Laman

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News


NASA's WISE colors in unknowns on Jupiter asteroids

Posted: 15 Oct 2012 01:35 PM PDT

Scientists using data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, have uncovered new clues in the ongoing mystery of the Jovian Trojans -- asteroids that orbit the sun on the same path as Jupiter. Like racehorses, the asteroids travel in packs, with one group leading the way in front of the gas giant, and a second group trailing behind. The observations are the first to get a detailed look at the Trojans' colors: both the leading and trailing packs are made up of predominantly dark, reddish rocks with a matte, non-reflecting surface. What's more, the data verify the previous suspicion that the leading pack of Trojans outnumbers the trailing bunch.

Freezing electrons in flight: Physicists catch electrons getting knocked out of atoms

Posted: 15 Oct 2012 12:45 PM PDT

Using the world's fastest laser pulses, which can freeze the ultrafast motion of electrons and atoms, physicists have caught the action of molecules breaking apart and electrons getting knocked out of atoms. Their research helps us better understand molecular processes and ultimately be able to control them in many possible applications.

Circumbinary planet in quadruple star system discovered by astronomers aided by volunteer 'Planet Hunters'

Posted: 15 Oct 2012 12:00 PM PDT

A joint effort of citizen scientists and professional astronomers has led to the first reported case of a planet orbiting twin suns that in turn is orbited by a second distant pair of stars. Only six planets are known to orbit two stars, according to researchers, and none of these are orbited by distant stellar companions.

Research team develops single-crystal pump for miniaturized DNA forensics

Posted: 15 Oct 2012 11:20 AM PDT

A research team has developed a new type of micro pump that can be used in forensic DNA profiling. The pump represents a giant leap in miniaturization.

New way to mimic the color and texture of butterfly wings

Posted: 15 Oct 2012 10:25 AM PDT

The colors of a butterfly's wings are unusually bright and beautiful and are the result of an unusual trait; the way they reflect light is fundamentally different from how color works most of the time. A team of researchers has found a way to generate this kind of "structural color" that has the added benefit of another trait of butterfly wings: super-hydrophobicity, or the ability to strongly repel water.

Researchers find new way to prevent cracking in nanoparticle films

Posted: 15 Oct 2012 10:25 AM PDT

Making uniform coatings is a common engineering challenge, and, when working at the nanoscale, even the tiniest cracks or defects can be a big problem. New research has shown a new way of avoiding such cracks when depositing thin films of nanoparticles.

Scientists provide window on space radiation hazards

Posted: 15 Oct 2012 10:18 AM PDT

Astrophysicists have created the first online system for predicting and forecasting the radiation environment in near-Earth, lunar, and Martian space environments. The near real-time tool will provide critical information as preparations are made for potential future manned missions to the moon and Mars.

Another advance on the road to spintronics: Researchers unlock ferromagnetic secrets of promising materials

Posted: 15 Oct 2012 09:24 AM PDT

Using a new technique called HARPES, for Hard x-ray Angle-Resolved PhotoEmission Spectroscopy, researchers have unlocked the ferromagnetic secrets of dilute magnetic semiconductors, materials of great interest for spintronic technology.

New techniques stretch carbon nanotubes, make stronger composites

Posted: 15 Oct 2012 08:27 AM PDT

Researchers have developed new techniques for stretching carbon nanotubes and using them to create carbon composites that can be used as stronger, lighter materials in everything from airplanes to bicycles.

Evolving microbes help engineers turn bio-oil into advanced biofuels

Posted: 15 Oct 2012 05:46 AM PDT

A research team is working to develop hungry, robust microbes that can ferment biofuels from the bio-oil produced by rapidly heating biomass such as corn stalks and sawdust.

Applied physics as art: Spray-paint ultrathin coatings change color with only a few atoms' difference in thickness

Posted: 14 Oct 2012 01:29 PM PDT

Researchers have demonstrated a new way to customize the color of metal surfaces by exploiting a completely overlooked optical phenomenon. For centuries it was thought that thin-film interference effects, such as those that cause oily pavements to reflect a rainbow of swirling colors, could not occur in opaque materials. However, even very "lossy" thin films, if atomically thin, can be tailored to reflect a particular range of dramatic and vivid colors.

Making a layer cake with atomic precision

Posted: 14 Oct 2012 01:29 PM PDT

Graphene and associated one-atom-thick crystals offer the possibility of a vast range of new materials and devices by stacking individual atomic layers on top of each other, new research shows.

No comments:

Post a Comment