ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Wednesday, July 27, 2011 ~ Technology

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Wednesday, July 27, 2011

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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

Heavy metal hardens battle: Body armor hindered Medieval warriors (July 26, 2011) -- The French may have had a better chance at the Battle of Agincourt had they not been weighed down by heavy body armor, say researchers. A new study shows that soldiers carrying armor in Medieval times would have been using more than twice the amount of energy had they not been wearing it. This is the first clear experimental evidence of the limitations of wearing Medieval armor on a soldier's performance. ... > full story

Minority rules: Scientists discover tipping point for the spread of ideas (July 26, 2011) -- Scientists have found that when just 10 percent of the population holds an unshakable belief, their belief will always be adopted by the majority of the society. The scientists used computational and analytical methods to discover the tipping point where a minority belief becomes the majority opinion. ... > full story

Newly developed fluorescent protein makes internal organs visible (July 26, 2011) -- Researchers have developed the first fluorescent protein that enables scientists to clearly "see" the internal organs of living animals without the need for a scalpel or imaging techniques that can have side effects or increase radiation exposure. ... > full story

Scientists design nano-sized drug transporter to fight disease (July 26, 2011) -- Scientists seeking to improve cancer treatments have created a tiny drug transporter that maximizes its ability to silence damaging genes by finding the equivalent of an expressway into a target cell. The transporter, called a nanocarrier, is a lipid-based structure containing a piece of RNA. Lipids are fatty molecules that help maintain the structure of cell membranes. ... > full story

Modeling plant metabolism to optimize oil production (July 26, 2011) -- Scientists have developed a computational model for analyzing the metabolic processes in rapeseed plants -- particularly those related to the production of oils in their seeds. Their goal is to find ways to optimize the production of plant oils that have widespread potential as renewable resources for fuel and industrial chemicals. ... > full story

Enceladus rains water onto Saturn (July 26, 2011) -- The Herschel space observatory has shown that water expelled from the moon Enceladus forms a giant torus of water vapor around Saturn. The discovery solves a 14-year mystery by identifying the source of the water in Saturn's upper atmosphere. ... > full story

Unique volcanic complex discovered on Moon's far side (July 26, 2011) -- Analysis of new images of a curious "hot spot" on the far side of the Moon reveal it to be a small volcanic province created by the upwelling of silicic magma. The unusual location of the province and of the surprising composition of the lava that formed it offer tantalizing clues to the Moon's thermal history. ... > full story

Cancer-causing mineral found in U.S. road gravel: Erionite in roads may increase risk of mesothelioma (July 26, 2011) -- Vehicles traveling along gravel roads in Dunn County, North Dakota stir up clouds of dust containing high levels of the mineral erionite. Those who breathe in the air every day are at an increased risk of developing mesothelioma, new research shows. Erionite shares similar physical similarities with asbestos and when airborne, its fibers can lodge in people's lungs. Over time, the embedded fibers can lead to mesothelioma, a lung cancer most often associated with asbestos. ... > full story

Biofuels: Novel gene increases yeast's appetite for plant sugars (July 26, 2011) -- For thousands of years, bakers and brewers have relied on yeast to convert sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Yet, researchers eager to harness this talent for brewing biofuels have found when it comes to churning through sugars, these budding microbes can be picky eaters. ... > full story

Making biological images sharper, deeper and faster (July 26, 2011) -- For modern biologists, the ability to capture high-quality, three-dimensional (3-D) images of living tissues or organisms over time is necessary to answer problems in areas ranging from genomics to neurobiology and developmental biology. Looking to improve upon current methods of imaging, researchers have developed a novel approach that could redefine optical imaging of live biological samples by simultaneously achieving high resolution, high penetration depth, and high imaging speed. ... > full story

Saving fuel while plowing (July 26, 2011) -- Less friction, less power, less fuel -- plowshares coated with diamond-like carbon slide through the soil like a hot knife through butter. As a result, the tractors pulling them need less power and fuel. In some tests the power required has been reduced by more than 30 percent. ... > full story

New software protects water utilities from terrorist attacks and contaminants (July 26, 2011) -- Americans are used to drinking from the kitchen tap without fear of harm, even though water utilities might be vulnerable to terrorist attacks or natural contaminants. Now, thanks to new open-source software -- public water systems can be protected through enhanced detection of such threats. ... > full story

Eat, prey, rain: New model of dynamics of clouds and rain is based on a predator-prey population model (July 25, 2011) -- A new model for the dynamics of clouds and rain, based on a predator-prey population model, may help us understand how clouds fit into the big climate picture. This model may help climate scientists understand, among other things, how human-produced aerosols affect rainfall patterns. ... > full story

Rare coupling of magnetic and electric properties in a single material: New multiferroic mechanism could lead to next-generation memory and sensing devices (July 25, 2011) -- Researchers have observed a new way that magnetic and electric properties -- which have a long history of ignoring and counteracting each other -- can coexist in a special class of metals. These materials, known as multiferroics, could serve as the basis for the next generation of faster and energy-efficient logic, memory and sensing technology. ... > full story

