ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Wednesday, April 27, 2011 ~ techdeck

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Wednesday, April 27, 2011

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Water molecules characterize the structure of DNA genetic material (April 27, 2011) -- Water molecules surround the genetic material DNA in a very specific way. Scientists have discovered that, on the one hand, the texture of this hydration shell depends on the water content and, on the other hand, actually influences the structure of the genetic substance itself. These findings are not only important in understanding the biological function of DNA; they could also be used for the construction of new DNA-based materials. ... > full story

Scientists focus on light ions for fast ignition of fusion fuels (April 27, 2011) -- Scientists have demonstrated significant progress in the efficiency and cost effectiveness of light ions in the fast ignition of fusion targets. Light ions such as lithium or carbon are easier to produce technologically and the ion beam properties can be manipulated and tailored best to suit the necessary requirements for fast ignition. ... > full story

New system increases reliability of opinion polls (April 27, 2011) -- Researchers in Spain have developed a fuzzy neural network that uses a numerical and categorical imputation method to reconstruct incomplete datasets. This network achieves substantially better results than the imputation methods now in use in opinion polling. ... > full story

Effect of cloud-scattered sunlight on Earth's energy balance depends on wavelength of light (April 26, 2011) -- Atmospheric scientists trying to pin down how clouds curb the amount of sunlight available to warm the earth have found that it depends on the wavelength of sunlight being measured. This unexpected result will help researchers improve how they portray clouds in climate models. ... > full story

Diamonds shine in quantum networks: Researchers hitch precious stone's impurities onto nano-resonators (April 26, 2011) -- Researchers have come up with a way to use impurities in diamonds as a method of creating a node in a quantum network. ... > full story

New sensor glove may help stroke patients recover mobility (April 26, 2011) -- People who have strokes are often left with moderate to severe physical impairments. Now, thanks to a glove, stroke patients may be able to recover hand motion by playing video games. ... > full story

School students help astronomers study mysterious X-ray source (April 26, 2011) -- Astronomers from Wales and the Netherlands, in collaboration with five schools, have used eight telescopes simultaneously to study the strange behavior of an X-ray binary star system. ... > full story

Flame retardants at high levels in pet dogs, study finds (April 26, 2011) -- Scientists have found chemical flame retardants in the blood of pet dogs at concentrations five to 10 times higher than in humans, but lower than levels found in a previous study of cats. ... > full story

Nanoscience may hold key to surgical recovery (April 26, 2011) -- New nano-systems developed in the UK may eventually help patients recover from surgery without the danger of allergic reactions to drugs. ... > full story

Replacing batteries may become a thing of the past, thanks to 'soft generators' (April 26, 2011) -- Battery technology hasn't kept pace with advancements in portable electronics, but the race is on to fix this. One revolutionary concept being pursued involves creating "wearable energy harvesters" capable of converting movement from humans or found in nature into battery power. ... > full story

Radar shows promise for detecting concussions in athletes and soldiers (April 26, 2011) -- By asking an individual to walk a short distance in front of a radar system while saying the months of the year in reverse order, researchers can determine if that person is impaired and possibly suffering from a concussion. This simple test, which could be performed at sporting events or on battlefields, has the potential to help coaches and commanders decide if athletes and soldiers are ready to engage in activity again. ... > full story

Safeguarding genome integrity through extraordinary DNA repair (April 26, 2011) -- Once called "junk DNA" because it contains numerous repeated short sequences that don't code for proteins, heterochromatin is in fact vital for normal growth and function. Yet it poses special challenges to accurate DNA repair. Scientists have discovered an unsuspected and dramatic process by which double-strand breaks in heterochromatin are repaired in dynamic stages. ... > full story

Solar power goes viral: Researchers use virus to improve solar-cell efficiency (April 26, 2011) -- Researchers have found a way to make significant improvements to the power-conversion efficiency of solar cells by enlisting the services of tiny viruses to perform detailed assembly work at the microscopic level. ... > full story

