ScienceDaily Technology Headlines
for Monday, December 13, 2010
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Improving children's diets using behavior change video games shows promise (December 13, 2010) -- Obesity in youngsters has risen dramatically in recent decades. Fruit and vegetable consumption and increased water intake can lower the risk of obesity, as can increased physical activity, but it is not always easy to convince children to eat better and exercise more. In a new study, researchers found that video games designed to encourage these behaviors were effective. ... > full story
Microbatteries with nanowire hearts (December 13, 2010) -- Researchers have moved a step closer to creating robust, three-dimensional microbatteries that would charge faster and hold other advantages over conventional lithium-ion batteries. They could power new generations of remote sensors, display screens, smart cards, flexible electronics and biomedical devices. ... > full story
Practical, tunable, 3-D microdroplet laser developed (December 13, 2010) -- Scientists have developed a microdroplet 3-D laser system in which laser light shines forth in all directions from dye molecules lodged within spherical drops of helical molecules dispersed in a liquid solution. ... > full story
A swarm of ancient stars (December 12, 2010) -- We know of about 150 of the rich collections of old stars called globular clusters that orbit our galaxy, the Milky Way. A sharp new image of Messier 107 displays the structure of one such globular cluster in exquisite detail. Studying these stellar swarms has revealed much about the history of our galaxy and how stars evolve. ... > full story
Synchrotron study shows how nitric oxide kills (December 12, 2010) -- Nitric oxide is a toxic pollutant, but the human body also creates it and uses it to attack invading microbes and parasites. A new study by researchers in the U.S. and the Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute shows how nitric oxide, attacks an important group of proteins critical to cell survival. ... > full story
'Green' water treatments may not kill bacteria in large building cooling systems (December 12, 2010) -- Non-chemical water treatment systems -- touted as environmentally conscious stand-ins for such chemicals as chlorine -- may allow dangerous bacteria to flourish in the cooling systems of hospitals, commercial offices and other water-cooled buildings. The study is the first to thoroughly investigate the ability of nonchemical treatment devices to control the growth of bacteria in water-based air-conditioning systems found in many large buildings. ... > full story
Wind and water have shaped Schiaparelli impact basin on Mars (December 11, 2010) -- The small crater embedded in the northwestern rim of the Schiaparelli impact basin features prominently in this new image from the European Space Agency's Mars Express. All around is evidence for past water and the great martian winds that periodically blow. ... > full story
Computer-based program may help relieve some ADHD symptoms in children (December 11, 2010) -- An intensive, five-week working memory training program shows promise in relieving some of the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children, a new study suggests. Researchers found significant changes for students who completed the program in areas such as attention, ADHD symptoms, planning and organization, initiating tasks and working memory. ... > full story
Neutron stars and string theory in a lab: Chilled atoms give clues to deep space and particle physics (December 11, 2010) -- Using lasers to contain some ultra-chilled atoms, a team of scientists has measured the viscosity or stickiness of a gas often considered to be the sixth state of matter. The measurements verify that this gas can be used as a "scale model" of exotic matter, such as super-high temperature superconductors, the nuclear matter of neutron stars, and even the state of matter created microseconds after the Big Bang. The results may also allow experimental tests of string theory in the future. ... > full story
Simulations aim to unlock nature's process of biomineralization (December 11, 2010) -- Researchers are leveraging advanced modeling and simulation resources to study the process of biomineralization, nature's ability to form complex structures, such as bones, teeth and mollusk shells. This natural phenomenon, if harnessed, could lead to the design of composite materials and devices for such applications as bone replacement, sensing systems, efficient energy generation and treatment of diseases. ... > full story
WISE sees an explosion of infrared light (December 10, 2010) -- A circular rainbow appears like a halo around an exploded star in a new view of the IC 443 nebula from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE. When massive stars die, they explode in tremendous blasts, called supernovae, which send out shock waves. The shock waves sweep up and heat surrounding gas and dust, creating supernova remnants like the one pictured in the new image. The supernova in IC 443 happened somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 years ago. ... > full story
