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Friday, May 2, 2014

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News


Stimulated mutual annihilation: How to make a gamma-ray laser with positronium

Posted: 01 May 2014 01:56 PM PDT

Theorists expect that positronium, a sort of 'atom' consisting of an electron and an anti-electron, can be used to make a powerful gamma-ray laser. Scientists now report detailed calculations of the dynamics of a positronium BEC. This work is the first to account for effects of collisions between different positronium species. These collisions put important constraints on gamma-ray laser operation.

Excessive regulations turning scientists into bureaucrats

Posted: 01 May 2014 01:56 PM PDT

Excessive regulations are consuming scientists' time and wasting taxpayer dollars, says a new report. Thousands of federally funded scientists responded to a request to identify requirements they believe unnecessarily increase their administrative workload.

Nanoelectronics: Edgy look at 2-D molybdenum disulfide

Posted: 01 May 2014 12:10 PM PDT

Researchers have recorded the first observations of a strong nonlinear optical resonance along the edges of single layers of molybdenum disulfide that could be key to the use of this and similar 2-D semiconductors in future nanoelectronic devices.

Whales hear us more than we realize: Sonar signal 'leaks' likely audible to some marine mammals

Posted: 01 May 2014 12:09 PM PDT

Killer whales and other marine mammals likely hear sonar signals more than we've known. That's because commercially available sonar systems, which are designed to create signals beyond the range of hearing of such animals, also emit signals known to be within their hearing range, scientists have discovered.

Breaking up water: Controlling molecular vibrations to produce hydrogen

Posted: 01 May 2014 11:22 AM PDT

Converting methane into hydrogen is crucial for clean energy and agriculture. This reaction requires water and a catalyst. Scientists have now used a novel laser approach to control specific vibrations of a water molecule, which can affect the efficiency of the reaction.

Jupiter's moon Ganymede may harbor 'club sandwich' of oceans and ice

Posted: 01 May 2014 11:07 AM PDT

The largest moon in our solar system, a companion to Jupiter named Ganymede, might have ice and oceans stacked up in several layers like a club sandwich, according to new NASA-funded research that models the moon's makeup.

Casualties get scant attention in wartime news, with little change since World War I

Posted: 01 May 2014 10:26 AM PDT

The human costs of America's wars have received scant attention in daily war reporting -- through five major conflicts going back a century -- says a first-of-its-kind study of New York Times war coverage. Casualties get little mention no matter the number of dead and wounded, the degree of censorship, or other factors.

Nearby galaxy is a 'fossil' from the early universe

Posted: 01 May 2014 10:26 AM PDT

Scientists analyzed the chemical elements in the faintest known galaxy, called Segue 1, and determined that it is effectively a fossil galaxy left over from the early universe. Stars form from gas clouds and their composition mirrors the chemical composition of the galactic gas from which they were born.

Shabby, urban neighborhoods wisest choice for investors

Posted: 01 May 2014 10:25 AM PDT

Researchers find that investing in real estate located in run-down, urban neighborhoods that border tony areas is wise choice. The most promising urban real estate can be found in run-down neighborhoods that border tony, upper-class areas.

Small changes could save structures, lives during tornadoes: Safe rooms, quality garage doors critical

Posted: 01 May 2014 10:25 AM PDT

Surviving a tornado in a wood-frame residential home is enhanced by an intact roof and standing walls, but light-weight garage doors can be the weak link to allowing high winds and pressure changes into a home that can lead to the removal of the roof and collapsed walls, according to a study of damage left behind by a powerful tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, in 2013.

First ever gravitationally lensed Type Ia supernovae discovered

Posted: 01 May 2014 10:25 AM PDT

Astronomers have discovered three distant exploding stars that have been magnified by the immense gravity of foreground galaxy clusters, which act like 'cosmic lenses.' These supernovae are the first of their type ever to be observed magnified in this way and they offer astronomers a powerful tool to check the prescription of these massive lenses.

Accelerator for molecular machines discovered

Posted: 01 May 2014 08:17 AM PDT

How hard can it be to make a wheel rotate in a machine? Very hard actually, when the wheel sits in one of those nano-small molecular machines that are predicted to be running our future machines. But before the molecular machines become part of our daily lives, researchers must be able to control them. Scientists have now solved part of this problem.

New rapid synthesis developed for bilayer graphene and high-performance transistors

Posted: 01 May 2014 07:11 AM PDT

A research team has demonstrated a rapid synthesis technique for large-area Bernal -- or AB -- stacked bilayer graphene films that can open up new pathways for digital electronics and transparent conductor applications.

Battle against drug smuggling: Physicist's new research lends a hand

Posted: 01 May 2014 07:10 AM PDT

Global security and the fight against crimes such as drug smuggling and weapons trafficking would be massively aided by an improved method of scanning cargoes for concealed items, suggests a researcher. A technology for this, based on the use of neutron beams, exists but is beset by problems.

Playing pool with carbon atoms: How to change the crystal structure of graphene

Posted: 30 Apr 2014 04:27 PM PDT

A discovery brings graphene -- thin layers of pencil 'lead' -- one step closer to replacing silicon in future technologies such as faster and smaller microprocessors. Graphene consists of extremely thin sheets of graphite: when writing with a pencil, graphene sheets slough off the pencil's graphite core and stick to the page. If placed under a high-powered electron microscope, graphene reveals its sheet-like structure of cross-linked carbon atoms, resembling chicken wire.

Model sheds new light on sports-related brain injuries

Posted: 29 Apr 2014 09:58 AM PDT

Insight into the behavioral damage caused by repeated blows to the head has been highlighted in new research. The research provides a foundation for scientists to better understand and potentially develop new ways to detect and prevent the repetitive sports injuries that can lead to the condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

Screening out: What are parents doing to limit screen time for young children?

Posted: 29 Apr 2014 09:55 AM PDT

About 25 percent of parents who have children aged two to five say their children get three or more hours of entertainment screen time a day, well beyond recommended limits, according to a new poll. Any screen time for children less than two years of age is discouraged by experts. For older children, no more than two hours daily is recommended, and media devices should be kept out of children's bedrooms. 53 percent of parents are following these recommendations, but 13 percent said they do not limit entertainment screen time for their young children.

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