ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Friday, June 24, 2011 ~ techdeck

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Friday, June 24, 2011

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Physicists observe 'campfire effect' in blinking nanorod semiconductors (June 24, 2011) -- When semiconductor nanorods are exposed to light, they blink in a seemingly random pattern. By clustering nanorods together, physicists at the University of Pennsylvania have shown that their combined "on" time is increased dramatically providing new insight into this mysterious blinking behavior. ... > full story

Smaller companies hit hardest during emerging market crises (June 24, 2011) -- A study of the reaction by the United States stock market to international financial crises shows that small companies are often hit hardest, and the impact is above and beyond what would be expected given their exposure to global market factors. ... > full story

When matter melts: Scientists map phase changes in quark-gluon plasma (June 24, 2011) -- For a few millionths of a second after the big bang, quarks could move freely, but soon normal matter "froze out" of this quark-matter soup. For the first time scientists have compared quantum theory calculations and data from the STAR experiment at Brookhaven's Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider to map out the energies and temperatures where ordinary matter melts and the quark-gluon plasma freezes. ... > full story

Computational software provides rapid identification of disease-causing gene variations (June 24, 2011) -- Scientists have developed a new software tool called VAAST, the Variant Annotation, Analysis and Selection Tool -- a probabilistic disease-causing mutation finder for individual human genomes. ... > full story

Flames of Betelgeuse: New image reveals vast nebula around famous supergiant star (June 23, 2011) -- Astronomers have imaged a complex and bright nebula around the supergiant star Betelgeuse in greater detail than ever before. This structure, which resembles flames emanating from the star, is formed as the behemoth sheds its material into space. ... > full story

Smartphone app helps you find friends in a crowd (June 23, 2011) -- Can a smartphone app enable meaningful, face-to-face conversation? Engineers are trying to find out, with software that helps people locate their friends in a crowd -- and make new friends who share similar interests. ... > full story

Dawn spacecraft nears start of year-long stay at giant asteroid Vesta (June 23, 2011) -- NASA's Dawn spacecraft is on track to begin the first extended visit to a large asteroid. The mission expects to go into orbit around Vesta on July 16 and begin gathering science data in early August. Vesta resides in the main asteroid belt and is thought to be the source of a large number of meteorites that fall to Earth. ... > full story

Model helps pinpoint cyanobacterial genes that capture the sun's energy (June 23, 2011) -- A new model of the single-celled marine cyanobacterium Cyanothece could help researchers use blue-green algae to make renewable energy by predicting which of its genes are central to capturing energy from sunlight. ... > full story

Scientists a step closer to understanding 'natural antifreeze' molecules (June 23, 2011) -- Scientists have made an important step forward in their understanding of cryoprotectants -- compounds that act as natural "antifreeze" to protect drugs, food and tissues stored at sub-zero temperatures. ... > full story

Youth cybercrime linked to friends' influence (June 23, 2011) -- Peer influence and low self-control appear to be the major factors fueling juvenile cybercrime such as computer hacking and online bullying, according to a new study. ... > full story

Properties of 'confined' water within single-walled carbon nanotube pores clarified (June 23, 2011) -- Water and ice may not be among the first things that come to mind when you think about single-walled carbon nanotubes, but a Japan-based research team hoping to get a clearer understanding of the phase behavior of confined water in the cylindrical pores of carbon nanotubes zeroed in on confined water's properties and made some surprising discoveries. ... > full story

Harnessing electron spin: Toward a new breed of computers that can process data using less power (June 23, 2011) -- Harnessing the magnetic moment, or spin, of electrons rather than their electric charge, physicists have achieved a breakthrough toward the development of a new breed of computing devices that can process data using less power. ... > full story

New technique yields troves of information from nanoscale bone samples (June 23, 2011) -- A new technique allows researchers to collect large amounts of biochemical information from nanoscale bone samples. Along with adding important new insights into the fight against osteoporosis, this innovation opens up an entirely new proteomics-based approach to analyzing bone quality. It could even aid the archeological and forensic study of human skeletons. ... > full story

