ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Formula unlocks secrets of cauliflower's geometry
• Droplet response to electric voltage in solids exposed
• NASA's NuSTAR spots flare from Milky Way's black hole
• Biology-friendly robot programming language: Training your robot the PaR-PaR way
• Quasar may be embedded in unusually dusty galaxy
• NASA sees active region on the sun emit another flare
• Tiny pores in graphene could give rise to membranes
• Self-powered sensors to monitor nuclear fuel rod status
• Zeroing in on the 'science of sound propagation' in burning buildings
• Quantum computing with recycled particles
• Turbulent flows in 2-d can be calculated in new model
• Neutron experiments give unprecedented look at quantum oscillations
• Brain chemicals: Using carbon fiber microelectrodes (CFM) in neurochemical measurements
• Assembly of nano-machines mimics human muscle
• Scientists build 'mechanically active' DNA material that responds with movement when stimulated
• Simulating secure carbon dioxide storage
• Hot plasma core, cold edge: A masterpiece of control technique
• Glove keyboard may revolutionize use of devices with one hand
• Researchers double down on heat to break up cellulose, produce fuels and power

Formula unlocks secrets of cauliflower's geometry Posted: 23 Oct 2012 05:46 PM PDT The laws that govern how intricate surface patterns, such as those found in the cauliflower, develop over time have been described, for the first time. Researchers have now provided a mathematical formula to describe the processes that dictate how cauliflower-like patterns – a type of fractal pattern – form and develop.

Droplet response to electric voltage in solids exposed Posted: 23 Oct 2012 12:23 PM PDT For the first time, scientists have observed how droplets within solids deform and burst under high electric voltages. The finding is important because it explains a major reason why such materials as insulation for electrical power lines eventually fail and cause blackouts. This observation not only helps scientists develop better insulation materials, but could also lead to such positive developments as "tunable" lenses for eyes.

NASA's NuSTAR spots flare from Milky Way's black hole Posted: 23 Oct 2012 11:52 AM PDT NASA's newest set of X-ray eyes in the sky, the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), has caught its first look at the giant black hole parked at the center of our galaxy. The observations show the typically mild-mannered black hole during the middle of a flare-up.

Biology-friendly robot programming language: Training your robot the PaR-PaR way Posted: 23 Oct 2012 09:45 AM PDT PaR-PaR, a simple high-level, biology-friendly, robot-programming language uses an object-oriented approach to make it easier to integrate robotic equipment into biological laboratories. Effective robots can increase research productivity, lower costs and provide more reliable and reproducible experimental data.

Quasar may be embedded in unusually dusty galaxy Posted: 23 Oct 2012 09:45 AM PDT Hubble astronomers have looked at one of the most distant and brightest quasars in the universe and are surprised by what they did not see: the underlying host galaxy of stars feeding the quasar. The best explanation is that the galaxy is shrouded in so much dust that the stars are completely hidden everywhere. Astronomers believe that the James Webb Space Telescope will reveal the galaxy.

NASA sees active region on the sun emit another flare Posted: 23 Oct 2012 09:45 AM PDT The sun emitted a significant solar flare on Oct. 22, 2012, peaking at 11:17 pm EDT. The flare came from an active region on the left side of the sun that has been numbered AR 1598, which has already been the source of a number of weaker flares. This flare was classified as an X1.8-class flare.

Tiny pores in graphene could give rise to membranes Posted: 23 Oct 2012 09:45 AM PDT Pristine graphene -- a microscopic sheet of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb pattern -- is among the most impermeable materials ever discovered, making the substance ideal as a barrier film. But the material may not be as impenetrable as scientists have thought. Researchers have found that the material bears intrinsic defects, or holes in its atom-sized armor. The results point to the possibility of promising applications, such as membranes that filter microscopic contaminants from water, or that separate specific types of molecules from biological samples.

