ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Friday, June 17, 2011
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Mercury: Messenger orbital data confirm theories, reveal surprises (June 17, 2011) -- In March, the Messenger spacecraft entered orbit around Mercury to become that planet's first orbiter. The tiny craft is providing a wealth of new information and some surprises. For instance, Mercury's surface composition differs from that expected for the innermost of the terrestrial planets, and Mercury's magnetic field has a north-south asymmetry that affects the interaction of the surface with charged particles from the solar wind. ... > full story
Landsat 5 satellite helps emergency managers fight largest fire in Arizona history (June 17, 2011) -- The largest fire in the history of the state of Arizona continues to burn and emergency managers and responders are using satellite data from a variety of instruments to plan their firefighting containment strategies and mitigation efforts once the fires are out. ... > full story
Roadmap published for dynamic mapping of estrogen signaling in breast cancer (June 17, 2011) -- The first roadmap to mathematical modeling of a powerful basic "decision circuit" in breast cancer has been developed. The preliminary mathematical model is the first result of work to develop a systems approach to understanding and treating one of the most common forms of breast cancer. ... > full story
Comet Hartley 2 in hyperactive class of its own: CO<sub>2</sub> jets confirmed, new insight into composition, 'excited' rotation (June 16, 2011) -- Comet Hartley 2 is in a hyperactive class of its own compared to other comets visited by spacecraft, says a new study. New, in-depth analysis of the images and data taken during the flyby of the comet last fall by NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft confirms that carbon dioxide is the volatile fuel for Hartley 2's ice-spewing jets and provides new twists in the unfolding story of this small, but dynamic comet. ... > full story
Metallic glass: A crystal at heart (June 16, 2011) -- Glass, by definition, is amorphous. But when scientists squeezed tiny samples of a metallic glass under high pressure, they got a surprise: The atoms lined up in a regular pattern to form a single crystal. The discovery offers a new window into the structure and behavior of metallic glasses, which have been used for decades in products such as anti-theft tags and power transformers but are still poorly understood. ... > full story
Neutrons, simulations reveal details of molecule that complicates next-generation biofuels (June 16, 2011) -- A first-of-its-kind combination of experiment and simulation at the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is providing a close-up look at the molecule that complicates next-generation biofuels. Lignin, a major component of plant cell walls, aggregates to form clumps, which cause problems during the production of cellulosic ethanol. The exact shape and structure of the aggregates, however, have remained largely unknown. Researchers have revealed the surface structure of lignin aggregates down to 1 angstrom -- the equivalent of a 10 billionth of a meter or smaller than the width of a carbon atom. ... > full story
Gamma-ray flash came from star being eaten by massive black hole (June 16, 2011) -- A bright flash of gamma rays observed March 28 by the Swift satellite signaled the death of a star falling into a massive black hole, say a team of astronomers. According to their model, a star the mass of our sun got too close and was ripped apart; one-tenth of the mass was emitted as X-rays and gamma rays, much of it in a collimated jet aimed at Earth. ... > full story
First self-powered device with wireless data transmission (June 16, 2011) -- Scientists are reporting development of the first self-powered nano-device that can transmit data wirelessly over long distances. Researchers say it proves the feasibility of a futuristic genre of tiny implantable medical sensors, airborne and stationary surveillance cameras and sensors, wearable personal electronics, and other devices that operate independently without batteries on energy collected from the environment. ... > full story
Using living cells as an 'invisibility cloak' to hide drugs (June 16, 2011) -- The quest for better ways of encapsulating medicine so that it can reach diseased parts of the body has led scientists to harness -- for the first time -- living human cells to produce natural capsules with channels for releasing drugs and diagnostic agents. ... > full story
Scientists prove existence of 'magnetic ropes' that cause solar storms (June 16, 2011) -- Scientists discovered recently that a phenomenon called a giant magnetic rope is the cause of solar storms. Confirming the existence of this formation is a key first step in helping to mitigate the adverse effects that solar storm eruptions can have on satellite communications on Earth. ... > full story
