ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Tuesday, June 14, 2011

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Tuesday, June 14, 2011

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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

Under pressure, sodium, hydrogen could undergo a metamorphosis, emerging as superconductor (June 13, 2011) -- In the search for superconductors, finding ways to compress hydrogen into a metal has been a point of focus ever since scientists predicted many years ago that electricity would flow, uninhibited, through such a material. ... > full story

Entry, descent and surface science for 2016 Mars mission (June 13, 2011) -- The European Space Agency and NASA have announced the scientific investigations selected for their 2016 ExoMars lander demonstrator. They will probe the atmosphere during the descent, and return the first ever data on electrical fields at the surface of Mars. ... > full story

Faster computer graphics: Digitally mimicking photographic blur caused by moving objects (June 13, 2011) -- Researchers have developed new techniques for computing blur much more efficiently. The result could be more convincing video games and frames of digital video that take minutes rather than hours to render. ... > full story

Beam of X-ray laser light with shortest wavelength successfully produced (June 13, 2011) -- Researchers in Japan have successfully produced a beam of X-ray laser light with a wavelength of 1.2 Angstroms, the shortest ever measured. This record-breaking light opens a window into the structure of atoms and molecules at a level of detail never seen before. ... > full story

Single GFP-expressing cell is basis of living laser device (June 13, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a device in which a single cell genetically engineered to express green fluorescent protein is used to amplify the light particles called photons into nanosecond-long pulses of laser light. ... > full story

In very narrow spaces, liquids behave more like gels (June 13, 2011) -- Three molecules thick, or two, or one: how does an extremely thin layer of trapped liquid behave when we make it even thinner? Measurements made using the atomic force microscope show that the forces of friction increase with each step. Liquids begin to behave more like a gel, according to new research. ... > full story

New computer algorithm improves method for finding genetic mistakes that fuel cancer (June 13, 2011) -- A dramatically better computer tool for finding the genetic missteps that fuel cancer has been developed . Researchers are using the new algorithm to help identify the chromosomal rearrangements and DNA insertions or deletions unique to cancer. ... > full story

New 3-D tumor model: Step toward speeding cancer drug research (June 13, 2011) -- A team of scientists has developed a way to coax tumor cells in the lab to grow into 3-D spheres. Their discovery takes advantage of an earlier technique of producing spherical cavities in a common polymer and promises more accurate tests of new cancer therapies. ... > full story

Digital democracy? Study finds elite viewpoints dominate online content (June 13, 2011) -- Anyone with Internet access can generate online content and influence public opinion, according to popular belief. But a new study suggests that the social Web is becoming more of a playground for the affluent than a digital democracy. ... > full story

A molecule that switches on and off (June 13, 2011) -- Researchers in France have developed a single molecule whose charge state and shape can be changed at will. The advance should prove a key advantage in the race for miniaturization. In addition to controlling its charge in a completely reversible way, the researchers have revealed a link between the molecule's charge and its geometrical shape, effectively making it usable as a bit of information or an electromechanical system on a nanometric scale. This perfectly controllable back-and-forth motion at the molecular level holds great promise for the creation of ultra-dense digital memory or nanomotors. ... > full story

What happens in the brain as it loses consciousness: 3-D movie constructed (June 13, 2011) -- For the first time, researchers have been able to watch what happens to the brain as it loses consciousness. Using sophisticated imaging equipment, they have constructed a 3-D movie of the brain as it changes while an anesthetic drug takes effect. ... > full story

Tuning 'metasurface' with fluid in new concept for sensing and chemistry (June 13, 2011) -- Researchers have demonstrated a unique fluid-tuned "metasurface," a concept that may be useful in biomedical sensors and microwave-assisted chemistry. ... > full story

New supernova remnant lights up: SN1987A shines again (June 13, 2011) -- Light from an exploding star in a neighboring galaxy has suddenly begun to glow brighter as the shock wave and X-rays hit surrounding debris. What we are witnessing the the change from an active supernova to a supernova remnant. ... > full story