How to tell real whiskey from fake, faster (July 25, 2011) -- Methods for distinguishing between authentic and counterfeit Scotch whiskey brands have now been devised by scientists. ... > full story

Nanoplasmonic 'whispering gallery' breaks emission time record in semiconductors (July 25, 2011) -- Renaissance architects demonstrated their understanding of geometry and physics when they built whispering galleries into their cathedrals. These circular chambers were designed to amplify and direct sound waves so that, when standing in the right spot, a whisper could be heard from across the room. Now, scientists have applied the same principle on the nanoscale to drastically reduce emission lifetime, a key property of semiconductors, which can lead to the development of new ultrafast photonic devices. ... > full story

Nanomechanics: New test measures key properties of polymer thin films and membranes (July 25, 2011) -- Researchers have demonstrated a measurement technique that reliably determines three fundamental mechanical properties of near-nanoscale films. The technique, which highlights the challenge of making mechanical measurements on an object with at least one dimension comparable to the size of a virus, should enable better design and engineering for a variety of thin-film technologies, particularly reverse-osmosis membranes for water purification. ... > full story

Major step toward creating faster electronics using graphene (July 25, 2011) -- Physicists have taken a major step forward towards creating electronics using the wonder material graphene. They have studied in detail the effect of interactions between electrons on the electronic properties of graphene. ... > full story

Pocket chemistry: DNA helps glucose meters measure more than sugar (July 25, 2011) -- Glucose meters aren't just for diabetics anymore. Thanks to a team of chemists, they can be partnered with functional DNA sensors as simple, portable, inexpensive meters for a number of target molecules in blood, serum, water or food. The researchers demonstrated using functional DNA with glucose meters to detect cocaine, the disease marker interferon, adenosine and uranium. The two-step method could be used to detect any kind of molecule that a functional DNA or RNA can bind. ... > full story

Arrays of long nanotubes may help measure terahertz laser power (July 25, 2011) -- Terahertz radiation can penetrate numerous materials -- plastic, clothing, paper and some biological tissues -- making it an attractive candidate for applications such as concealed weapons detection, package inspection and imaging skin tumors. There is now no standard method for measuring the absolute output power of terahertz lasers, but researchers have found that dense arrays of extra-long carbon nanotubes are promising coatings for prototype terahertz laser power detectors. ... > full story

Key early skills for later math learning discovered (July 25, 2011) -- Psychologists have identified the beginning of first grade math skills that teachers and parents should target to effectively improve children's later math learning. ... > full story

Hydrogen may be key to growth of high-quality graphene (July 25, 2011) -- A new approach to growing graphene greatly reduces problems that have plagued researchers in the past and clears a path to the crystalline form of graphite's use in sophisticated electronic devices of tomorrow. ... > full story

New photonic crystals have both electronic and optical properties (July 25, 2011) -- In an advance that could open new avenues for solar cells, lasers, metamaterials and more, researchers have demonstrated the first optoelectronically active 3-D photonic crystal. ... > full story

Computer program could 'revolutionise the world's healthcare' (July 25, 2011) -- A massive network of computer programs could revolutionize healthcare around the world, saving countless lives and billions of pounds. ... > full story

Wiedemann-Franz Law: Physicists break 150-year-old empirical laws of physics (July 24, 2011) -- A violation of one of the oldest empirical laws of physics has been observed by scientists. The experiments on purple bronze, a metal with unique one-dimensional electronic properties, indicate that it breaks the Wiedemann-Franz Law. ... > full story

Shining a light on the elusive 'blackbody' of energy research: Designer material has potential applications for thermophotovoltaics (July 23, 2011) -- A designer metamaterial can engineer emitted "blackbody" radiation, a feat that transcends many of the limits governing natural materials and an advance that could potentially lead to the development of new thermophotovoltaic technologies, researchers report. ... > full story

Test for classifying force used in bottle stabbings: New study aids understanding of force required for creating injury (July 23, 2011) -- Engineers in the UK have for the first time created a way of measuring how much force is used during a stabbing using a broken bottle. The advance is expected to have significant implications for legal forensics. ... > full story

Inside the innards of a nuclear reactor: Tiny robots may monitor underground pipes for radioactive leaks (July 22, 2011) -- Scientists have develop robots equipped with cameras that can navigate the underground pipes of a nuclear reactor to check for corrosion by propelling themselves with internal networks of valves and pumps. ... > full story

Astronomers discover largest and most distant reservoir of water yet (July 22, 2011) -- Two teams of astronomers have discovered the largest and farthest reservoir of water ever detected in the universe. Looking from a distance of 30 billion trillion miles away into a quasar -- one of the brightest and most violent objects in the cosmos -- the researchers have found a mass of water vapor that's at least 140 trillion times that of all the water in the world's oceans combined. ... > full story

Smartphone making your eyes tired? Images placed in front of the screen increase visual discomfort (July 22, 2011) -- Several reports indicate that prolonged viewing of mobile devices and other stereo 3-D devices leads to visual discomfort, fatigue and even headaches. According to a new study, the root cause may be the demand on our eyes to focus on the screen and simultaneously adjust to the distance of the content. ... > full story

