. ... > full story
New design for motorcycle engines powered by compressed air (June 22, 2010) -- Two scientists in India have conceptually designed a new, cleaner motorcycle engine that uses compressed air to turn a small air turbine, generating enough power to run a motorcycle for up to 40 minutes. Their design could be combined with a compressed air cylinder as a replacement for traditional internal combustion engines. ... > full story
Scientists discover heavenly solar music (June 22, 2010) -- Musical sounds created by longitudinal vibrations within the Sun's atmosphere, have been recorded and accurately studied for the first time by researchers, shedding light on the Sun's magnetic atmosphere. ... > full story
Jumbo jellyfish or massive star? (June 22, 2010) -- Some might see a blood-red jellyfish in a forest of seaweed, while others might see a big, red eye or a pair of lips. In fact, the red-colored object in this new infrared image from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) is a sphere of stellar innards, blown out from a humongous star. ... > full storyBioengineers create simulator to test blood platelets in virtual heart attacks (June 22, 2010) -- Bioengineers have trained a computer neural network model to accurately predict how blood platelets would respond to complex conditions found during a heart attack or stroke. ... > full story
Studying cells in 3-D could reveal new cancer targets (June 22, 2010) -- Showing movies in 3-D has produced a box-office bonanza in recent months. Could viewing cell behavior in three dimensions lead to important advances in cancer research? A new study indicates it may happen. Looking at cells in 3-D, the research team concluded, yields more accurate information that could help develop drugs to prevent cancer's spread. ... > full story
Bone replacement from laser melting (June 22, 2010) -- In a medical emergency, a puncture of the cranium is commonly treated with an implant. While replacements made of titanium merely plug holes, a new kind of degradable implant stimulates the body to regenerate itself: It is custom-fit and disappears to the same extent that the bone regrows. ... > full story
New method for producing graphene paves way for mass production of nanomaterial (June 22, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a simple new method for producing large quantities of the promising nanomaterial graphene. The new technique works at room temperature, needs little processing, and paves the way for cost-effective mass production of graphene. ... > full story
Six new planets discovered (June 22, 2010) -- Scientists have discovered six diverse new planets, from 'shrunken-Saturns' to 'bloated hot Jupiters', as well a rare brown dwarf with 60 times the mass of Jupiter. ... > full story
Gender-bending fish problem in Colorado creek mitigated by treatment plant upgrade (June 22, 2010) -- Male fish are taking longer to be "feminized" by chemical contaminants that act as hormone disrupters in Colorado's Boulder Creek following the upgrade of a wastewater treatment plant in Boulder in 2008, according to a new study. ... > full story
Ocean stirring and plankton patchiness revealed by computer simulation (June 22, 2010) -- Computer simulations show how oceanic stirring and mixing influence the formation and dynamics of plankton patches in the upper ocean. Researchers applied the methods of synchronization theory -- previously used to explain such phenomena as the coordinated flashing of fireflies along whole riverbanks. Initially they studied the balance between localized increases in phytoplankton populations and small-scale mixing, such as that due to breaking waves, in creating patches. Patchiness was found to persist despite the mixing which might be expected to smooth out the patches by blending them together. ... > full storyElectronic health records could give rise to more liability risk, experts argue (June 22, 2010) -- Electronic health record systems likely will soon become a fixture in medical settings. Although benefits of bringing information technology to health records can be substantial, EHR systems also give rise to increased liability risks for health care providers due to possible software or hardware problems or user errors, experts say. ... > full story
New air conditioning system has potential to slash energy usage by up to 90 percent (June 22, 2010) -- A soothing solution to hot, humid days may be on its way, thanks to a melding of technologies in filters, coolers and drying agents. The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory has invented a new air conditioning process with the potential of using 50 percent to 90 percent less energy than today's top-of-the-line units. It uses membranes, evaporative cooling and liquid desiccants in a way that has never been done before in the centuries-old science of removing heat from the air. ... > full storyToyota recall aftermath: Panel to study sudden car acceleration (June 22, 2010) -- A 13-member panel organized by the National Research Council of the National Academies is being assembled to identify possible causes of unintended acceleration in vehicles in the aftermath of Toyota's large recalls. ... > full story
Using carbon nanotubes in lithium batteries can dramatically improve energy capacity (June 21, 2010) -- Batteries might gain a boost in power capacity as a result of a new finding. Researchers found that using carbon nanotubes for one of the battery's electrodes produced a significant increase -- up to tenfold -- in the amount of power it could deliver from a given weight of material, compared to a conventional lithium-ion battery. Such electrodes might find applications in small portable devices, and with further research might also lead to improved batteries for larger, more power-hungry applications. ... > full storyWearable sensors with diagnostic capabilities (June 21, 2010) -- Researchers are developing intelligent medical sensors which can be worn by patients to monitor their symptoms and which will alert doctors if medical intervention is needed. ... > full story
Extreme gravity effects revealed by oxygen for the first time in neutron star that 'eats' white dwarf (June 21, 2010) -- Astronomers have found blurred oxygen signatures in the X-rays from a neutron star that 'eats' a white dwarf. For the first time, the effects of extreme gravity are revealed by oxygen instead of iron atoms. ... > full story
Super-complex organic molecules found in interstellar space (June 21, 2010) -- A team of scientists has succeeded in identifying one of the most complex organic molecules yet found in the material between the stars, the so-called interstellar medium. The discovery of anthracene could help resolve a decades-old astrophysical mystery concerning the production of organic molecules in space. ... > full storyFlame retardant linked to altered thyroid hormone levels during pregnancy (June 21, 2010) -- A new study of pregnant women links higher blood levels of PBDEs, a common type of flame retardant, with altered thyroid hormone levels. Normal maternal thyroid levels are important for healthy fetal neurodevelopment. ... > full story
Gold nanoparticles create visible-light catalysis in nanowires (June 21, 2010) -- Scientists have created visible-light catalysis, using silver chloride nanowires decorated with gold nanoparticles, that may decompose organic molecules in polluted water. ... > full storyCopyright 1995-2010 © ScienceDaily LLC. All rights reserved. Terms of use.
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