Current Event Articles: ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Sunday, July 18, 2010

Sunday, July 18, 2010

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Sunday, July 18, 2010

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Sunday, July 18, 2010

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Chemists grow crystals with a twist -- and untwist (July 17, 2010) -- Chemists have created crystals that can twist and untwist, pointing to a much more varied process of crystal growth than previously thought. Their work may explain some of the properties of high-polymers, which are used in clothing and liquid crystal displays, among other consumer products. ... > full story

Quantum simulations uncover hydrogen's phase transitions (July 17, 2010) -- Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and is a major component of giant planets such as Jupiter and Saturn. But not much is known about what happens to this abundant element under high-pressure conditions when it transforms from one state to another. ... > full story

Sound creates light: Researchers transfer ultra-stable frequency across 480-km optical fiber link (July 17, 2010) -- Researchers in Germany have found an elegant solution to transmit an optical frequency with extreme precision: they employ fiber Brillouin amplification. The new method simplifies the comparison of newly developed optical clocks and it is likely to have applications in other areas where precise synchronization is needed, for example in radio astronomy. Experts in geodesy have already approached the researchers with suggestions for joint projects. ... > full story

Astronomers discover an unusual cosmic lens (July 16, 2010) -- Astronomers have discovered the first known case of a distant galaxy being magnified by a quasar acting as a gravitational lens. ... > full story

Small wires make big connections for microelectronics (July 16, 2010) -- Engineers have developed a novel direct-writing method for manufacturing metal interconnects that could shrink integrated circuits and expand microelectronics. The technique produces tiny pure metal wires much smaller in diameter than traditional wires and requiring two orders of magnitude less bonding area. This could enable more complex integrated functions in microelectronics. ... > full story

Record-breaking carbon dioxide storage capacity enhances ability to capture CO<sub>2</sub> (July 16, 2010) -- Chemists report the "ultimate porosity of a nano material" and records for carbon dioxide storage capacity and porosity in an important class of materials known as MOFs. Porosity in materials is essential for capturing carbon dioxide. This research could lead to cleaner energy and the ability to capture heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions before they reach the atmosphere, which contribute to global warming, rising sea levels and the increased acidity of oceans. ... > full story

New radiation mechanism may ward off cancer, oil spills and terrorism (July 16, 2010) -- Radiation similar to that used to treat cancer may someday help clean up environmental disasters such as the Gulf oil spill and detect explosive powder hidden underneath clothing. ... > full story

Reinventing the wheel -- naturally (July 16, 2010) -- Humans did not invent the wheel. Nature did. While the evolution from the Neolithic solid stone wheel with a single hole for an axle to the sleek wheels of today's racing bikes can be seen as the result of human ingenuity, it also represents how animals, including humans, have come to move more efficiently and quicker over millions of years on Earth, according to an expert. ... > full story

Researchers cut years from drug development with nanoscopic bead technology (July 16, 2010) -- New research confirms that a revolutionary technology will slash years off the time it takes to develop drugs -- bringing vital new treatments to patients much more quickly. Lab-on-Bead uses tiny beads studded with "pins" that match a drug to a disease marker in a single step, so researchers can test an infinite number of possibilities for treatments all at once. When Lab-on-Bead makes a match, it has found a viable treatment for a specific disease -- speeding up drug discovery by as much as 10,000 times and cutting out years of testing and re-testing in the laboratory. ... > full story

Nanotubes pass acid test (July 16, 2010) -- Scientists have unveiled a new method for dissolving half-millimeter-long carbon nanotubes in solution, a critical step toward the spinning of fibers from ultralong nanotubes. The breakthrough is a promising development on the road to scalable methods for making strong, ultralight, highly conductive materials like the "armchair quantum wire," a new type of cable that could revolutionize power distribution. ... > full story

New revelations about Mercury's volcanism, magnetic substorms and exosphere from MESSENGER (July 16, 2010) -- Analysis of data from MESSENGER's third and final flyby of Mercury in September 2009 has revealed evidence of younger volcanism on the innermost planet than previously recognized, new information about magnetic substorms, and the first observations of emission from an ionized species in Mercury's very thin atmosphere or exosphere. ... > full story

How human immune response to virus is triggered at the atomic level (July 15, 2010) -- A team of biochemists has identified the molecular mechanism by which an immune response is triggered by the invading viruses, according to recent research. ... > full story

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