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Wednesday, August 14, 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News


Light slowed to a crawl in liquid crystal matrix

Posted: 13 Aug 2013 05:14 PM PDT

Light traveling in a vacuum is the Universe's ultimate speed demon, racing along at approximately 300,000 kilometers/second. Now scientists have found an effective new way to put a speed bump in light's path. Researchers have embedded dye molecules in a liquid crystal matrix to throttle the group velocity of light back to less than one billionth of its top speed.

Toxicologist says NAS panel 'misled the world' when adopting radiation exposure guidelines

Posted: 13 Aug 2013 05:14 PM PDT

A toxicologist describes how regulators came to adopt the linear no threshold (LNT) dose-response approach to ionizing radiation exposure in the 1950s, which was later generalized to chemical carcinogen risk assessment. He also offers further evidence to support his earlier assertions that two geneticists deliberately suppressed evidence to prevent the U.S. National Academy of Sciences from considering an alternative, threshold model, for which there was experimental support.

Super-fast quantum computers? Scientists find asymmetry in topological insulators

Posted: 13 Aug 2013 05:14 PM PDT

New research shows that a class of materials being eyed for the next generation of computers behaves asymmetrically at the sub-atomic level. This research is a key step toward understanding the topological insulators that may have the potential to be the building blocks of a super-fast quantum computer that could run on almost no electricity.

Low-temperature combustion enables cleaner, more efficient engines

Posted: 13 Aug 2013 10:03 AM PDT

As demand climbs for more fuel-efficient vehicles, knowledge compiled over several years about diesel engines and a new strategy known as "low-temperature combustion" (LTC) might soon lead auto manufacturers and consumers to broader use of cleaner diesel engines in the United States.

Wireless devices go battery-free with new communication technique

Posted: 13 Aug 2013 10:03 AM PDT

Engineers have created a new wireless communication system that allows devices to interact with each other without relying on batteries or wires for power. The technology could enable a network of devices and sensors to communicate with no power source or human attention needed.

Crowdsourcing weather using smartphone batteries

Posted: 13 Aug 2013 09:16 AM PDT

A group of smartphone app developers and weather experts have developed a way to use the temperature sensors built into smartphone batteries to crowdsource weather information. These tiny thermometers usually prevent smartphones from dangerously overheating, but the researchers discovered the battery temperatures tell a story about the environment around them.

Fuel cell innovation: Novel cathode material which has outstanding performance

Posted: 13 Aug 2013 08:23 AM PDT

Scientists have developed a novel cathode material which has outstanding performance and robust reliability even at the intermediate temperature range.

'Talking' to structures to boost public safety

Posted: 13 Aug 2013 08:19 AM PDT

Researchers are developing low-cost technology which can 'talk' to structures like bridges and airplanes to monitor their structural health and assess them for damage.

Precisely measuring velocity of supernova shockwave

Posted: 13 Aug 2013 07:10 AM PDT

Astronomers have precisely measured the expansion velocity of a shockwave of the supernova remnant W44. The remnant is located in the constellation of Aquila, approximately 10,000 light-years away from our solar system. The team observed the high-temperature and high-density molecular gas in the millimeter/submillimeter wave ranges.

New electron beam writer enables next-gen biomedical and information technologies

Posted: 12 Aug 2013 05:35 PM PDT

The new electron beam writer housed in the Nano3 cleanroom facility at the Qualcomm Institute is important for electrical engineering professor Shadi Dayeh's two major areas of research. He is developing next-generation, nanoscale transistors for integrated electronics; and he is developing neural probes that have the capacity to extract electrical signals from individual brain cells and transmit the information to a prosthetic device or computer.

Fast detector for a wide wavelength range

Posted: 08 Aug 2013 09:42 AM PDT

Free-electron lasers are extremely versatile research tools because their intense, super short light flashes permit a closer look at new materials and even biological molecules; thus, allowing effects to be observed that had not been known previously. For pulsed lasers in the far infrared range, the so-called terahertz range, scientists have developed a robust and fast detector which can measure the arrival of a terahertz pulse with great accuracy.

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