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Wednesday, December 21, 2011

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News


Amplifier helps diamond spy on atoms

Posted: 20 Dec 2011 05:44 PM PST

An 'amplifier' molecule placed on the tip of a diamond could help scientists locate and identify individual atoms, scientists believe.

Mystery of car battery's current solved

Posted: 20 Dec 2011 04:33 PM PST

Chemists have solved the 150 year-old mystery of what gives the lead-acid battery, found under the bonnet of most cars, its unique ability to deliver a surge of current.

A single cell endoscope

Posted: 20 Dec 2011 12:40 PM PST

Researchers have developed a nanowire endoscope that can provide high-resolution optical images of the interior of a single living cell, or precisely deliver genes, proteins, therapeutic drugs or other cargo without injuring or damaging the cell.

First Earth-size planets beyond our solar system: Smallest exoplanets ever confirmed around a star like our sun

Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:40 AM PST

NASA's Kepler mission has discovered the first Earth-size planets orbiting a sun-like star outside our solar system. The planets, called Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f, are too close to their star to be in the so-called habitable zone where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface, but they are the smallest exoplanets ever confirmed around a star like our sun. The discovery marks the next important milestone in the ultimate search for planets like Earth. The new planets are thought to be rocky. Kepler-20e is slightly smaller than Venus, measuring 0.87 times the radius of Earth. Kepler-20f is slightly larger than Earth, measuring 1.03 times its radius. Both planets reside in a five-planet system called Kepler-20, approximately 1,000 light-years away in the constellation Lyra.

Self-healing electronics could work longer and reduce waste

Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:39 AM PST

Engineers have developed a self-healing system that restores electrical conductivity to a cracked circuit in less time than it takes to blink. As a crack propagates, microcapsules filled with liquid metal break open and the liquid fills the gap, restoring electrical flow. The technology is especially attractive for applications where repair is impossible, such as a battery, or finding the source of a failure is difficult, such as an air- or spacecraft.

New evidence for complex molecules on Pluto's surface

Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:38 AM PST

Astronomers have discovered a strong ultraviolet-wavelength absorber on Pluto's surface, providing new evidence that points to the possibility of complex hydrocarbon and/or nitrile molecules lying on the surface.

Boron nanoribbons reveal surprising thermal properties in bundles

Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:38 AM PST

Researchers looking at the thermal conductivity of bundles boron nanoribbons have found that they have unusually high heat-transfer capabilities. Contrary to past experiments with similar nanomaterial bundles, the study shows that the thermal conductivity of a bundle of boron nanoribbons can be significantly higher than that a single nanoribbon. Experimental results indicate that the geometry of the ribbons is responsible for the higher conductivity and point to potential method for creating a thermal switch.

New method significantly reduces production costs of fuel cells

Posted: 20 Dec 2011 10:37 AM PST

Researchers have developed a new and significantly cheaper method of manufacturing fuel cells. A noble metal nanoparticle catalyst for fuel cells is prepared using atomic layer deposition.

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