'Super sand' for better purification of drinking water (June 23, 2011) -- Scientists have developed a way to transform ordinary sand -- a mainstay filter material used to purify drinking water throughout the world -- into a "super sand" with five times the filtering capacity of regular sand. The new material could be a low-cost boon for developing countries, where more than a billion people lack clean drinking water, according to a new article. ... > full story

Electrical water detection (June 23, 2011) -- A quick and easy way to detect groundwater in semi-arid hard rock areas that is also economical could improve the siting of borewells to improve clean water supply in the developing world. ... > full story

Pandora's cluster: A galactic crash investigation (June 23, 2011) -- A team of scientists has studied the galaxy cluster Abell 2744, nicknamed Pandora's Cluster. They have pieced together the cluster's complex and violent history using telescopes in space and on the ground, including the Hubble Space Telescope and ESO's Very Large Telescope. Abell 2744 seems to be the result of a simultaneous pile-up of at least four separate galaxy clusters and this complex collision has produced strange effects that have never been seen together before. ... > full story

Driving a vehicle with one hand (June 23, 2011) -- A new device developed in Spain allows people with reduced mobility or weakness in the upper torso to drive a vehicle using only one hand. ... > full story

New physics research to deepen understanding of the universe (June 23, 2011) -- Physicists in the UK are beginning a new research project which aims to improve our understanding of the universe and the material within it. They also hope that their work will enable better mathematical predictions in systems as diverse as collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, to the development of room-temperature superconductors which could provide super-efficient power for electronic circuits. ... > full story

Solar wind samples give insight into birth of solar system (June 23, 2011) -- The first oxygen and nitrogen isotopic measurements of the Sun are complete, demonstrating that they are very different from the same elements on Earth. These results were the top two priorities of NASA's Genesis mission, which crashed on reentry to Earth. But the Los Alamos National Laboratory's Solar Wind Concentrator survived the crash and eventually yielded today's solar secrets. ... > full story

NASA Mars rover arrives in Florida after cross-country flight (June 23, 2011) -- NASA's next Mars rover, also known as Curiosity, has completed the journey from its California birthplace to Florida in preparation for launch this fall. ... > full story

New application for iPhone may support monitoring and research on Parkinson's disease (June 23, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a novel iPhone application that may enable persons with Parkinson's disease and certain other neurological conditions to use the ubiquitous devices to collect data on hand and arm tremors and relay the results to medical personnel. ... > full story

Neutrino oscillations caught in the act (June 23, 2011) -- Physicists at the T2K experiment in Japan have announced that, for the first time, they have most likely detected the transformation of muon neutrinos into electron neutrinos. With a probability of over 99%, the observation of this phenomenon will, if confirmed, be a major step towards understanding the physics of elementary particles and will open the way to new research into the asymmetry between matter and antimatter. ... > full story

Cassini samples the icy spray of Enceladus water plumes (June 23, 2011) -- The NASA/ESA/ASI Cassini-Huygens mission has directly sampled the water plumes jetting into space from Saturn’s moon Enceladus. The findings from these fly-throughs are the strongest evidence yet for the existence of large-scale saltwater reservoirs beneath the moon’s icy crust. ... > full story

Gold nanoparticles help earlier diagnosis of liver cancer (June 22, 2011) -- Medical researchers have devised a new technique to spot cancerous tumors in the liver as small as 5 millimeters. The technique, using gold nanoparticles, is the first to deploy metal nanoparticles as agents to enhance X-ray scattering of image tumor-like masses. ... > full story

Cassini captures Saturn's icy moon Helene (June 22, 2011) -- NASA's Cassini spacecraft has successfully completed its second-closest encounter with Saturn's icy moon Helene, beaming down raw images of the small moon. At closest approach, on June 18, Cassini flew within 4,330 miles (6,968 kilometers) of Helene's surface. It was the second closest approach to Helene of the entire mission. ... > full story