Chernobyl's radioactivity reduced populations of birds of orange plumage, study finds (April 26, 2011) -- On April 26, 1986, history's greatest nuclear accident took place northwest of the Ukrainian city of Chernobyl. Despite the scale of the disaster, 25 years later, we still do not know its real effects. An international team of investigators has shown for the first time that the color of birds' plumage may make them more vulnerable to radioactivity. ... > full story

Conducting ferroelectrics may be key to new electronic memory (April 26, 2011) -- Novel properties of ferroelectric materials are moving scientists one step closer to realizing a new paradigm of electronic memory storage. ... > full story

New tools to tackle a solar data storm (April 26, 2011) -- So great is the wealth of data about the Sun now being sent back by space missions such as SOHO, STEREO and the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) that scientists back on Earth can struggle to keep pace. To combat this data overload, scientists are developing advanced imaging tools to help scientists visualise what's happening at the Sun, make sense of the data and predict the extreme solar activities that could affect our life here on Earth. ... > full story

Self-powered, blood-activated sensor detects pancreatitis quickly and cheaply (April 26, 2011) -- A new low cost test for acute pancreatitis that gets results much faster than existing tests has been developed by scientists. The sensor, which could be produced for as little as a dollar, is built with a 12-cent LED light, aluminum foil, gelatin, milk protein and a few other cheap, easily obtainable materials. ... > full story

Increased computer use by adolescents cause for concern, Canadian study finds (April 26, 2011) -- Researchers in Canada have found a strong association between computer and Internet use in adolescents and engagement in multiple-risk behaviors, including illicit drug use, drunkenness and unprotected sex. ... > full story

Large galaxies stopped growing seven billion years ago (April 26, 2011) -- Galaxies are thought to develop by the gravitational attraction between and merger of smaller 'sub-galaxies', a process that standard cosmological ideas suggest should be ongoing. But new data directly challenges this idea, suggesting that the growth of some of the most massive objects stopped 7 billion years ago when the universe was half its present age. ... > full story

Cheaper hydrogen fuel cells: Utility of non-precious-metal catalysts documented (April 25, 2011) -- Scientists have developed a way to avoid the use of expensive platinum in hydrogen fuel cells, the environmentally friendly devices that might replace current power sources in everything from personal data devices to automobiles. Scientists have developed a platinum-free catalyst for use in the cathode of a hydrogen fuel cell. ... > full story

Biophysicist targeting IL-6 to halt breast, prostate cancer (April 25, 2011) -- A biophysicist is using supercomputer resources to search thousands of molecular combinations for the best configuration to block a protein that can cause breast or prostate cancer. ... > full story

Bioengineering students' invention may help diagnose painful eye condition (April 25, 2011) -- Bioengineering students responded to an ophthalmologist's cry for help with a device to diagnose dry eye, the itching and burning sensation that results when a person doesn't produce enough tears or the tears evaporate too quickly. ... > full story

New theory of evolution for spiral galaxy arms (April 25, 2011) -- A study of spiral patterns found in galaxies like our Milky Way could overturn the theory of how the spiral arm features form and evolve. Since 1960s, the most widely accepted explanation has been that the spiral arm features move like a Mexican wave in a crowd, passing through a population of stars that then return to their original position. Computer simulations now suggest that the stars actually rotate with the arms. ... > full story

Zeroing in on the elusive green LED (April 25, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a new method for manufacturing green LEDs with greatly enhanced light output. The research team etched a nanoscale pattern at the interface between the LED's sapphire base and the layer of gallium nitride (GaN) that gives the LED its green color. Overall, the new technique results in green LEDs with significant enhancements in light extraction, internal efficiency, and light output. ... > full story

Radar checks buildings after earthquakes (April 25, 2011) -- Recent advances in ground-penetrating radar could be used to help structural engineers and conservationists assess the stability of historic buildings or buildings affected by earthquakes that otherwise appear sound. ... > full story