'Glowing hands' in the waiting room improves kids' handwashing (June 16, 2011) -- Hand-hygiene in children was improved with the use of a glowing gel that, when black lit, illustrates bacteria on hands, even after washing. ... > full story
Indication of a new type of neutrino oscillation at the T2K experiment (June 16, 2011) -- Scientists have been working for several years on an experiment in Japan called T2K, or Tokai to Kamioka Long Baseline Neutrino Oscillation Experiment, which studies the most elusive of fundamental subatomic particles -- the neutrino. The team announced they have an indication of a new type of neutrino transformation or oscillation from a muon neutrino to an electron neutrino. ... > full story
EPOXI finds Hartley 2 is a hyperactive comet (June 16, 2011) -- Hartley 2's hyperactive state, as studied by NASA's EPOXI mission, is detailed in a new paper by an international team of scientists. ... > full story
Searching for the 'perfect glass' (June 16, 2011) -- Glasses differ from crystals. Crystals are organized in repeating patterns that extend in every direction. Glasses lack this strict organization, but do sometimes demonstrate order among neighboring atoms. New research reveals the possibility of creating a metallic glass that is organized on a larger scale. ... > full story
Black hole kills star and blasts 3.8 billion light year beam at Earth (June 16, 2011) -- The flash from one of the biggest and brightest bangs yet recorded by astronomers comes from a massive black hole at the center of a distant galaxy, new research shows. The black hole appears to have ripped apart a star that wandered too close, creating a powerful beam of energy that crossed the 3.8 billion light years to Earth. ... > full story
Neutrinos can change 'flavors', scientists discover (June 16, 2011) -- An international research team may have taken a significant step in discovering why matter trumped antimatter at the time of Big Bang, helping to create virtually all of the galaxies and stars in the universe. ... > full story
Don't stop anonymizing data: Report dispels myths of de-identification (June 16, 2011) -- Canadian privacy experts have issued a new report that strongly backs the practice of de-identification as a key element in the protection of personal information. The report validates that that anonymizing data is a reliable, safe and practical way to protect personal information. ... > full story
New supercomputer will chase novel genes (June 16, 2011) -- A new supercomputer having Northern Europe's largest 'shared memory' can quickly and efficiently process the enormous quantities of genetic information, which is key to advances in green biotechnology, using DNA from tens of thousands of microorganisms to create new cell factories. ... > full story
Recalculating the distance to interstellar space (June 15, 2011) -- Scientists analyzing recent data from NASA's Voyager and Cassini spacecraft have calculated that Voyager 1 could cross over into the frontier of interstellar space at any time and much earlier than previously thought. ... > full story
When size matters: Nanotechnology for energy efficiency (June 15, 2011) -- Researchers are using nanotechnology to create new energy efficient materials. With the increasing worldwide demand for energy, there is a pressure to use the finite energy resources wisely while reducing one of the major areas of energy consumption -- transportation, which accounts for more than 20% of the world’s total primary energy and produces much of the world’s pollution. ... > full story
Researchers break light-matter coupling strength limit in nanoscale semiconductors (June 15, 2011) -- New engineering research demonstrates that polaritons have increased coupling strength when confined to nanoscale semiconductors. This represents a promising advance in the field of photonics: smaller and faster circuits that use light rather than electricity. ... > full story
NASA's Chandra finds massive black holes common in early universe (June 15, 2011) -- Using the deepest X-ray image ever taken, astronomers found the first direct evidence that massive black holes were common in the early universe. This discovery from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory shows that very young black holes grew more aggressively than previously thought, in tandem with the growth of their host galaxies. ... > full story
European experts propose method to harmonize nuclear emergency plans (June 15, 2011) -- A team of European radiological protection specialists has developed a method to calculate benchmark values to help establish whether the local population should be required to take shelter or be evacuated or relocated following a nuclear accident. The study shows that these levels are more restrictive in wet environments than in dry ones. ... > full story
