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Wednesday, September 10, 2014

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News


Buckyballs and diamondoids in tiny electronic gadget: Two exotic types of carbon form molecule for steering electron flow

Posted: 09 Sep 2014 06:38 AM PDT

Scientists have married two unconventional forms of carbon -- one shaped like a soccer ball, the other a tiny diamond -- to make a molecule that conducts electricity in only one direction. This tiny electronic component, known as a rectifier, could play a key role in shrinking chip components down to the size of molecules to enable faster, more powerful devices.

Nuclear waste eaters: Scientists discover hazardous waste-eating bacteria

Posted: 09 Sep 2014 06:36 AM PDT

Tiny single-cell organisms discovered living underground could help with the problem of nuclear waste disposal, say researchers. Although bacteria with waste-eating properties have been discovered in relatively pristine soils before, this is the first time that microbes that can survive in the very harsh conditions expected in radioactive waste disposal sites have been found.

Phosphorus a promising semiconductor: Physicists find 2-D form pays no heed to defects

Posted: 09 Sep 2014 06:36 AM PDT

The two-dimensional form of phosphorus may be a useful, flaw-resistant semiconductor for electronics. Theory shows the material's electronic properties are not affected by point defects or grain boundaries.

New infrared marker for bio-imaging

Posted: 09 Sep 2014 06:23 AM PDT

The recently developed fluorescent protein Amrose is now being used for advanced near-IR imaging procedures. With the aid of a novel evolutionary platform technology, scientists have developed this infrared marker as part of a combined effort to improve the quality of tissue imaging.

Advanced technologies vastly improve MRI for children

Posted: 09 Sep 2014 06:21 AM PDT

Researchers have significantly reduced the amount of time it takes for a child to undergo an MRI scan. One reason is that in order to acquire a faithful MR image, patients must hold completely still while lying in a scanner, sometimes for over an hour. For young children, such a feat is nearly impossible. In addition, the confined space of the MRI machine combined with the loud noises it generates can upset children, making it even more difficult for them to remain still.

Interactive dark matter could explain Milky Way's missing satellite galaxies

Posted: 08 Sep 2014 05:46 PM PDT

Scientists believe they have found a way to explain why there are not as many galaxies orbiting the Milky Way as expected. Computer simulations of the formation of our galaxy suggest that there should be many more small galaxies around the Milky Way than are observed through telescopes. This has thrown doubt on the generally accepted theory of cold dark matter, an invisible and mysterious substance that scientists predict should allow for more galaxy formation around the Milky Way than is seen. Now cosmologists think they have found a potential solution to the problem.

Co-flowing liquids can stabilize chaotic 'whipping' in microfluidic jets

Posted: 08 Sep 2014 12:29 PM PDT

Industrial wet spinning processes produce fibers from polymers and other materials by using tiny needles to eject continuous jets of liquid precursors. The electrically charged liquids ejected from the needles normally exhibit a chaotic 'whipping' structure as they enter a secondary liquid that surrounds the microscopic jets. Researchers have now learned how to control that chaotic structure.

No need to leave home: New system of tele-medical assistance for people with mobility problems

Posted: 08 Sep 2014 10:52 AM PDT

Medical researchers have designed a remote medical care system that supports the rehabilitation of people with spasticity, an alteration of the nervous system related to increased tone muscle making motor skills difficult or impossible for those affected.

NASA's RapidScat: Some assembly required -- in space

Posted: 08 Sep 2014 09:56 AM PDT

NASA's ISS-RapidScat wind-watching scatterometer, which is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station no earlier than Sept. 19, will be the first science payload to be robotically assembled in space since the space station itself. This image shows the instrument assembly on the left, shrouded in white. On the right is Rapid-Scat's nadir adapter, a very sophisticated bracket that points the scatterometer toward Earth so that it can record the direction and speed of ocean winds. The two pieces are stowed in the unpressurized trunk of a SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Evidence of 'diving' tectonic plates on Jupiter's moon Europa

Posted: 08 Sep 2014 09:22 AM PDT

Scientists have found evidence of plate tectonics on Jupiter's moon Europa. This indicates the first sign of this type of surface-shifting geological activity on a world other than Earth. "Europa may be more Earth-like than we imagined, if it has a global plate tectonic system," said one of the researchers.

Planet forming around star about 335 light years from Earth

Posted: 08 Sep 2014 09:15 AM PDT

Scientists have discovered what they believe is evidence of a planet forming around a star about 335 light years from Earth. Astronomers set out to study the protoplanetary disk around a star known as HD 100546, and as sometimes happens in scientific inquiry, it was by "chance" that they stumbled upon the formation of the planet orbiting this star.

Researchers part water: 'electric prism' separates water's nuclear spin states

Posted: 08 Sep 2014 09:10 AM PDT

Using an 'electric prism,' scientists have found a new way of separating water molecules that differ only in their nuclear spin states and, under normal conditions, do not part ways. Since water is such a fundamental molecule in the universe, the recent study may impact a multitude of research areas ranging from biology to astrophysics.

Looking deep inside a working lithium-ion battery

Posted: 08 Sep 2014 09:00 AM PDT

In an unprecedented view inside a working lithium-ion battery, researchers used a neutron beam to "see" the flow of lithium in real time, as the battery charged and discharged. What they saw could one day help explain why rechargeable batteries lose capacity over time, and why they even sometimes catch fire.

Sun-powered desalination for villages in India

Posted: 08 Sep 2014 06:37 AM PDT

Around the world, there is more salty groundwater than fresh, drinkable groundwater. For example, 60 percent of India is underlain by salty water -- and much of that area is not served by an electric grid that could run conventional reverse-osmosis desalination plants. Sun-powered desalination could deliver clean water for off-grid villages.

New knowledge of cannabis paves way for drug development

Posted: 08 Sep 2014 06:37 AM PDT

Revolutionary nanotechnology method could help improve the development of new medicine and reduce costs. Researchers have developed a new screening method that makes it possible to study cell membrane proteins that bind drugs, such as cannabis and adrenaline, while reducing the consumption of precious samples by a billion times.

Layered graphene sandwich for next generation electronics

Posted: 08 Sep 2014 06:36 AM PDT

Sandwiching layers of graphene with white graphene could produce designer materials capable of creating high-frequency electronic devices, scientists have found.

Light detector to revolutionize night vision technology

Posted: 08 Sep 2014 06:36 AM PDT

A light detector that could revolutionize chemical sensing and night vision technology has been developed by researchers. Based on graphene, the detector is capable of detecting light over an unusually broad range of wavelengths, included in this are terahertz waves -- between infrared and microwave radiation, where sensitive light detection is most difficult.

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