ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Thursday, August 25, 2011 ~ techdeck

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Thursday, August 25, 2011

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Engineers discover nanoscale balancing act that mirrors forces at work in living systems (August 25, 2011) -- A delicate balance of atomic forces can be exploited to make nanoparticle superclusters that are uniform in size -- an attribute that's important for many nanotech applications but hard to accomplish, researchers say. The same type of forces are at work bringing the building blocks of viruses together, and the inorganic supercluster structures in this research are in many ways similar to viruses. ... > full story

DNA cages 'can survive inside living cells' (August 25, 2011) -- Scientists have shown for the first time that molecular cages made from DNA can enter and survive inside living cells. ... > full story

New Mars rover snapshots capture Endeavour crater vistas (August 24, 2011) -- NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has captured new images of intriguing Martian terrain from a small crater near the rim of the large Endeavour crater. The rover arrived at the 13-mile-diameter (21-kilometer-diameter) Endeavour on Aug. 9, after a journey of almost three years. ... > full story

New theory may shed light on dynamics of large-polymer liquids (August 24, 2011) -- A new physics-based theory predicts why entangled polymers are confined to a tube-like region of space and how they respond to applied forces. This advance provides insight into behavior of both synthetic polymers used in plastics and bioploymers like the filaments that gives cells structure. ... > full story

Health risks with nanotechnology? Nanoparticles can hinder intracellular transport (August 24, 2011) -- Scientists have now shown that uptake and accumulation of nanoparticles in cells can disrupt important intracellular transport pathways. The researchers discovered that the nanoparticles interrupt the transport of vital substances in and out of a cell, causing undesirable changes in the cell's physiology and disrupting normal cell functioning. ... > full story

Simple security for wireless (August 24, 2011) -- Researchers have demonstrated the first wireless security scheme that can protect against "man-in-the-middle" attacks -- but doesn't require a password. ... > full story

NASA's WISE mission discovers coolest class of stars (August 24, 2011) -- Scientists using data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) have discovered the coldest class of star-like bodies, with temperatures as cool as the human body. Astronomers hunted these dark orbs, termed Y dwarfs, for more than a decade without success. When viewed with a visible-light telescope, they are nearly impossible to see. WISE's infrared vision allowed the telescope to finally spot the faint glow of six Y dwarfs relatively close to our sun, within a distance of about 40 light-years. ... > full story

Scientists develop new approaches to predict the environmental safety of chemicals (August 24, 2011) -- Environmental researchers have proposed in a new study a different approach to predict the environmental safety of chemicals by using data from other similar chemicals. ... > full story

Unexpected adhesion properties of graphene may lead to new nanotechnology devices (August 24, 2011) -- Graphene, considered the most exciting new material under study in the world of nanotechnology, just got even more interesting, according to a new study. ... > full story

Human gait could soon power portable electronics (August 24, 2011) -- In a new paper, researchers describe a new energy-harvesting technology that promises to dramatically reduce our dependence on batteries and instead capture the energy of human motion to power portable electronics. ... > full story

Nanowires get into the groove (August 24, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered that growing nanowires out, not up, can keep them in line. ... > full story

Ancient 'daddy long legs' revealed in 3-D models (August 24, 2011) -- Two ancient types of harvestmen, or 'daddy long legs,' which skittered around forests more than 300 million years ago, are revealed in new three-dimensional virtual fossil models. ... > full story

NASA's GRAIL moon twins are joined to their booster (August 24, 2011) -- NASA's lunar-bound GRAIL twins were mated to their Delta II launch vehicle at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 17 on Aug. 18, 2011. The 15-mile (25-kilometer) trip from Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., is the last move for GRAIL before it begins its journey to the moon. NASA's dynamic duo will orbit the moon to determine the structure of the lunar interior from crust to core and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon. ... > full story

James Webb Space Telescope instrument completes cryogenic testing (August 24, 2011) -- A pioneering camera and spectrometer that will fly aboard NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has completed cryogenic testing designed to mimic the harsh conditions it will experience in space. ... > full story

