ScienceDaily Technology Headlines -- for Thursday, March 22, 2012

ScienceDaily Technology Headlines

for Thursday, March 22, 2012

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Dawn sees new surface features on giant asteroid Vesta (March 21, 2012) -- NASA's Dawn spacecraft has revealed unexpected details on the surface of the giant asteroid Vesta. New images and data highlight the diversity of Vesta's surface and reveal unusual geologic features, some of which were never previously seen on asteroids. ... > full story

Venice hasn't stopped sinking after all (March 21, 2012) -- The water flowing through Venice's famous canals laps at buildings a little higher every year -- and not only because of a rising sea level. Although previous studies had found that Venice has stabilized, new measurements indicate that the historic city continues to slowly sink, and even to tilt slightly to the east. ... > full story

Graphene: Potential for modelling cell membrane systems (March 21, 2012) -- Intriguing properties of graphene -— a single atomic-layer of carbon -— such as high electron mobility and fluorescence quenching are being exploited for biosensing and analysis of nucleotides, peptides, and proteins. ... > full story

Graphene produced using microorganisms from an ordinary river (March 21, 2012) -- Scientists have synthesized graphene by reducing graphene oxide using microorganisms extracted from a local river. ... > full story

Quantum plasmons demonstrated in atomic-scale nanoparticles (March 21, 2012) -- Addressing a half-century-old question, engineers have conclusively determined how collective electron oscillations, called plasmons, behave in individual metal particles as small as just a few nanometers in diameter. This knowledge may open up new avenues in nanotechnology ranging from solar catalysis to biomedical therapeutics. ... > full story

How the alphabet of data processing is growing: Flying 'qubits' generated (March 21, 2012) -- The alphabet of data processing could include more elements than the "0" and "1" in future. Scientists have achieved a new kind of bit with single electrons, called quantum bits, or qubits. With them, considerably more than two states can be defined. So far, quantum bits have only existed in relatively large vacuum chambers. The team has now generated them in semiconductors. They have put an effect in practice, which the physicist Prof. Dr. Andreas Wieck had already theoretically predicted 22 years ago. This represents another step along the path to quantum computing. ... > full story

Computer model of spread of dementia can predict future disease patterns years before they occur in a patient (March 21, 2012) -- Researchers have developed a computer program that has tracked the manner in which different forms of dementia spread within a human brain. They say their mathematical model can be used to predict where and approximately when an individual patient's brain will suffer from the spread, neuron to neuron, of "prion-like" toxic proteins -- a process they say underlies all forms of dementia. ... > full story

Age-old anesthesia question awakened (March 21, 2012) -- Why does inhaling anesthetics cause unconsciousness? New insights into this century-and-a-half-old question may spring from new research. ... > full story

Nanopower: Avoiding electrolyte failure in nanoscale lithum batteries (March 21, 2012) -- It turns out you can be too thin -- especially if you're a nanoscale battery. Researchers have built a series of nanowire batteries to demonstrate that the thickness of the electrolyte layer can dramatically affect the performance of the battery, effectively setting a lower limit to the size of the tiny power sources. ... > full story

'Nanoslinky': A novel nanofluidic technology for DNA manipulation and measurement (March 21, 2012) -- Researchers have developed their own version of the classic Slinky "walking down the stairs" scenario -- albeit 10 million times smaller -- as a novel technology for manipulating and measuring DNA molecules and other nanoscale materials. ... > full story

Groundbreaking, waterless approach to microchip making (March 21, 2012) -- The tiny, high-speed computer chips found in every modern electronic device bear little resemblance to their bulky, slow ancestors of decades ago. Different materials, new designs and new production techniques have ensured successive generations of integrated circuits offer ever more performance at lower cost. ... > full story

Study on swirls to optimize contacts between fluids (March 21, 2012) -- Physicists who have studied the mixing between two incompatible fluids have found that it is possible to control the undercurrents of one circulating fluid to optimize its exposure to the other. ... > full story

Mercury's surprising core and landscape curiosities (March 21, 2012) -- Scientists have found that Mercury's core, already suspected to occupy a greater fraction of the planet's interior than do the cores of Earth, Venus, or Mars, is even larger than anticipated. They also discovered that the elevation ranges on Mercury are much smaller than on Mars or the Moon and indicates that there have been large-scale changes to Mercury's topography since early in the planet's geological history. ... > full story

Dance like a neutrino: Quantum scheme to simulate neutrino oscillations (March 21, 2012) -- The behavior of some of the most elusive particles in the known universe can be simulated using three atoms in a lab, researchers say. ... > full story

Chemical pollution in Europe's seas: The monitoring must catch up with the science, experts say (March 21, 2012) -- According to a recent poll of more than 10,000 citizens from 10 European countries, pollution is the primary concern of the public at large among all issues that threaten the marine environment. A new position paper shows that such public concern is not misplaced and is supported by scientific evidence. ... > full story

