ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Monday, August 18, 2008
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Olympic Swimmers Shattering Records In NASA-Tested Suit (August 18, 2008) -- Swimmers from around the world are setting world and Olympic records in Beijing this month and most are doing it wearing a swimsuit made of fabric tested at NASA. Among the Olympic gold medalists wearing Speedo's LZR Racer are Americans Michael Phelps -- who has now won more Olympic gold medals than any athlete in the modern era -- and Natalie Coughlin. Both had a hand in developing the skintight body suit. ... > full story
Virtual Reality Gets Real (August 18, 2008) -- Up to now virtual reality has proved cumbersome as a design tool, but European researchers are finalizing a system that brings ‘virtuality’ to the wider world. ... > full story
Toward Plastic Spin Transistors: Ultrafast Computers And Electronics On The Horizon? (August 18, 2008) -- Physicists successfully controlled an electrical current using the "spin" within electrons -- a step toward building an organic "spin transistor": A plastic semiconductor switch for future ultrafast computers and electronics. The study also suggests it will be more difficult than thought to make highly efficient light-emitting diodes using organic materials. The findings hint such LEDs would convert no more than 25 percent of electricity into light rather than heat. ... > full story
Scientists Overcome Nanotechnology Hurdle (August 18, 2008) -- When you make a new material on a nano scale how can you see what you have made? This research shows a newly developed technique to examine tiny protein molecules on the surface of a gold nanoparticle. This is the first time scientists have been able to build a detailed picture of self-assembled proteins on a nanoparticle and it offers the promise of new ways to design and manufacture novel materials on the tiniest scale. ... > full story
'Virtual Archaeologist' Reconnects Fragments Of An Ancient Civilization (August 17, 2008) -- Computer scientists working with archaeologists in Greece has developed a new technology that has the potential to change the way people do archaeology. ... > full story
Images For 3-D Video Games Without High Price Tags Or Stretch Marks From UC San Diego (August 17, 2008) -- The images of rocks, clouds, marble and other textures that serve as background images and details for 3-D video games are often hand painted and thus costly to generate. A breakthrough from a computer science undergraduate now offers video game developers the possibility of high quality yet lightweight images for 3-D video games that are generated "on the fly," and are free of stretch marks, flickering and other artifacts. ... > full story
Virtual Applications Reach Out To Real World (August 16, 2008) -- Researchers have developed a series of very clever tools to break through the bottlenecks stalling the widespread adoption of virtual reality. But the compelling applications designed for the system are the real stars. ... > full story
Cassini Pinpoints Source Of Jets On Saturn's Moon Enceladus (August 15, 2008) -- In a feat of interplanetary sharpshooting, NASA's Cassini spacecraft has pinpointed precisely where the icy jets erupt from the surface of Saturn's geologically active moon Enceladus. New carefully targeted pictures reveal exquisite details in the prominent south polar "tiger stripe" fractures from which the jets emanate. ... > full story
Slipping Through Cell Walls, Nanotubes Deliver High-potency Punch To Cancer Tumors In Mice (August 15, 2008) -- A big challenge in treating cancer with chemotherapy is how to get the most medication into the cells of a tumor without "spillover" of the medication adversely affecting the healthy cells in a patient's body. Now researchers have addressed that problem using single-walled carbon nanotubes as delivery vehicles. This method gets a higher proportion of a given dose of medication into the tumor cells than is possible with the "free" drug. ... > full story
Chemists Take Gold, Mass-produce Beijing Olympic Logo (August 15, 2008) -- Nanoscientists have mass-produced the 2008 Summer Olympics logo -- 15,000 times. All the logos take up one square centimeter of space. The researchers printed the logos as well as an integrated gold circuit using a new printing technique, called Polymer Pen Lithography, that can write on three different length scales using only one device. It is fast, inexpensive and simple and could find use in computational tools, medical diagnostics and the pharmaceutical industry. ... > full story
New Nanomaterial Makes Plastic Stiffer, Lighter And Stronger (August 15, 2008) -- Scientists have developed a nanomaterial that makes plastic stiffer, lighter and stronger and could result in more fuel-efficient airplanes and cars as well as more durable medical and sports equipment. ... > full story
Partial Lunar Eclipse On 16th August (August 15, 2008) -- People across the world will have the chance to see a partial eclipse of the Moon on the 16th August. ... > full story
