ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Friday, November 4, 2011

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Friday, November 4, 2011

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Observations of gamma-ray burst reveal surprising ingredients of early galaxies (November 4, 2011) -- Astronomers have used the brief but brilliant light of a distant gamma-ray burst as a probe to study the make-up of very distant galaxies. Surprisingly the new observations revealed two galaxies in the young Universe that are richer in the heavier chemical elements than the Sun. The two galaxies may be in the process of merging. Such events in the early Universe will drive the formation of many new stars and may be the trigger for gamma-ray bursts. ... > full story

New process for manufacturing nanocellulose: Using nanocellulose to create novel composite materials (November 4, 2011) -- For some time now nanocellulose has been at the focus of a good deal of industrial and scientific interest as a novel biomaterial. Potential applications range from the creation of new kinds of commercially useful materials and uses in medical technology all the way to the food and pharmaceutical industries. Swiss researchers have now developed a manufacturing process for nanocellulose powder, the raw material for creating polymer composites which can be used, for example, in lightweight structures for the car industry or as membrane and filter material for biomedicinal applications. ... > full story

Experts recommend the inclusion of rainwater-collection systems in cities (November 4, 2011) -- Plain, sloping roofs can collect up to 50 percent more rainwater than flat roofs with gravel. This water is also of higher quality. These are the conclusions of a study conducted by researchers in Spain that suggests the incorporation of systems to collect rainwater in urban planning. The water collected can be used to water streets and gardens, wash floors or vehicles and fill cisterns. ... > full story

Scientists study 'galaxy zoo' using Google Maps and thousands of volunteers (November 3, 2011) -- The reddest galaxies with the largest central bulb show the largest bars -- gigantic central columns of stars and dark matter -- according to a scientific study that used Google Maps to observe the sky. A group of volunteers of more than 200,000 participants of the galaxy classification project Galaxy Zoo contributed to this research. ... > full story

Thousand-color sensor reveals contaminants in earth and sea: Technology spots environmental hazards (November 3, 2011) -- A researcher has developed a special camera that can detect more than 1,000 colors -- and can diagnose contaminants and other environmental hazards in real time. ... > full story

Astrobiologists discover 'sweet spots' for the formation of complex organic molecules in the galaxy (November 3, 2011) -- Scientists have compiled years of research to help locate areas in outer space that have extreme potential for complex organic molecule formation. The scientists searched for methanol, a key ingredient in the synthesis of organic molecules that could lead to life. Their results have implications for determining the origins of molecules that spark life in the cosmos. ... > full story

Australian technology aims to make storing radioactive waste safer (November 3, 2011) -- Australian researchers have developed new technology capable of removing radioactive material from contaminated water and aiding clean-up efforts following nuclear disasters. ... > full story

NASA's Fermi finds youngest millisecond pulsar, 100 pulsars to-date (November 3, 2011) -- An international team of scientists using NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has discovered a surprisingly powerful millisecond pulsar that challenges existing theories about how these objects form. ... > full story

Nine new gamma pulsars brings known gamma-ray pulsars to over 100 (November 3, 2011) -- Pulsars are the lighthouses of the universe. These compact and fast-rotating neutron stars flash many times per second in the radio or gamma-ray band. Pure gamma-ray pulsars are extremely difficult to find despite their high energy because they radiate very few photons per unit of time. Using an improved analysis algorithm, scientists have now discovered a number of previously unknown gamma-ray pulsars with low luminosity in data from the Fermi satellite. These pulsars had been missed using conventional methods. The number of known gamma-ray pulsars has thus grown to over 100. ... > full story

NASA studying ways to make 'tractor beams' a reality (November 3, 2011) -- Tractor beams -- the ability to trap and move objects using laser light -- are the stuff of science fiction, but a team of NASA scientists has won funding to study the concept for remotely capturing planetary or atmospheric particles and delivering them to a robotic rover or orbiting spacecraft for analysis. ... > full story

iPhone turned into spiPhone: Smartphone senses nearby keyboard vibrations and deciphers sentences (November 3, 2011) -- Engineers have discovered how to program a smartphone to sense nearby keyboard vibrations and decipher complete sentences with up to 80 percent accuracy. ... > full story

