ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Wednesday, December 30, 2009
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Born in beauty: Proplyds in the Orion Nebula (December 30, 2009) -- A collection of 30 never-before-released images of embryonic planetary systems in the Orion Nebula are the highlight of the longest single Hubble Space Telescope project ever dedicated to the topic of star and planet formation. Also known as proplyds, or protoplanetary discs, these modest blobs surrounding baby stars are shedding light on the mechanism behind planet formation. ... > full story
Nanoscale changes in collagen are a tipoff to bone health (December 30, 2009) -- Using a technique that provides detailed images of nanoscale structures, researchers have discovered changes in the collagen component of bone that directly relate to bone health. ... > full story
Perfectly Proportioned: Evenly Distributed Powder Density For Manufacturing Parts (December 30, 2009) -- The manufacture of parts by compaction and sintering involves filling a die with metal powder. Research scientists have simulated this process for the first time to achieve an evenly distributed powder density. This improves the cost-efficiency of sintering. ... > full story
Molecular chaperone keeps bacterial proteins from slow-dancing to destruction (December 29, 2009) -- Just like teenagers at a prom, proteins are tended by chaperones whose job it is to prevent unwanted interactions among immature clients. And at the molecular level, just as at the high school gym level, it's a job that usually requires a lot of energy. ... > full story
Superatoms mimic elements: Research gives new perspective on periodic table (December 29, 2009) -- Researchers have shown that certain combinations of elemental atoms have electronic signatures that mimic the electronic signatures of other elements. The findings could lead to much cheaper materials for widespread applications such as new sources of energy, methods of pollution abatement, and catalysts on which industrial nations depend heavily for chemical processing. ... > full story
Divide and conquer: Splitting fluorescent protein helps image clusters in live cells (December 29, 2009) -- Half a protein is better than none, and in this case, it's way better than a whole one. Researchers have discovered that dividing a particular fluorescent protein and using it as a tag is handy for analyzing the workings of live cells, particularly in the way they employ iron-sulfur clusters. ... > full story
Cockroaches offer inspiration for running robots (December 29, 2009) -- The sight of a cockroach scurrying for cover may be nauseating, but the insect is also a biological and engineering marvel, and is providing researchers with what they call "bioinspiration" in a quest to build the world's first legged robot that is capable of running effortlessly over rough terrain. ... > full story< /a>
Climate Wizard makes large databases of climate information visual, accessible (December 29, 2009) -- A Web tool that generates color maps of projected temperature and precipitation changes using 16 of the world's most prominent climate-change models is being demonstrated in Copenhagen, Denmark, in conjunction with the climate summit underway there. It also is the subject of a presentation Tuesday, Dec. 15, at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco. ... > full story
Deep sea anchors for offshore installations (December 29, 2009) -- A 13 meter-long, 80-ton anchor is currently being tested as a new mooring concept for offshore installations. ... > full story
Researchers develop drug information interface to save lives (December 29, 2009) -- A new drug information interface system has been shown to help in dealing with visual and motor impairments, which can make sorting, holding and identifying pills a challenge as we age. ... > full story
Miss whiplash with locking headrest, study suggests (December 28, 2009) -- Whiplash neck injuries among drivers and their passengers who have been shunted from behind are a major cause of long-term health problems and, in extreme cases, death. A new type of vehicle headrest promises to improve both safety and comfort. ... > full story
Of girls and geeks: Environment may be why women don't like computer science (December 28, 2009) -- In real estate, it's location, location, location. And when it comes to why girls and women shy away from careers in computer science, a key reason is environment, environment, environment. ... > full story
Neuroscientists store information in isolated brain tissue; possible basis of short-term memory (December 28, 2009) -- For the first time, neuroscientists have created stimulus-specific sustained activity patterns in brain circuits maintained in vitro. ... > full story
Giant planet set for cataclysmic show (December 28, 2009) -- A team of Chinese astronomers has discovered a giant planet close to the exotic binary star system QS Virginis. Although dormant now, in the future the two stars will one day erupt in a violent nova outburst. ... > full story
Wet Ethanol Production Process Yields More Ethanol And More Co-products (December 28, 2009) -- Using a wet ethanol production method that begins by soaking corn kernels rather than grinding them, results in more gallons of ethanol and more usable co-products, giving ethanol producers a bigger bang for their buck -- by about 20 percent. ... > full story
Microscopic gyroscopes, the key for motion sensing (December 27, 2009) -- Tiny devices made possible by combining the latest advances in mechanical and electronics technology could be at the heart of next-generation personal navigation and vehicle stabilization tools. ... > full story