Self-powered sensors to monitor nuclear fuel rod status Posted: 23 Oct 2012 09:39 AM PDT Japan's Fukushima Dai'ichi nuclear disaster that occurred in 2011 -- a result of the strongest earthquake on record in the country and the powerful tsunami waves it triggered -- underscored the need for a method to monitor the status of nuclear fuel rods that doesn't rely on electrical power.

Zeroing in on the 'science of sound propagation' in burning buildings Posted: 23 Oct 2012 09:39 AM PDT An acoustic navigation system being developed by a team of researchers studying the science of sound propagation inside burning buildings may one day become a life-saving addition to firefighters' arsenal of tools.

Quantum computing with recycled particles Posted: 23 Oct 2012 08:25 AM PDT Scientists have brought the reality of a quantum computer one step closer by experimentally demonstrating a technique for significantly reducing the physical resources required for quantum factoring.

Turbulent flows in 2-d can be calculated in new model Posted: 23 Oct 2012 08:25 AM PDT Turbulent flows have challenged researchers for centuries. It is impossible to predict chaotic weather more than a week in advance. Wind resistance on a plane cannot be calculated precisely, since it is determined by atmospheric turbulence. Now, however, researchers have succeeded in developing a statistical model that can replicate the chaotic flows and thereby provide a better understanding of the process.

Neutron experiments give unprecedented look at quantum oscillations Posted: 23 Oct 2012 08:22 AM PDT Researchers have found that nitrogen atoms in the compound uranium nitride exhibit unexpected, distinct vibrations that form a nearly ideal realization of a physics textbook model known as the isotropic quantum harmonic oscillator.

Brain chemicals: Using carbon fiber microelectrodes (CFM) in neurochemical measurements Posted: 23 Oct 2012 07:10 AM PDT Scientists have examined the use of carbon fiber microelectrodes (CFM) in neurochemical measurements, with an emphasis on the most recent findings and technological advances.

Assembly of nano-machines mimics human muscle Posted: 23 Oct 2012 07:09 AM PDT For the first time, an assembly of thousands of nano-machines capable of producing a coordinated contraction movement extending up to around ten micrometers, like the movements of muscular fibers, has been synthesized by researchers in France.

Scientists build 'mechanically active' DNA material that responds with movement when stimulated Posted: 23 Oct 2012 06:10 AM PDT Artificial muscles and self-propelled goo may be the stuff of Hollywood fiction, but the reality of it may not be that far away. By blending their areas of expertise, scientists have created a dynamic gel made of DNA that mechanically responds to stimuli in much the same way that cells do.

Simulating secure carbon dioxide storage Posted: 23 Oct 2012 06:05 AM PDT The race is on to develop the most secure solution for storing carbon dioxide in Earth's crust. A small Norwegian company has developed a method for studying precisely how this greenhouse gas is bound inside rock.

Hot plasma core, cold edge: A masterpiece of control technique Posted: 23 Oct 2012 06:05 AM PDT A world record in heating power, in relation to the size of the device, has been achieved by the ASDEX Upgrade fusion device at Max Planck Institute of Plasma Physics (IPP) in Garching. This was made possible by a sophisticated control system. For the first time world-wide, a fast feedback control facility ensures, on the one hand, that the millions of degrees hot high-power plasmas needed are produced and, on the other, that the wall of the plasma vessel is not overloaded, this being an important result on the way to a fusion power plant.

Glove keyboard may revolutionize use of devices with one hand Posted: 23 Oct 2012 06:03 AM PDT Give a hand to some computer engineering students for designing a tool that could revolutionize new ways of using electronic devices with just one hand. It's called a Gauntlet Keyboard, a glove device that functions as a wireless keyboard. Instead of tapping keys on a keyboard, the user simply touches their thumb to points on their fingers assigned a letter or other keyboard function.

Researchers double down on heat to break up cellulose, produce fuels and power Posted: 23 Oct 2012 06:03 AM PDT Researchers have built and are testing a bio-oil gasifier. It will allow them to combine two thermochemical technologies to produce the next generation of fuels from renewable sources such as corn stalks and wood chips.

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