ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Scientists fold RNA origami from a single strand
• Novel chip-based platform could simplify measurements of single molecules
• Tissue development 'roadmap' created to guide stem cell medicine
• People fake to look real on social media
• Sustainable green alternatives to fertilizers could boost food, energy security
• On planes, three rain radars are better than one
• Earlier diagnosis, treatment of mental illness? Genetic computer network inference model
• Can our computers continue to get smaller and more powerful?
• New material could enhance fast, accurate DNA sequencing
• Statistical model predicts performance of hybrid rice
• New test reveals purity of graphene: Scientists use terahertz waves to spot contaminants
• Bats versus wind turbines
• Powerful math creates 3-D shapes from simple sketches
• Engineers turns metal into glass: New process solves an age-old conundrum
• Flexible tapes from the nanoworld
• Ebullition causes methane emissions in tropical reservoirs
• Temporary tattoo biobatteries produce power from sweat

• A new look at what's in 'fracking' fluids raises red flags: Some compounds toxic to mammals
• 'Shape-shifting' material could help reconstruct faces
• 'Trojan horse' treatment could beat brain tumors

Scientists fold RNA origami from a single strand Posted: 14 Aug 2014 04:23 PM PDT RNA origami is a new method for organizing molecules on the nanoscale, making it possible to fabricate complicated shapes from a single strand of RNA. Unlike existing methods for folding DNA molecules, RNA origamis are produced by enzymes and simultaneously fold into pre-designed shapes. This may allow designer RNA structures to be grown within living cells and used to organize cellular enzymes into biochemical factories.

Novel chip-based platform could simplify measurements of single molecules Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:47 AM PDT A new approach for studying single molecules and nanoparticles has been developed by reserachers. It combines electrical and optical measurements on an integrated chip-based platform. Researchers reported using the device to distinguish viruses from similarly sized nanoparticles with 100 percent fidelity.

Tissue development 'roadmap' created to guide stem cell medicine Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:44 AM PDT In a boon to stem cell research and regenerative medicine, scientists have created a computer algorithm called CellNet as a 'roadmap' for cell and tissue engineering, to ensure that cells engineered in the lab have the same favorable properties as cells in our own bodies.

People fake to look real on social media Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:39 AM PDT Presenting an authentic image on social network sites (SNSs) includes an element of fakery according to a new study. During the study, researchers discovered that being authentic is very important for social media users. At the same time, users also admitted faking parts of their online image in order to conform to social norms and expectations.

Sustainable green alternatives to fertilizers could boost food, energy security Posted: 14 Aug 2014 09:38 AM PDT Research is looking at formulating sustainable fertilizers from renewable energy waste. This new area of research aims to produce a sustainable, environmentally-friendlier source of soil conditioner and crop fertilizer that could also reduce costs to farmers and potentially, with wide-spread take-up, help to slow down rising food prices.

On planes, three rain radars are better than one Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:44 PM PDT Putting three radars on a plane to measure rainfall may seem like overkill -- and never before had NASA flown more than two. But for a recent field campaign, more definitely was better. Future precipitation missions and, more particularly, the Aerosol Clouds Ecology mission, which the National Research Council recommended in its Earth Science Decadal Survey, have made the development of new radar systems to observe clouds and light precipitation a priority.

Earlier diagnosis, treatment of mental illness? Genetic computer network inference model Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:44 PM PDT A computer science and engineering associate professor and her doctoral student graduate are using a genetic computer network inference model that eventually could predict whether a person will suffer from bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or another mental illness.

Can our computers continue to get smaller and more powerful? Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:44 PM PDT From their origins in the 1940s as sequestered, room-sized machines designed for military and scientific use, computers have made a rapid march into the mainstream, radically transforming industry, commerce, entertainment and governance while shrinking to become ubiquitous handheld portals to the world. But with miniature computer processors now containing millions of closely-packed transistor components of near atomic size, chip designers are facing both engineering and fundamental limits that have become barriers to the continued improvement of computer performance.

New material could enhance fast, accurate DNA sequencing Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:44 PM PDT Gene-based personalized medicine has many possibilities for diagnosis and targeted therapy, but one big bottleneck: the expensive and time-consuming DNA-sequencing process. Now, researchers have found that nanopores in the material molybdenum disulfide could sequence DNA more accurately, quickly and inexpensively than anything yet available.