Odyssey orbiter nears Martian longevity record (December 10, 2010) -- By the middle of next week, NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter will have worked longer at Mars than any other spacecraft in history. Odyssey made its most famous discovery -- evidence for copious water ice just below the dry surface of Mars -- during its first few months, and it finished its radiation-safety check for future astronauts before the end of its prime mission in 2004. The bonus years of extended missions since then have enabled many accomplishments that would not have been possible otherwise. ... > full story
Winter treat for skywatchers as Geminid meteors sparkle in December sky (December 10, 2010) -- On the evening of December 13th and the morning of the 14th, skywatchers across the northern hemisphere will be looking up as the Geminid meteor shower reaches its peak, in one of the best night sky events of the year. And unlike many astronomical phenomena, meteors are best seen without a telescope (and are perfectly safe to watch). ... > full story
World's smallest battery: Real-time observation of nanowire anode to help improve lithium batteries (December 10, 2010) -- A benchtop version of the world's smallest battery -- its anode a single nanowire one seven-thousandth the thickness of a human hair -- has been created by a team of researchers. ... > full story
Bioengineers develop bacterial strain to increase ethanol biofuel production (December 10, 2010) -- Bioengineers have modified a strain of bacteria to increase its ability to produce ethanol. The research reveals how adaptation and metabolic engineering can be combined for strain improvement, a positive development for the biofuel industry. ... > full story
Seeing the invisible: New 'CSI tool' visualizes bloodstains and other substances (December 10, 2010) -- Snap an image of friends in front of a window curtain and the camera captures the people -- and invisible blood stains splattered on the curtain during a murder. Sound unlikely? Chemists are reporting development of a camera with that ability to see the invisible, and more. Called multimode imaging in the thermal infrared, the new technology could find uses in crime scene investigations and elsewhere, they say. ... > full story
New insights into formation of Earth, the Moon, and Mars (December 10, 2010) -- New research reveals that the abundance of so-called highly siderophile, or metal-loving, elements like gold and platinum found in the mantles of Earth, the moon and Mars were delivered by massive impactors during the final phase of planet formation over 4.5 billion years ago. The predicted sizes of the projectiles, which hit within tens of millions of years of the giant impact that produced our moon, are consistent with current planet formation models. They predict that the largest of the late impactors on Earth -- at 1,500 to 2,000 miles in diameter -- potentially modified Earth's obliquity by approximately 10 degrees, while t hose for the Moon, at approximately 150-200 miles, may have delivered water to its mantle. ... > full story
Perfectly needled nonwoven (December 10, 2010) -- Hardly any other textile is as versatile as nonwoven: it keeps babies' bottoms dry and protects plants from the sun. In the Gulf of Mexico, special nonwovens soaked up the oil washed up on beaches like blotting paper. A new piece of simulation software now makes it possible to produce high-quality, stripe-free nonwoven fabrics. ... > full story
Elusive spintronics success could lead to single chip for processing and memory (December 9, 2010) -- Researchers have shown that a magnetically polarized current can be manipulated by electric fields. This important discovery opens up the prospect of simultaneously processing and storing data on electrons held in the molecular structure of computer chips -- combining computer memory and processing power on the same chip. ... > full story
Online photos may reveal your friendships (December 9, 2010) -- Comparing the locations of photos posted on the Internet with social network contacts, computer scientists have found that as few as three "co-locations" for images at different times and places could predict with high probability that two people posting photos were socially connected. ... > full story
Physicists discover ultrasensitive microwave detector (December 9, 2010) -- Physicists have discovered a way to use one of the information technology industry's mainstay materials -- gallium arsenide semiconductors -- as an ultrasensitive microwave detector that could be suitable for quantum computing. The discovery comes at a time when computer chip engineers are racing both to add nanophotonic devices directly to microchips and to boost processor speeds beyond 10 gigahertz. ... > full story
Astronomers discover, image new planet in planetary system very similar to our own (December 9, 2010) -- An international team of astronomers has discovered and imaged a fourth giant planet outside our solar system, whose discovery strengthens some remarkable resemblances between this planetary system and our own. The astronomers say the planetary system resembles a super-sized version of our solar system. ... > full story