Raising the International Space Station: ATV Johannes Kepler conducts the 'Big Boost' (June 13, 2011) -- It's the International Space Station's biggest increase in altitude to date, and, thanks to European Space Agency's ATV Johannes Kepler, it will significantly improve the 417-tonne Station's orbital mileage through the next decade of scientific research. During three intensive reboost manoeuvres, ATV Johannes Kepler is raising the ISS altitude from around 345 km to 380 km, where it will use far less fuel to maintain its orbit and cutting the amount of fuel that must be sent up in the coming years by almost half. ... > full story

Walking microdroplets collect viruses and bacteria (June 13, 2011) -- A barely visible, electric field-controlled droplet moves on an appropriately prepared surface, harvesting viruses, bacteria and protein molecules deposited on it. This is how a novel method of collecting bioparticles looks like in real life. The method has been for the first time successfully tested by a team of researchers Poland and France. The results of the tests have implications for the development of microsystems for chemical analyses, especially those dedicated to monitoring bioparticles present in the air. ... > full story

'Networking' turns up flu viruses with close ties to pandemic of 2009 (June 13, 2011) -- Scientists using new mathematical and computational techniques have identified six influenza A viruses that have particularly close genetic relationships to the H1N1 "swine" flu virus that swept through the United States beginning in the spring of 2009. That virus eventually killed almost 18,000 people worldwide. Biological studies focused on these strains of influenza virus could shed light on how the 2009 pandemic strain of influenza emerged, aiding in efforts to forestall another pandemic, the researchers say. ... > full story

Glowing 'Cornell Dots': Potential cancer diagnostic tool set for human trials (June 13, 2011) -- The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first clinical trial in humans of a new technology: Cornell Dots, brightly glowing nanoparticles that can light up cancer cells in PET-optical imaging. ... > full story

Chemistry with sunlight: Combining electrochemistry and photovoltaics to clean up oxidation reactions (June 12, 2011) -- Researchers can make the oxidation reactions used in the synthesis of organic molecules cleaner by hitching photovoltaics to electrochemistry. The idea is simple and yet it has huge implications. To underscore the simplicity of the idea, researchers used a solar cell sold on the Internet and intended to power toy cars to run a variety of chemical reactions. If their suggestion were widely adopted by the chemical industry, it would eliminate the toxic byproducts currently produced by a class of reactions commonly used in chemical synthesis -- and with them the environmental and economic damage they cause. ... > full story

Using waste heat from automobile exhaust (June 12, 2011) -- With the completion of a successful prototype, engineers have made a major step toward addressing one of the leading problems in energy use around the world today -- the waste of half or more of the energy produced by cars, factories and power plants. New technology is being developed to capture and use the low-to-medium grade waste heat that's now going out the exhaust pipe of millions of automobiles, diesel generators, or being wasted by factories and electrical utilities. ... > full story

Chasing EHEC via computer: Scientists in Germany provide free access to enteric pathogen's genetic regulation data (June 12, 2011) -- Just a few genes make enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) extremely dangerous to humans. If it were not for these genes, EHEC would hardly differ from harmless enteric bacteria. Bioinformatics scientists from Germany want to exploit this similarity to find starting points for effective drugs against the EHEC pathogen. In a very short time, the scientists have constructed EhecRegNet, a database and analysis platform that incorporates all known interactions between enteric E. coli genes. Using integrated simulations, genetic switches for the dangerous EHEC genes can be identified much faster and used medically. The virtual laboratory will thus help biomedical scientists and pharmacists all over the world to develop new drugs. ... > full story

An egalitarian Internet? Not so, study finds (June 12, 2011) -- The Internet is often thought of as a forum that enables egalitarian communication among people from diverse backgrounds and political persuasions, but a new study reveals that online discussion groups display the same hierarchical structure as other large social groups. ... > full story

Physicists apply Einstein's general theory of relativity to superconducting circuits (June 11, 2011) -- Using Einstein's general theory of relativity, scientists have demonstrated that the Josephson junction could be reproduced. The Josephson junction, a device that was first discovered by Brian David Josephson in the early 1960's, is a main ingredient in applications of superconductivity. ... > full story

