ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Saturday, September 10, 2011

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Saturday, September 10, 2011

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Milestones for two radiation machines used to test U.S. defenses against atomic weapons (September 9, 2011) -- Two remarkable pulsed-power machines used to test the nation's defenses against atomic weapons have surpassed milestones at Sandia National Laboratories: 4,000 firings, called "shots," on the Saturn accelerator and 9,000 shots on the HERMES III accelerator. Saturn -- originally projected to last 5 to 10 years -- began operating in 1987. Its major function has been to produce X-rays to test the effectiveness of countermeasures used to protect electronics and other materials against X-ray radiation from nuclear weapons. ... > full story

What's in a name? Names, not social networks, bind us to global cultural and ethnic communities (September 9, 2011) -- Links between hundreds of millions of names belonging to people around the world have been analyzed by geographers in the UK and New Zealand. The results reveal how our forenames and surnames are connected in distinct global networks of cultural, ethnic and linguistic communities. The researchers' methods could be of use to social scientists and health researchers investigating migration, identity and integration. ... > full story

Designing high-rise buildings: World still learning lessons of 9/11 (September 9, 2011) -- A university professor who carried out a major study into the evacuation of the World Trade Centre after 9/11 says the "far-reaching impact" of the attacks is still being felt when it comes to the design of new high-rise buildings across the world. ... > full story

Where does all Earth's gold come from? Precious metals the result of meteorite bombardment, rock analysis finds (September 9, 2011) -- Ultra high precision analyses of some of the oldest rock samples on Earth provides clear evidence that the planet's accessible reserves of precious metals are the result of a bombardment of meteorites more than 200 million years after Earth was formed. ... > full story

New cooling system raises efficiency of oil and gas processing (September 9, 2011) -- Mathematicians in Norway have devised a solution for making sub-sea oil and gas processing more efficient at substantially lower cost. Using their expertise in fluid mechanics they have developed a unique design for a subsea cooling system. Their research can help to recover more oil and gas resources both in the North Sea and elsewhere. The first newly constructed processing facilities could be installed on the seabed as early as 2013. The equipment will be designed to last 30 years, which means that in addition to being smaller and lighter, it has to be durable, maintenance-free and without moving parts. ... > full story

Powered by seaweed: Polymer from algae may improve battery performance (September 9, 2011) -- By looking to Mother Nature for solutions, researchers have identified a promising new binder material for lithium-ion battery electrodes that could not only boost energy storage, but also eliminate the use of toxic compounds now used in manufacturing the components. Known as alginate, the material is extracted from common, fast-growing brown algae. ... > full story

New method to grow synthetic collagen unveiled: New material may find use in reconstructive surgery, cosmetics, tissue engineering (September 9, 2011) -- In a significant advance for cosmetic and reconstructive medicine, scientists have unveiled a new method for making synthetic collagen. The new material, which forms from a liquid in as little as an hour, has many of the properties of natural collagen and may prove useful as a scaffold for regenerating new tissues and organs from stem cells. ... > full story

Managing intellectual property a challenge for firms, innovators (September 9, 2011) -- The increasing complexity of multi-invention technologies such as laptops and smartphones raises serious challenges for firms looking to cash in with the "next big thing," and points to a need for businesses to integrate their patent and business strategies, according to a patent strategy expert. ... > full story

Cotton's potential for padding nonwovens (September 9, 2011) -- Scientists have conducted studies to investigate the use of virgin cotton in nonwoven materials and products. ... > full story

New record for measurement of atomic lifetime (September 8, 2011) -- Researchers in Denmark have measured the lifetime of an extremely stable energy level of magnesium atoms with great precision. Magnesium atoms are used in research with ultra-precise atomic clocks. The new measurements show a lifetime of 2050 seconds, which corresponds to approximately one half hour. This is the longest lifetime ever measured in a laboratory. ... > full story

Researchers power line-voltage light bulb with nanotube wire (September 8, 2011) -- Cables made of carbon nanotubes are inching toward electrical conductivities seen in metal wires, and that may light up interest among a range of industries. ... > full story

New translator app makes sense of foreign-language food menus (September 8, 2011) -- Researchers have created an application that enables cell phones and other portable devices to translate foreign-language food menus for English speakers and could be used for people who must follow restricted diets for medical reasons. ... > full story