ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Math formula leads researchers to source of pollution
• Mercury mineral evolution tied to Supercontinent assembly over last 3 billion years
• Scientists struggle with mathematical details, study by biologists finds
• Cassini shows why jet streams cross-cut Saturn
• Scientists twist light to send data: Beams of light can be twisted and combined to transmit data dramatically faster
• Nano-sandwich technique slims down solar cells, improves efficiency
• Speeding up bone growth by manipulating stem cells
• Parts of Mars may have been modified by liquid water in recent geologic times
• New paints prevent fouling of ships' hulls
• Complex thinking behind the bow and arrow
• Assessing an object's consistency without touching it
• Faster, cheaper gas and liquid separation using custom designed and built mesoscopic structures
• Global Energy Assessment identifies pathways to a sustainable energy future
• Perfect nanotube could be grown one meter long, 50,000 times thinner than a human hair
• Suburban students outpace rural and urban peers in math
• Lessons learned in the aftermath of Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident

Math formula leads researchers to source of pollution Posted: 25 Jun 2012 05:30 PM PDT The leaking of environmentally damaging pollutants into our waters and atmosphere could soon be counteracted by a simple mathematical algorithm, according to researchers.

Mercury mineral evolution tied to Supercontinent assembly over last 3 billion years Posted: 25 Jun 2012 01:23 PM PDT Mineral evolution posits that Earth's near-surface mineral diversity gradually increased through an array of chemical and biological processes. A dozen different species in interstellar dust particles that formed the solar system have evolved to more than 4500 species today. New work demonstrates that the creation of most minerals containing mercury is fundamentally linked to several episodes of supercontinent assembly over the last 3 billion years.

Scientists struggle with mathematical details, study by biologists finds Posted: 25 Jun 2012 01:04 PM PDT Many people remember struggling with maths at school, but few of us would expect that professional scientists suffer from a similar problem in their daily work. A new study shows that scientists tend to overlook their colleagues' research if it is packed full of mathematical equations.

Cassini shows why jet streams cross-cut Saturn Posted: 25 Jun 2012 12:05 PM PDT Turbulent jet streams, regions where winds blow faster than in other places, churn east and west across Saturn. Scientists have been trying to understand for years the mechanism that drives these wavy structures in Saturn's atmosphere and the source from which the jets derive their energy.

Scientists twist light to send data: Beams of light can be twisted and combined to transmit data dramatically faster Posted: 25 Jun 2012 10:33 AM PDT Researchers have developed a system of transmitting data using twisted beams of light at ultra-high speeds -- up to 2.56 terabits per second.

Nano-sandwich technique slims down solar cells, improves efficiency Posted: 25 Jun 2012 09:58 AM PDT Researchers have found a way to create much slimmer thin-film solar cells without sacrificing the cells' ability to absorb solar energy. Making the cells thinner should significantly decrease manufacturing costs for the technology.

Speeding up bone growth by manipulating stem cells Posted: 25 Jun 2012 07:09 AM PDT Differentiation of stem cells into bone nodules is greatly accelerated by nanomolecular scaffolds.

Parts of Mars may have been modified by liquid water in recent geologic times Posted: 25 Jun 2012 03:47 AM PDT A new study reveals that parts of Mars may have been modified by liquid water in recent geologic times, which might indicate more favourable conditions for life on the planet.

New paints prevent fouling of ships' hulls Posted: 25 Jun 2012 03:47 AM PDT The colonization of hulls by algae, barnacles, mussels and other organisms is a major problem for both pleasure boats and merchant tonnage. Researchers have now developed new environmentally-friendly and effective bottom paints to prevent this.

Complex thinking behind the bow and arrow Posted: 25 Jun 2012 03:46 AM PDT The bow and arrow have long been regarded as a possible indicator of culture in prehistoric times. Bows and arrows appear to have been in use for some 64,000 years, given evidence from South Africa. Until recently, their significance in human cognitive ability was unclear. Now two researchers have been able to decode the conceptual foundations of the bow and arrow.

Assessing an object's consistency without touching it Posted: 25 Jun 2012 03:44 AM PDT Two teams of researchers have succeeded in evaluating the rigidity of a material … without touching it! To achieve this feat, physicists placed a liquid -- where they created a very weak, nanometric scale flow –- between the probed object and the "tester". This technique, derived from the latest advances in nano-mechanics, has the advantage of being non-invasive and therefore non-destructive and could significantly improve the testing and analysis of thin, fragile objects such as bubbles or cells.

Faster, cheaper gas and liquid separation using custom designed and built mesoscopic structures Posted: 24 Jun 2012 10:50 AM PDT In what may prove to be a significant boon for industry, separating mixtures of liquids or gasses has just become considerably easier. Using a new process they describe as "reverse fossilization," scientists have succeeded in creating custom designed porous substances capable of low cost, high efficiency separation.

Global Energy Assessment identifies pathways to a sustainable energy future Posted: 19 Jun 2012 07:58 PM PDT The key findings of the Global Energy Assessment (GEA) were released June 19th during the RIO+20 Conference on Sustainable Development. The GEA, the most comprehensive and first ever fully integrated global assessment of energy systems, involving many of the world's leading energy specialists, outlines a range of resources, technologies, policy options and pathways that would facilitate a transformation of energy systems and address these challenges.

Perfect nanotube could be grown one meter long, 50,000 times thinner than a human hair Posted: 19 Jun 2012 08:28 AM PDT At the right temperature, with the right catalyst, there's no reason a perfect single-walled carbon nanotube 50,000 times thinner than a human hair can't be grown a meter long. Scientists have explored the self-healing mechanism that could make such extraordinary growth possible.

Suburban students outpace rural and urban peers in math Posted: 19 Jun 2012 08:28 AM PDT American students living in the suburbs are outpacing their urban and rural counterparts in mathematics achievement, with Asian and white students scoring the highest among all races and ethnicities, and students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds doing better overall, according to new research.

Lessons learned in the aftermath of Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident Posted: 18 Jun 2012 01:16 PM PDT An ASME Task Force released recommendations for a new nuclear safety construct that will reach beyond the traditional regulatory framework of adequate protection of public health and safety to minimize socio-political and economic consequences caused by radioactive releases from accidents.

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