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Tuesday, April 9, 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News


Remaining Martian atmosphere still dynamic

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 04:29 PM PDT

Mars has lost much of its original atmosphere, but what's left remains quite active, recent findings from NASA's Mars rover Curiosity indicate, scientists report. Evidence has strengthened that Mars lost much of its original atmosphere by a process of gas escaping from the top of the atmosphere.

'Artificial leaf' gains the ability to self-heal damage and produce energy from dirty water

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 03:58 PM PDT

Another innovative feature has been added to the world's first practical "artificial leaf," making the device even more suitable for providing people in developing countries and remote areas with electricity. It gives the leaf the ability to self-heal damage.

'Post-mortem' yields insight into Kepler's supernova

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 03:46 PM PDT

An exploding star observed in 1604 by the German astronomer Johannes Kepler held a greater fraction of heavy elements than the sun, according to an analysis of X-ray observations from the Japan-led Suzaku satellite. The findings will help astronomers better understand the diversity of type Ia supernovae, an important class of stellar explosion used in probing the distant universe.

How carbon moves within planet plays big role in planetary atmosphere formation

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 12:29 PM PDT

A new study suggests that the way carbon moves from within a planet to the surface plays a big role in the evolution of a planet's atmosphere. Mars, which likely released much of its carbon as methane, might have been warm enough to support liquid water.

Computer scientists develop video game that teaches how to program in Java

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 11:26 AM PDT

Computer scientists have developed an immersive, first-person player video game designed to teach students in elementary to high school how to program in Java, one of the most common programming languages in use today. The researchers tested the game on a group of girls who had never been exposed to programming before.

Why going green is good chemistry

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 09:33 AM PDT

Shaken, not stirred, is the essence of new research that's showing promise in creating the chemical reactions necessary for industries such as pharmaceutical companies, but eliminating the resulting waste from traditional methods.

Tortuous paths hamper ion transport

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 09:32 AM PDT

Researchers have used X-ray tomography to screen lithium ion battery electrodes and can reconstruct the microstructure in high resolution. This helps to understand the discharging and charging process better and develop optimized electrodes.

Tin nanocrystals for the battery of the future

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 09:32 AM PDT

More powerful batteries could help electric cars achieve a considerably larger range and thus a breakthrough on the market. A new nanomaterial for lithium ion batteries could come into play here.

New 'transient electronics' disappear when no longer needed

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 09:23 AM PDT

Scientists have described key advances toward practical uses of a new genre of tiny, biocompatible electronic devices that could be implanted into the body to relieve pain or battle infection for a specific period of time, and then dissolve harmlessly.

Sweet success: Catalyzing more sugars from biomass

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 07:33 AM PDT

Using an ultrahigh-precision microscopy technique, researchers have uncovered a way to improve the collective catalytic activity of enzyme cocktails on cellulosic biomass, boosting the yields of sugars for the production of advanced biofuels.

Technique finds software bugs in surgical robots and helps developers fix flaws, ensure safety

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 07:33 AM PDT

Surgical robots could make some types of surgery safer and more effective, but proving that the software controlling these machines works as intended is problematic. Researchers have demonstrated that methods for reliably detecting software bugs and ultimately verifying software safety can be applied successfully to this breed of robot.

Cry me a river of possibility: Scientists design new adaptive material inspired by tears

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 05:51 AM PDT

Imagine highly precise, self-adjusting contact lenses that also clean themselves. Scientists have just moved these enticing notions much closer to reality by designing a new kind of adaptive material with tunable transparency and wettability features.

Organic semi-conductors could revolutionize electronics

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 05:48 AM PDT

Organic semi-conductors could revolutionize electronics in various areas. Nowadays, components put out such high performances that they are used in small devices like mobile phones. With larger devices, however, the organic components heat up in such an uncontrollable manner that they break down or conduct electricity in an irregular way. Physicists and mathematicians have now analyzed the typical feedback effects and they describe them for organic semi-conductors.

TESS project will launch telescopes to perform full-sky search for transiting exoplanets

Posted: 08 Apr 2013 02:50 AM PDT

NASA has selected the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) project for a planned launch in 2017. The $200 million project will use an array of wide-field cameras to perform an all-sky survey to discover transiting exoplanets, ranging from Earth-sized planets to gas giants, in orbit around the brightest stars in the sun's neighborhood.

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