ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Small biomass power plants could help rural economies, stabilize national power grid
• Turing's theory of chemical morphogenesis validated 60 years after his death
• A shocking diet: Researchers describe microbe that 'eats' electricity
• West Virginia spill activates engineers to determine effects of chemicals
• Scientists build thinnest-possible LEDs to be stronger, more energy efficient
• Two-dimensional material shows promise for optoelectronics: LEDs, photovoltaic cells, and light detectors
• Synthetic biologists shine light on genetic circuit analysis
• Computer system simulates the behavior of tax evaders
• Alaska the Last Frontier ... not for long
• Microwave radar monitors sliding slopes: Geodesists research in the Alps
• Biomolecular tweezers facilitate study of mechanical force effects on cells and proteins
• 'Death stars' in Orion blast planets before they even form
• Mapping behavior of charges in correlated spin-orbit coupled materials: Electronic disruption prods Mott insulator's conversion to metallic state
• 'Super bacteria' clean up after oil spills
• Weirdness in cosmic web of the universe: Faint strings of galaxies in 'empty' space arranged in way never before seen
• Research on 3-D scaffolds sets new bar in lung regeneration
• The dark side of fair play: Why would evolution let spite stick around?

Small biomass power plants could help rural economies, stabilize national power grid Posted: 10 Mar 2014 01:15 PM PDT Researchers have found that creating a bioenergy grid with these small plants could benefit people in rural areas of the country as well as provide relief to an overworked national power grid.

Turing's theory of chemical morphogenesis validated 60 years after his death Posted: 10 Mar 2014 12:21 PM PDT Sixty years after Alan Turing's death, researchers have provided the first experimental evidence that validates Turing's theory of chemical morphogenesis in cell-like structures. This research could impact not only the study of biological development, and how similar patterns form in nature, but materials science as well. Turing's model could help grow soft robots with certain patterns and shapes.

A shocking diet: Researchers describe microbe that 'eats' electricity Posted: 10 Mar 2014 11:40 AM PDT Researchers have shown that the commonly found bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris can use natural conductivity to pull electrons from minerals located remotely in soil and sediment while remaining at the surface, where they absorb the sunlight needed to produce energy.

West Virginia spill activates engineers to determine effects of chemicals Posted: 10 Mar 2014 11:39 AM PDT Engineers sprung into action when more than 10,000 gallons of a chemical mixture leaked from a storage tank near Charleston, W.Va., and entered a river upstream of a water-treatment plant in January.

Scientists build thinnest-possible LEDs to be stronger, more energy efficient Posted: 10 Mar 2014 11:10 AM PDT Scientists have built the thinnest-known LED that can be used as a source of light energy in electronics. The LED is based off of two-dimensional, flexible semiconductors, making it possible to stack or use in much smaller and more diverse applications than current technology allows.

Two-dimensional material shows promise for optoelectronics: LEDs, photovoltaic cells, and light detectors Posted: 10 Mar 2014 08:17 AM PDT Team creates LEDs, photovoltaic cells, and light detectors using novel one-molecule-thick material. Researchers have used a novel material that's just a few atoms thick to create devices that can harness or emit light. This proof-of-concept could lead to ultrathin, lightweight, and flexible photovoltaic cells, light emitting diodes (LEDs), and other optoelectronic devices, they say.

Synthetic biologists shine light on genetic circuit analysis Posted: 10 Mar 2014 08:17 AM PDT In a significant advance for the growing field of synthetic biology, bioengineers have created a toolkit of genes and hardware that uses colored lights and engineered bacteria to bring both mathematical predictability and cut-and-paste simplicity to the world of genetic circuit design.

Computer system simulates the behavior of tax evaders Posted: 10 Mar 2014 08:17 AM PDT Researchers have developed a computer model which, in different situations, simulates the behavior of taxpayers when faced with the possibility of committing tax evasion. The simulator analyzes the factors motivating tax evasion and allows to determine which measures are effective in reducing it, such as an improvement in tax inspections by increasing their frequency and efficacy.

Alaska the Last Frontier ... not for long Posted: 10 Mar 2014 07:22 AM PDT Alaska, the last great frontier, is being threatened by many proposals to mine an estimated 5.5 trillion tons of coal. Scientists comment on the struggle to keep Alaska untouched.

Microwave radar monitors sliding slopes: Geodesists research in the Alps Posted: 10 Mar 2014 07:22 AM PDT The "Steinlehnen" slope in Northern Tyrol (Austria) started to move in 2003. Rockfalls threatened people, streets and buildings. Meanwhile, peace has returned; although the slope is merely "creeping", Steinlehnen has become an interesting research object for scientists in recent years.

Biomolecular tweezers facilitate study of mechanical force effects on cells and proteins Posted: 10 Mar 2014 07:16 AM PDT A new type of biomolecular tweezers could help researchers study how mechanical forces affect the biochemical activity of cells and proteins. The devices use opposing magnetic and electrophoretic forces to precisely stretch the cells and molecules.

'Death stars' in Orion blast planets before they even form Posted: 10 Mar 2014 07:16 AM PDT Astronomers have studied the often deadly relationship between highly luminous O-type stars and nearby protostars in the Orion Nebula. Their data reveal that protostars within 0.1 light-years (about 600 billion miles) of an O-type star are doomed to have their cocoons of dust and gas stripped away in just a few millions years, much faster than planets are able to form.

Mapping behavior of charges in correlated spin-orbit coupled materials: Electronic disruption prods Mott insulator's conversion to metallic state Posted: 10 Mar 2014 06:09 AM PDT Physicists have mapped the inner atomic workings of a compound within the mysterious class of materials known as spin-orbit Mott insulators. The findings confirm the properties that theorists predict could lead to discoveries in superconductivity, the topological phases of matter and new forms of magnetism.

'Super bacteria' clean up after oil spills Posted: 10 Mar 2014 06:06 AM PDT Researchers have achieved surprising results by exploiting nature's own ability to clean up after oil spills. Scientists know that marine bacteria can assist in cleaning up after oil spills. What is surprising is that given the right kind of encouragement, they can be even more effective.

Weirdness in cosmic web of the universe: Faint strings of galaxies in 'empty' space arranged in way never before seen Posted: 10 Mar 2014 06:06 AM PDT Australian astronomers have shown galaxies in the vast empty regions of the universe are actually aligned into delicate strings, according to new research. Using data from the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey, the astronomers found that the small number of galaxies inside these voids are arranged in a new way never seen before.

Research on 3-D scaffolds sets new bar in lung regeneration Posted: 07 Mar 2014 01:59 PM PST For the estimated 12.7 million people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, the third leading cause of death in the U.S., innovative research efforts in the field of tissue regeneration hold promise. In end-stage lung disease, transplantation is sometimes the only viable therapeutic option, but organ availability is limited and rejection presents an additional challenge. New research focuses on lung tissue bioengineering, which involves the use of a scaffold -- or framework -- of lungs from human cadavers to engineer new lungs for patients with end-stage disease.

The dark side of fair play: Why would evolution let spite stick around? Posted: 07 Mar 2014 01:59 PM PST We often think of playing fair as an altru­istic behavior. We're sac­ri­ficing our own poten­tial gain to give others what they deserve. What could be more self­less than that? But new research sug­gests another, darker origin behind the kindly act of fairness. An expert in the evolution of spite has investigated possible explanations for fair behavior that hadn't been considered before.

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