ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Monday, August 1, 2011 ~ techdeck

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Monday, August 1, 2011

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Engineering innovative hand-held lab-on-a-chip could streamline blood testing worldwide (August 1, 2011) -- Biomedical engineering professors have developed an innovative strategy for an integrated microfluidic-based diagnostic device that can perform complex laboratory assays, with such simplicity that these tests can be carried out in the most remote regions of the world. Successfully tested in Rwanda, the mChip diagnoses diseases like HIV and syphilis at patients' bedsides. ... > full story

Elliptical galaxies are not dead (August 1, 2011) -- Initial results from research carried out as part of the Atlas3D project on two elliptical galaxies could, if they are confirmed, call into question the current model of the formation of galaxies. ... > full story

Electronic tongue identifies cava wines (August 1, 2011) -- Researchers have developed an electronic tongue which can identify different types of cava wines, thanks to a combination of sensor systems and advanced mathematical procedures. The device automatically produces classifications similar to those of a sommelier and can be useful in detecting defects during the elaboration of these wines. ... > full story

Sun-free photovoltaics: Materials engineered to give off precisely tuned wavelengths of light when heated (July 31, 2011) -- A new photovoltaic energy-conversion system can be powered solely by heat, generating electricity with no sunlight at all. While the principle involved is not new, a novel way of engineering the surface of a material to convert heat into precisely tuned wavelengths of light -- selected to match the wavelengths that photovoltaic cells can best convert to electricity -- makes the new system much more efficient than previous versions. ... > full story

Warmed-up organic memory transistor has larger memory capacity (July 30, 2011) -- Scientists show that non-volatile memory made from a sandwich of silver nanoparticle-laced plastic retains its on/off state over a wider voltage range when operating at toasty temperatures. ... > full story

Motorcycle helmets hard on hearing (July 30, 2011) -- Motorcycle helmets, while protecting bikers' brains, may also be contributing to hearing loss. Scientists mapped the airflow and noise patterns to find out why. ... > full story

Averting bridge disasters: New technology could save hundreds of lives (July 30, 2011) -- Millions of US drivers cross faulty or obsolete bridges every day, highway statistics show, but it's too costly to fix these spans or adequately monitor their safety, says a researcher who's developed a new, affordable early warning system. This wireless technology could avert the kind of fatal disaster along Minneapolis' I-35W on Aug. 1, 2007, he says -- and do so at one-one-hundredth the cost of current wired systems. ... > full story

Powerful fluorescence tool lights the way to new insights into RNA of living cells (July 30, 2011) -- The ability to tag proteins with a green fluorescent light to watch how they behave inside cells so revolutionized the understanding of protein biology that it earned the scientific teams who developed the technique Nobel Prizes in 2008. Now, researchers have developed a similar fluorescent tool that can track the mysterious workings of the various forms of cellular RNA. ... > full story

Study of golf swings pinpoints biomechanical differences between pros and amateurs (July 30, 2011) -- When it comes to hitting a golf ball hard, researchers have identified several biomechanical factors that appear to separate the duffers from the pros. ... > full story

'Brain cap' technology turns thought into motion; Mind-machine interface could lead to new life-changing technologies for millions of people (July 29, 2011) -- "Brain cap" technology now being developed allows users to turn their thoughts into motion. Researchers have created a noninvasive, sensor-lined cap with neural interface software that soon could be used to control computers, robotic prosthetic limbs, motorized wheelchairs and even digital avatars. ... > full story

Scary driving? Put the brakes on using your brain power (July 29, 2011) -- Researchers have used drivers' brain signals, for the first time, to assist in braking, providing much quicker reaction times and a potential solution to the thousands of car accidents that are caused by human error. ... > full story

Chandra X-ray Observatory images gas flowing toward black hole (July 29, 2011) -- The flow of hot gas toward a black hole has been clearly imaged for the first time in X-rays. The observations from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory will help tackle two of the most fundamental problems in modern astrophysics: understanding how black holes grow and how matter behaves in their intense gravity. ... > full story

SOHO watches a comet fading away (July 29, 2011) -- On Nov. 4, 2010, NASA's EPOXI spacecraft came within 450 miles of Comet Hartley 2, a small comet not even a mile in diameter, which takes about six and a half years to orbit the sun. Designated officially as 103P/Hartley 2, the comet thus became the fifth for which scientists have collected close-up images. ... > full story

Emulating nature for better engineering (July 29, 2011) -- Researchers in the UK describe a novel approach to making porous materials, solid foams, more like their counterparts in the natural world, including bone and wood. ... > full story

Common Korean surname tells tale of nationhood (July 29, 2011) -- The most common surname in Korea -- Kim -- has been traced back 1,500 years using a statistical model, providing evidence of a strong, stable culture that has remained intact to this day. ... > full story

