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Friday, June 21, 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News


Light and nanoprobes detect early signs of infection

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 01:28 PM PDT

Biomedical engineers and genome researchers have developed a proof-of-principle approach using light to detect infections before patients show symptoms.

How did a third radiation belt appear in the Earth's upper atmosphere?

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 01:28 PM PDT

How did a third radiation belt appear in the Earth's upper atmosphere, and then almost completely disappear?

Solar splashdown provide new insights into how young stars grow by sucking up nearby gas

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 01:28 PM PDT

On June 7, 2011, our sun erupted, blasting tons of hot plasma into space. Some of that plasma splashed back down onto the sun's surface, sparking bright flashes of ultraviolet light. This dramatic event may provide new insights into how young stars grow by sucking up nearby gas.

New method for achieving nonlinear optical effects: Method could be a step toward quantum computing

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 11:29 AM PDT

In a step forward for quantum computing, researchers have theorized a new method for making photons interact.

Uncovering quantum secret in photosynthesis

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 11:29 AM PDT

Scientists have observed the quantum character of light transport through the molecular machines at work in natural photosynthesis. By studying a single machine at a time, they found that this quantum transport is very persistent and robust regardless of environmental changes. These results could pave the way for the construction of solar energy devices with an efficiency surpassing anything we have seen to date.

Cities are a new kind of complex system: Part social reactor, part network

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 11:29 AM PDT

Scientists have derived a series of mathematical formulas that describe how cities' properties vary in relation to their population size, and then posits a novel unified, quantitative framework for understanding how cities function and grow. The resulting theoretical framework predicts very closely dozens of statistical relationships observed in thousands of real cities around the world for which reliable data are available.

Particle accelerator that can fit on a tabletop opens new chapter for science research

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 10:24 AM PDT

The laser plasma accelerator has accelerated about half a billion electrons to 2 gigaelectronvolts over a distance of about 1 inch. It's a downsizing of a factor of approximately 10,000, and marks a major milestone in the advance toward the day when multi-gigaelectronvolt laser plasma accelerators are standard equipment in research laboratories around the world.

Hubble spots galaxies in close encounter: Colliding galaxy pair takes flight

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 10:22 AM PDT

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has produced this vivid image of a pair of interacting galaxies known as Arp 142. When two galaxies stray too close to each other they begin to interact, causing spectacular changes in both objects. In some cases the two can merge — but in others, they are ripped apart.

Too green to be true? Highly effective method for converting CO2 into methanol

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 08:12 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a highly effective method for converting CO2 into methanol, which can be used as a low-emissions fuel for vehicles.

Autophaser improves sample analysis in areas such as cancer, Alzheimer's and oil spills

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 08:12 AM PDT

A new software package allows researchers to vastly improve the performance of one of the key tools used to analyse medical and environmental samples.

App to protect private data on iOS devices finds almost half of other apps access private data

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 07:12 AM PDT

Almost half of the mobile apps running on Apple's iOS operating system access the unique identifier of the devices where they're downloaded, computer scientists have found. In addition, more than 13 percent access the devices' location and more than 6 percent the address book. The researchers developed a new app that detects what data the other apps running on an iOS device are trying to access.

Transistor made from just one molecular monolayer made to work on computer chip

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 04:15 AM PDT

Electronic components built from single molecules using chemical synthesis could pave the way for smaller, faster and more green and sustainable electronic devices. Now for the first time, a transistor made from just one molecular monolayer has been made to work where it really counts. On a computer chip.

Realistic 3-d tumor created through tissue engineering using silk scaffolds

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 04:14 AM PDT

Medical researchers have developed a highly realistic three-dimensional (3-D) tumor model. As it replicates the conditions in the body, it is able to track the effectiveness and progress of drug therapy. Their model has the potential to be a more effective method for studying tumors than in-vitro and even in-vivo methods.

Dusty surprise around giant black hole

Posted: 20 Jun 2013 04:14 AM PDT

ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer has gathered the most detailed observations ever of the dust around the huge black hole at the centre of an active galaxy. Rather than finding all of the glowing dust in a doughnut-shaped torus around the black hole, as expected, the astronomers find that much of it is located above and below the torus. These observations show that dust is being pushed away from the black hole as a cool wind — a surprising finding that challenges current theories and tells us how supermassive black holes evolve and interact with their surroundings.

New survey shows widespread opposition to ‘killer robots,' support for new ban campaign

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 01:43 PM PDT

The results of a new survey show that a majority of Americans across the political spectrum oppose the outsourcing of lethal military and defense targeting decisions to machines. The opposition to autonomous weaponry is bipartisan, with the strongest opposition on the far left and far right, and among active and former members of the military.

Protection for whistleblowers: New system would allow for secret data transfer

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 09:20 AM PDT

Scientists are developing a system that would make it possible for an individual to submit data over the Internet while remaining unobserved.

Making memories: Practical quantum computing moves closer to reality

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:15 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a new way to design quantum memory, bringing quantum computers a step closer to reality.

Unexpected behaviour of well-known catalysts

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:15 AM PDT

Industrial palladium-copper catalysts change their structures before they get to work, already during the activation process. As a result, the reaction is catalysed by a catalyst that is different from the one originally prepared for it.

DNA constructs antenna for solar energy

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 07:14 AM PDT

Researchers have found an effective solution for collecting sunlight for artificial photosynthesis. By combining self-assembling DNA molecules with simple dye molecules, the researchers have created a system that resembles nature's own antenna system.

New solar car has sleek, asymmetrical design

Posted: 19 Jun 2013 06:13 AM PDT

The lopsided solar car named Generation, unveiled today, might be the oddest-looking vehicle the University of Michigan team has ever built. But the bold shape is a calculated effort to design the most efficient car possible, given major changes in World Solar Challenge race rules.

Study of journalists and private citizens' drone use brings up significant issues

Posted: 18 Jun 2013 07:20 AM PDT

A new perspective on the controversial use of unmanned aerial vehicles in journalism and mass communication, or "drone journalism" has been reached. Researchers analyzed the first eight documented cases of drones being used in journalism. They found that there are significant issues that the Federal Aviation Administration will need to address or, they predict, legislative bodies will have to get involved.

Stop hyperventilating, say energy efficiency researchers

Posted: 18 Jun 2013 07:19 AM PDT

A single advanced building control now in development could slash 18 percent -- tens of thousands of dollars -- off the overall annual energy bill of the average large office building, with no loss of comfort. Instead of running ventilation full blast whenever just a single person is in the room, customize the amount of ventilation based on the number of people actually present.

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