Photosynthesis mechanics: Tapping into plants is the key to combat climate change, says scientist (June 11, 2011) -- The mechanics behind photosynthesis in plants could be used in the fight against climate change, according to one scientist. ... > full story

Nearby galaxy boasts two monster black holes, both active (June 11, 2011) -- A study using NASA's Swift satellite and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory has found a second supersized black hole at the heart of an unusual nearby galaxy already known to be sporting one. The galaxy, which is known as Markarian 739 or NGC 3758, lies 425 million light-years away toward the constellation Leo. Only about 11,000 light-years separate the two cores, each of which contains a black hole gorging on infalling gas. ... > full story

Ultrathin copper-oxide layers behave like quantum spin liquid (June 11, 2011) -- Magnetic studies of ultrathin slabs of copper-oxide materials reveal that at very low temperatures, the thinnest, isolated layers lose their long-range magnetic order and instead behave like a "quantum spin liquid" -- a state of matter where the orientations of electron spins fluctuate wildly. This unexpected discovery may offer support for the idea that this novel condensed state of matter is a precursor to the emergence of high-temperature superconductivity -- the ability to carry current with no resistance. ... > full story

Communicating in a crisis: Researchers devise new technique to help rescuers communicate after terrorist attacks (June 11, 2011) -- In the aftermath of the London bombings mobile phones and radios stopped working making the already tricky rescue operation even more difficult. Now experts have developed a solution to ensure breakdowns in communication are a thing of the past for emergency workers responding to disasters. ... > full story

Nanotechnology circuits for wireless devices: First wafer-scale graphene integrated circuit smaller than a pinhead (June 11, 2011) -- Scientists have achieved a milestone in creating a building block for the future of wireless devices. Researchers have announced the first integrated circuit fabricated from wafer-size graphene, and demonstrated a broadband frequency mixer operating at frequencies up to 10 gigahertz (10 billion cycles/second). ... > full story

Physicists hit on mathematical description of superfluid dynamics (June 10, 2011) -- A century after the discovery of superfluids, scientists using a powerful supercomputer have devised a theoretical framework that explains the real-time behavior of superfluids. ... > full story

NASA's Dawn spacecraft approaches protoplanet Vesta (June 10, 2011) -- NASA's Dawn mission to the doughnut-shaped asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter is approaching Vesta, some 220 million miles from Earth. Many surprises are likely awaiting the spacecraft. ... > full story

Fighting oil-spills with air-bubbles (June 10, 2011) -- Curtains of air-bubbles are turning out to be a new method of fighting oil-spills. The bubbles gather up the oil efficiently, even in winds and strong currents, and keep it together in a "pool". ... > full story

New parallelization technique boosts computers' ability to model biological systems (June 10, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a new technique for using multi-core chips more efficiently, significantly enhancing a computer's ability to build computer models of biological systems. The technique improved the efficiency of algorithms used to build models of biological systems more than seven-fold, creating more realistic models that can account for uncertainty and biological variation. This could impact research areas ranging from drug development to the engineering of biofuels. ... > full story

Engineers envision 'two-dimensional' graphene metamaterials and one-atom-thick optical devices (June 10, 2011) -- Engineers have proposed the possibility of 'two-dimensional' metamaterials. These one-atom-thick metamaterials could be achieved by controlling the conductivity of sheets of graphene, which is a single layer of carbon atoms. ... > full story

Meteorite holds clues to organic chemistry of early Earth (June 10, 2011) -- Carbonaceous chondrites are organic-rich meteorites that contain samples of the materials that took part in the creation of our planets nearly 4.6 billion years ago. The complex suite of organic materials found in carbonaceous chondrites can vary substantially. New research shows that most of these variations are the result of hydrothermal activity that took place within a few million years of the solar system's formation, when the meteorites were still part of larger bodies. ... > full story

New imaging technology promising for diagnosing cardiovascular disease, diabetes (June 10, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a new type of imaging technology to diagnose cardiovascular disease and other disorders by measuring ultrasound signals from molecules exposed to a fast-pulsing laser. ... > full story