NASA picks three proposals for flight demonstration (August 24, 2011) -- NASA has selected three proposals, including one from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., as Technology Demonstration Missions to transform space communications, deep space navigation and in-space propulsion capabilities. The projects will develop and fly a space solar sail, deep space atomic clock, and space-based optical communications system. ... > full story

Database of water, wastewater pipeline infrastructure systems (August 24, 2011) -- A national database on technologies to assess the conditions and rehabilitation of the underground pipes will be available to utilities and the general public, starting on Sept. 1, 2011. ... > full story

Quick and cheap data storage? New multiferroic material is both electrically charged and magnetic (August 23, 2011) -- Researchers have engineered a material that exhibits a rare and versatile trait in magnetism at room temperature. It's called a "multiferroic," and it means that the material has properties allowing it to be both electrically charged (ferroelectric) and also the ability to be magnetic (ferromagnetic), with its magnetization controlled by electricity. ... > full story

Exploring the possibilities for zeolites: Team creates database of 2.6 million varieties of molecular sieves (August 23, 2011) -- A new paper hints at the untapped possibilities for making synthetic zeolites -- microporous materials that are used as molecular sieves and catalysts for everything from petroleum processing to nuclear waste disposal. Using computer models, researchers compiled a list of 2.6 million potential zeolite structures that are searchable by geometric arrangement, crystallographic structure and other criteria. ... > full story

World-record pulsed magnetic field achieved; Lab moves closer to 100-tesla mark (August 23, 2011) -- Researchers have set a new world record for the strongest magnetic field produced by a nondestructive magnet. The scientists achieved a field of 92.5 tesla on Thursday, Aug. 18, taking back a record that had been held by a team of German scientists and then, the following day, surpassed their achievement with a whopping 97.4-tesla field. Such a powerful nondestructive magnet could have a profound impact on a wide range of scientific investigations, from how to design and control material functionality to research into the microscopic behavior of phase transitions. ... > full story

New set of building blocks for simple synthesis of complex molecules (August 23, 2011) -- Assembling chemicals can be like putting together a puzzle. Chemists have developed a way of fitting the pieces together to more efficiently build complex molecules, beginning with a powerful and promising antioxidant. ... > full story

Melanin's 'trick' for maintaining radioprotection studied (August 23, 2011) -- Researchers have made new insights into the electrochemical mechanism that gives the complex polymer known as melanin its long-term ability to protect some species from ionizing radiation, with a goal of using that knowledge to develop materials that mimic those natural properties. ... > full story

Text search tool for electronic medical records shows promise for identifying postoperative complications (August 23, 2011) -- Use of natural language processing, such as in the form of free-text searches of electronic medical records (EMRs) of clinical and progress notes of patients performed better at identifying postoperative surgical complications than the commonly used administrative data codes in EMRs, according to a new study. ... > full story

Nickel nanoparticles may contribute to lung cancer (August 23, 2011) -- Lab experiments find that nickel particles with diameters billionths of a meter wide can trigger a cellular pathway that promotes cancer growth. ... > full story

Nano bundles pack a powerful punch: Solid-state energy storage takes a leap forward (August 23, 2011) -- Researchers have created a solid-state, nanotube-based supercapacitor that promises to combine the best qualities of high-energy batteries and fast-charging capacitors in a device suitable for extreme environments. ... > full story

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

Algorithm developed to improve remote electrocardiography (August 23, 2011) -- Engineers and physicians have developed an award-winning algorithm that improves the effectiveness of ECGs. ... > full story

Careers advice 'crucial' in encouraging greater science take-up (August 23, 2011) -- More pupils do physics and chemistry after the age of 16 in schools which provide a more comprehensive range of careers supervision and advice, according to new research. ... > 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

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory set to launch experimental TacSat-4 spacecraft (August 22, 2011) -- The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory TacSat-4 spacecraft is scheduled to launch, Tuesday, September 27 from the Alaska Aerospace Corporation's Kodiak Launch Complex. TacSat-4 is a Navy-led joint mission which provides 10 Ultra High Frequency (UHF) channels and allows troops using existing radios to communicate on-the-move (COTM) from obscured regions without the need for dangerous antenna positioning and pointing. ... > 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