Phoenix Microscope Takes First Image Of Martian Dust Particle (August 15, 2008) -- NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has taken the first-ever image of a single particle of Mars' ubiquitous dust, using its atomic force microscope. The particle -- shown at higher magnification than anything ever seen from another world -- is a rounded particle about one micrometer, or one millionth of a meter, across. It is a speck of the dust that cloaks Mars. Such dust particles color the Martian sky pink, feed storms that regularly envelop the planet and produce Mars' distinctive red soil. ... > full story
Structural Biology Spin-out Tackles Major Diseases (August 15, 2008) -- A spin off company from basic structural biology has led to new technology that provides a way of creating therapeutic proteins to tackle major diseases such as cancer, diabetes and infertility. ... > full story
Towards Zero Training For Brain-computer Interfacing (August 15, 2008) -- While invasive electrode recordings in humans show long-term promise, noninvasive techniques can also provide effective brain-computer interfacing and localization of motor activity in the brain for paralyzed patients with significantly reduced risks and costs as well as novel applications for healthy users. However, two issues hamper the ease of use of BCI systems based on noninvasive recording techniques, such as electroencephalography. ... > full story
To The Moon And Mars: Psychologists Show New Ways To Deal With Health Challenges In Space (August 14, 2008) -- As NASA prepares to send humans back to the moon and then on to Mars, psychologists are exploring the challenges astronauts will face on missions that will be much longer and more demanding than previous space flights. Psychologists outlined these mental health challenges at the American Psychological Association's 116th Annual Convention, and introduced a new interactive computer program that will help address psychosocial challenges in space. ... > full story
Solar Collector Could Change Asphalt Roads Into Renewable Energy Source (August 14, 2008) -- Scientists have found a way to use asphalt's heat-soaking property for an alternative energy source by developing a solar collector that could turn roads and parking lots into ubiquitous -- and inexpensive sources of electricity and hot water. ... > full story
Bouncy Cell Phones And Car Bumpers May Be Workable With Springy Nanotubes (August 14, 2008) -- Electronic devices get smaller and more complex every year. It turns out that fragility is the price for miniaturization, especially when it comes to small devices, such as cell phones, hitting the floor. Wouldn't it be great if they bounced instead of cracked when dropped? ... > full story
Robot With A Biological Brain: New Research Provides Insights Into How The Brain Works (August 14, 2008) -- Researchers in the UK have developed a robot which is controlled by a biological brain formed from cultured neurons -- the first step to examine how memories manifest themselves in the brain, and how a brain stores specific pieces of data. The key aim is that eventually this will lead to a better understanding of development and of diseases and disorders which affect the brain such as Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, stoke and brain injury. ... > full story
Turning Waste Material Into Ethanol (August 14, 2008) -- Researchers have developed a method for converting crop residue, wood pulp, animal waste and garbage into ethanol. The process first turns the waste material into synthesis gas, or syngas, and nanoscale catalysts then convert the syngas into ethanol. ... > full story
New Theory For Latest High-temperature Superconductors (August 14, 2008) -- Physicists have published a new theory that explains some of the complex electronic and magnetic properties of iron "pnictides." In a series of startling discoveries this spring, pnictides were shown to superconduct at high temperatures. The new theory, which appears in Physical Review Letters, explains some of the similarities and differences between pnictides and cuprates, high-temperature superconductors that have been studied for more than 20 years. ... > full story
Genomics Of Plant-based Biofuels (August 14, 2008) -- Genomics is accelerating improvements for converting plant biomass into biofuel -- as an alternative to fossil fuel for the nation's transportation needs. Now researchers lay out a path forward for how emerging genomic technologies will contribute to a substantially different biofuels future as compared to the present corn-based ethanol industry -- and in part mitigate the food-versus-fuel debate. ... > full story
Computer Simulates Thermal Stress (August 13, 2008) -- A new simulation method has made it possible to predict in record time when and where heavily stressed engine components are likely to fail. Car manufacturers can thereby significantly reduce the time for developing new engine components. ... > full story
Nano Vaccine For Hepatitis B Shows Promise For Third World (August 13, 2008) -- A new needle-less vaccine is highly effective and can be stored without refrigeration, studies in animals show. The vaccine should also be safer to administer than existing hepatitis B vaccines and effective with only two immunizations. The technique, a nanoemulsion given in the nose, is a step closer to human trials, possibly within a year. Hepatitis B kills an estimated 1 million people annually. ... > full story
