ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Astronomers pin down galaxy collision rate with Hubble data
• Graphene grows better on certain copper crystals
• Three new planets and a mystery object discovered outside our solar system
• Shaken, not stirred: Scientists spy molecular maneuvers
• New approach to overcome key hurdle for next-generation superconductors

Astronomers pin down galaxy collision rate with Hubble data Posted: 27 Oct 2011 02:35 PM PDT A new analysis of Hubble surveys, combined with simulations of galaxy interactions, reveals that the merger rate of galaxies over the last 8 billion to 9 billion years falls between the previous estimates.

Graphene grows better on certain copper crystals Posted: 27 Oct 2011 02:35 PM PDT New observations could improve industrial production of high-quality graphene, hastening the era of graphene-based consumer electronics. By combining data from several imaging techniques, engineers found that the quality of graphene depends on the crystal structure of the copper substrate it grows on. Copper with higher index numbers tends to have lower-quality graphene growth. Two common crystal structures, numbered (100) and (111), have the worst and the best growth, respectively.

Three new planets and a mystery object discovered outside our solar system Posted: 27 Oct 2011 10:25 AM PDT Three planets -- each orbiting its own giant, dying star -- have now been discovered by a team led by Alexander Wolszczan, the discoverer of the first planets ever found outside our solar system. One of these stars has another mystery object orbiting it. The research is expected to shed light on the evolution of planetary systems around dying stars and the influence of metal content on the behavior of dying stars.

Shaken, not stirred: Scientists spy molecular maneuvers Posted: 27 Oct 2011 10:24 AM PDT By shaking not stirring their solutions, researchers have been able to engineer two-dimensional, biomimetic nanosheets with atomic precision for a wide range of applications, including the creation of platforms for sensing molecules or membranes for filtration. To enable this self-assembly of 2D nanosheets they have developed a programmable vial rocking device they call a "SheetRocker."

New approach to overcome key hurdle for next-generation superconductors Posted: 27 Oct 2011 08:29 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new computational approach to improve the utility of superconductive materials for specific design applications -- and have used the approach to solve a key research obstacle for the next-generation superconductor material yttrium barium copper oxide.

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