ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Tuesday, August 23, 2011 ~ techdeck

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Tuesday, August 23, 2011

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Are stellar explosions created equal? Scientists recheck a standard model for supernovae on which cosmic distance measurement is based (August 23, 2011) -- A new analysis of Type Ia supernova, used to measure cosmic distance, suggests many of them develop from similar initial conditions. ... > full story

Large Hadron Collider experiments eliminate more Higgs hiding spots (August 23, 2011) -- Two experimental collaborations at the Large Hadron Collider, located at CERN laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland, announced that they have significantly narrowed the mass region in which the Higgs boson could be hiding. The ATLAS and CMS experiments excluded with 95 percent certainty the existence of a Higgs over most of the mass region from 145 to 466 GeV. ... > full story

Measurement tools for traffic crash injury severity improving (August 22, 2011) -- Efforts to improve traffic safety have been aided by mathematical models that allow researchers to better assess those factors that impact the degree of injury suffered as a result of traffic crashes, researchers say. ... > full story

Sketching with superconductors: Breakthrough in controlling defects could lead to new generation of electronic devices (August 22, 2011) -- Researchers in the UK and Italy have discovered a technique to "draw" superconducting shapes using an X-ray beam. This ability to create and control tiny superconducting structures has implications for a completely new generation of electronic devices. ... > full story

Astronomers find ice and possibly methane on Snow White, a distant dwarf planet (August 22, 2011) -- Astronomers have discovered that the dwarf planet 2007 OR10 -- nicknamed Snow White -- is an icy world, with about half its surface covered in water ice that once flowed from ancient, slush-spewing volcanoes. The new findings also suggest that the red-tinged dwarf planet may be covered in a thin layer of methane, the remnants of an atmosphere that's slowly being lost into space. ... > full story

Antennas in your clothes? New design could pave the way (August 22, 2011) -- The next generation of communications systems could be built with a sewing machine. To make communications devices more reliable, researchers are finding ways to incorporate radio antennas directly into clothing, using plastic film and metallic thread. ... > full story

Better 'photon loops' may be key to computer and physics advances (August 22, 2011) -- Scientists have designed a fault-tolerant way to make "photon delay" devices, a key component for future photon-based computer chips. ... > full story

Galaxies are running out of gas: Why the lights are going out in the Universe (August 22, 2011) -- The universe forms fewer stars than it used to, and a new study has now shown why: compared to the past, galaxies today have less gas from which to make stars. ... > full story

Sweet insight: Discovery could speed drug development (August 22, 2011) -- In a new study, researchers have described a simple process to separate sugars from a carrier molecule, then attach them to a drug or other chemical. ... > full story

Computational chemistry shows the way to safer biofuels (August 22, 2011) -- The word "biofuel" sounds positively healthy. But even diesel based on organically grown corn can degrade into toxic and environmentally harmful end products if produced with the wrong method. Now a chemist has developed a mathematical tool that helps predict the environmental impact of various methods of producing the climate friendly alternatives to fossil fuel. This promises cheaper, faster and above all safer ways to develop new biofuels. ... > full story

Student turns paper mill waste into ‘green’ material for industrial applications (August 22, 2011) -- A student in Israel has developed a method to use paper mill waste to produce ecologically friendly, industrial foams from renewable resources. ... > full story

How nitrous oxide is decomposed: Researchers identify structure of enzyme that breaks down potent greenhouse gas (August 22, 2011) -- Nitrous oxide is a harmful climate gas. Its effect as a greenhouse gas is 300 times stronger than that of carbon dioxide. Nitrous oxide destroys the ozone layer. In industrial agriculture, it is generated on excessively fertilized fields when microorganisms decompose nitrate fertilizers. Decomposition of nitrous oxide frequently is incomplete and strongly depends on environmental conditions. Researchers have now identified the structure of the enzyme that decomposes nitrous oxide and the decomposition mechanism. ... > full story

New 'bionic' leg gives amputees a natural gait (August 21, 2011) -- A new lower-limb prosthetic uses the latest advances in computer, sensor, electric motor and battery technology to give it bionic capabilities. ... > full story

Data traveling by light (August 21, 2011) -- Regular LEDs can be turned into optical WLAN with only a few additional components, thanks to visible light communication. The lights are then not just lighting up, they also transfer data. They send films in HD quality to your iPhone or laptop, with no loss in quality, quickly and safely. ... > full story

Miniature power plants for aircraft bodies (August 21, 2011) -- Sensor networks are supposed to pervade the body shell of airplanes in the future – much like a nervous system. And, newly developed sensors do not require any external power supply. ... > full story

Giant space blob glows from within: Primordial cloud of hydrogen is centrally powered (August 19, 2011) -- Observations from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope have shed light on the power source of a rare vast cloud of glowing gas in the early universe. The observations show for the first time that this giant "Lyman-alpha blob" -- one of the largest single objects known -- must be powered by galaxies embedded within it. ... > full story

