ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

---

• Terahertz radiation can induce insulator-to-metal change of state in some materials
• Tighter background checks associated with fewer firearm deaths
• Higgs excitations near absolute zero
• Birds' perceptual and maneuvering abilities inspire small unmanned aerial vehicles
• Spatial skills may be improved through training, including video games
• Two Solar System puzzles solved
• Dramatic landing on Mars planned
• New class of synthetic vaccines explored

Terahertz radiation can induce insulator-to-metal change of state in some materials Posted: 25 Jul 2012 05:00 PM PDT Findings have promising implications for development of terahertz semi-conductors and other applications.

Tighter background checks associated with fewer firearm deaths Posted: 25 Jul 2012 05:00 PM PDT Researcher says states with stricter gun laws report fewer deaths by firearm, but Internet availability can undermine that.

Higgs excitations near absolute zero Posted: 25 Jul 2012 01:18 PM PDT Physicists have detected Higgs-type excitations in a low-dimensional system of ultracold atoms at the transition between different phases of matter.

Birds' perceptual and maneuvering abilities inspire small unmanned aerial vehicles Posted: 25 Jul 2012 09:06 AM PDT Scientists are looking at birds' perceptual and maneuvering abilities as inspiration for small unmanned aerial vehicle autonomy. They are examining the control and behavioral processes of birds and other small animals when flying at high speeds through complex environments, such as forests or urban settings.

Spatial skills may be improved through training, including video games Posted: 25 Jul 2012 09:06 AM PDT Spatial skills -- those involved with reading maps and assembling furniture -- can be improved if you work at it, that's according to a new look at the studies on this topic. Video game playing increases spatial skills. Improving spatial skills is important because children who do well at spatial tasks such as putting together puzzles are likely to achieve highly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.

Two Solar System puzzles solved Posted: 25 Jul 2012 07:53 AM PDT How did icy comets obtain particles that formed at high temperatures, and how did the particles acquire rims with different compositions? Scientists have now modeled the trajectories of refractory particles in the unstable disk that formed the Solar System. They found particles could have been processed in the hot inner disk, and then traveled to the frigid outer regions to end up in icy comets. Their meanderings could help explain the different rims.

Dramatic landing on Mars planned Posted: 25 Jul 2012 07:52 AM PDT NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is set to deliver the largest planetary rover ever flown onto the Red Planet's surface early in the morning of 6 August.

New class of synthetic vaccines explored Posted: 25 Jul 2012 07:00 AM PDT Biodesign immunologists are developing the first vaccine complex that could be delivered safely and effectively by piggybacking onto self-assembled, three-dimensional DNA nanostructures.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Top Technology News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610