Coated Film As A Bacteria Killer (August 13, 2008) -- A nanoproduct made from silver and calcium phosphate is lethal to bacteria. Its special feature is that the bacteria themselves invoke and dispense this disinfectant effect. ... > full story
Technique Developed To Capture Human Movement In 3D (August 13, 2008) -- Using two video cameras to capture human movement makes it possible to recognize body movements and display them in three dimension on a computer, according to the journal Multimedia Tools & Applications. The method can be applied to the development of interactive video games in which gestures are made with the hands and feet. ... > full story
'Anti-noise' Silences Wind Turbines (August 13, 2008) -- If wind turbines clatter and whistle too loudly, they are only permitted to operate under partial load to protect the local residents -- but this also means a lower electricity output. An active damping system cancels out the noise by producing counter-vibrations. ... > full story
Strange Molecule In The Sky Cleans Acid Rain, Scientists Discover (August 13, 2008) -- Researchers have discovered an unusual molecule that is essential to the atmosphere's ability to break down pollutants, especially the compounds that cause acid rain. It's the unusual chemistry facilitated by this molecule, however, that will attract the most attention from scientists. A technical paper describing the molecule is published this week in a special edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. ... > full story
Global Warming Will Do Little To Change Hurricane Activity, According To New Model (August 13, 2008) -- Scientists have described a new method for evaluating the frequency of hurricane formation in present and future tropical climates. Compared to other global models currently in use, the new approach uses computer models that provide much more accurate representations of the processes that lead to hurricane formation. ... > full story
Electronic Tongue Tastes Wine Variety, Vintage (August 12, 2008) -- You don't need a wine expert to identify a '74 Pinot Noir from Burgundy -- a handheld "electronic tongue" devised by European scientists will tell you the grape variety and vintage at the press of a button. ... > full story
Keeping The Crunch In The Crust (August 12, 2008) -- Scientists in the Netherlands report an advance toward unraveling one of the culinary world's long-standing puzzles: How to maintain the crispy quality of bread crust. The findings could help prolong the coveted crunchiness of bagels, French bread, and other bakery products, the researchers say. ... > full story
World's Thinnest Balloon Developed: Just One Atom Thick (August 12, 2008) -- Researchers are reporting development of the world's thinnest balloon, made of a single layer of graphite just one atom thick. This so-called graphene sealed microchamber is impermeable to even the tiniest airborne molecules, including helium. It has a range of applications in sensors, filters, and imaging of materials at the atomic level. ... > full story
Cassini Begins Transmitting Data From Enceladus Flyby (August 12, 2008) -- The Cassini spacecraft has begun sending data to Earth following a close flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus. During closest approach, Cassini successfully passed only 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the surface of the tiny moon. ... > full story
Flexible Nanoantenna Arrays Capture Abundant Solar Energy (August 12, 2008) -- Researchers have devised an inexpensive way to produce plastic sheets containing billions of nanoantennas that collect heat energy generated by the sun and other sources. The new technology is the first step toward a solar energy collector that could be mass-produced on flexible materials, say the researchers. ... > full story
Test To Protect Food Chain From Human Form Of Mad Cow Disease (August 12, 2008) -- Scientists are reporting development of the first test for instantly detecting beef that has been contaminated with tissue from a cow's brain or spinal cord during slaughter -- an advance in protecting against possible spread of the human form of Mad Cow Disease. ... > full story
Students Build And Launch A Sensor Into Space (August 12, 2008) -- Students built and successfully launched a cosmic radiation detector this summer that, carried by a helium-filled balloon, reached 104,000 feet in altitude. The detector recorded radiation levels at the varying altitudes -- information that will be used by NASA to develop instrumentation for space flight. ... > full story
Clean Three-way Split Of Molecule Observed (August 12, 2008) -- A study in Science shows for the first time that a molecule can break into three identical parts in one step. Aside from being a theoretical and experimental tour-de-force, study has implications for certain reactions in organic chemistry, in atmospheric science (i.e. ozone formation) and in combustion. ... > full story
Maximum Of Perseid Meteor Shower (August 12, 2008) -- August 12th will mark the annual maximum of the Perseid meteor shower. At its peak and in a clear, dark sky up to 80 'shooting stars' or meteors may be visible each hour. ... > full story