Powerful X-rays enable development of successful treatment for melanoma and other life-threatening diseases (August 19, 2011) -- Powerful X-ray technology is revealing new insights into diseases ranging from Alzheimer's to the swine flu, and, most recently, enabled the discovery of a groundbreaking new drug treatment for malignant melanoma. The drug, Zelboraf (vemurafenib), has just received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. In showing the structures of diseased and disease-causing molecules, these light sources enable scientists to suggest potential new treatments. ... > full story

Molecular scientists develop color-changing stress sensor (August 19, 2011) -- It is helpful -- even life-saving -- to have a warning sign before a structural system fails, but, when the system is only a few nanometers in size, having a sign that's easy to read is a challenge. Now, thanks to a clever bit of molecular design by bioengineers and chemists, such warning can come in the form of a simple color change. ... > full story

Quantum optical link sets new time records (August 19, 2011) -- Quantum communication could be an option for absolutely secure transfer of data. The key component in quantum communication over long distances is entanglement between two atomic systems. Entanglement is very fragile and until now researchers have only been able to maintain the entanglement for a fraction of a second. But researchers have now succeeded in maintaining the entanglement for up to an hour. ... > full story

Research team achieves first two-color STED microscopy of living cells (August 19, 2011) -- Current applications of STED microscopy have been limited to single color imaging of living cells and multicolor imaging in "fixed" or preserved cells. However, to study active processes, such as protein interactions, a two-color STED imaging technique is needed in living cells. This has now been achieved for the first time. ... > full story

New images reveal structures of the solar wind as it travels toward and impacts Earth (August 19, 2011) -- Using data collected by NASA's STEREO spacecraft, researchers have developed the first detailed images of solar wind structures as plasma and other particles from a coronal mass ejection traveled 93 million miles and impacted Earth. ... > full story

Are those liquids explosive? (August 19, 2011) -- A team of researchers in Spain has developed a method to determine the chemical composition of liquids seized by police and suspected to be explosive. Some of the samples analyzed contained substances hazardous to health, such as methanol and boric acid. ... > full story

Climate change and ozone destruction hastened with nitrous oxide used in agriculture (August 19, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a new binding site for nitrous oxide (N2O). Nitrous oxide reductase, an enzyme containing copper, plays a key role in the biochemical process by reducing N2O to N2. This enzyme is highly sensitive to oxygen and is often precipitated in the reaction chain, meaning large amounts of N2O are released by fertilized fields in the farming industry. ... > full story

DNA construction software saves time, resources and money (August 19, 2011) -- Scientists have developed the first software package for automating DNA construction that not only makes the process faster and more efficient but -- with an eye on the economics of scientific discovery -- also identifies which construction strategy would be the most cost-effective. ... > full story

Cashless parking: Windshield microchip to make it easier (August 19, 2011) -- Vacant parking spaces in town are thin on the ground. Finding one is just as tiresome as making sure you have the right change for the parking machine. An adhesive microchip on the windshield will make things much easier by unlocking the door to cashless parking. ... > full story

Ions control shape of nanofibers grown on clear substrate (August 19, 2011) -- Researchers have found a new way to develop straight carbon nanofibers on a transparent substrate. Growing such nanofiber coatings is important for use in novel biomedical research tools, solar cells, water repellent coatings and others. The technique utilizes a charged chromium grid, and relies on ions to ensure the nanofibers are straight, rather than curling -- which limits their utility. ... > full story

Disordered networks synchronise faster than small world networks (August 19, 2011) -- Synchronization occurs when individual elements in a complex network behave in line with each other. This applies to real-life examples such as the way neurons fire during an epileptic seizure or the phenomenon of crickets falling into step with one another. ... > full story

Is oil pricing itself out of the market? (August 19, 2011) -- University of Alberta researcher Andrew Leach likes the way Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal thinks. ... > full story

Cosmic eye emerges from exhaustive tests in UK space lab (August 19, 2011) -- A pioneering camera and spectrometer for the James Webb Space Telescope – the gigantic successor to the Hubble Telescope – has just completed cryogenic testing. This testing subjected the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) to the harsh conditions it will experience when it is launched into space onboard the Webb Telescope. ... > full story

Physicists uncover new data on adenine, a crucial building block of life (August 18, 2011) -- Physicists have shown that one of the building blocks of DNA and RNA, adenine, has an unexpectedly variable range of ionization energies along its reaction pathways. ... > full story

Study exposes habit formation in smartphone users (August 18, 2011) -- Smartphone users develop the habit of frequently checking their phones for e-mail, social media, and news, shows a new study. The researchers were surprised to find users engaging in checking behaviors throughout the waking hours. Furthermore, a sizable proportion of smartphone use consists solely of checkings. ... > full story

Honeycomb carbon crystals possibly detected in space (August 18, 2011) -- NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has spotted the signature of flat carbon flakes, called graphene, in space. If confirmed, this would be the first-ever cosmic detection of the material -- which is arranged like chicken wire in flat sheets that are one atom thick. ... > full story

