ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Nanoparticles: Making gold economical for sensing
• Cold cases heat up through new approach to identifying remains
• Light might prompt graphene devices on demand
• Sweeping X-ray imaging survey of dying stars is 'uncharted territory'
• Improving nanometer-scale manufacturing with infrared spectroscopy
• Fly like an eagle: New launch and recovery system takes unmanned aerial vehicles into the future
• Best of both catalytic worlds: New technique for heterogenizing homogenous nano catalysts
• Photonic gels are colorful sensors: Thin-film polymer metamaterial with potential for many uses created
• The graphene-paved roadmap: 'Wonder material' has potential to revolutionize our lives
• Surprising spiral structure spotted by astronomers
• 3-D model for lung cancer mimics the real thing
• From lectures to explosives detection: Laser pointer identifies dangerous chemicals in real-time
• New mechanism for molecular interactions: 'Molecular sled' carries viral enzyme along DNA to find and interact with targets
• SpaceX's Dragon carrying NASA cargo resupplies space station
• Extending Einstein's theory beyond light speed
• Tactile glove provides subtle guidance to objects in vicinity
• Secret to making cheap, high-density data storage discovered

Nanoparticles: Making gold economical for sensing Posted: 10 Oct 2012 12:08 PM PDT Newly developed gold nanocluster arrays are well suited for commercial applications of a high-performance sensing technique.

Cold cases heat up through new approach to identifying remains Posted: 10 Oct 2012 11:14 AM PDT In an effort to identify the thousands of John/Jane Doe cold cases in the United States, scientists have found a multidisciplinary approach to identifying the remains of missing persons. Using "bomb pulse" radiocarbon analysis, combined with recently developed anthropological analysis and forensic DNA techniques, the researchers were able to identify the remains of a missing child 41 years after the discovery of the body.

Light might prompt graphene devices on demand Posted: 10 Oct 2012 11:14 AM PDT A breakthrough in plasmonics could allow the creation of on-demand electronic devices on graphene by hitting the material with light of a particular wavelength or at a certain angle.

Sweeping X-ray imaging survey of dying stars is 'uncharted territory' Posted: 10 Oct 2012 11:14 AM PDT The death throes of dying stars are the focus of a sweeping new survey using NASA's Chandra X-ray satellite observatory. More than two dozen astronomers have aligned their research goals to use Chandra to image a set of dying stars in the neighborhood of the Sun. The resulting X-ray images of these dying stars -- called planetary nebulae -- are shedding light on the violent "end game" of a Sun-like star's life.

Improving nanometer-scale manufacturing with infrared spectroscopy Posted: 10 Oct 2012 11:14 AM PDT While there have been significant breakthroughs in nano-manufacturing, there has been much less progress on measurement technologies that can provide information about nanostructures made from multiple integrated materials. Researchers now report new diagnostic tools that can support cutting-edge nano-manufacturing. Using atomic force microscope based infrared spectroscopy to characterize polymer nanostructures and systems of integrated polymer nanostructures, researchers were able to chemically analyze polymer lines as small as 100 nm.

Fly like an eagle: New launch and recovery system takes unmanned aerial vehicles into the future Posted: 10 Oct 2012 11:14 AM PDT A shipboard-capable system designed to support both the launch and recovery of the Scan Eagle unmanned aerial vehicle, successfully completed final demonstration flight testing Sept. 27 at a testing range in eastern Oregon.

Best of both catalytic worlds: New technique for heterogenizing homogenous nano catalysts Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:15 AM PDT Researchers have combined the best properties of heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts by encapsulating metallic nanoclusters within the branched molecular arms of dendrimers. The results are heterogenized homogeneous nanocatalysts that are sustainable and feature high reactivity and selectivity.

Photonic gels are colorful sensors: Thin-film polymer metamaterial with potential for many uses created Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:15 AM PDT Tunable photonic gels show promise for sensors, security devices, computer components and display systems.

The graphene-paved roadmap: 'Wonder material' has potential to revolutionize our lives Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:14 AM PDT Wonder material graphene could not only dominate the electronic market in the near future, it could also lead to a huge range of new markets and novel applications, a new paper claims. An international team of scientists has produced a 'Graphene Roadmap' which for the first time sets out what the world's thinnest, strongest and most conductive material can truly achieve.

Surprising spiral structure spotted by astronomers Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:14 AM PDT Astronomers have discovered a surprising spiral structure in the gas around the red giant star R Sculptoris. This means that there is probably a previously unseen companion star orbiting the star. The astronomers were also surprised to find that far more material than expected had been ejected by the red giant.

3-D model for lung cancer mimics the real thing Posted: 10 Oct 2012 10:13 AM PDT A new technique that allows scientists to grow lung cancer cells in three dimensions could accelerate discoveries for a type of cancer that has benefited little from scientific research over the last several decades. The model uses biological matter to form miniature lungs.

From lectures to explosives detection: Laser pointer identifies dangerous chemicals in real-time Posted: 10 Oct 2012 08:25 AM PDT By using an ordinary green laser pointer, the kind commonly found in lecture halls, an Israeli research team has developed a new and highly portable Raman spectrometer that can detect extremely minute traces of hazardous chemicals in real time. The new sensor's compact design makes it an excellent candidate for rapid field deployment to disaster zones and areas with security concerns.

New mechanism for molecular interactions: 'Molecular sled' carries viral enzyme along DNA to find and interact with targets Posted: 10 Oct 2012 08:25 AM PDT Scientists have discovered a new mechanism that may alter principle understandings of molecular interactions within a cell's nucleus. Scientists describe the details of how particular proteins use a "molecular sled" to slide along DNA -- much like a train running along its tracks -- to find and interact with other proteins. The findings suggest this mechanism may be universal.

SpaceX's Dragon carrying NASA cargo resupplies space station Posted: 10 Oct 2012 07:38 AM PDT The Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) Dragon spacecraft was berthed to the International Space Station at 8:03 a.m. CDT Wednesday (Oct. 10, 2012), a key milestone in a new era of commercial spaceflight. The delivery flight is the first contracted resupply mission by the company under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract.

Extending Einstein's theory beyond light speed Posted: 10 Oct 2012 06:27 AM PDT Applied mathematicians have extended Einstein's theory of special relativity to work beyond the speed of light.

Tactile glove provides subtle guidance to objects in vicinity Posted: 10 Oct 2012 05:45 AM PDT Researchers have shown how computer-vision based hand-tracking and vibration feedback on the user's hand can be used to steer the user's hand toward an object of interest. A study shows an almost three-fold advantage in finding objects from complex visual scenes, such as library or supermarket shelves. With the new glove the user and feels their hand being gently 'pulled' toward the target.

Secret to making cheap, high-density data storage discovered Posted: 10 Oct 2012 05:38 AM PDT Imagine being able to store thousands of songs and high-resolution images on data devices no bigger than a fingernail. Researchers have discovered that an ultra-smooth surface is the key factor for "self-assembly."

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