Internet could be 10 times faster than it currently is, researchers say (June 15, 2011) -- Could the Internet just stop working one day? With bandwidth requirement increasing annually as the web becomes an ever larger part of the everyday life, keeping up is a challenge for Internet service providers. A European telecommunications cluster CELTIC-Plus project is pushing capacity upwards. ... > full story
What gamers want: Researchers develop tool to predict player behavior (June 15, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a new method that can accurately predict the behavior of players in online role-playing games. The tool could be used by the game industry to develop new game content, or to help steer players to the parts of a game they will enjoy most. ... > full story
Neutrinos change flavors while crossing Japan: Findings shed light on why universe is made of matter instead of anti-matter (June 15, 2011) -- By shooting a beam of neutrinos through a small slice of the Earth under Japan, physicists say they've caught the particles changing their stripes in new ways. These observations may one day help explain why the universe is made of matter rather than anti-matter. ... > full story
Using recycled cardboard in food packaging risks contaminating food with mineral oils, study finds (June 15, 2011) -- Harmful mineral oils from the printing inks used on cardboard can migrate into food if recycled cardboard is used for food packaging. It may contaminate food even if the recycled cardboard is used for the corrugated card transport box that holds individual packs. In tests on experimental packs of fine noodles, researchers in Zurich, Switzerland, found that food rapidly absorbed 10 times the recommended limit for concentration of these contaminating oils from the transport box. ... > full story
Protecting medical implants from attack (June 15, 2011) -- A new system would jam wireless signals sent to medical implants by unauthorized users. ... > full story
Baby stars born to 'napping' parents (June 15, 2011) -- Astronomers believe that a young star's long "napping" could trigger the formation of a second generation of smaller stars and planets orbiting around it. It has long been suspected that the build up of material onto young stars is not continuous but happens in episodic events, resulting in short outbursts of energy from these stars. However, this has been largely ignored in models of star formation. ... > full story
3-D tracking of single molecules inside cells using new multifocal plane microscopy method (June 15, 2011) -- Researchers are using a novel 3-D cell imaging method for studying the complex spatial-temporal dynamics of protein transport, providing a solution to this fundamental problem in cell biology. ... > full story
Rainwater harvest study finds roofing material affects water quality (June 15, 2011) -- Using rainwater from your roof to water plants seems simple enough, right? But a new study finds that the type of roofing material used can make a big difference in water quality. ... > full story
X-ray telescope finds new voracious black holes in early universe (June 15, 2011) -- Using the deepest X-ray image ever taken, astronomers have found the first direct evidence that massive black holes were common in the early universe. This discovery from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory shows that very young black holes grew more aggressively than previously thought, in tandem with the growth of their host galaxies. ... > full story
Researchers discover new type of neutrino oscillation (June 15, 2011) -- The international T2K collaboration has observed an indication of a new type of neutrino transformation or oscillation from a muon neutrino to an electron neutrino. Evidence of this new type of neutrino oscillation may lead the way to new studies of a matter/anti-matter asymmetry called charge-parity violation. ... > full story
X-ray analysis technique helps scientists determine that black holes grew voraciously in young galaxies (June 15, 2011) -- A scientific team has unveiled evidence of black holes being common in the early universe. The discovery shows that these young black holes grew more aggressively than scientists previously thought. The finding has important implications for how astronomers understand the early cosmos. ... > full story
Astronomers discover earliest black holes at dawn of universe (June 15, 2011) -- A team of astronomers has discovered the earliest black holes ever detected, despite the fact that they are hidden from view by their host galaxies. They also measured the average growth rate of the black holes and discovered that they grow and evolve in tandem with their galaxies -- something that astronomers had observed locally but which they knew little about when it came to the early, distant universe. ... > full story
A grid approach to pandemic disease control (June 15, 2011) -- An evaluation of the Public Health Grid (PHGrid) technology during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic could enhance the capabilities of epidemiologists and disease-control agencies when the next emergent disease appears, according to a new study. ... > full story