An easy way to see the world's thinnest material (December 27, 2009) -- Scientists have used the dye fluorescein to create a new imaging technique to view graphene. ... > full story
Structured reporting software creates less complete and accurate radiology reports than free text (December 27, 2009) -- As many software companies work to create programs that will give uniform structure to the way radiological test results are reported, a new study shows that such a system does not improve, but rather decreases the completeness and accuracy of the reports. ... > full story
Vampires and collisions rejuvenate stars (December 26, 2009) -- Using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have uncovered two distinct kinds of "rejuvenated" stars in the globular cluster Messier 30. A new study shows that both stellar collisions and a process sometimes called vampirism are behind this cosmic "face lift." The scientists also uncover evidence that both sorts of blue stragglers were produced during a critical dynamical event (known as "core collapse") that occurred in Messier 30 a few billion years ago. ... > full story
Magnetic field measurements of the human heart at room temperature (December 26, 2009) -- A new optical sensor was successfully tested in the "magnetically best shielded room on Earth." The sensor does not need advanced cooling and is very small. Its suitability was proven for biomagnetic measurements in the picotesla range. So, magnetocardiographic measurement devices -- to be used as a supplement or an alternative to the ECG -- could become simpler and less expensive. ... > full story
New warning system warns of driver drowsiness and distraction (December 26, 2009) -- Scientists have developed the latest version of a driving assistance system which controls the driver's attention level and helps to avoid accidents caused by drowsiness or distractions at the wheel. ... > full story
Low-cost temperature sensors: Tennis balls to monitor mountain snowpack (December 26, 2009) -- Dime-sized temperature sensors, first built for the refrigerated food industry, have been adapted to sense mountain microclimates. ... > full story
Weir in space and dimmed sun creates 200-million-mile-long lab bench for turbulence research (December 25, 2009) -- Physicists working in space plasmas have made clever use of the Ulysses spacecraft and the solar minimum to create a massive virtual lab bench to provide a unique test for the science underlying turbulent flows. ... > full story
Do computers understand art? (December 25, 2009) -- Mathematical algorithms can provide clues about the artistic style of a painting. The composition of colors or certain aesthetic measurements can already be quantified by a computer, but machines are still far from being able to interpret art in the way that people do. ... > full story
Method makes refineries more efficient (December 25, 2009) -- Refineries could trim millions of dollars in energy costs annually by using a new method developed to rearrange the distillation sequence needed to separate crude petroleum into products. ... > full story
Keck telescopes gaze into young star's 'life zone' (December 25, 2009) -- The inner regions of young planet-forming disks offer information about how worlds like Earth form, but not a single telescope in the world can see them. Yet, for the first time, astronomers using the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii have measured the properties of a young solar system at distances closer to the star than Venus is from our sun. ... > full story
Wii Fit may not help families get fit (December 25, 2009) -- The Nintendo Wii Fit many people are considering as Christmas gifts may be great entertainment, but a new study indicates the console has little effect on family fitness. ... > full story
Santa’s sleigh: Researcher explains science of Christmas magic (December 24, 2009) -- Santa skeptics have long considered St. Nick's ability to deliver toys to the world's good girls and boys on Christmas Eve a scientific impossibility. But new research shows that Santa is able to make his appointed rounds through the pioneering use of cutting-edge science and technology. ... > full story
Cassini Holiday Movies Showcase Dance of Saturn's Moons (December 24, 2009) -- Like sugar plum fairies in "The Nutcracker," the moons of Saturn performed a celestial ballet before the eyes of NASA's Cassini spacecraft. New movies frame the moons' silent dance against the majestic sweep of the planet's rings and show as many as four moons gliding around one another. ... > full story
Herschel Space Telescope uncovers sources of cosmic infrared background (December 24, 2009) -- A weak cosmic infrared radiation field that reaches Earth from all directions contains not yet deciphered messages about the evolution of galaxies. Using first observations with the PACS Instrument on board ESA’s Herschel Space Telescope, scientists have for the first time resolved more than half of this radiation into its constituting sources. Observations with Herschel open the road towards understanding the properties of these galaxies, and trace the dusty side of galaxy evolution. ... > full story
Santa Claus at risk? Unhealthy lifestyle, unreasonable working conditions, and stress (December 24, 2009) -- An unhealthy lifestyle, unreasonable working conditions, and then the stress of having to deliver 152 million Christmas gifts in 24 hours. The extreme accomplishments of Santa Claus are making researchers in Sweden doubt his very existence. ... > full story
World's first molecular transistor created (December 24, 2009) -- Scientists have succeeded in creating the first transistor made from a single molecule. They showed that a benzene molecule attached to gold contacts could behave just like a silicon transistor. ... > full story