Beetle bling: Researchers discover optical secrets of 'metallic' beetles (April 25, 2011) -- Brilliant gold- (and silver-colored beetles have given optics researchers new insights into the way biology can recreate the appearance of some of nature's most precious metals, which in turn may allow researchers to produce new materials based on the natural properties found in the beetles' coloring. ... > full story

Far sighted space technology finds practical uses on Earth (April 25, 2011) -- Technology developed for space missions to study the most distant objects in the Universe is now finding a host of practical applications back on Earth. A new kind of detector could have applications in hospitals, factories and airports. ... > full story

Fractal dimension analysis aids breast cancer prognosis (April 25, 2011) -- Cancer researchers are investigating a new tool to use for the prognosis of breast cancer in patients. The scientists are using fractal dimension analysis to quantitatively assess the degree of abnormality and aggressiveness of breast cancer tumors obtained through biopsy. ... > full story

Anti-helium discovered in Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider experiment (April 25, 2011) -- Antimatter nuclei of helium-4, the heaviest antiparticles ever found, have been created in the STAR experiment of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Eighteen examples of the anti-helium particles were detected in debris from a billion high-energy collisions of gold nuclei. ... > full story

New robot to help people to walk again (April 25, 2011) -- Cognitive skills for a new robot which will help people with damaged limbs to walk again are being developed by researchers in the UK. ... > full story

Clumsy avatars: Perfection versus mortality in games and simulation (April 25, 2011) -- Willy Nilly's Surf Shack offers a cure for the idealized virtual world of Second Life. The online shop endows otherwise flawless avatars with real-world foils like clumsiness. A project allowing avatars to visibly age over time is in the works. ... > full story

Optical microscope without lenses produces high-resolution 3-D images on a chip (April 25, 2011) -- Researchers have redesigned the concept of a microscope, by removing the lens, to create a system small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, but powerful enough to create 3-D tomographic, or sectional, images of miniscule samples. The advance represents the first demonstration of lens-free optical tomographic imaging on a chip, a technique capable of producing high resolution 3-D images of large volumes of microscopic objects. ... > full story

Development in fog harvesting process may make water available to the world’s poor (April 25, 2011) -- An engineer and aspiring entrepreneur works on fog harvesting, the deployment of devices that, like the beetle, attract water droplets and corral the runoff. This way, poor villagers could collect clean water near their homes, instead of spending hours carrying water from distant wells or streams. ... > full story

Data miners dig for corrosion resistance (April 25, 2011) -- A better understanding of corrosion resistance may be possible using a data-mining tool. This tool may also aid research in other areas where massive amounts of information exist. ... > full story

Decoding human genes is goal of new open-source encyclopedia (April 24, 2011) -- A massive database cataloging the functional components of the human genome is being made available as an open resource to scientists, classrooms, science writers, and the public, thanks to an international team of scientists. ... > full story

Supercomputers: 'Data deluge' is changing, expanding supercomputer-based research (April 24, 2011) -- The exponentially increasing amount of digital information, along with new challenges in storing valuable data and massive datasets, are changing the architecture of today's newest supercomputers as well as how researchers will use them to accelerate scientific discovery, experts say. ... > full story

Gravitational tug of war warps spiral shape of galaxy (April 24, 2011) -- A pair of galaxies in a new image display some curious features, demonstrating that each member of the duo is close enough to feel the distorting gravitational influence of the other. The gravitational tug of war has warped the spiral shape of one galaxy, NGC 3169, and fragmented the dust lanes in its companion NGC 3166. Meanwhile, a third galaxy, NGC 3165, has a front-row seat to the gravitational twisting and pulling. ... > full story

Starting a new metabolic path: New technique will help metabolic engineering (April 23, 2011) -- Researchers have demonstrated a new technique that speeds up and improves the identification and quantification of proteins within a cell or micoorganism. Called "targeted proteomics," the new technique is expected to be an important new tool for the fields of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. ... > full story