Vista stares deep into the cosmos: Treasure trove of new infrared data made available to astronomers (March 21, 2012) -- The European Southern Observatory's VISTA telescope has created the widest deep view of the sky ever made using infrared light. This new picture of an unremarkable patch of sky comes from the UltraVISTA survey and reveals more than 200 000 galaxies. It forms just one part of a huge collection of fully processed images from all the VISTA surveys that is now being made available by ESO to astronomers worldwide. UltraVISTA is a treasure trove that is being used to study distant galaxies in the early Universe as well as for many other science projects. ... > full story

Jellyfish inspires latest ocean-powered robot (March 21, 2012) -- Researchers have created a robotic jellyfish, named Robojelly, which not only exhibits characteristics ideal to use in underwater search and rescue operations, but could, theoretically at least, never run out of energy thanks to it being fueled by hydrogen. Constructed from a set of smart materials, which have the ability to change shape or size as a result of a stimulus, and carbon nanotubes, Robojelly is able to mimic the natural movements of a jellyfish when placed in a water tank and is powered by chemical reactions taking place on its surface. ... > full story

NASA's Swift narrows down origin of important supernova class (March 20, 2012) -- Studies using X-ray and ultraviolet observations from NASA's Swift satellite provide new insights into the elusive origins of an important class of exploding star called Type Ia supernovae. ... > full story

Japan shares space station SMILES via atmospheric data distribution (March 20, 2012) -- Did you panic when you heard in recent news that two massive solar flares from the Sun were hitting Earth's atmosphere? The coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, typically produced by solar flares might pose a danger, if not for Earth's protective atmosphere and magnetosphere. Using International Space Station research and technology, scientists continue to learn more about the atmosphere, adding important new data to the collective understanding of this important defensive veil. ... > full story

Cassini sees Saturn stressing out Enceladus (March 20, 2012) -- Images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft have, for the first time, enabled scientists to correlate the spraying of jets of water vapor from fissures on Saturn's moon Enceladus with the way Saturn's gravity stretches and stresses the fissures. ... > full story

Nuclear fusion simulation shows high-gain energy output (March 20, 2012) -- A computer simulation that shows a release of high-yield fusion energy much greater than previously achieved at Sandia's Z accelerator is being prepared for testing in 2013. ... > full story

New method for cleaning up nuclear waste (March 20, 2012) -- A new crystalline compound can be tailored to safely absorb radioactive ions from nuclear waste streams, experts say. ... > full story

Explosive stars with good table manners (March 20, 2012) -- In two comprehensive studies of SN 2011fe -- the closest Type Ia supernova in the past two decades -- there is new evidence that indicates that the white dwarf progenitor was a particularly picky eater, leading scientists to conclude that the companion star was not likely to be a sun-like star or an evolved giant. ... > full story

Camera peers around corners: New imaging system uses opaque walls, doors or floors as 'mirrors' (March 20, 2012) -- A new imaging system could use opaque walls, doors or floors as "mirrors" to gather information about scenes outside its line of sight. ... > full story

Engineers enlist weather model to optimize offshore wind plan (March 20, 2012) -- Using a sophisticated weather model, environmental engineers have defined optimal placement of a grid of four wind farms off the US East Coast. The model successfully balances production at times of peak demand and significantly reduces costly spikes and zero-power events. ... > full story

Nanotherapy: Treating deadly brain tumors by delivering big radiation with tiny tools (March 20, 2012) -- For the past 40 years, radiation has been used to treat deadly brain tumors. But beams of radiation still must pass through healthy brain tissue to reach the tumor, and large amounts cause serious side effects. Medical researchers can now deliver nanoparticle radiation directly to the tumor and keep it there, dosing the tumor itself with much higher levels of radiation but sparing a much greater area of brain tissue. ... > full story

A basic -- and slightly acidic -- solution for hydrogen storage (March 20, 2012) -- Sometimes, solutions for hard problems can turn out to be pretty basic. That's especially true researchers where the solution for a hard problem they were working on turned out to be pretty basic ... and also a bit acidic. The hard problem they were working on was how to store hydrogen fuel. ... > full story

Better organic electronics: Researchers show the way forward for improving organic and molecular electronic devices (March 20, 2012) -- Scientists have provided the first experimental determination of the pathways by which electrical charge is transported from molecule-to-molecule in an organic thin film. These results also show how such organic films can be chemically modified to improve conductance for superior organic electronics. ... > full story

Super-Earth unlikely able to transfer life to other planets (March 20, 2012) -- While scientists believe conditions suitable for life might exist on the so-called "super-Earth" in the Gliese 581 system, it's unlikely to be transferred to other planets within that solar system. ... > full story

Detection of cosmic effect may bring universe's formation into sharper focus (March 20, 2012) -- The first observation of a cosmic effect theorized 40 years ago could provide astronomers with a more precise tool for understanding the forces behind the universe's formation and growth, including the enigmatic phenomena of dark energy and dark matter. ... > full story

Robotic fueling of unmanned surface vessels tested (March 20, 2012) -- Engineers have successfully demonstrate the Rapid Autonomous Fuel Transfer system, designed for the autonomous transfer of fuel to unmanned surface vehicles at sea. ... > full story

