ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Friday, September 16, 2011 ~ techdeck

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Friday, September 16, 2011

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New method for detecting lung cancer unveiled (September 16, 2011) -- When lung cancer strikes, it often spreads silently into more advanced stages before being detected. In a new article, biological engineers and medical scientists reveal how their discovery could provide a much earlier warning signal. ... > full story

Researchers create new Urban Network Analysis toolbox (September 16, 2011) -- Researchers have created a new Urban Network Analysis (UNA) toolbox that enables urban designers and planners to describe the spatial patterns of cities using mathematical network analysis methods. Such tools can support better informed and more resilient urban design and planning in a context of rapid urbanization. ... > full story

Small distant galaxies host supermassive black holes, astronomers find (September 16, 2011) -- Using the Hubble Space Telescope to probe the distant universe, astronomers have found supermassive black holes growing in surprisingly small galaxies. The findings suggest that central black holes formed at an early stage in galaxy evolution. ... > full story

Archivist in the sound library: New model for speech and sound recognition (September 16, 2011) -- A new mathematical model mimics the process of speech and noise recognition in the human brain efficiently. It may explain experimental findings that remained unclear so far. ... > full story

New study quantifies use of social media in Arab Spring (September 16, 2011) -- After analyzing more than three million tweets, gigabytes of YouTube content and thousands of blog posts, a new study finds that social media played a central role in shaping political debates in the Arab Spring. Conversations about revolution often preceded major events, and social media has carried inspiring stories of protest across international borders. ... > full story

NASA Mars research helps find buried water on Earth (September 15, 2011) -- A NASA-led team has used radar sounding technology developed to explore the subsurface of Mars to create high-resolution maps of freshwater aquifers buried deep beneath an Earth desert, in the first use of airborne sounding radar for aquifer mapping. ... > full story

Meteor likely cause of Southwest U.S. light show (September 15, 2011) -- A meteor is the most probable cause of a bright, colorful fireball witnessed by people in a wide swath of the southwestern United States, according to NASA. ... > full story

Mobile phone electromagnetic field affects local glucose metabolism in the human brain, Finnish study finds (September 15, 2011) -- Recent PET-measurements in Turku, Finland, show that the GSM mobile phone electromagnetic field suppresses glucose metabolism in temporoparietal and anterior temporal areas of the hemisphere next to the antenna. ... > full story

Cancer information on Wikipedia is accurate, but not very readable, study finds (September 15, 2011) -- It is a commonly held that information on Wikipedia should not be trusted, since it is written and edited by non-experts without professional oversight. But researchers have found differently, according to a new study. ... > full story

New material synthesized: Graphene nanoribbons inside of carbon nanotubes (September 15, 2011) -- Physicists from Sweden and Finland have found an efficient way to synthesize graphene nanoribbons directly inside of single-walled carbon nanotubes. ... > full story

NASA's Kepler discovery confirms first planet orbiting two stars (September 15, 2011) -- The existence of a world with a double sunset, as portrayed in the film Star Wars more than 30 years ago, is now scientific fact. NASA's Kepler mission has made the first unambiguous detection of a circumbinary planet -- a planet orbiting two stars -- 200 light-years from Earth. ... > full story

Scientists take first step towards creating 'inorganic life' (September 15, 2011) -- Scientists in Scotland say they have taken their first tentative steps towards creating 'life' from inorganic chemicals potentially defining the new area of 'inorganic biology'. ... > full story

Milky Way's spiral arms are the product of an intergalactic collision course; Models show dark matter packs a punch (September 15, 2011) -- Astronomers have shown how the Milky Way galaxy's iconic spiral arms form, according to new research. A dwarf galaxy named Sagittarius loaded with dark matter has careened twice through our much larger home galaxy in the past two billion years, according to telescope data and detailed simulations, and is lined up to do it again. As the galaxies collide, the force of the impact sends stars streaming from both in long loops. ... > full story

Preschoolers' grasp of numbers predicts math performance in school years; Early number sense linked to elementary math scores (September 15, 2011) -- A new study reports that the precision with which preschoolers estimate quantities, prior to any formal education in mathematics, predicts their mathematics ability in elementary school, according to researchers. ... > full story

New technology for recovering valuable minerals from waste rock (September 15, 2011) -- Researchers report discovery of a completely new technology for more efficiently separating gold, silver, copper, and other valuable materials from rock and ore. The process uses nanoparticles to latch onto those materials and attach them to air bubbles in a flotation machine. ... > full story

Chemists help astronauts make sure their drinking water is clean (September 15, 2011) -- Researchers have developed chemistry and procedures that astronauts can use to test the quality of their drinking water at the International Space Station. The testing technology is now considered operational hardware at the space station. Astronauts will begin using refinements to the tests in late September. ... > full story

3-D television without glasses (September 15, 2011) -- When the boundaries merge between the action and the viewer, television becomes a special experience. Research scientists in Germany are optimizing the technologies that make it possible to watch TV in 3-D without technical aids such as 3-D glasses. A new four-camera system will even be able to handle live transmissions. ... > full story