Redrawing the map of Great Britain based on human interaction (December 9, 2010) -- A group of researchers have used one of the world's largest databases of telecommunications records to redraw the map of Great Britain. The research is based on the analysis of 12 billion anonymized records representing more than 95% of Great Britain's residential and business landlines. ... > full story
Bacteria to test water lines: Contained bacteria change color when they contact toxins (December 9, 2010) -- Although drinking water is monitored more strictly than almost anything, our water supply network is still not immune to accidents, wear and tear or targeted attacks. A one-minute warning system for toxins and other substances in water hazardous to health could set off alarms in future if there is a danger. ... > full story
Black holes and warped space revealed by powerful new array of radio telescopes (December 9, 2010) -- A new image shows how the light from a quasar billions of light years away is bent around a foreground galaxy by the curvature of space. This light has been traveling for 9 billion years before it reached the Earth. The quasar is a galaxy powered by a super-massive black hole, leading to the ejection of jets of matter moving at almost the speed of light. ... > full story
Astronomers open new window into early universe: Epoch of Reionization (December 8, 2010) -- Thirteen billion years ago, our universe was dark. Eventually that mysterious time came to an end as the first stars ignited and their radiation transformed the nearby gas atoms into ions. Astronomers have developed a small-scale radio astronomy experiment designed to detect a never-before-seen signal from the early universe during this period of time, called the Epoch of Reionization, which is intimately linked to many fundamental questions in cosmology. ... > full story
Extending the life of oil reserves: Greener, cheaper more efficient oil extraction made possible (December 8, 2010) -- Scientists have come up with a new way to treat carbon dioxide, so that it can be used in efficient and environmentally friendly methods for extracting oil. These new CO2 soluble additives can also be used to reduce the environmental damage caused by every day industrial processes such as food processing and the manufacture of electronics. ... > full story
'Logic gates' made to program bacteria as computers (December 8, 2010) -- Researchers have engineered E. coli with the key molecular circuitry that will enable genetic engineers to program cells to communicate and perform computations. ... > full story
Computer model for projecting severity of flu season (December 8, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a statistical model for projecting how many people will get sick from seasonal influenza based on analyses of flu viruses circulating that season. ... > full story
So you think you can solve a cosmology puzzle? Scientists challenge other scientists with a series of galaxy puzzles (December 8, 2010) -- Cosmologists have come up with a new way to solve their problems. They are inviting scientists, including those from totally unrelated fields, to participate in a grand competition. The idea is to spur outside interest in one of cosmology's trickiest problems -- measuring the invisible dark matter and dark energy that permeate our universe. ... > full story
Theoretical breakthrough: Generating matter and antimatter from nothing (December 8, 2010) -- Under just the right conditions -- which involve an ultra-high-intensity laser beam and a two-mile-long particle accelerator -- it could be possible to create something out of nothing, according to researchers. ... > full story
Pure nanotube-type growth edges toward the possible (December 8, 2010) -- New research could ultimately show scientists the way to make batches of nanotubes of a single type. Scientists unveil an elegant formula that defines the energy of a piece of graphene cut at any angle. ... > full story
Astronomers detect first carbon-rich exoplanet (December 8, 2010) -- Astronomers have discovered that a huge, searing-hot planet orbiting another star is loaded with an unusual amount of carbon. The planet, a gas giant named WASP-12b, is the first carbon-rich world ever observed. The discovery was made using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, along with previously published ground-based observations. ... > full story
Duelling dipoles: In search of a new theory of photosynthetic energy transfer (December 8, 2010) -- Chemists have refuted a basic postulate of Förster theory, which describes energy transfers between pigment molecules, such as those that underlie photosynthesis. A revised version of the theory could have an impact on the design of optical computers and improve the efficiency of solar cells. ... > full story