Scientists Found Fatty Acids After Hydrolysis Of Purified Crude Oil Fractions (August 12, 2008) -- The nature, activity and metabolism of microbes that inhabit the deep subsurface environment are a matter of ongoing debate. Primarily limited by temperature , little is known about secondary factors that restrict or enhance microbial activity or about the extent of a habitable environment deep below the surface. In particular, the degraders of chemically inert organic substrates remain elusive. ... > full story
Large Area Transistors Get Helping Hand From Quantum Effects (August 11, 2008) -- Researchers report that nano-designed transistors for the large area display and sensor application field benefit hugely from quantum size effects. The unexpected superior switching performance (low leakage current, and steep sub-threshold slope) shown experimentally and analysed theoretically, demonstrate hitherto unexplored routes for improvements for transistors based on disordered silicon films. By making the conduction channel in these disordered transistors very thin, the team has shown this technology will enable the design of low power memory for large area electronics based on a low-cost industry standard material processing route. ... > full story
Colorful Star Birth Region Near Tarantula Nebula Unveiled On Hubble's 100,000th Orbit Milestone (August 11, 2008) -- During Hubble's 100,000th orbit around the Earth, it peered into a small portion of the nebula near the star cluster NGC 2074. The region is a firestorm of raw stellar creation, perhaps triggered by a nearby supernova explosion. It lies about 170,000 light-years away near the Tarantula nebula, one of the most active star-forming regions in our Local Group of galaxies. ... > full story
Nanowires From DNA: Project Opens Up New Possibilities For Modified Chain Molecules (August 11, 2008) -- For millions of years nature has been optimizing DNA -- in all living creatures this biomolecule is responsible for storing genetic information. New research is putting the long chain molecule into a new context. Detached from its biological origin, artificial DNA double helices were modified in such a way that the evolutionarily optimized biomolecule can also be used as a key structural element for the arrangement of metal ions. There are numerous potential applications of this basic research. With this method, for example, molecular wires or the smallest magnets could be developed to be used in nanotechnology. Moreover, the scientists think about using it as catalysts, in medicine or as sensors. ... > full story
Technological Crystal Ball Boosts AIDS Survival (August 11, 2008) -- A cure for the virus that causes AIDS may still be beyond our grasp, but researchers have developed a predictive software system for HIV that could help extend the lives of victims of the killer disease. ... > full story
Invisibility Cloak One Step Closer: New Metamaterials Bend Light Backwards (August 11, 2008) -- Scientists have for the first time engineered 3-D bulk materials that can reverse the natural direction of visible and near-infrared light, a development that could help form the basis for higher resolution optical imaging, nanocircuits for high-powered computers, and, to the delight of science-fiction and fantasy buffs, cloaking devices that could render objects invisible to the human eye. ... > full story
Promising Lithium Batteries For Electric Cars (August 11, 2008) -- Why does lithium iron phosphate, a candidate for use in future lithium batteries, conduct electricity despite being an insulating material? Chemists have shed light on this paradox. Their experimentally verified "domino-cascade model" shows that local stresses within the material allow electrical and ionic conduction to spread from one area to the next, making the battery function. These results open new horizons in the search for improved battery electrode materials and help explain how tomorrow's electric car batteries work. ... > full story
Skipping Atomic-scale Stones To Study Some Chemistry Basics (August 11, 2008) -- Thought experiment: a carbon dioxide molecule—think of a cheerleader’s baton—comes slanting in at high speed over a dense liquid, strikes the surface and ricochets. How does it tumble? Fast or slow? Forward, backward or sideways? New experiments are giving a uniquely detailed look at what happens when gas molecule meets fluid. ... > full story
Compressor-free Refrigerator May Loom In The Future (August 10, 2008) -- Refrigerators and other cooling devices may one day lose their compressors and coils of piping and become solid state, according researchers who are investigating electrically induced heat effects of some ferroelectric polymers. ... > full story
Large Hadron Collider To Start Up September 10 (August 10, 2008) -- The first attempt to circulate a beam in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will be made on 10 September. This news comes as the cool down phase of commissioning CERN's new particle accelerator reaches a successful conclusion. The LHC is the world's most powerful particle accelerator, producing beams seven times more energetic than any previous machine, and around 30 times more intense when it reaches design performance, probably by 2010st attempt to circulate a beam in the Large Hadron Collider will be made on Sept. 10. ... > full story
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