Physicists identify room temperature quantum bits in widely used semiconductor (November 3, 2011) -- Physicists may have earned silicon carbide –– a semiconductor commonly used by the electronics industry –– a role at the center of a new generation of information technologies designed to exploit quantum physics for tasks such as ultrafast computing and nanoscale sensing. ... > full story

Fast high precision eye-surgery robot developed (November 3, 2011) -- A researcher in The Netherlands has developed a smart eye-surgery robot that allows eye surgeons to operate with increased ease and greater precision on the retina and the vitreous humor of the eye. The system also extends the effective period during which ophthalmologists can carry out these intricate procedures. ... > full story

Solar power could get boost from new light absorption design (November 3, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a new material that absorbs a wide range of wavelengths and could lead to more efficient and less expensive solar technology. ... > full story

Kicking hybrids out of carpool lanes backfires, slowing traffic for all, study finds (November 3, 2011) -- The end of a California program granting free access to carpool lanes by solo drivers of hybrid cars has unintentionally slowed traffic in all lanes, according to a new report. It turns out that when regular-use lanes became more congested with the addition of more hybrids, the carpool lanes slowed down as well. ... > full story

Studying random structures with confetti (November 3, 2011) -- Chance and probability play a natural role in statistical physics. Inspired by confetti, researchers in Sweden are gaining better understanding of random phenomena and refine the tools that can be used to study them. ... > full story

Molecular depth profiling modeled using buckyballs and low-energy argon (November 3, 2011) -- The strengths and weaknesses of a new method of molecular depth profiling -- a technique used to analyze the surface of ultra-thin materials such as human tissue, nanoparticles, and other substances -- have been revealed by a new computer-simulation study, which may help future researchers to choose when to use the new method of probing ultra-thin materials. ... > full story

NASA robotic lander test flight Nov. 4 will aid in future lander designs (November 3, 2011) -- NASA will conduct a 100-foot robotic lander altitude test flight Friday, Nov. 4, to mature the technology needed to develop a new generation of small, smart, versatile robotic landers capable of achieving scientific and exploration goals on the surface of the moon, asteroids or other airless bodies. ... > full story

New components for future computer memories (November 3, 2011) -- The European TRAMS (terascale reliable adaptive memory systems) consortium investigates the impact of statistical NanoCMOS variability on terascale embedded static random-access memories (SRAMs) based on sub-16 nm technology generation using conventional and novel complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices. ... > full story

Are global honey bee declines caused by diesel pollution? (November 2, 2011) -- Scientists are investigating a possible link between tiny particles of pollution found in diesel fumes and the global collapse of honey bee colonies. ... > full story

Manufacturing microscale medical devices for faster tissue engineering (November 2, 2011) -- Researchers have modified a manufacturing technique called two-photon polymerization to create finely detailed micro-structures, such as scaffolds for tissue engineering, more quickly and efficiently than was previously possible. The new technique could help pave the way to more widespread clinical use of microscale medical devices. ... > full story

Did life once exist below Red Planet's surface? NASA study of clays suggests watery Mars underground (November 2, 2011) -- A new NASA study suggests if life ever existed on Mars, the longest lasting habitats were most likely below the Red Planet's surface. A new interpretation of years of mineral-mapping data, from more than 350 sites on Mars examined by European and NASA orbiters, suggests Martian environments with abundant liquid water on the surface existed only during short episodes. These episodes occurred toward the end of a period of hundreds of millions of years during which warm water interacted with subsurface rocks. This has implications about whether life existed on Mars and how the Martian atmosphere has changed. ... > full story

Crowdsourcing nutrition in a snap: Counting calories in photos, PlateMate proves the wisdom of the (well-managed) crowd (November 2, 2011) -- If keeping a food diary seems like too much effort, despair not: Computer scientists ahave devised a tool that lets you snap a photo of your meal and let the crowd do the rest. PlateMate's calorie estimates have proved, in tests, to be just as accurate as those of trained nutritionists, and more accurate than the user's own logs. ... > full story