Trigger to fatal neurodegenerative disease uncovered using computer simulation (June 22, 2011) -- A researcher has used a computer simulation to pinpoint changes in molecular structure that leads directly to Gerstmann–Sträussler–Scheinker (GSS) syndrome, a rare but deadly neurodegenerative disease. ... > full story

Caribou in Alberta's oil sands stressed by human activity, not wolves, research suggests (June 22, 2011) -- New research suggests that, in the petroleum-rich Athabaska Oil Sands in northern Alberta, human activity related to oil production and the timber industry could be more important than wolves in the decline of the caribou population. ... > full story

Is Enceladus hiding saltwater ocean? Cassini captures ocean-like spray at Saturn's moon (June 22, 2011) -- NASA's Cassini spacecraft has discovered the best evidence yet for a large-scale saltwater reservoir beneath the icy crust of Saturn's moon Enceladus. The data came from the spacecraft's direct analysis of salt-rich ice grains close to the jets ejected from the moon. ... > full story

Researchers create tool to put the lid on solar power fluctuations (June 22, 2011) -- How does the power output from solar panels fluctuate when the clouds roll in? And can researchers predict these fluctuations? Researchers in California have found the answer to these questions. They also have developed a software program that allows power grid managers to easily predict fluctuations in the solar grid caused by changes in the cloud cover. ... > full story

Self-cleaning anodes could facilitate cost-effective coal-powered fuel cells (June 22, 2011) -- Using barium oxide nanoparticles, researchers have developed a self-cleaning technique that could allow solid oxide fuel cells to be powered directly by coal gas at operating temperatures as low as 750 degrees Celsius. The technique could provide an alternative for generating electricity from the nation's vast coal reserves. ... > full story

Astronomers discover that galaxies are either asleep or awake (June 22, 2011) -- Astronomers have probed into the distant universe and discovered that galaxies display one of two distinct behaviors: they are either awake or asleep, actively forming stars or are not forming any new stars at all. A new survey shows that even very young galaxies as far away as 12 billion light years display one of these two states, meaning galaxies have behaved this way for more than 85 percent of the history of the universe. ... > full story

How dense is a cell? Combining ancient principle with new technology, researchers devise new way to answer question (June 22, 2011) -- Scientists have developed a way to measure the density of a single cell. The new method involves measuring the buoyant mass of each cell in two fluids of different densities. Measuring cell density could allow researchers to gain biophysical insight into fundamental cellular processes such as adaptations for survival, and might also be useful for identifying diseased cells. ... > full story

Quantum leap: Magnetic properties of a single proton directly observed for the first time (June 22, 2011) -- An important milestone in the direct measurement of the magnetic moment of the proton and its anti-particle has been achieved. Researchers have observed spin quantum-jumps with a single trapped proton for the first time. The result is a pioneering step forward in the endeavor to directly measure the magnetic properties of the proton with high precision. ... > full story

Strongest evidence yet indicates icy Saturn moon hiding saltwater ocean (June 22, 2011) -- Samples of icy spray shooting from Saturn's moon Enceladus collected during Cassini spacecraft flybys show the strongest evidence yet for the existence of a large-scale, subterranean saltwater ocean, according to a new international study. ... > full story

Radar for Mars gets flight tests at NASA Dryden (June 22, 2011) -- Southern California's high desert has been a stand-in for Mars for NASA technology testing many times over the years. And so it is again, in a series of flights by an F/A-18 aircraft to test the landing radar for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission. ... > full story

New technology for improving FIFA refereeing (June 22, 2011) -- The FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) is making use of new computer and communication technology developed by researchers at Carlos III University of Madrid (UC3M) during the Under 17 World Cup held in Mexico and the 2011 Women's World Cup held in Germany. ... > full story

Forklift trucks that run on a green charge (June 21, 2011) -- The first forklift trucks in Europe that will run on fuel cells and with hydrogen in their tanks are on the way to the market. No fewer than 30 demonstration units are to be tested, and Norway is among the countries potentially involved in the trials. ... > full story