How electrons outrun vibrating nuclei -- the X-ray movie (March 20, 2012) -- Researchers have resolved spatial oscillations of electrons in a crystal by taking a real-time ‘movie’ with ultrashort x-ray flashes. Outer electrons move forth and back over the length of a chemical bond and modulate the electric properties while the tiny elongation of the inner electrons and the atomic nuclei is less than 1 % of this distance. ... > full story

Scientists develop tools to make more complex biological machines from yeast (March 19, 2012) -- Scientists are one step closer to making more complex microscopic biological machines, following improvements in the way that they can "re-wire" DNA in yeast, according to new research. ... > full story

Facebook's dark side (March 19, 2012) -- For the average narcissist, Facebook "offers a gateway for hundreds of shallow relationships and emotionally detached communication," one expert says. More importantly, for this study, social networking in general allows the user a great deal of control over how he or she is presented to and perceived by peers and other users, he added. ... > full story

Biplane to break the sound barrier: Cheaper, quieter and fuel-efficient biplanes could put supersonic travel on the horizon (March 19, 2012) -- A researcher has come up with a concept that may solve many of the problems that grounded the Concorde. An assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics, says the solution, in principle, is simple: Instead of flying with one wing to a side, why not two? ... > full story

Enough room to safely store at least a century’s worth of U.S. fossil fuel emissions, study shows (March 19, 2012) -- A new study shows that there is enough capacity in deep saline aquifers in the United States to store at least a century's worth of carbon dioxide emissions from the nation's coal-fired powerplants. Though questions remain about the economics of systems to capture and store such gases, this study addresses a major issue that has overshadowed such proposals. ... > full story

Experiments may force revision of astrophysical models: Ice giant planets have more water volume than believed (March 19, 2012) -- In a challenge to current astrophysical models of the universe, researchers have found that current estimates of the interiors of so-called ice giant planets within and without the solar system overstate water's compressibility by as much as 30 percent, forcing revisions in estimates of other elements. ... > full story

Geologic map of Jupiter's moon Io details an otherworldly volcanic surface (March 19, 2012) -- More than 400 years after Galileo's discovery of Io, the innermost of Jupiter's largest moons, a team of scientists has produced the first complete global geologic map of the Jovian satellite. ... > full story

Cosmic rays alter chemistry of lunar ice, may create building blocks of life (March 19, 2012) -- Space scientists report they have quantified levels of radiation on the moon's surface from galactic cosmic ray (GCR) bombardment that over time causes chemical changes in water ice and can create complex carbon chains similar to those that help form the foundations of biological structures. In addition, the radiation process causes the lunar soil, or regolith, to darken over time, which is important in understanding the geologic history of the moon. ... > full story

Polycrystalline diamond drill bits open up options for geothermal energy (March 19, 2012) -- Nearly two-thirds of the oil we use comes from wells drilled using polycrystalline diamond compact bits, originally developed nearly 30 years ago to lower the cost of geothermal drilling. Scientists recently brought the technology full circle, showing how geothermal drillers might use the original PDC technology, incorporating decades of subsequent improvements by the oil and gas industry. ... > full story

Focus on technology overlooks human behavior when addressing climate change (March 19, 2012) -- Technology alone won't help the world turn away from fossil fuel-based energy sources, says a sociologist. A shift in political and economic policies to is needed to embrace the concept that continued growth in energy consumption is not sustainable, experts say. ... > full story

To combat identity theft, protect computer, experts say (March 19, 2012) -- Having a triple-threat combination of protective software on your computer greatly reduces your chances of identity theft, according to a new study. ... > full story

Including ads in mobile apps poses privacy, security risks (March 19, 2012) -- Researchers have found that including ads in mobile applications poses privacy and security risks. In a recent study of 100,000 apps in the official Google Play market, researchers noticed that more than half contained so-called ad libraries. And 297 of the apps included aggressive ad libraries that were enabled to download and run code from remote servers -- which raises significant privacy and security concerns. ... > full story

Some orbits more popular than others in solar systems (March 19, 2012) -- Computer simulations have revealed a plausible explanation for a phenomenon that has puzzled astronomers: Rather than occupying orbits at regular distances from a star, giant gas planets similar to Jupiter and Saturn appear to prefer to occupy certain regions in mature solar systems while staying clear of others. ... > full story

First complete full genetic map of promising energy crop (March 19, 2012) -- The first high-resolution, comprehensive genetic map of a promising energy crop called miscanthus has been completed. ... > full story

Air emissions near fracking sites may pose health risk, study shows; sites contain hydrocarbons including benzene (March 19, 2012) -- In a new study, researchers have shown that air pollution caused by hydraulic fracturing or fracking may contribute to acute and chronic health problems for those living near natural gas drilling sites. ... > full story

Looking at quantum gravity in a mirror (March 18, 2012) -- Einstein's theory of gravity and quantum physics are expected to merge at the Planck-scale of extremely high energies and on very short distances. Now scientists have proposed a new quantum experiment using Planck-mass mirrors. ... > full story

Physicists simulate strongly correlated fermions (March 18, 2012) -- Combining known factors in a new way, physicists have solved an intractable 50-year-old problem: How to simulate strongly interacting quantum systems to accurately predict their properties. It could lead to superconductor applications and solving high-energy physics and ultra-cold atoms problems. ... > full story