UK first use of 3-D imaging derived from post-mortem computed tomography imaging in UK trial (June 15, 2011) -- Scientists have used 3D images derived from post-mortem computed tomography (PMCT) scans as an aid to demonstrate injuries to a jury for the first time in evidence at a UK trial. ... > full story
Two-state dynamics recorded in glassy silicon (June 14, 2011) -- Using high-resolution imaging technology, researchers have answered a question that had confounded semiconductor researchers: Is amorphous silicon a glass? The answer? Yes -- until hydrogen is added. For the first time, researchers directly observed two-state dynamics in a-Si, which disappears after hydrogenation. ... > full story
'Hidden' galaxies of the universe have lower amounts of heavier elements (June 14, 2011) -- A unique example of some of the lowest surface brightness galaxies in the universe have been found by an international team of astronomers. The galaxy has lower amounts of heavier elements than other known galaxies of this type. The discovery means that small low surface brightness galaxies may have more in common with the first galaxies formed shortly after the Big Bang than previously thought. ... > full story
'Catch and release' program could improve nanoparticle safety assessment (June 14, 2011) -- Scientists have found a way to trap and release nanoparticles at will, a research technique useful for studying how the particles behave in biological systems. ... > full story
New insights on how solar minimums affect Earth (June 14, 2011) -- Since 1611, humans have recorded the comings and goings of black spots on the sun. The number of these sunspots waxes and wanes over approximately an 11-year cycle -- more sunspots generally mean more activity and eruptions on the sun and vice versa. Observations have shown, however, that magnetic effects on Earth due to the sun, effects that cause the aurora to appear, did not go down in synch with the cycle of low magnetism on the sun. Now, researchers report that these effects on Earth did in fact reach a minimum -- indeed they attained their lowest levels of the century -- but some eight months later. The scientists believe that factors in the speed of the solar wind, and the strength and direction of the magnetic fields embedded within it, helped produce this anomalous low. ... > full story
Nanotubes could pose health risk to production line staff, study suggests (June 14, 2011) -- Tiny fibers used to strengthen everyday products such as bicycle frames and hockey sticks could pose health hazards to those involved in their manufacture. Certain types of carbon nanotubes -- cylindrical molecules about one-thousandth of the width of a human hair -- could cause cancer in the lining of the lung, researchers have found. ... > full story
First telecommunications wavelength quantum dot laser grown on a silicon substrate (June 14, 2011) -- A new generation of high-speed, silicon-based information technology has been brought a step closer by researchers in the UK. The team's research provides the first demonstration of an electrically driven, quantum dot laser grown directly on a silicon substrate (Si) with a wavelength (1300-nm) suitable for use in telecommunications. ... > full story
New software 'hearing dummies' pave the way for tailor-made hearing aids (June 14, 2011) -- New software "hearing dummies" are part of cutting-edge research that promises to revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of hearing impairments. The work could also be used in the long-term to develop a radical new type of hearing aid that can be customized using the hearing dummy to meet the different needs of individual patients. If the procedures gain clinical acceptance, a device could reach the market within four years. ... > full story
NASA spacecraft captures video of asteroid approach (June 14, 2011) -- Scientists working with NASA's Dawn spacecraft have created a new video showing the giant asteroid Vesta as the spacecraft approaches this unexplored world in the main asteroid belt. ... > full story
Ten-fold increase in open access scientific publishing during the last decade (June 14, 2011) -- A new study reports on the rapid growth of open access scientific publishing since the start of the World Wide Web. ... > full story
Forecast: Tough times ahead for daily deal sites (June 14, 2011) -- Over the next few years, it is likely that daily deal sites will have to settle for lower shares of revenues from businesses compared with their current levels, and it will be harder and more expensive for them to find viable candidates to fill their pipelines of daily deals, according to new research. ... > full story
Palm oil insulation could transform transformers (June 14, 2011) -- Researchers have identified an environmentally alternative to a major industrial use of oil. They have discovered a way to treat palm kernel oil so that it can be used to insulate electrical transformers. ... > full story
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