Forensics: Lamps and spectrometers used to age bruises precisely (June 21, 2011) -- Forensic scientists have to rely on their own subjective experience when asked to ascertain the age of contusions. Now, however, researchers in Norway have found a far more objective and precise method, using lamps and spectrometers. From the assembled data the researchers created a model for bruise progression over time which enables them to determine the age of the bruises more reliably. Bruises on children develop differently from on adults. Knowledge within this area could be particularly important in cases of suspected child abuse. ... > full story

Acrobatics for anyons: New test for elusive fundamental particle proposed (June 21, 2011) -- Anyons are hypothetical particles that have been postulated to represent a third class of fundamental particles alongside the known bosons and fermions. Physicists in Germany have now proposed a novel experimental design that should make it possible to create and detect them for the first time. ... > full story

Shipwrecks no more: Recycling old boats (June 21, 2011) -- Nearly 5,000 recreational boats are retired and disposed of every year in Norway -- either sunk to the bottom of the sea or burned in a bonfire. Now, researchers have developed a new method for recycling these vessels. ... > full story

'Smart materials' that make proteins form crystals to boost research into new drugs (June 21, 2011) -- Scientists have developed a new method to make proteins form crystals using "smart materials" that remember the shape and characteristics of the molecule. ... > full story

Keeping bugs out of software for self-driving cars: Analysis verifies safety of distributed car control system (June 21, 2011) -- Driver assistance technologies, such as adaptive cruise control and automatic braking, promise to someday ease traffic on crowded routes and prevent accidents. Proving that these automated systems will work as intended is a daunting task, but computer scientists have now demonstrated it is possible to verify the safety of these highly complex systems. ... > full story

Scientists find simple way to produce graphene (June 21, 2011) -- Scientists say they have discovered a simple method for producing high yields of graphene, a highly touted carbon nanostructure that some believe could replace silicon as the technological fabric of the future. The researchers report on a new method that converts carbon dioxide directly into few-layer graphene (less than 10 atoms in thickness) by burning pure magnesium metal in dry ice. ... > full story

Quantum cryptography: Perfect eavesdropper illustrates overlooked loophole in secure communications technology (June 21, 2011) -- Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a tool to provide confidential communication between two remote parties. QKD is perfectly secure in principle, but researchers have long been aware that loopholes may arise when QKD is put into practice. Now, for the first time, researchers have implemented a "perfect eavesdropper" that exploits just such a loophole. The results highlight the importance of identifying imperfections in the implementation of QKD as a step towards fixing them. ... > full story

Genius of Einstein, Fourier key to new computer vision that mimics how humans perceive 3-D shapes (June 21, 2011) -- Two new techniques for computer-vision technology mimic how humans perceive three-dimensional shapes by instantly recognizing objects no matter how they are twisted or bent, an advance that could help machines see more like people. ... > full story

Mimicking nature at the nanoscale: Selective transport across a biomimetic nanopore (June 21, 2011) -- Researchers have established a biomimetic nanopore that provides a unique test and measurement platform for the way that proteins move into a cell's nucleus. In a new study, they report an artificial nanopore that is functionalized with key proteins which mimics the natural nuclear pore. ... > full story

New measurement into biological polymer networks (June 21, 2011) -- The development of a new measurement technology is probing the structure of composite and biological materials. In their quest to understand more about bio-polymers, they developed the rheometer and confocal microscope system (measures the mechanical properties of materials), which provide a unique and unprecedented level of precision and sensitivity for investigating polymeric systems which were previously too small to visualize during mechanical stress experiments. ... > full story

Stretching old material yields new results for energy- and environment-related devices (June 21, 2011) -- Researchers recently found a way to improve electricity generating fuel cells, potentially making them more efficient, powerful and less expensive. Specifically, they discovered a way to speed up the flow and filtering of water or ions, which are necessary for fuel cells to operate. ... > full story