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Friday, November 15, 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News


Spintronics: Nano magnets arise at 2-D boundaries

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 11:22 AM PST

According to a new theory, imperfections in certain two-dimensional materials create the conditions by which nanoscale magnetic fields arise.

Scientists nearing forecasts of long-lived wildfires

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 11:21 AM PST

Scientists have developed a new computer modeling technique that offers the promise, for the first time, of producing continually updated daylong predictions of wildfire growth throughout the lifetime of long-lived blazes. The technique combines detailed computer simulations with newly available satellite observations.

Distant artificial atoms cooperate by sharing light: Future applications in advanced quantum devices

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 11:21 AM PST

Scientists have shown for the first time that atoms can work collectively rather than independently of each other to share light. Quantum physicists have long discussed such an effect, but it has not been seen before in an experiment.

Quantum world record smashed: Quantum state survives at room temperature for 39 minutes

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 11:21 AM PST

A normally fragile quantum state has been shown to survive at room temperature for a world record 39 minutes, overcoming a key barrier towards building ultrafast quantum computers.

Hydrogen fuel from sunlight? Low-cost, long-lasting water splitter made of silicon and nickel

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 11:21 AM PST

Scientists have created a silicon-based water splitter that is both low-cost and corrosion-free. The novel device -- a silicon semiconductor coated in an ultrathin layer of nickel -- could help pave the way for large-scale production of clean hydrogen fuel from sunlight.

Toward new quantum possibilities: Seeing a photon without absorbing it

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 11:19 AM PST

Scientists can detect an optical photon twice. Light is of fundamental importance. It allows us to see the world around us and record pictures of our environment. It enables communication over long distances through optical fibers. All current methods of detecting light share a common property: absorption and thus destruction of a photon. It has been a long-standing dream to be able to watch individual photons fly by without absorbing them. Scientists have now for the first time realized a device which leaves the photon untouched upon detection. This provides new possibilities for using single photons in quantum communication and quantum information processing.

Penguin-inspired propulsion system

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 10:24 AM PST

Scientists who have explored leveraging penguins' "rocket" properties to create new propulsion technologies with high maneuverability and improved hydrodynamic efficiency, are creating a penguin-inspired propulsion system that uses a novel spherical joint mechanism.

Large graphene crystals with exceptional electrical properties created

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 10:24 AM PST

Researchers are using oxygen to grow large single graphene crystals on copper. Large single-crystal graphene is of great interest because the grain boundaries in polycrystalline material have defects, and eliminating such defects makes for a better material.

Jupiter mystery solved: Why the giant planet's mysterious Great Red Spot has not disappeared

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 10:19 AM PST

Based on what scientists understand about fluid dynamics, Jupiter's Great Red Spot should have disappeared centuries ago. Astronomers now think they can explain why. Their work also provides insight into persistent ocean eddies and vortices that contribute to star and planet formation.

Hubble views an old and mysterious cluster

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 09:22 AM PST

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured the best ever image of the globular cluster Messier 15, a gathering of very old stars that orbits the center of the Milky Way. This glittering cluster contains over 100 000 stars, and could also hide a rare type of black hole at its center.

Hubble reveals first scrapbook pictures of Milky Way's formative years

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 08:36 AM PST

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has provided the first visual evidence showing how our home galaxy, the Milky Way, assembled itself into the majestic pinwheel of stars we see today. Perusing Hubble's deep-sky surveys, astronomers traced 400 galaxies similar to our Milky Way at various stages of construction over a time span of 11 billion years.

Mind-reading robots coming ever closer

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 07:25 AM PST

If you think with the release of every new i-device the world is getting closer to thought-controlled smart tech and robotic personal assistants, you might be right.

Electron beams and radio signals from the surface of the Sun

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 07:21 AM PST

The sun emits light, but it also emits particle beams. A scientist has now revealed how these beams generate radio waves. These radio waves can tell us about the outer layers of the sun and the interstellar medium without going there. In particular, the radio emissions are produced in small packages, and their shapes are determined by the density changes in the solar wind.

Accidental discovery dramatically improves electrical conductivity

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 06:49 AM PST

Quite by accident, researchers have achieved a 400-fold increase in the electrical conductivity of a crystal simply by exposing it to light. The effect, which lasted for days after the light was turned off, could dramatically improve the performance of devices like computer chips.

Tiny 'Lego' blocks build Janus nanotubes with potential for new drugs and water purification

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 06:49 AM PST

Researchers have created tiny protein tubes named after the Roman god Janus which may offer a new way to accurately channel drugs into the body's cells.

Single-atom bit forms smallest memory in the world

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 06:48 AM PST

One atom equals one bit: According to this design principle, we would like to construct magnetic data memories in the future. Presently, a compound of several million atoms is needed to stabilize a magnetic bit in a way that hard disk data are secure for several years. However, researchers have just made a big step towards a single-atom bit: They fixed a single atom on a surface such that the magnetic spin remained stable for ten minutes.

Researcher helping to solve moon's water puzzles

Posted: 14 Nov 2013 06:41 AM PST

Astrophysicists are applying new techniques to better characterize hydrogen, or water, at the moon's poles and map its distribution.

Tiny crystals could revolutionize structural biology studies

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 11:31 AM PST

Scientists have developed a new method that generates a high-resolution protein structure from crystals one-million times smaller than those needed for X-ray crystallography, the most common method for determining protein structure. The new technique, called MicroED, has the potential to accelerate structural biologists' efforts and to expand the repertoire of proteins whose high-resolution structures can be solved.

Breathalyzer technology detects acetone levels to monitor blood glucose in diabetics

Posted: 13 Nov 2013 09:56 AM PST

A novel hand-held, noninvasive monitoring device that uses multilayer nanotechnology to detect acetone has been shown to correlate with blood-glucose levels in the breath of diabetics.

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