New observations of exploding stars reveal pauses, flickers and flares not reliably seen before (December 8, 2010) -- Astronomers have traced the waxing and waning light of exploding stars more closely than ever before and seen patterns that aren't yet accounted for in our current understanding of how these eruptions occur. ... > full story
Chemical coarsening: How the big get bigger (December 8, 2010) -- Scientists are studying a process called coarsening, a branch of surface chemistry that examines how objects of different sizes transform into fewer objects with larger average sizes. They are using scanning tunneling microscope technology to see how coarsening happens on the surface of objects and how it can be enhanced. ... > full story
Tiny laser light show illuminates quantum computing (December 8, 2010) -- A new laser-beam steering system that aims and focuses bursts of light onto single atoms for use in quantum computers has been developed. The new system is somewhat like the laser-light-show projectors used at rock concerts and planetariums. But it's much smaller, faster, atom-scale accurate and aimed at the future of computing, not entertainment. ... > full story
Nanoparticle gives antimicrobial ability to fight Listeria longer (December 8, 2010) -- Scientists have developed a nanoparticle that can hold and release an antimicrobial agent as needed for extending the shelf life of foods susceptible to Listeria monocytogenes. ... > full story
Providing incentives to cooperate can turn swords into ploughshares (December 8, 2010) -- When two individuals face off in conflict, the classic problem in evolutionary biology known as the prisoner's dilemma says that the individuals are not likely to cooperate even if it is in their best interests to do so. But a new study suggests that with incentives to cooperate, natural selection can minimize conflict, changing the game from one of pure conflict to one of partial cooperation. ... > full story
Creating 'Living' Buildings (December 8, 2010) -- Researchers are poised to use ethical synthetic biology to create 'living' materials that could be used to clad buildings and help combat the effects of climate change. ... > full story
Using chaos to model geophysical phenomena (December 8, 2010) -- Researchers have developed the first direct approach for identifying packets of air or water, called "coherent sets," that are transported in the atmosphere and ocean and have far-reaching effects on weather and climate. The new methodology has tested significantly better than existing technologies. ... > full story
Scientists forecast new atom smashers to keep Europe leading in nuclear physics (December 8, 2010) -- Europe needs new particle accelerators and major upgrades to existing facilities over the next ten years to stay at the forefront of nuclear physics, according to the European Science Foundation, which has launched its Long Range Plan 2010 for nuclear physics. ... > full story
Scientists map what factors influence the news agenda (December 8, 2010) -- Computer scientists have analyzed over a million news articles in 22 languages to pinpoint what factors, such as the Eurovision song contest, influence and shape the news agenda in 27 EU countries. This is the first large-scale content-analysis of cross-linguistic text using artificial intelligence techniques. ... > full story
Ultra-thin solar blind extreme ultraviolet imager developed (December 8, 2010) -- Researchers have developed an ultra-thin hybrid AlGaN-on-Si-based extreme ultraviolet (EUV) imager with only 10µm pixel-to-pixel pitch. The wide-bandgap material (AlGaN) provides insensitivity to visible wavelengths and enhanced UV radiation hardness compared to silicon. Backside illumination in a hybrid design was used to achieve a very small pitch-to-pitch (10µm only). The novel imager shows an excellent detection down to a wavelength of 1nm. ... > full story
Doctor Who's trusty invention is anything but sci-fi: Sonic screwdriver to solve future DIY woes (December 7, 2010) -- Ultrasonic engineers have uncovered how a real life version of the fictional screwdriver -- which uses sonic technology to open locks and undo screws -- could be created. ... > full story
Double vision: New instrument casts its eyes to the sky (December 7, 2010) -- The Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer has taken its first images of the star Beta Peg in the constellation Pegasus -- an encouraging start for an instrument designed to probe the cosmic neighborhoods where Earth-like planets could exist. ... > full story
Using new materials to make more reliable nanoelectromechanical systems (December 7, 2010) -- Researchers have found a way to dramatically improve the reliability of carbon nanotube-based nanoelectromechanical systems. ... > full story
Self-healing autonomous material comes to life (December 7, 2010) -- Researchers have created a material that may be able to sense and heal damage, such as cracking in a fiber reinforced composite. The aim of developing "autonomous adaptive structures" is to mimic the ability of biological systems such as bone to sense the presence of damage, halt its progression and regenerate itself. ... > full story
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