Temperature tracking device for packages may have climate metrology applications (June 10, 2011) -- Researchers are working to reduce the uncertainty associated with climate change measurements using a mobile temperature-sensing technology made for tracking delicate or perishable, high-value packages in transit. ... > full story

New way to make lighter, stronger steel -- in a flash (June 10, 2011) -- A Detroit entrepreneur surprised university engineers recently when he invented a heat-treatment that makes steel 7 percent stronger than any steel on record -- in less than 10 seconds. In fact, the steel has tested stronger and more shock-absorbing than the most common titanium alloys used by industry. ... > full story

Chemists devise better way to prepare workhorse molecules (June 10, 2011) -- Scientists report a new environmentally friendly way to make substituted aromatic molecules that can be customized for different industrial needs. ... > full story

Mars Exploration Rover heads toward 'Spirit Point' (June 10, 2011) -- When NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity reaches the rim of a large crater it is approaching, its arrival will come with an inspiring reminder. This crater, Endeavour, became the rover's long-term destination nearly three years ago. Opportunity has driven about 11 miles (18 kilometers) since climbing out of Victoria crater in August 2008, with Endeavour crater beckoning to the southeast. The rover has about 2 miles (about 3 kilometers) to go before reaching the rim of Endeavour. ... > full story

The downside -- and surprising upside –- of microcredit (June 10, 2011) -- Microcredit, which involves giving small loans to very small businesses in an effort to promote entrepreneurship, has been widely touted as a way to reduce poverty and stimulate economic growth. But in a new study, researchers find that the practice may not be an efficient tool in promoting business growth or improving the lives of its beneficiaries, but could instead have just the opposite effect. However, they did discover other surprising advantages. ... > full story

New driving force for chemical reactions (June 9, 2011) -- Chemists have shown for the first time that a mechanism called tunneling control may drive chemical reactions in directions unexpected from traditional theories. ... > full story

Unique 'portrait' of shuttle and International Space Station released (June 9, 2011) -- Newly-released portraits show the International Space Station together with the space shuttle, the vehicle that helped build the complex during the last decade. The pictures are the first taken of a shuttle docked to the station from the perspective of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. ... > full story

Magnetic bubbles reside at solar system edge, NASA probes suggest (June 9, 2011) -- Observations from NASA's Voyager spacecraft, humanity's farthest deep space sentinels, suggest the edge of our solar system may not be smooth, but filled with a turbulent sea of magnetic bubbles. ... > full story

'Biological circuit' components developed; New microscope technique for measuring them (June 9, 2011) -- Electrical engineers have long been toying with the idea of designing biological molecules that can be directly integrated into electronic circuits. Researchers have developed a way to form these structures so they can operate in open-air environments, and, more important, have developed a new microscope technique that can measure the electrical properties of these and similar devices. ... > full story

Historic first images of rod photoreceptors in the living human eye (June 9, 2011) -- Scientists have reported that the tiny light-sensing cells known as rods have been clearly and directly imaged in the living eye for the first time. Using adaptive optics, scientists can see through the murky distortion of the outer eye, revealing the eye's cellular structure with unprecedented detail. This innovation will help doctors diagnose degenerative eye disorders sooner. ... > full story

Researchers discover superatoms with magnetic shells (June 9, 2011) -- A team of scientists has discovered a new class of 'superatoms' -- a stable cluster of atoms that can mimic different elements of the periodic table -- with unusual magnetic characteristics. ... > full story

First Images from the VLT Survey Telescope with with huge 268-megapixel camera (June 9, 2011) -- The VLT Survey Telescope (VST), the latest addition to the European Southern Observatory's Paranal Observatory, has made its first release of impressive images of the southern sky. The VST is a state-of-the-art 2.6-metre telescope, with the huge 268-megapixel camera OmegaCAM at its heart, which is designed to map the sky both quickly and with very fine image quality. It is a visible-light telescope that perfectly complements ESO's VISTA infrared survey telescope. New images of the Omega Nebula and the globular cluster Omega Centauri demonstrate the VST's power. ... > full story