Scientists engineer nanoscale vaults to encapsulate 'nanodisks' for drug delivery (April 23, 2011) -- The first steps toward the development of the vault nanoparticle into a versatile and effective DDS are reported in this paper. The ability to encapsulate therapeutic compounds into the vault is a critical and fundamental obstacle in their development for small-molecule drug delivery. Recombinant vaults are engineered to encapsulate the highly insoluble and toxic hydrophobic compound all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) using a vault-binding lipoprotein complex that forms a lipid bilayer nanodisk. ... > full story

Large Hadron Collider sets world record beam intensity (April 23, 2011) -- CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has set a new world record for beam intensity at a hadron collider, exceeding the previous world record set by the US Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory's Tevatron collider in 2010, and marks an important milestone in LHC commissioning. ... > full story

Functioning synapse created using carbon nanotubes: Devices might be used in brain prostheses or synthetic brains (April 22, 2011) -- Engineering researchers have made a significant breakthrough in the use of nanotechnologies for the construction of a synthetic brain. They have built a carbon nanotube synapse circuit whose behavior in tests reproduces the function of a neuron, the building block of the brain. ... > full story

'Time machine' made to visually explore space and time in videos: Time-lapse GigaPans provide new way to access big data (April 22, 2011) -- Researchers have leveraged the latest browser technology to create GigaPan Time Machine, a system that enables viewers to explore gigapixel-scale, high-resolution videos and image sequences by panning or zooming in and out of the images while simultaneously moving back and forth through time. ... > full story

Huge dry ice deposit on Mars: NASA orbiter reveals big changes in Red Planet's atmosphere (April 22, 2011) -- NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has discovered the total amount of atmosphere on Mars changes dramatically as the tilt of the planet's axis varies. This process can affect the stability of liquid water, if it exists on the Martian surface, and increase the frequency and severity of Martian dust storms. Researchers using the orbiter's ground-penetrating radar identified a large, buried deposit of frozen carbon dioxide, or dry ice, at the Red Planet's south pole. The scientists suspect that much of this carbon dioxide enters the planet's atmosphere and swells the atmosphere's mass when Mars' tilt increases. ... > full story

Limit to nanotechnology mass-production? (April 22, 2011) -- A leading nanotechnology scientist has raised questions over a billion dollar industry by boldly claiming that there is a limit to how small nanotechnology materials can be mass produced. ... > full story

Why biggest stellar explosions often happen in tiniest galaxies: Ultraviolet probe sheds light on mystery (April 21, 2011) -- Astronomers using NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer may be closer to knowing why some of the most massive stellar explosions ever observed occur in the tiniest of galaxies. ... > full story

RNA nanoparticles constructed to safely deliver long-lasting therapy to cells (April 21, 2011) -- Though RNA is viewed as a promising tool in nanotherapy, the difficulties of producing stable and long-lasting therapeutic RNA have posed challenges to research. A biomedical engineering professor has detailed the successful production of large RNA nanoparticles from smaller RNA segments. The nanoparticles had a half life of between five and 10 hours in animal models and targeted cancer cells in vivo to release therapeutics. ... > full story

Does video game violence harm teens? New study weighs the evidence (April 21, 2011) -- How much scientific evidence is there for and against the assertion that exposure to video game violence can harm teens? Three researchers have developed a novel method to consider that question: they analyzed the research output of experts who filed a brief in a US Supreme Court case involving violent video games and teens. ... > full story

Material that if scratched, you can quickly and easily fix yourself, with light not heat (April 21, 2011) -- A team of researchers in the United States and Switzerland has developed a polymer-based material that can heal itself with the help of a widely used type of lighting. Called "metallo-supramolecular polymers," the material is capable of becoming a supple liquid that fills crevasses and gaps left by scrapes and scuffs when placed under ultraviolet light for less than a minute and then resolidifying. The paper will publish this week in journal Nature. ... > full story