ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Astronomers detect vast amounts of gas and dust around black hole in early universe
• New evidence that comets deposited building blocks of life on primordial Earth
• Transparent, flexible '3-D' memory chips may be the next big thing in small memory devices
• Nanostarfruits are pure gold for research
• New process converts polyethylene into carbon fiber
• Nanoparticles and magnetic current used to damage cancerous cells in mice
• Some flame retardants make fires more deadly
• Researchers discover a new path for light through metal
• Microfluidic chip developed to stem flu outbreaks
• Living human gut-on-a-chip: Tiny device simulates structure, microenvironment, and mechanical behavior of human intestine
• Ion Beam Laboratory looks at advanced materials for reactors
• New catalyst promises cheaper, greener drugs
• Engineers set their sights on asteroid deflection
• A planetary system from the early Universe
• New dimension for solar energy: Innovative 3-D designs more than double the solar power generated per area
• Cassini makes simultaneous measurements of Saturn's nightside aurora and associated electric current system
• 'Ordinary' black hole discovered 12 million light years away
• Deepest ever high-resolution radio survey of Hubble Deep Field begun
• New SCUBA-2 camera reveals wild youth of the universe
• Jupiter helps Halley’s Comet give us more spectacular meteor displays
• Evidence stacks up that monolith at Gardom's Edge is astronomically aligned
• New plastics 'bleed' when cut or scratched -- and then heal like human skin
• New twist on 1930s technology may become a 21st century weapon against global warming
• More economical way to produce cleaner, hotter natural gas
• New 'electronic skin' patches monitor health wirelessly
• New field of chemistry has potential for making drugs inside patients -- and more
• Popcorn-shaped gold particles gang up on salmonella
• New nano-measurements add spark to centuries-old theory of friction
• When ions get closer: New physical attraction discovered
• Nuclear power plants can produce hydrogen to fuel the 'hydrogen economy'

Astronomers detect vast amounts of gas and dust around black hole in early universe Posted: 27 Mar 2012 06:57 PM PDT Astronomers have discovered a large reservoir of gas and dust in a galaxy that surrounds the most distant supermassive black hole known. Light from the galaxy, called J1120+0641, has taken so long to reach us that the galaxy is seen as it was only 740 million years after the Big Bang, when the universe was only 1/18th of its current age.

New evidence that comets deposited building blocks of life on primordial Earth Posted: 27 Mar 2012 06:56 PM PDT New research provides further support for the idea that comets bombarding Earth billions of years ago carried and deposited the key ingredients for life to spring up on the planet.

Transparent, flexible '3-D' memory chips may be the next big thing in small memory devices Posted: 27 Mar 2012 06:55 PM PDT New memory chips that are transparent, flexible enough to be folded like a sheet of paper, shrug off 1,000-degree Fahrenheit temperatures -- twice as hot as the max in a kitchen oven -- and survive other hostile conditions could usher in the development of next-generation flash-competitive memory for tomorrow's keychain drives, cell phones and computers, scientists say.

Nanostarfruits are pure gold for research Posted: 27 Mar 2012 02:07 PM PDT Starfruit-shaped gold nanorods could nourish applications that rely on surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, such as medical imaging and chemical sensing.

New process converts polyethylene into carbon fiber Posted: 27 Mar 2012 12:29 PM PDT Common material such as polyethylene used in plastic bags could be turned into something far more valuable through a new process.

Nanoparticles and magnetic current used to damage cancerous cells in mice Posted: 27 Mar 2012 12:28 PM PDT Using nanoparticles and alternating magnetic fields, scientists have found that head and neck cancerous tumor cells in mice can be killed in half an hour without harming healthy cells. The findings mark the first time to the researchers' knowledge this cancer type has been treated using magnetic iron oxide nanoparticle-induced hyperthermia, or above-normal body temperatures, in laboratory mice.

Some flame retardants make fires more deadly Posted: 27 Mar 2012 10:42 AM PDT Some of the flame retardants added to carpets, furniture upholstery, plastics, crib mattresses, car and airline seats and other products to suppress the visible flames in fires are actually increasing the danger of invisible toxic gases that are the No. 1 cause of death in fires.

Researchers discover a new path for light through metal Posted: 27 Mar 2012 09:49 AM PDT Researchers have coaxed a thin film of titanium nitride into transporting plasmons, tiny electron excitations coupled to light that can direct and manipulate optical signals on the nanoscale. Titanium nitride's addition to the short list of surface-plasmon-supporting materials, formerly comprised only of metals, could point the way to a new class of optoelectronic devices with unprecedented speed and efficiency.