Cancer-killing cells are caught on film in more 3-D detail than ever before (September 15, 2011) -- Scientists reveal in more detail than ever before how white blood cells kill diseased tissue using deadly granules. The researchers used 'optical' laser tweezers and a super-resolution microscope to see the inner workings of white blood cells at the highest resolution ever. The researchers describe how a white blood cell rearranges its scaffolding of actin proteins on the inside of its membrane, to create a hole through which it delivers deadly enzyme-filled granules to kill diseased tissue. ... > full story

Pioneering device reduces the cost and power consumption of telecommunications systems (September 15, 2011) -- Researchers have developed the first broadband radio frequency (RF) photonic phase shifter which is tunable and based on a single semiconductor element. This means that producing it will be cheaper, and it will also provide a saving in energy consumption of up to 80%. ... > full story

Astronomer: 'Beware the wildlife, even in apparently quiet galaxies' (September 15, 2011) -- Even though a dwarf galaxy clear across the Milky Way looks to be a mouse, it may have once been a bear that slashed through the Milky Way and created the galaxy's spiral arms, writes an University astronomer in a new article. ... > full story

From Star Wars to science fact: Tatooine-like planet discovered (September 15, 2011) -- Although cold and gaseous rather than a desert world, the newfound planet Kepler-16b is still the closest astronomers have come to discovering Luke Skywalker's home world of Tatooine. Like Tatooine, Kepler-16b enjoys a double sunset as it circles a pair of stars approximately 200 light-years from Earth. It's not thought to harbor life, but its discovery demonstrates the diversity of planets in our galaxy. ... > full story

Tatooine-like planet discovered (September 15, 2011) -- A planet with two suns may be a familiar sight to fans of the "Star Wars" film series, but not, until now, to scientists. A team of researchers, including Carnegie's Alan Boss, has discovered a planet that orbits around a pair of stars. Their remarkable findings will be published Sept. 16 in Science. ... > full story

New report on creating clinical public use microdata files (September 15, 2011) -- Many governments in Europe and the US are looking at ways to make more data publicly available. Federally, there is also an open government initiative in Canada. Privacy concerns may be leading to some hesitation in pushing forward with such efforts -- but as demonstrated in this study, privacy concerns can be addressed in a defensible manner. ... > full story

How the Milky Way got its spiral: Supercomputer simulation uncovers how collision with dwarf galaxy triggered formation of spiral arms (September 15, 2011) -- The signature spiral arms of the Milky Way galaxy were likely formed by an epic collision between the Milky Way and the Sagittarius Dwarf galaxy, according to researchers. ... > full story

Air pollution caused by ships plummets when vessels shift to cleaner, low-sulfur fuels, study finds (September 14, 2011) -- New clean fuel regulations in California and voluntary slowdowns by shipping companies substantially reduce air pollution caused by near-shore ships, according to a new study. ... > full story

'Synthetic biology' could replace oil for chemical industry (September 14, 2011) -- Vats of blue-green algae could one day replace oil wells in producing raw materials for the chemical industry, a chemist predicts. ... > full story

Novel software used in first global camera trap mammal study (September 14, 2011) -- A novel software system has been used in the first global camera trap study of mammals. The research emphasizes the importance of protected areas to ensure the diversity and survival of a wide range of animal populations. ... > full story

NASA announces design for new deep space exploration system: New heavy-lift rocket will take humans far beyond Earth (September 14, 2011) -- NASA has selected the design of a new Space Launch System that will take the agency's astronauts farther into space than ever before, create high-quality jobs here at home, and provide the cornerstone for America's future human space exploration efforts. This new heavy-lift rocket-in combination with a crew capsule already under development, increased support for the commercialization of astronaut travel to low Earth orbit, an extension of activities on the International Space Station until at least 2020. ... > full story

Messy better than neat: Tangled coat of nanowires increases solar cell efficiency by absorbing more light (September 14, 2011) -- Sometimes neatness may not be necessary. Researchers have demonstrated that a tangled coating of randomly positioned nanowires can increase solar cell efficiency by absorbing more light. ... > full story

Crashes common among helicopters used in oil and gas operations, study finds (September 14, 2011) -- A new study finds that helicopters that service the drilling platforms and vessels in the Gulf of Mexico crash on average more than six times per year resulting in an average of five deaths per year. ... > full story

Double jeopardy: Building codes may underestimate risks due to multiple hazards (September 14, 2011) -- As large parts of the United States recover from nature's one-two punch -- an earthquake followed by Hurricane Irene -- building researchers warn that a double whammy of seismic and wind hazards can increase the risk of structural damage to as much as twice the level implied in building codes. ... > full story

Polonium poisoning case sheds light on infection control practices (September 14, 2011) -- A new study uses a famous case of international intrigue and murder to shed new light on the risks health care workers face while treating patients with radiation poisoning. ... > full story