Using math and light to detect misshapen red blood cells (November 2, 2011) -- Researchers have pioneered a technique that will allow doctors to ascertain the healthy shape of red blood cells in just a few seconds, by analyzing the light scattered off hundreds of cells at a time. ... > full story

Gecko-inspired tank robot scales walls (November 2, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a tank-like robot that has the ability to scale smooth walls, opening up a series of applications ranging from inspecting pipes, buildings, aircraft and nuclear power plants to deployment in search and rescue operations. ... > full story

New form of lighting rolled out: Newspaper-style printing process (November 2, 2011) -- In a new article, researchers describe a way of creating thin, flexible sheets of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) using a cheap, newspaper-style "roll-to-roll" printing process. ... > full story

UV light controls antibodies, improves biosensors (November 2, 2011) -- From detecting pathogens in blood samples to the study of protein synthesis, Quartz Crystal Microbalance sensors have many uses in modern biology. Now researchers have found a way to increase the number of right-side-up antibodies in this well-established molecule detection process -- using light. ... > full story

Finest silk made of the purest nanometer-thin gold woven into ties and handkerchiefs (November 2, 2011) -- True luxury has only one color -- gold. A nanometer-thin layer of pure gold now lends ties and pocket handkerchiefs that authentic gold sheen, thanks to a new process. The yarn, which is coated using a high-tech plasma process, is soft and easy to weave. It is also washing machine compatible. A limited number of gold ties will be placed on the market before Christmas. Further fashion accessories will follow in 2012. ... > full story

How to unbalance nothingness: Physicists calculate the time development of the vacuum decay (November 2, 2011) -- Physicists around the world are hoping to witness a particularly spectacular characteristic in a few years' time: the spontaneous decay of the vacuum into pairs of particles of matter and antimatter in super strong electric fields. Thanks to new research results of an Austro-German team of physicists, this goal has come a few steps closer. ... > full story

Humanities researchers and digital technologies: Building infrastructures for a new age (November 2, 2011) -- Without research infrastructures such as archives, libraries, academies, museums and galleries, significant strands of humanities research would not be possible, experts argue. By drawing on a number of case studies, a new report demonstrates that digital RIs offer Humanities scholars new and productive ways to explore old questions and develop new ones. ... > full story

New tool developed for the study of spatial patterns in living cells (November 1, 2011) -- By embedding fixed arrays of gold nanoparticles into fluid lipid bilayers, scientists can study with unprecedented detail how the spatial patterns of chemical and physical properties on membranes can determine the fate of a cell -- whether it lives or dies, remains normal or turns cancerous. ... > full story

U.S. Navy researchers fire 1,000th shot on laboratory electromagnetic railgun (November 1, 2011) -- Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory hit a materials research milestone in the Office of Naval Research's Electromagnetic Railgun program when they fired a laboratory-scale system for the 1,000th time Oct. 31. ... > full story

Doctors can learn empathy through a computer-based tutorial (November 1, 2011) -- Cancer doctors want to offer a sympathetic ear, but sometimes miss the cues from patients. To help physicians better address their patients' fears and worries, a researcher has developed a new interactive training tool. ... > full story

Boeing to build commercial spacecraft at Kennedy, create 550 jobs (November 1, 2011) -- The Boeing Co. will set up Orbiter Processing Facility-3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to manufacture and assemble its CST-100 spacecraft for launches to the International Space Station under a newly signed agreement with NASA and Space Florida. And that deal could provide a glimpse of how Kennedy's unique facilities will be used in the future. ... > full story

Could social media be used to detect disease outbreaks? (November 1, 2011) -- New research has looked at whether social media could be used to track an event or phenomenon, such as flu outbreaks and rainfall rates. ... > full story

New algorithm could substantially speed up MRI scans (November 1, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a new algorithm that could substantially speed up MRI scans from 45 to 15 minutes. ... > full story