Microfluidic chip developed to stem flu outbreaks Posted: 27 Mar 2012 09:48 AM PDT Researchers have developed a rapid, low-cost, accurate, point-of-care device that matches the accuracy of expensive and time-consuming lab-based tests to diagnose influenza.

Living human gut-on-a-chip: Tiny device simulates structure, microenvironment, and mechanical behavior of human intestine Posted: 27 Mar 2012 09:48 AM PDT Researchers have created a gut-on-a-chip microdevice lined by living human cells that mimics the structure, physiology, and mechanics of the human intestine -- even supporting the growth of living microbes within its luminal space. As a more accurate alternative to conventional cell culture and animal models, the microdevice could help researchers gain new insights into intestinal disorders and evaluate the safety and efficacy of potential treatments.

Ion Beam Laboratory looks at advanced materials for reactors Posted: 27 Mar 2012 09:48 AM PDT Scientists are studying how to rapidly evaluate the tougher advanced materials needed to build the next generation of nuclear reactors and extend the lives of current reactors.

New catalyst promises cheaper, greener drugs Posted: 27 Mar 2012 09:43 AM PDT A chemistry team has discovered environmentally-friendly iron-based nanoparticle catalysts that work as well as the expensive, toxic, metal-based catalysts that are currently in wide use by the drug, fragrance and food industry.

Engineers set their sights on asteroid deflection Posted: 27 Mar 2012 09:42 AM PDT Engineers are developing an innovative technique based on lasers that could radically change asteroid deflection technology.

A planetary system from the early Universe Posted: 27 Mar 2012 09:41 AM PDT Astronomers have discovered an ancient planetary system that is likely to be a survivor from one of the earliest cosmic eras, 13 billion years ago. The system consists of the star HIP 11952 and two planets, which have orbital periods of 290 and 7 days, respectively. Whereas planets usually form within clouds that include heavier chemical elements, the star HIP 11952 contains very little other than hydrogen and helium. The system promises to shed light on planet formation in the early universe – under conditions quite different from those of later planetary systems, such as our own.

New dimension for solar energy: Innovative 3-D designs more than double the solar power generated per area Posted: 27 Mar 2012 06:46 AM PDT Intensive research around the world has focused on improving the performance of solar photovoltaic cells and bringing down their cost. But very little attention has been paid to the best ways of arranging those cells, which are typically placed flat on a rooftop or other surface, or sometimes attached to motorized structures that keep the cells pointed toward the sun as it crosses the sky. Now, a team of researchers has come up with a very different approach: building cubes or towers that extend the solar cells upward in three-dimensional configurations.

Cassini makes simultaneous measurements of Saturn's nightside aurora and associated electric current system Posted: 27 Mar 2012 06:36 AM PDT Since the NASA / ESA Cassini-Huygens spacecraft arrived at Saturn in 2004, astronomers and space scientists have been able to study the ringed planet and its moons in great detail. Now, for the first time, a team of planetary scientists have made simultaneous measurements of Saturn's nightside aurora, magnetic field, and associated charged particles.

'Ordinary' black hole discovered 12 million light years away Posted: 27 Mar 2012 06:36 AM PDT Scientists have discovered an 'ordinary' black hole in the 12 million light year-distant galaxy Centaurus A. This is the first time that a normal-size black hole has been detected away from the immediate vicinity of our own Galaxy.

Deepest ever high-resolution radio survey of Hubble Deep Field begun Posted: 27 Mar 2012 06:36 AM PDT Astronomers have begun the deepest ever high-resolution radio imaging of the region around the Hubble Deep Field (HDF), the images originally captured by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in the mid 1990s. The HDF led to the discovery of numerous galaxies billions of light years distant and provided direct visual evidence of the evolution of the Universe. First results from the new imaging show galaxies some 7 billion light years away in unprecedented detail.

New SCUBA-2 camera reveals wild youth of the universe Posted: 27 Mar 2012 06:36 AM PDT Astronomers have commenced a revolutionary new study of cosmic star-formation history, looking back in time to when the universe was still in its lively and somewhat unruly youth. The consortium is using a brand new camera called SCUBA-2, the most powerful camera ever developed for observing light at "sub-mm" wavelengths (light that has a wavelength 1000 times longer than we can see with our eyes).

