ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spectrometer detects helium in moon's atmosphere
• Designing tiny molecules that glow in water to shed light on biological processes
• First direct observations of quantum effects in an optomechanical system
• New nanoparticles shrink tumors in mice
• Phoenix cluster sets record pace at forming stars
• Behaviors of the tiniest water droplets revealed
• New method to remove phosphorus from wastewater
• Recreating a slice of the universe: Computational approach follows thousands of galaxies over billions of years
• Novel nano-structures to realize hydrogen's energy potential
• This is not a pipe: Curious dark Pipe Nebula seen as never before
• Structure of superheavy elements in 'island of stability': Nucleus 256Rf can now be studied in depth
• Flexible snake armor could inspire abrasion-resistant materials
• Future light component produced in printing press
• Single sign-on for Internet use had major vulnerabilites: Many now fixed

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spectrometer detects helium in moon's atmosphere Posted: 15 Aug 2012 12:16 PM PDT Scientists using the Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) spectrometer aboard NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) have made the first spectroscopic observations of the noble gas helium in the tenuous atmosphere surrounding the Moon.

Designing tiny molecules that glow in water to shed light on biological processes Posted: 15 Aug 2012 11:20 AM PDT Scientists have developed a way to switch fluorescent molecules on and off within aqueous environments, by strategically trapping the molecules inside water-soluble particles and controlling them with ultraviolet light.

First direct observations of quantum effects in an optomechanical system Posted: 15 Aug 2012 11:20 AM PDT Using a unique optical trapping system that provides ensembles of ultracold atoms, scientists have recorded the first direct observations of distinctly quantum optical effects -- amplification and squeezing -- in an optomechanical system. Their findings point the way toward low-power quantum optical devices and enhanced detection of gravitational waves among other possibilities.

New nanoparticles shrink tumors in mice Posted: 15 Aug 2012 11:20 AM PDT Researchers have developed RNA-delivering nanoparticles that allow for rapid screening of new drug targets in mice. In a study of mice with ovarian tumors, the researchers found that treatment with the RNAi nanoparticles eliminated most of the tumors.

Phoenix cluster sets record pace at forming stars Posted: 15 Aug 2012 10:17 AM PDT Astronomers have found an extraordinary galaxy cluster, one of the largest objects in the universe, that is breaking several important cosmic records. Observations of the Phoenix cluster with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, the National Science Foundation's South Pole Telescope, and eight other world-class observatories may force astronomers to rethink how these colossal structures and the galaxies that inhabit them evolve.

Behaviors of the tiniest water droplets revealed Posted: 15 Aug 2012 10:11 AM PDT A new study has uncovered fundamental details about the hexamer structures that make up the tiniest droplets of water, the key component of life -- and one that scientists still don't fully understand.

New method to remove phosphorus from wastewater Posted: 15 Aug 2012 08:22 AM PDT Researchers are developing a new method of removing phosphorus from wastewater -- a problem seriously affecting lakes and streams across the United States.

Recreating a slice of the universe: Computational approach follows thousands of galaxies over billions of years Posted: 15 Aug 2012 08:22 AM PDT Scientists have invented a new computational approach that can accurately follow the birth and evolution of thousands of galaxies over billions of years. For the first time it is now possible to build a universe from scratch that brims with galaxies like we observe around us.

Novel nano-structures to realize hydrogen's energy potential Posted: 15 Aug 2012 06:33 AM PDT Using a unique nanostructure, researchers have demonstrated for the first time that a promising hydrogen storage material can release and reabsorb energy.

This is not a pipe: Curious dark Pipe Nebula seen as never before Posted: 15 Aug 2012 05:27 AM PDT Just as René Magritte wrote "This is not a pipe" on his famous painting, this is also not a pipe. It is however a picture of part of a vast dark cloud of interstellar dust called the Pipe Nebula. By coincidence this image is appearing on the 45th anniversary of the painter's death.

Structure of superheavy elements in 'island of stability': Nucleus 256Rf can now be studied in depth Posted: 15 Aug 2012 05:27 AM PDT One of the most sought-after goals in nuclear physics is an understanding of the structure of superheavy elements in the so-called "island of stability". These nuclei contain a large number of protons, and would ordinarily be ripped apart by the strong Coulomb repulsion between them. However, quantum mechanical shell-effects act to stabilize the nuclei, meaning that they can then live long enough to be observed in the laboratory. Now, experimental advances make it possible to study the nucleus 256Rf in detail for the first time.

Flexible snake armor could inspire abrasion-resistant materials Posted: 15 Aug 2012 05:27 AM PDT Snakes are highly specialized legless animals, which have evolved around 150 million years ago. Although without extremities their body is exposed to constant friction forces. Snake skin could inspire systems in engineering with minimized abrasion.

Future light component produced in printing press Posted: 15 Aug 2012 05:27 AM PDT Scientists have produced organic light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) using a roll-to-roll compatible process under ambient conditions.

Single sign-on for Internet use had major vulnerabilites: Many now fixed Posted: 15 Aug 2012 05:27 AM PDT Online shopping, cloud computing, online CRM systems: Each day many IT systems require the user to identify himself/herself. Single Sign-On (SSO) systems were introduced to circumvent this problem, and to establish structured Identity Management (IDM) systems in industry: Here the user only has to identify once, all subsequent authentications are done automatically. However, SSO systems based on the industry standard SAML have huge vulnerabilities: Roughly 80 percent of these systems could be broken by the researchers.

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