Superconductivity: New piece in the puzzle (September 14, 2011) -- By destabilizing superconductivity with a strong magnetic field, the electrons of a “high temperature” superconductor align into linear filaments. This phenomenon has been demonstrated by a team of researchers in France. The results add a new piece to the puzzle that condensed-matter physicists have been trying to put together for nearly 25 years. ... > full story

Vigorous star birth without galactic collisions: Herschel paints new story of galaxy evolution (September 14, 2011) -- The European Space Agency's Herschel infrared space observatory has discovered that galaxies do not need to collide with each other to drive vigorous star birth. The finding overturns this long-held assumption and paints a more stately picture of how galaxies evolve. ... > full story

New hybrid imaging device shows promise in spotting hard-to-detect ovarian cancer (September 14, 2011) -- By combining three previously unrelated imaging tools into one new device, scientists have proposed a new way to diagnose early-stage ovarian cancer in high-risk women through minimally invasive surgery. The new technique may be better than the current standard procedure of preemptively removing the ovaries. ... > full story

Identifying dangerous intersections with help of new computer simulation (September 14, 2011) -- Researchers have developed SAFEPED, a computer simulation that integrates robots and driver statistics to identify traffic "black spots" and allows traffic planners to analyze and fix dangerous intersections. Based on a theory of human cognition, SAFEPED is far more true-to-life than other computer traffic models. ... > full story

In immune cells, super-resolution imaging reveals natural killers' M.O. (September 14, 2011) -- Making use of a new "super resolution" microscope that provides sharp images at extremely small scales, scientists have achieved unprecedented views of the immune system in action. The new tool, a stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscope, shows how granules from natural killer cells pass through openings in dynamic cell structures to destroy their targets: tumor cells and cells infected by viruses. ... > full story

Team finds stable RNA nano-scaffold within virus core (September 14, 2011) -- With the discovery of a RNA nano-scaffold that remains unusually stable in the body, researchers have overcome another barrier to the development of therapeutic RNA nanotechnology. The nanoparticle, constructed from a three-way junction (3WJ) motif of packaging RNA (pRNA) molecules, can serve as a platform for building larger, multifunctional nanoparticles -- which can then be injected into the body to deliver therapeutics to targeted cells. ... > full story

Intense magnetic fields probably formed shortly after Big Bang, researchers say (September 14, 2011) -- Intense magnetic fields were probably generated in the universe shortly after the Big Bang, according to an international team of researchers. ... > full story

Cyber security report identifies key research priorities (September 14, 2011) -- Developing self-learning, self aware cyber security technologies, protecting smart utility grids and enhancing the security of mobile networks are among the top research priorities needed to safeguard the internet of tomorrow, according to a new report. ... > full story

Discovering the hidden universe: TheSkyNet Launched (September 14, 2011) -- A community computing science initiative to help discover the hidden Universe was officially launched September 14. ... > full story

In the early life of an embryo, a monster lurks: Newly fertilized cells only narrowly avoid degenerating into fatal chaos (September 13, 2011) -- Research has revealed that newly fertilized cells only narrowly avoid degenerating into fatal chaos. At the same time, scientists have discovered that embryos have acquired a mechanism to contain this dangerous instability, a finding that could help biologists unravel other mysteries about the first hours of life. ... > full story

Terahertz radiation's impact on cellular function and gene expression (September 13, 2011) -- Relatively little is known about the effect of terahertz radiation on biological systems. A team of researchers have now evaluated the cellular response of mouse stem cells exposed to THz radiation. They reported that temperature increases were minimal, and that heat shock protein expression was unaffected, while the expression of certain other genes showed clear effects of the THz irradiation. ... > full story

Pressure for positive results puts science under threat, study shows (September 13, 2011) -- Scientific research may be in decline across the globe because of growing pressures to report only positive results, new analysis suggests. ... > full story

Civil engineering professor develops 'superlaminate' industrial pipe repair system (September 13, 2011) -- Even when structural problems with the aging US infrastructure can be detected early, currently available methods of repair are often technologically outdated, logistically complex, prohibitively expensive, or all of the above. A professor of civil engineering may have developed a feasible solution to a rapidly growing domestic infrastructure problem. ... > full story

Star blasts planet with X-rays (September 13, 2011) -- A nearby star is pummeling a companion planet with a barrage of X-rays a hundred thousand times more intense than the Earth receives from the Sun. New data suggest that high-energy radiation is evaporating about 5 million tons of matter from the planet every second. This result gives insight into the difficult survival path for some planets. ... > full story

Graphene may open the gate to future terahertz technologies (September 13, 2011) -- Nestled between radio waves and infrared light is the terahertz (THz) portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. By adding a nanoscale bit of graphene, researchers have found a better way to tune radiation for a THz transmitter. ... > full story

Astronomers find extreme weather on an alien world: Cosmic oddball may harbor a gigantic storm (September 13, 2011) -- A University of Toronto-led team of astronomers has observed extreme brightness changes on a nearby brown dwarf that may indicate a storm grander than any seen yet on a planet. Because old brown dwarfs and giant planets have similar atmospheres, this finding could shed new light on weather phenomena of extra-solar planets. ... > full story