Jupiter helps Halley’s Comet give us more spectacular meteor displays Posted: 27 Mar 2012 06:35 AM PDT The dramatic appearance of Halley's comet in the night sky has been observed and recorded by astronomers since 240 BC. Now a study shows that the orbital influences of Jupiter on the comet and the debris it leaves in its wake are responsible for periodic outbursts of activity in the Orionid meteor showers.

Evidence stacks up that monolith at Gardom's Edge is astronomically aligned Posted: 27 Mar 2012 06:35 AM PDT Researchers have gathered new evidence that a 4000-year-old monolith was aligned to be an astronomical marker.  The 2.2 meter high monument, located in the Peak District National Park, has a striking, right-angled triangular shape that slants up towards geographic south. The orientation and inclination of the slope is aligned to the altitude of the Sun at mid-summer. The researchers believe that the monolith was set in place to give symbolic meaning to the location through the changing seasonal illuminations.

New plastics 'bleed' when cut or scratched -- and then heal like human skin Posted: 27 Mar 2012 06:12 AM PDT A new genre of plastics that mimic the human skin's ability to heal scratches and cuts offers the promise of endowing cell phones, laptops, cars and other products with self-repairing surfaces, scientists have reported. The plastics change color to warn of wounds and heal themselves when exposed to light.

New twist on 1930s technology may become a 21st century weapon against global warming Posted: 27 Mar 2012 06:11 AM PDT Far from being a pipe dream years away from reality, practical technology for capturing carbon dioxide — the main greenhouse gas — from smokestacks is aiming for deployment at coal-fired electric power generating stations and other sources, scientists now say. Scientists have a potential advance toward dealing with the 30 billion tons of carbon dioxide released into the air each year through human activity.

More economical way to produce cleaner, hotter natural gas Posted: 27 Mar 2012 06:11 AM PDT New technology is offering the prospect of more economical production of a concentrated form of natural gas with many of the advantages — in terms of reduced shipping and storage costs — of the familiar frozen fruit juice concentrates, liquid laundry detergents and other household products that have been drained of their water, scientists report.

New 'electronic skin' patches monitor health wirelessly Posted: 27 Mar 2012 06:10 AM PDT Like the colorful temporary tattoos that children stick to their arms for fun, people may one day put thin "electronic skin" patches onto their arms to wirelessly diagnose health problems or deliver treatments. The patches could eliminate the need for patients to stay tethered to large machines for hours of treatment or monitoring.

New field of chemistry has potential for making drugs inside patients -- and more Posted: 27 Mar 2012 06:10 AM PDT The traditional way of making medicines in a factory may be joined by a new approach in which doctors administer the ingredients for a medicine separately, and those ingredients combine inside patients' bodies. That's one promise from an emerging field of chemistry, according to its founder.

Popcorn-shaped gold particles gang up on salmonella Posted: 27 Mar 2012 06:10 AM PDT How about a test that identifies Salmonella, the food poisoning bacteria that sickens millions of people each year, in five minutes, so that shipments of lettuce can be confiscated before they reach the table? Scientists have just developed and successfully tested just such a test.

New nano-measurements add spark to centuries-old theory of friction Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:27 AM PDT The phenomenon of friction, when studied on a nanoscale, is more complex than previously thought. When friction occurs, an object does not simply slide its surface over that of another, it also makes a slight up-and-down movement. This finding completes a centuries-old theory of friction dating to 1699 and uncovers a gap in contemporary thinking on friction. The phenomenon has been termed lift-up hysteresis.

When ions get closer: New physical attraction discovered Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:27 AM PDT Physicists have discovered a new physical attraction that accelerates the process of developing even smaller and more powerful computer chips. They have found a previously unknown phenomenon in quantum plasmas. A negatively charged potential makes it possible to combine positively charged particles (ions) in atom-like structures within the plasma. In this way, current can be conducted much more quickly and efficiently than before, opening new perspectives for nanotechnology.

Nuclear power plants can produce hydrogen to fuel the 'hydrogen economy' Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:25 AM PDT The long-sought technology for enabling the fabled "hydrogen economy" — an era based on hydrogen fuel that replaces gasoline, diesel and other fossil fuels, easing concerns about foreign oil and air pollution — has been available for decades and could begin commercial production of hydrogen in this decade, a scientist has reported.

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