Large asteroid to pass by Earth Nov. 8, but what if it didn't? (November 1, 2011) -- An asteroid the size of an aircraft carrier will fly near Earth on Nov. 8, 2011. While there is no danger of it hitting the planet, an asteroid impact expert says a similar-sized object hitting Earth would result in a 4,000-megaton blast, magnitude 7.0 earthquake and, should it strike in the deep ocean, 70-foot-high tsunami waves 60 miles from the splashdown site. ... > full story

Boosting LED efficiency: Zinc oxide microwires improve performance of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) through the piezo-phototronic effect (November 1, 2011) -- Researchers have used zinc oxide microwires to significantly improve the efficiency at which gallium nitride light-emitting diodes (LED) convert electricity to ultraviolet light. The devices are believed to be the first LEDs whose performance has been enhanced by the piezo-phototronic effect. ... > full story

Fighting violent gang crime with math (November 1, 2011) -- Mathematicians working with the Los Angeles Police Department to analyze crime patterns have designed a mathematical algorithm to identify street gangs involved in unsolved violent crimes -- the first scholarly study of gang violence of its kind. ... > full story

Relief from 'parking wars': Computer software to revamp city parking (November 1, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a traffic simulator that takes into account real parking policies, the habits of urban drivers, and the movements of traffic inspectors to identify strategies for improvement and test the impact of parking policy changes before they're implemented. ... > full story

Rethinking equilibrium: In nature, large energy fluctuations may rile even 'relaxed' systems (November 1, 2011) -- Scientists have shown that large energy fluctuations can rile even a "relaxed" system, raising questions about how energy might travel through structures ranging from the ocean to DNA. ... > full story

Mathematically detecting stock market bubbles before they burst (November 1, 2011) -- From the dotcom bust in the late nineties to the housing crash in the run-up to the 2008 crisis, financial bubbles have been a topic of major concern. Identifying bubbles is important in order to prevent collapses that can severely impact nations and economies. A mathematical model has now been proposed for the detection of financial bubbles in order to prevent their collapse. ... > full story

World's most efficient flexible organic light-emitting diodes created on plastic (November 1, 2011) -- Researchers have developed the world's most efficient organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) on plastic. This result enables a flexible form factor, not to mention a less costly, alternative to traditional OLED manufacturing, which currently relies on rigid glass. ... > full story

Technical aptitude: Do women score lower because they just aren't interested? (November 1, 2011) -- Boys do better on tests of technical aptitude (for example, mechanical aptitude tests) than girls. The same is true for adults. A new study describes a theory explaining how the difference comes about: the root cause is that boys are just more interested in technical things, like taking apart a bike, than girls are. ... > full story

To diagnose heart disease, visualization experts recommend a simpler approach (November 1, 2011) -- A team of computer scientists, physicists, and physicians has developed a simple yet powerful method of visualizing human arteries that may result in more accurate diagnoses of atherosclerosis and heart disease. The prototype tool, called "HemoVis," creates a 2D diagram of arteries that performs better than the traditional 3D, rainbow-colored model. In a clinical setting, the tool has been shown to increase diagnostic accuracy from 39% to 91%. ... > full story

New method in spectral analysis: Measuring the distance of processes (November 1, 2011) -- A milestone in the description of complex processes -- for example the ups and downs of share prices -- has been reached by mathematicians. Researchers have developed a new method in spectral analysis, which allows a classical mathematical model assumption, so-called stationarity, to be precisely measured and determined for the first time. The approach also makes it possible to construct statistical tests that are considerably better and more accurate than previous methods. ... > full story

Landsat's TIRS instrument comes out of first round of thermal vacuum testing (November 1, 2011) -- The Thermal Infrared Sensor that will fly on the next Landsat satellite came out of its first round of thermal vacuum testing recently at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland. ... > full story

Structure, not scientists to blame for Los Alamos failings, article says (November 1, 2011) -- Policy decisions and poor management have substantially undermined the US Los Alamos National Laboratory — and, consequently, U.S. national security, according to a new article. The article calls into question media and government stereotypes that have blamed Los Alamos’s scientists for the decline. ... > full story