Embryo development obeys the laws of hydrodynamics (August 18, 2011) -- The law of hydrodynamics can contribute to our understanding of how a cluster of embryonic cells can transform into an animal within the first 36 hours of development, according to new research. ... > full story

Football analysis leads to advance in artificial intelligence (August 18, 2011) -- Computer scientists in the field of artificial intelligence have made an important advance that blends computer vision, machine learning and automated planning, and created a new system that may improve everything from factory efficiency to airport operation or nursing care. And it's based on watching the Oregon State University Beavers play football. ... > full story

Ensuring reliable wireless alarm beacons for first responders (August 18, 2011) -- New tests are helping to ensure that wireless safety equipment such as alarm beacons for firefighters and other emergency responders will operate reliably in the presence of other wireless devices. ... > full story

New method can speed development of organic semiconductors for flexible displays (August 18, 2011) -- Researchers have not only created a new material for high-speed organic semiconductors, they have also come up with a new approach that can take months, even years, off the development timeline. ... > full story

No technical know-how needed: Endless forms web site helps users 'breed' 3-D printable objects (August 18, 2011) -- Forget draft tables and complicated computer-aided design programs: You dream it. Endless Forms helps you design it. Engineers are allowing anyone to point, click, collaborate and create online in the evolution of printable, three-dimensional objects. ... > full story

Moon younger than previously thought, analysis of lunar rock reveals (August 18, 2011) -- Analysis of a piece of lunar rock brought back to Earth by the Apollo 16 mission in 1972 has shown that the Moon may be much younger than previously believed. This is concluded in new research conducted by an international team of scientists that includes James Connelly from the Centre for Star and Planet Formation, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen. Their work has just been published in Nature. ... > full story

Computers will be able to tell social traits from human faces, researchers predict (August 18, 2011) -- Researchers have developed new computational tools that help computers determine whether faces fall into categories like attractive or threatening, according to a recent paper. ... > full story

Computational method predicts new uses for existing medicines; Match-making program uses gene expression patterns (August 18, 2011) -- Scientists used computers and publicly available genomic information to predict new uses for existing medicines. The approach could save time and money compared to traditional drug discovery methods. Among the study's surprise findings: an anti-ulcer medicine that slowed the growth of lung cancer, and an anticonvulsant that might alleviate inflammatory bowel diseases. ... > full story

Researchers find way to align gold nanorods on a large scale (August 18, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a simple, scalable way to align gold nanorods, particles with optical properties that could be used for emerging biomedical imaging technologies. ... > full story

Near-infrared imaging system shows promise as future pancreatic cancer diagnostic tool (August 18, 2011) -- Researchers have demonstrated for the first time that optical coherence tomography (OCT), a high resolution optical imaging technique that works by bouncing near-infrared laser light off biological tissue, can reliably distinguish between pancreatic cysts that are low-risk and high-risk for becoming malignant. ... > full story

Physicists undo the 'coffee ring effect' (August 17, 2011) -- A team of physicists has shown how to disrupt the "coffee ring effect" -- the ring-shaped stain of particles leftover after coffee drops evaporate -- by changing the particle shape. The discovery provides new tools for engineers to deposit uniform coatings. ... > full story

Robotic refueling module, soon to be relocated to permanent space station position (August 17, 2011) -- NASA's groundbreaking Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) will reach a key milestone in September when the International Space Station (ISS) robots transfer the module to its permanent home on space station's ExPRESS Logistics Carrier-4. Robotic operations for the technology demonstration are currently slated to begin soon afterwards. ... > full story

Can stock markets regulate themselves? History of markets offers insight into effects of regulation on success of initial public offerings (August 17, 2011) -- Whenever crisis threatens the financial markets, voices are loud in calling for greater control. It is dubious, however, whether tighter regulation would actually offer investors better protection against losing their capital, economists argue in a new historical review of the markets. ... > full story

Reliability issues for carbon nanotubes in future electronics uncovered (August 17, 2011) -- Carbon nanotubes theoretically can carry 1,000 times more electric current than a metal conductor of the same size, so researchers hope they might replace copper wiring in future nanoscale electronics, but recent tests suggest device reliability is a major issue. ... > full story

Wind-turbine placement produces tenfold power increase, researchers say (August 17, 2011) -- The power output of wind farms can be increased at least tenfold simply by optimizing the placement of turbines on a given plot of land, say researchers conducting a unique field study at an experimental two-acre wind farm in northern Los Angeles County, California. ... > full story

New tool allows first responders to visualize post-event disaster environments (August 17, 2011) -- Using iPad™ mobile devices, emergency preparedness officials and first responders participating in an exercise, were able, for the first time, to make use of a new, science-based software tool that allows them to view and modify accurate models of building damage and other post-event disaster effects. ... > full story