How do you improve mammogram accuracy? Add noise (December 24, 2009) -- Researchers have shown that an obscure phenomenon called stochastic resonance can improve the clarity of signals in systems such as radar, sonar and even radiography, used in medical clinics to detect signs of breast cancer. ... > full story
Youthful appearance of stars known as blue stragglers explained (December 24, 2009) -- For almost 50 years, astronomers have puzzled over the youthful appearance of stars known as blue stragglers. ... > full story
Chemical energy influences tiny vibrations of red blood cell membranes (December 24, 2009) -- Much like a tightly wound drum, red blood cells are in perpetual vibration. Those vibrations help the cells maintain their characteristic flattened oval or disc shape, which is critical to their ability to deform as they traverse blood vessels in the body to deliver oxygen to tissues. ... > full story
SPARKy devices helps amputees return to normal lives (December 23, 2009) -- Researchers have developed a prosthetic device that literally puts the spring back into an amputee's step. The scientists have developed and refined SPARKy (for spring ankle with regenerative kinetics) into a smart, active and energy storing below-the-knee (transbitial) prosthesis. ... > full story
System developed to detect plastic anti-personnel mines (December 23, 2009) -- A team of European researchers has devised a method for locating plastic anti-personnel mines, which are manufactured to avoid detection by metal detectors. The technique involves analyzing the temperature of the ground in three dimensions using specific software and hardware. ... > full story
Glitter-sized solar photovoltaics could revolutionize the way solar energy is collected and used (December 23, 2009) -- Scientists have developed tiny glitter-sized photovoltaic cells that could revolutionize the way solar energy is collected and used. ... > full story
Scientists improve chip memory by stacking cells (December 23, 2009) -- Scientists have developed an elegant method for significantly improving the memory capacity of electronic chips. The researchers have shown that they can build stackable memory based on "ionic memory technology," which could make them ideal candidates for storage cells in high-density memory. Best of all, the new method uses well-known electronics materials. ... > full story
Brown dwarf pair mystifies astronomers (December 23, 2009) -- Two brown dwarf-sized objects orbiting a giant old star show that planets may assemble around stars more quickly and efficiently than anyone thought possible, according to an international team of astronomers. ... > full story
Chemistry makes the natural 'wonder fabric' -- wool -- more wonderful (December 23, 2009) -- Scientists in China are reporting an advance that may improve the natural wonders of wool -- already regarded as the "wonder fabric" for its lightness, softness, warmth even when wet, and other qualities. They say the discovery could give wool a "brain," placing it among other "smart" fabrics that shake off wrinkles, shrinkage and "breathe" to release perspiration. ... > full story
New-generation reactors help reduce nuclear waste (December 23, 2009) -- Advanced technologies offer ways of reducing the quantity of nuclear waste. “New types of nuclear power plants can switch to a closed fuel cycle. It means that nuclear waste wouldn’t be buried as such; instead, it would be chemically dissolved and the recyclable component re-processed into new fuel. As a result, many of the most long-lived radioactive substances could be used at new types of facilities,” says one of the researchers. ... > full story
List helps computers understand expressions with more than one meaning (December 23, 2009) -- List helps computers understand expressions with more than one meaning Computers might well be 'with it', but 'they haven't got a clue' about expressions. Dutch researcher Nicole has come up with a solution to this problem: she has prepared a list of unpredictable word combinations that might, for instance, have a literal as well as a metaphorical meaning. The structuring of this list is such that it can be used by many different computer systems. ... > full story
Gravity in Potsdam and a dignified Christmas tree ball (December 23, 2009) -- Exactly one hundred years ago the force of gravity was measured for the first time with such accuracy that this measured value was established as a reference value world-wide. ... > full story
Improved recipe for catalysts (December 23, 2009) -- Baking the perfect soufflé depends on timing, good ingredients and the right proportions. Exactly the same thing applies to catalysts - the materials that make a chemical reaction work faster or better. Researchers now know how to make a perfect catalyst, thanks to new techniques. ... > full story
Electronic health records: Concerns about potential privacy breaches remain an issue (December 22, 2009) -- New research studies cite pervasive concern among US physicians about privacy issues related to electronic health records, despite recognized benefits of using them. ... > full story
Among apes, teeth are made for the toughest times (December 22, 2009) -- The teeth of some apes are formed primarily to handle the most stressful times when food is scarce, according to new research. The findings imply that if humanity is serious about protecting its close evolutionary cousins, the food apes eat during these tough periods -- and where they find it -- must be included in conservation efforts. ... > full story
Scientists shed light on a mysterious particle, the neutrino (December 22, 2009) -- Physicists have begun looking deep into the Earth to study some of nature's weirdest particles -- neutrinos. ... > full story
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