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Friday, June 24, 2011

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

Dawn spacecraft nears start of year-long stay at giant asteroid Vesta

Posted: 23 Jun 2011 11:58 AM PDT

NASA's Dawn spacecraft is on track to begin the first extended visit to a large asteroid. The mission expects to go into orbit around Vesta on July 16 and begin gathering science data in early August. Vesta resides in the main asteroid belt and is thought to be the source of a large number of meteorites that fall to Earth.

Sun and planets constructed differently than thought, NASA mission suggests

Posted: 23 Jun 2011 11:54 AM PDT

Researchers analyzing samples returned by NASA's 2004 Genesis mission have discovered that our sun and its inner planets may have formed differently than previously thought.

'Orca ears' inspire researchers to develop ultrasensitive undersea microphone

Posted: 23 Jun 2011 11:16 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a microphone that can be used at any depth in the ocean, even under crushing pressure, and is sensitive to a wide range of sounds, from a whisper in a library to an explosion of TNT. They modeled their device after the extraordinarily acute hearing of orcas.

When matter melts: Scientists map phase changes in quark-gluon plasma

Posted: 23 Jun 2011 11:13 AM PDT

For a few millionths of a second after the big bang, quarks could move freely, but soon normal matter "froze out" of this quark-matter soup. For the first time scientists have compared quantum theory calculations and data from the STAR experiment at Brookhaven's Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider to map out the energies and temperatures where ordinary matter melts and the quark-gluon plasma freezes.

Genes at the flick of a light switch: Human cells fitted with synthetic signaling cascade

Posted: 23 Jun 2011 11:12 AM PDT

Researchers from Switzerland have fitted human cells with a synthetic signaling cascade that can be used to switch on and regulate genes via blue light. This "gene light switch" makes interesting therapies possible, which could be used to treat type 2 diabetes, for instance.

Brain-like computing a step closer to reality

Posted: 23 Jun 2011 10:07 AM PDT

The development of 'brain-like' computers has taken a major step forward. A new study involved the first ever demonstration of simultaneous information processing and storage using phase-change materials. This new technique could revolutionize computing by making computers faster and more energy-efficient, as well as making them more closely resemble biological systems.

Scientists a step closer to understanding 'natural antifreeze' molecules

Posted: 23 Jun 2011 10:03 AM PDT

Scientists have made an important step forward in their understanding of cryoprotectants -- compounds that act as natural "antifreeze" to protect drugs, food and tissues stored at sub-zero temperatures.

Computational software provides rapid identification of disease-causing gene variations

Posted: 23 Jun 2011 10:01 AM PDT

Scientists have developed a new software tool called VAAST, the Variant Annotation, Analysis and Selection Tool -- a probabilistic disease-causing mutation finder for individual human genomes.

Physicists observe 'campfire effect' in blinking nanorod semiconductors

Posted: 23 Jun 2011 05:59 AM PDT

When semiconductor nanorods are exposed to light, they blink in a seemingly random pattern. By clustering nanorods together, physicists at the University of Pennsylvania have shown that their combined "on" time is increased dramatically providing new insight into this mysterious blinking behavior.

Flames of Betelgeuse: New image reveals vast nebula around famous supergiant star

Posted: 23 Jun 2011 05:58 AM PDT

Astronomers have imaged a complex and bright nebula around the supergiant star Betelgeuse in greater detail than ever before. This structure, which resembles flames emanating from the star, is formed as the behemoth sheds its material into space.
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