Chemists create molecular flasks: Researchers design a self-assembling material that can house other molecules (July 22, 2011) -- Recently, researchers at New York University demonstrated an ability to make new materials with empty space on the inside, which could potentially control desired and unwanted chemical reactions. ... > full story

Computer simulations aid understanding of bacterial resistance against commonly used antibiotics (July 22, 2011) -- A recent study into the interactions between aminoglycoside antibiotics and their target site in bacteria used computer simulations to elucidate this mechanism and thereby suggest drug modifications. ... > full story

Software helps synthetic biologists customize protein production (July 22, 2011) -- A software program developed by a Penn State synthetic biologist could provide biotechnology companies with genetic plans to help them turn bacteria into molecular factories, capable of producing everything from biofuels to medicine. ... > full story

Juvenile diarrhea virus analyzed down to the atomic level (July 22, 2011) -- Scientists have used X-ray crystallography to define the structure -- down to the atomic level -- of a common virus that causes juvenile diarrhea. The new research could help direct efforts to develop medications that block the virus before it becomes infectious. ... > full story

New discovery paves the way for using super strong nanostructured metals in cars (July 22, 2011) -- Super strong nanometals are beginning to play an important role in making cars even lighter, enabling them to stand collisions without fatal consequences for the passengers. A student has discovered a new phenomenon that will make nanometals more useful in practice. ... > full story

Ohio Supercomputer Center lifts land speed racer toward 400-mph goal (July 22, 2011) -- A team of engineering students at the Ohio State University's Center for Automotive Research recently began running aerodynamics simulations at the Ohio Supercomputer Center, one of the first steps in the long and careful process of researching, designing, building and racing the fourth iteration of their record-breaking, alternative-fuel streamliner. In partnership with Venturi and A123 Systems, the team began the development process for a completely re-engineered test vehicle designed to break the 400-mph mark. ... > full story

Farthest, largest water mass in universe discovered (July 22, 2011) -- An international team of astronomers has discovered the largest and farthest reservoir of water ever detected in the universe. ... > full story

Earliest watery black hole discovered (July 22, 2011) -- A team of astronomers has found the largest and farthest reservoir of water ever detected in the universe -- discovered in the central regions of a distant quasar. Quasars contain massive black holes that are steadily consuming a surrounding disk of gas and dust; as it eats, the quasar spews out huge amounts of energy. The energy from this particular quasar was released some 12 billion years ago, only 1.6 billion years after the Big Bang. ... > full story

Link between competing phases in cuprates leads to new theory; Discovery in parent of one high-temperature superconductor may lead to predictive control (July 21, 2011) -- A team of scientists studying the parent compound of a cuprate (copper-oxide) superconductor has discovered a link between two different states, or phases, of that matter -- and written a mathematical theory to describe the relationship. This work will help scientists predict the material's behavior under varying conditions, and may help explain how it's transformed into a superconductor able to carry current with no energy loss. ... > full story

Chance favors the concentration of wealth, study shows; New model isolates the effects of chance in an investment-based economy (July 21, 2011) -- Most of our society's wealth is invested in businesses or other ventures that may or may not pan out. Thus, chance plays a role in where the wealth of a society will end up. But does chance favor the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few, or does it tend to level the playing field? ... > full story

Exoplanet aurora: An out-of-this-world sight (July 21, 2011) -- Earth's aurorae, or Northern and Southern Lights, provide a dazzling light show to people living in the polar regions. Shimmering curtains of green and red undulate across the sky like a living thing. New research shows that aurorae on distant "hot Jupiters" could be 100-1000 times brighter than Earthly aurorae. They also would ripple from equator to poles (due to the planet's proximity to any stellar eruptions), treating the entire planet to an otherworldly spectacle. ... > full story

Nanotechnology for water filter (July 21, 2011) -- Nanotechnology has developed tremendously in the past decade and was able to create many new materials with a vast range of potential applications. Carbon nanotubes possess exceptional electronic, mechanical and chemical properties, for example they can be used to clean polluted water. ... > full story

Tevatron experiments close in on favored Higgs mass range (July 21, 2011) -- Experiments at the Department of Energy's Fermilab are close to reaching the critical sensitivity that is necessary to look for the existence of a light Higgs particle. Scientists from both the CDF and DZero collider experiments at Fermilab will present their new Higgs search results at the EPS High-Energy Physics conference, held in Grenoble, France, from July 21-27. ... > full story

Heavy relative of the neutron discovered (July 21, 2011) -- Scientists have observed a new particle, the neutral Xi-sub-b. This particle contains three quarks: a strange quark, an up quark and a bottom quark (s-u-b). While its existence was predicted by the Standard Model, the observation of the neutral Xi-sub-b is significant because it strengthens our understanding of how quarks form matter. ... > full story

NASA's space shuttle program ends with Atlantis landing (July 21, 2011) -- Wrapping up 30 years of unmatched achievements and blazing a trail for the next era of U.S. human spaceflight, NASA's storied Space Shuttle Program came to a "wheels stop" on Thursday (July 21, 2011) at the conclusion of its 135th mission. ... > full story