Unexpected clue to thermopower efficiency: Uneven temperature can lead to electronic whirlpools and sideways magnetic fields (July 28, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered a new relation among electric and magnetic fields and differences in temperature, which can result in swirling vortices of electrons and holes in semiconductor devices and emit sideways magnetic fields. Understanding the unusual new effect may lead to more efficient thermoelectric devices, which convert heat into electricity or electricity into heat. ... > full story

Fundamental matter-antimatter symmetry confirmed (July 28, 2011) -- An international collaboration has set a new value for the antiproton mass relative to the electron with unprecedented precision. ... > full story

Protecting networks is just a game (July 28, 2011) -- Information technologists have used game theory to develop a defense mechanism for networks that is more effective than previous approaches. ... > full story

New invisibility cloak hides objects from human view (July 28, 2011) -- For the first time, scientists have devised an invisibility cloak material that hides objects from detection using light that is visible to humans. The new device is a leap forward in cloaking materials. ... > full story

Research reveals why hedge funds are an unlikely large source of systemic risk (July 28, 2011) -- A new study finds that hedge funds are moderately leveraged, leverage is counter-cyclical to the leverage of banks and the finance sector, and hedge fund leverage was at its lowest during the financial crisis in 2008. ... > full story

Artificial cilia open new nanotech possibilties; One step closer to learning how cilia movement is coordinated (July 28, 2011) -- Cilia -- tiny hair-like structures that perform feats such as clearing microscopic debris from the lungs and determining the correct location of organs during development -- move in mysterious ways. Researchers have created artificial cilia-like structures that offers a new approach for cilia study. ... > full story

NASA's WISE finds Earth's first 'trojan' asteroid (July 28, 2011) -- Astronomers studying observations taken by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission have discovered the first known "Trojan" asteroid orbiting the sun along with Earth. ... > full story

Pigment discovery expanding into new colors (July 28, 2011) -- Chemists have discovered that the same crystal structure they identified two years ago to create what may be the world's best blue pigment can also be used with different elements to create other colors, with significant potential in the paint and pigment industries. ... > full story

Social media poised to drive disaster preparedness and response (July 28, 2011) -- Social media tools like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare may be an important key to improving the public health system's ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters, according to a new article. ... > full story

Wave power can drive sun's intense heat (July 28, 2011) -- A new study sheds light on why the sun's outer atmosphere, or corona, is more than 20 times hotter than its surface. The research may bring scientists a step closer to understanding the solar cycle and the sun's impacts on Earth. ... > full story

Children and adolescent cell phone users at no greater risk of brain cancer than non-users, study suggests (July 28, 2011) -- Children and adolescents who use mobile phones are not at a statistically significant increased risk of brain cancer compared to their peers who do not use mobile phones, according to a new study. ... > full story

Graphene nanocomposite a bridge to better batteries (July 28, 2011) -- Researchers have built a high-capacity energy storage device for lithium ion batteries by constructing a unique nanoscale sandwich of graphene and tin. The device is engineered to improve electrochemical cycling of the battery, which reduces charging time and allows repeated recharging without degrading battery performance. ... > full story

New X-ray camera will reveal big secrets about how chemistry works (July 28, 2011) -- Designed to record bursts of images at an unprecedented speed of 4.5 million frames per second, an innovative X-ray camera being built by engineers in the UK will help a major new research facility shed light on the structure of matter. ... > full story

Speed cameras in urban areas save millions in cash, analysis finds (July 28, 2011) -- The deployment of speed cameras in urban areas saves vast amounts of money as well as lives, reveals a two-year financial analysis. ... > full story

Computer-aided detection does not improve mammogram accuracy, study suggests (July 28, 2011) -- Using computer-aided detection software to help analyze and interpret mammograms does not improve accuracy, according to a new study. ... > full story

Closer look at cells: Fluorescence microscopy lets scientists observe exchanges across cell membranes (July 28, 2011) -- Many substances and nutrients are exchanged across the cell membrane. Scientists in Switzerland have developed a method to observe these exchanges, by taking a highly accurate count of the number of proteins found there. ... > full story

Experts complacent about network attacks: Study shows physical attacks to communications network infrastructure deemed low priority risk (July 28, 2011) -- Industry experts and researchers may be underestimating the threat to Internet security posed by physical attacks to telecommunications infrastructure, according to new research. Only nine percent of industry experts and researchers who responded to an international survey considered physical attacks to the infrastructure to be a likely threat to future Internet security. ... > full story

CERN experiment weighs antimatter with unprecedented accuracy (July 28, 2011) -- The Japanese-European ASACUSA experiment at CERN has reported a new measurement of the antiproton's mass accurate to about one part in a billion. Precision measurements of the antiproton mass provide an important way to investigate nature's apparent preference for matter over antimatter. ... > full story

VST looks at the Leo Triplet -- and beyond (July 27, 2011) -- A huge image, from the new VLT Survey Telescope (VST) and its camera OmegaCAM at the European Southern Observatory's Paranal Observatory, shows a triplet of bright galaxies in the constellation of Leo (the Lion). But the faint objects in the background, rather than the foreground galaxies, are what may capture an astronomer's attention. The VST's sharp view of these dim objects hints at the power of the telescope and OmegaCAM for mapping the distant universe. ... > full story

