Laman

Thursday, June 28, 2012

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News


Palladium-gold nanoparticles clean TCE a billion times faster than iron filings

Posted: 27 Jun 2012 12:42 PM PDT

In the first side-by-side tests of a half-dozen palladium- and iron-based catalysts for cleaning up the carcinogen TCE, scientists have found that palladium destroys TCE far faster than iron -- up to a billion times faster in some cases.

New planet-weighing technique found

Posted: 27 Jun 2012 11:25 AM PDT

Although there have been about 800 extra-solar planets discovered so far in our galaxy, the precise masses of the majority of them are still unknown, as the most-common planet-finding technique provides only a general idea of an object's mass. Previously, the only way to determine a planet's exact mass was if it transits. Astronomers have, for the first time, determined the mass of a non-transiting planet.

New way of probing exoplanet atmospheres

Posted: 27 Jun 2012 10:20 AM PDT

For the first time a new technique has allowed astronomers to study the atmosphere of an exoplanet in detail -- even though it does not pass in front of its parent star. Astronomers have used ESO's Very Large Telescope to directly catch the faint glow from the planet Tau Boötis b, solving a 15-year-old problem. The team also finds that the planet's atmosphere seems to be cooler higher up, differently from the expected.

Easier way to make new drug compounds

Posted: 27 Jun 2012 10:19 AM PDT

Scientists have developed a powerful new technique for manipulating the building-block molecules of organic chemistry. The technique enables chemists to add new functional molecules to previously hard-to-reach positions on existing compounds—making it easier for them to generate new drugs and other organic chemicals.

ALMA reveals constituent of a galaxy at 12.4 billion light-years away

Posted: 27 Jun 2012 09:21 AM PDT

How and when did galaxies with hundreds of billions of stars form and evolve? The sun, which is the center of the solar system in which we live, is also only one of the countless stars contained within a galaxy. In brief, it can be said that we need to understand the evolution of galaxies to understand the world we live in.

A step toward minute factories that produce medicine inside the body

Posted: 27 Jun 2012 07:33 AM PDT

Scientists are reporting an advance toward treating disease with minute capsules containing not drugs -- but the DNA and other biological machinery for making the drug. They describe engineering micro- and nano-sized capsules that contain the genetically coded instructions, plus the read-out gear and assembly line for protein synthesis that can be switched on with an external signal.

New technique controls crystalline structure of titanium dioxide

Posted: 27 Jun 2012 07:33 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a new technique for controlling the crystalline structure of titanium dioxide at room temperature. The development should make titanium dioxide more efficient in a range of applications, including photovoltaic cells, hydrogen production, antimicrobial coatings, smart sensors and optical communication technologies.

First 3-D nanoscale optical cavities from metamaterials: Hold promise for nanolasers, LEDs, optical sensors

Posted: 27 Jun 2012 06:29 AM PDT

Researchers have created the world's smallest three-dimensional optical cavities with the potential to generate the world's most intense nanolaser beams. In addition to nanolasers, these unique optical cavities should be applicable to a broad range of other technologies, including LEDs, optical sensing, nonlinear optics, quantum optics and photonic integrated circuits.

Plasma fingers point to the taming of the edge localized modes

Posted: 27 Jun 2012 06:20 AM PDT

New images from the MAST device at Culham Centre for Fusion Energy could find a solution to one of the biggest plasma physics problems standing in the way of the development of fusion power.

Self-healing dynamic membrane

Posted: 27 Jun 2012 06:20 AM PDT

The market for membranes, porous materials used mainly to filter liquids, is booming. However, their design leaves room for improvement. Taking their inspiration from cellular membranes, researchers have developed the first dynamic membrane for water filtration which, depending on the water pressure, can adjust the size of its pores in an autonomous manner.

Marine energy doubled by predicting wave power

Posted: 26 Jun 2012 02:27 PM PDT

The energy generated from our oceans could be doubled using new methods for predicting wave power. New research could pave the way for significant advancements in marine renewable energy, making it a more viable source of power. The researchers devised a means of accurately predicting the power of the next wave in order to make the technology far more efficient, extracting twice as much energy as is currently possible.

No comments:

Post a Comment