ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• How bumblebees tackle the traveling salesman problem
• Silver pen has the write stuff for flexible electronics
• Inkjet printing could change the face of solar energy industry
• Splitsville for boron nitride nanotubes
• Metal particle generates new hope for hydrogen energy
• Tiny ring laser accurately detects and counts nanoparticles
• Tapping titanium's colorful potential
• Model finds optimal fiber optic network connections 10,000 times more quickly
• Highest magnetic fields ever created
• Researchers image graphene electron clouds, revealing how folds can harm conductivity
• New method for imaging molecules inside cells
• Neutron star bites off more than it can chew
• Ultra-sensitive graphene device for spintronics

How bumblebees tackle the traveling salesman problem Posted: 28 Jun 2011 04:13 PM PDT New research reveals how bumblebees effectively plan their route between the most rewarding flowers while traveling the shortest distances.

Silver pen has the write stuff for flexible electronics Posted: 28 Jun 2011 12:16 PM PDT The pen may have bested the sword long ago, but now it's challenging wires and soldering irons. Engineers have developed a silver-inked rollerball pen capable of writing electrical circuits and interconnects on paper, wood and other surfaces. The pen is writing whole new chapters in low-cost, flexible and disposable electronics.

Inkjet printing could change the face of solar energy industry Posted: 28 Jun 2011 10:30 AM PDT Inkjet printers, a low-cost technology that in recent decades has revolutionized home and small office printing, may soon offer similar benefits for the future of solar energy. Engineers have discovered a way for the first time to create successful solar devices with inkjet printing, in work that reduces raw material waste by 90 percent and will significantly lower the cost of producing solar energy cells with some very promising compounds.

Splitsville for boron nitride nanotubes Posted: 28 Jun 2011 10:26 AM PDT Researchers have developed a technique for mass-producing defect-free boron nitride nanoribbons (BNNRs) of uniform length and thickness. BNNRs are predicted to display magnetic and electronic properties that hold enormous potential for future devices.

Metal particle generates new hope for hydrogen energy Posted: 28 Jun 2011 08:31 AM PDT Tiny metallic particles produced by Australian chemistry researchers are bringing new hope for the production of cheap, efficient and clean hydrogen energy.

Tiny ring laser accurately detects and counts nanoparticles Posted: 28 Jun 2011 08:31 AM PDT A ring-shaped laser no bigger than a pinprick can accurately detect and count individual viruses, the particles that jumpstart cloud formation or those that contaminate the air we breathe. A particle disturbs the light circulating in the ring, splitting the lasing frequency. This split is a measure of the particle's size.

Tapping titanium's colorful potential Posted: 28 Jun 2011 08:28 AM PDT A new, cost-effective process for coloring titanium can be used in manufacturing products from sporting equipment to color-coded nuclear waste containers.

Model finds optimal fiber optic network connections 10,000 times more quickly Posted: 28 Jun 2011 08:23 AM PDT Designing fiber optic networks involves finding the most efficient way to connect phones and computers that are in different places -- a costly and time-consuming process. Now researchers have developed a model that can find optimal connections 10,000 times more quickly, using less computing power to solve the problem.

Highest magnetic fields ever created Posted: 28 Jun 2011 08:23 AM PDT On June 22, 2011, scientists at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf set a new world record for magnetic fields with 91.4 teslas. To reach this record, the researchers developed a coil weighing about 200 kilograms in which electric current create the giant magnetic field -- for a period of a few milliseconds. The coil survived the experiment unscathed.

Researchers image graphene electron clouds, revealing how folds can harm conductivity Posted: 28 Jun 2011 08:23 AM PDT Chemists have used synchrotron light sources to observe the electron clouds on the surface of graphene, producing a series of images that reveal how folds and ripples in the remarkable material can harm its conductivity.

New method for imaging molecules inside cells Posted: 28 Jun 2011 08:18 AM PDT Using a new sample holder, researchers have further developed a new method for imaging individual cells. This makes it possible to produce snapshots that not only show the outline of the cell's contours but also the various molecules inside or on the surface of the cell, and exactly where they are located, something which is impossible with a normal microscope.

Neutron star bites off more than it can chew Posted: 28 Jun 2011 08:18 AM PDT The European Space Agency's XMM-Newton space observatory has watched a faint star flare up at X-ray wavelengths to almost 10 000 times its normal brightness. Astronomers believe the outburst was caused by the star trying to eat a giant clump of matter.

Ultra-sensitive graphene device for spintronics Posted: 28 Jun 2011 06:51 AM PDT A team of European scientist has developed a device capable of detecting an individual magnetic molecule. Such an unprecedented sensitivity opens new paths for spintronics.

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