ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Toxicologists outline key health and environmental concerns associated with hydraulic fracturing
• Conducting polymer films decorated with biomolecules for cell research use
• Catalytic upgrade: Better and cheaper renewable biofuels
• Making it big: Metamaterial applications a step closer to reality
• The promise of purple for enhanced bioimaging
• The direct approach to microcavities
• Broadening the scope for synthesizing optically active compounds
• Can plants provide petroleum-derived chemicals?
• Rotational X-ray tracking uncovers hidden motion at the nanoscale
• Sneaking drugs into cancer cells before triggering release
• How proteins acquire correct structure: Molecular high-speed origami
• Teaching robots right from wrong
• i, Solo: Musicians perform as the soloist with full philharmonic orchestra at home
• Airborne measurements confirm leaks from oil and gas operations
• Simple model underpins building safety in the wake of landslides
• App to assist the hearing impaired

Toxicologists outline key health and environmental concerns associated with hydraulic fracturing Posted: 09 May 2014 02:25 PM PDT Since the rise in the use of hydraulic fracturing of shale to produce natural gas and oil, many have debated the merits and detractions of the practice. Scientists outline how toxicological sciences can be used to determine what risks may or may not be associated with fracking.

Conducting polymer films decorated with biomolecules for cell research use Posted: 09 May 2014 11:03 AM PDT The ability to create conducting polymer films in a variety of shapes, thicknesses and surface properties rapidly and inexpensively will make growing and testing cells easier and more flexible, according to a team of bioengineers. The researchers create their hydrogel stamps from agarose -- a sugar extracted from seaweed -- poured into molds.

Catalytic upgrade: Better and cheaper renewable biofuels Posted: 09 May 2014 10:16 AM PDT New catalysts to remove oxygenated compounds from bio-derived oils may lead to better and cheaper renewable biofuels. Dwindling crude oil reserves, accompanied by rising prices and environmental concerns, have led to increased interest in the use of renewable fuels. Biofuels produced from waste agricultural or forestry material are particularly desirable because they avoid diverting resources from the production of food crops.

Making it big: Metamaterial applications a step closer to reality Posted: 09 May 2014 10:16 AM PDT The use of a fabrication technique borrowed from the semiconductor industry brings metamaterial applications a step closer to reality. Artificial materials engineered to have properties not found in nature, such as a negative refractive index are engineered to interact with light and sound waves in ways that natural materials cannot. They thus have the potential to be used in exciting new applications, such as invisibility cloaks, high-resolution lenses, efficient and compact antennas, and highly sensitive sensors.

The promise of purple for enhanced bioimaging Posted: 09 May 2014 10:16 AM PDT Newly detected 'energy-clustering' structures inside rare-earth nanoparticles generate intense violet light, which is ideal for studying photon-induced transformations. Labeling biomolecules with light-emitting nanoparticles is a powerful technique for observing cell movement and signaling under realistic, in vivo conditions. The small size of these probes, however, often limits their optical capabilities. In particular, many nanoparticles have trouble producing high-energy light with wavelengths in the violet to ultraviolet range, which can trigger critical biological reactions.

The direct approach to microcavities Posted: 09 May 2014 10:16 AM PDT A robust micrometer-scale structure for trapping light enhances optical interactions in advanced photonic devices. Trapping light into a small volume is a useful way of amplifying optical effects. Optical cavities, for example, can enhance the interaction between light and matter. Incorporating these tiny structures into actual devices is difficult however, because they are easily broken or can become optically misaligned.

Broadening the scope for synthesizing optically active compounds Posted: 09 May 2014 10:15 AM PDT Chiral compounds are increasingly important in chemical manufacturing. They are distinguished by a special kind of asymmetry in their molecular structure. Scientists have now developed a method for desymmetrizing compounds to produce new chiral molecules. The process allows 99% selectivity in the chemicals produced.

Can plants provide petroleum-derived chemicals? Posted: 09 May 2014 10:00 AM PDT Plant scientists find fatty acid desaturating enzymes link up to pass intermediate products from one enzyme to another. Getting plants to accumulate high levels of more healthful polyunsaturated fatty acids, or unusual fatty acids that could be used as raw materials in place of petroleum-derived chemicals in industrial processes, are a few possible outcomes.

Rotational X-ray tracking uncovers hidden motion at the nanoscale Posted: 09 May 2014 08:07 AM PDT Over the past two decades or so, there has been increasing interest and development in measuring slow dynamics in disordered systems at the nanoscale, brought about in part from a demand for advancements in the food and consumer products industries.

Sneaking drugs into cancer cells before triggering release Posted: 09 May 2014 08:07 AM PDT Biomedical engineering researchers have developed an anti-cancer drug delivery method that essentially smuggles the drug into a cancer cell before triggering its release. The method can be likened to keeping a cancer-killing bomb and its detonator separate until they are inside a cancer cell, where they then combine to destroy the cell.

How proteins acquire correct structure: Molecular high-speed origami Posted: 09 May 2014 08:07 AM PDT Proteins are responsible for nearly every essential process of life. Their form and structure are of crucial importance for their functionality. Scientists have recently discovered an unknown sequence of reactions which is necessary for newly generated proteins to acquire their correct structure.

Teaching robots right from wrong Posted: 09 May 2014 04:39 AM PDT Researchers are teaming with the U.S. Navy to explore technology that would pave the way for developing robots capable of making moral decisions. Scientists will explore the challenges of infusing autonomous robots with a sense for right, wrong, and the consequences of both.

i, Solo: Musicians perform as the soloist with full philharmonic orchestra at home Posted: 07 May 2014 01:50 PM PDT Musicians can now perform as the soloist with a full philharmonic orchestra from the comfort of their own living rooms, thanks to a new computer system. To model the hearing of the accompanists -- and thus be able to identify, and respond to, the notes played by the soloist, and when they occur -- the system uses an algorithm known as a hidden Markov model, which is commonly employed in speech-recognition technologies.

Airborne measurements confirm leaks from oil and gas operations Posted: 07 May 2014 11:28 AM PDT During two days of intensive airborne measurements, oil and gas operations in Colorado's Front Range leaked nearly three times as much methane, a greenhouse gas, as predicted based on inventory estimates, and seven times as much benzene, a regulated air toxic. Emissions of other chemicals that contribute to summertime ozone pollution were about twice as high as estimates, according to the new article.

Simple model underpins building safety in the wake of landslides Posted: 07 May 2014 08:47 AM PDT A new simple model can quickly determine which masonry buildings are most at risk of collapse following a serious landslide.

App to assist the hearing impaired Posted: 07 May 2014 07:49 AM PDT Hearing the doorbell, the fire alarm or a tap that has not been properly turned off are everyday situations that can become a problem for a person who is hard of hearing. Scientists have now developed a tool to pick up and identify ordinary sounds that are produced in the home environment in order to help the hearing impaired. It is a mobile phone app designed to assist people who have limitations of this type in their daily lives.

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