ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Saturday, January 7, 2012

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Saturday, January 7, 2012

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Down to the wire for silicon: Researchers create a wire four atoms wide, one atom tall (January 6, 2012) -- The smallest wires ever developed in silicon -- just one atom tall and four atoms wide -- have been shown by a team of researchers to have the same current-carrying capability as copper wires. ... > full story

Now you see it, now you didn't: Researchers cloak a moment in time (January 6, 2012) -- Think Harry Potter movie magic: Researchers have demonstrated a "temporal cloak" -- albeit on a very small scale -- in the transport of information by a beam of light. ... > full story

New system may one day steer microrobots through blood vessels for disease treatment (January 6, 2012) -- Researchers use a magnetic field to generate both side-to-side and corkscrew-like motions of tiny robots. ... > full story

Traditional social networks fueled Twitter's spread (January 6, 2012) -- Researchers who studied the growth of the newly hatched Twitter from 2006 to 2009 say the site's growth in the United States actually relied primarily on media attention and traditional social networks based on geographic proximity and socioeconomic similarity. In other words, at least during those early years, birds of a feather flocked -- and tweeted -- together. ... > full story

Nanotechnology may speed up drug testing (January 6, 2012) -- Testing the effectiveness of new pharmaceuticals may get faster thanks to a new technique incorporating quantum dots. ... > full story

Scientists find structure of gene-editing protein (January 6, 2012) -- In the two and a half years since scientists discovered how a class of proteins find and bind specific sequences in plant genomes, researchers worldwide have moved fast to use this discovery. Now, the next step has been taken by determining the 3-D structure of a TAL effector bound to DNA. ... > full story

One of the most porous materials ever discovered (January 5, 2012) -- The delivery of pharmaceuticals into the human body or the storage of voluminous quantities of gas molecules could now be better controlled, thanks to a new study. Chemists have posed an alternative approach toward building porous materials. ... > full story

Extracellular matrix could lead to advances in regenerative medicine (January 5, 2012) -- Scientists have created a functional model of the native extracellular matrix that provides structural support to cells to aid growth and proliferation. The model could lead to advances in regenerative medicine. The extracellular matrix provides the physical and chemical conditions that enable the development of all biological tissues. It is a complex nano-to-microscale structure made up of protein fibers and serves as a dynamic substrate that supports tissue repair and regeneration. ... > full story

New materials remove carbon dioxide from smokestacks, tailpipes and even the air (January 5, 2012) -- Scientists are reporting discovery of an improved way to remove carbon dioxide -- the major greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming -- from smokestacks and other sources, including the atmosphere. The process achieves some of the highest carbon dioxide removal capacity ever reported for real-world conditions where the air contains moisture. ... > full story

Shearing triggers odd behavior in microscopic particles (January 5, 2012) -- Microscopic spheres form strings in surprising alignments when suspended in a viscous fluid and sheared between two plates, a finding that will affect the way scientists think about the properties of such wide-ranging substances as shampoo and futuristic computer chips. ... > full story

New bandage spurs, guides blood vessel growth (January 5, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a bandage that stimulates and directs blood vessel growth on the surface of a wound. The bandage, called a "microvascular stamp," contains living cells that deliver growth factors to damaged tissues in a defined pattern. After a week, the pattern of the stamp "is written in blood vessels," the researchers report. ... > full story

Hips that function better and last longer: Lubricant in metal-on-metal hip implants found to be graphite, not proteins (January 5, 2012) -- Engineers and physicians have made a surprising discovery that offers a target for designing new materials for hip implants that are less susceptible to the joint's normal wear and tear. The team found that graphitic carbon is a key element in a lubricating layer that forms on metal-on-metal hip implants. The lubricant is more similar to the lubrication of a combustion engine than that of a natural joint. ... > full story