CT shows changes in lungs associated with COPD flare-ups (July 27, 2011) -- Using computed tomography, researchers have identified two types of structural changes in the lungs of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that are associated with frequent exacerbations, or episodes when symptoms suddenly worsen. ... > full story

NASA tests future deep space vehicle for water landings (July 27, 2011) -- As NASA closes the chapter on the Space Shuttle Program, a new era of exploration vehicles is beginning to take off. Testing began this month at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., in the new Hydro Impact Basin to certify the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) for water landings. The Orion MPCV will carry astronauts into space, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and ensure safe re-entry and landing. ... > full story

More powerful 'lab-on-a-chip' made for genetic analysis (July 27, 2011) -- Researchers have invented a silicone chip that could make genetic analysis far more sensitive, rapid, and cost-effective by allowing individual cells to fall into place like balls in a pinball machine. The device -- about the size of a nine-volt battery -- allows scientists to simultaneously analyze 300 cells individually by routing fluid carrying cells through microscopic tubes and valves. By facilitating such "single-cell analysis," the device could accelerate genetic research and hasten the use of far more detailed tests for diagnosing cancer. ... > full story

New material lets electrons 'dance' and form new state (July 27, 2011) -- Scientists have successfully created an ultrapure material that captures new states of matter and could have applications in high-speed quantum computing. The material, gallium arsenide, is used to observe states in which electrons no longer obey the laws of single-particle physics, but instead are governed by their mutual interactions. ... > full story

Researchers graft olfactory receptors onto nanotubes (July 27, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a nanotech device that combines carbon nanotubes with olfactory receptor proteins, the cell components in the nose that detect odors. ... > full story

Researchers mimic nature to create a 'bio-inspired brain' for robots (July 27, 2011) -- Engineers are developing bio-inspired integrated circuit technology which mimics the neuron structure and operation of the brain. ... > full story

Nano sensor detects minute traces of plastic explosives: Scientists enable inexpensive, reliable checks for explosives (July 27, 2011) -- Materials scientists in Germany have developed an extremely sensitive explosives sensor that is capable of detecting even slight traces of the high-explosive chemical compound pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN). Terrorists had employed PETN in several attacks on commercial aircraft. ... > full story

Self-healing, self-cooling, metamaterials: Vascular composites enable dynamic structural materials (July 27, 2011) -- Researchers have developed vascularized structural composites, creating materials that are lightweight and strong with potential for self-healing, self-cooling, stealth and more. The team developed a class of sacrificial fibers that degrade after composite fabrication, leaving hollow vascular tunnels that can transport liquids or gases through the composite. ... > full story

Got flow cytometry? All you need is five bucks and a cell phone (July 27, 2011) -- Researchers have demonstrated the integration of an imaging cytometry and florescent microscopy on a cell phone using a compact, light-weight and cost-effective optofluidic attachment. The cell phone enabled optofluidic imaging flow cytometer could be used for rapid and sensitive imaging of bodily fluids for conducting various cell counts or rare cell analysis. ... > full story

Biological interface using piezotronics: Nanowires allow electrical signals to be produced from mechanical actions (July 27, 2011) -- Taking advantage of the unique properties of zinc oxide nanowires, researchers have demonstrated a new type of piezoelectric resistive switching device in which the write-read access of memory cells is controlled by electromechanical modulation. ... > full story

Hubble constant: A new way to measure the expansion of the universe (July 27, 2011) -- Using a measurement of the clustering of the galaxies surveyed, plus other information derived from observations of the early universe, researchers have measured the Hubble constant with an uncertainly of less than 5 percent. The new work draws on data from a survey of more than 125,000 galaxies. ... > full story

Scientists complete final scan of space shuttle heat shield (July 27, 2011) -- After Columbia's debris-damaged heat shield failed in 2003, causing the tragic accident that took the lives of all seven on board, researchers in the U.S. developed a laser dynamic range imager, or LDRI, which generates 3-D images from 2-D video. ... > full story

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory spots extra energy in the sun's corona (July 27, 2011) -- Like giant strands of seaweed some 32,000 miles high, material shooting up from the sun sways back and forth with the atmosphere. In the sun's corona, magnetic field ripples called Alfvén waves cause the swaying. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is now able to track the movements of this solar "seaweed" and measure how much energy is carried by the Alfvén waves. ... > full story

NASA's Jupiter-bound Juno spacecraft mated to its rocket (July 27, 2011) -- NASA's Juno spacecraft completed its last significant terrestrial journey July 27, 2011, with a 15-mile (25-kilometer) trip from Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., to its launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The solar-powered, Jupiter-bound spacecraft was secured into place on top of its rocket at 10:42 a.m. EDT (7:42 a.m. PDT). ... > full story