Statistical model predicts performance of hybrid rice Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:44 PM PDT 'Genomic prediction' has been used by researchers to predict the performance of hybrid rice. Genomic prediction is a new technology that could potentially revolutionize hybrid breeding in agriculture. A statistical approach to predicting the value of an economically important trait in a plant, such as yield or disease resistance, the method works if the trait is heritable and reduces costs.

New test reveals purity of graphene: Scientists use terahertz waves to spot contaminants Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:44 PM PDT A new test using terahertz waves can check graphene for atmospheric and other contaminants that affect its electronic performance.

Bats versus wind turbines Posted: 13 Aug 2014 02:41 PM PDT Wind turbines are responsible for the death of numerous bats. In a recent study, scientists determined the origin of these animals: they do not only come from local areas but many had been already on a long migratory journey. Who then bears responsibility not only for the protection of native bat populations, but also for the populations from other countries, a European study asks.

Powerful math creates 3-D shapes from simple sketches Posted: 13 Aug 2014 10:10 AM PDT A new graphics system that can easily produce complex 3-D shapes from simple professional sketches will be unveiled by computer scientists. The technology has the potential to dramatically simplify how designers and artists develop new product ideas. Converting an idea into a 3-D model using current commercial tools can be a complicated and painstaking process.

Engineers turns metal into glass: New process solves an age-old conundrum Posted: 13 Aug 2014 07:38 AM PDT Materials scientists have long sought to form glass from pure, monoatomic metals. Now a team of researchers has done it. Metallic glasses are unique in that their structure is not crystalline (as it is in most metals), but rather is disordered, with the atoms randomly arranged. They are sought for various commercial applications because they are very strong and are easily processed.

Flexible tapes from the nanoworld Posted: 13 Aug 2014 07:37 AM PDT Scientists are working on a research project to develop tiny flat molecule tapes. These structures could find versatile applications. Via direct coupling on a silver surface, the scientists successfully formed dimers and short chains of porphine molecules without contaminating byproducts.

Ebullition causes methane emissions in tropical reservoirs Posted: 13 Aug 2014 07:35 AM PDT Methane emissions by ebullition from tropical reservoirs have been accurately quantified for the first time, revealing that this emission pathway depends on both the water level in the reservoir, which is dependent on the monsoon, and on daily variations in atmospheric pressure. Although tropical reservoirs probably emit over 10% of anthropogenic methane, their emissions are still poorly quantified. In this study, a new automatic system for the continuous measurement of methane fluxes was deployed on the reservoir of the largest hydroelectric dam in Southeast Asia.

Temporary tattoo biobatteries produce power from sweat Posted: 13 Aug 2014 07:31 AM PDT In the future, working up a sweat by exercising may not only be good for your health, but it could also power your small electronic devices. Researchers have designed a sensor in the form of a temporary tattoo that can both monitor a person's progress during exercise and produce power from their perspiration.

A new look at what's in 'fracking' fluids raises red flags: Some compounds toxic to mammals Posted: 13 Aug 2014 07:31 AM PDT As the oil and gas drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing proliferates, a new study on the contents of the fluids used raises concerns over several ingredients. The scientists say out of nearly 200 commonly used compounds in "fracking," there's very little known about the potential health risks of about one-third, and eight are toxic to mammals.

'Shape-shifting' material could help reconstruct faces Posted: 13 Aug 2014 07:30 AM PDT Injuries, birth defects or surgery to remove a tumor can create large gaps in bone. And when they occur in the head, face or jaw, these defects can dramatically alter a person's appearance. Researchers have now developed a "self-fitting" material that expands with warm salt water to precisely fill bone defects, and also acts as a scaffold for bone growth.

'Trojan horse' treatment could beat brain tumors Posted: 12 Aug 2014 08:57 PM PDT A 'Trojan horse' treatment for an aggressive form of brain cancer, which involves using tiny nanoparticles of gold to kill tumor cells, has been successfully tested by scientists. The ground-breaking technique could eventually be used to treat glioblastoma multiforme, which is the most common and aggressive brain tumor in adults, and notoriously difficult to treat.

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