ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• New study brings a doubted exoplanet 'back from the dead'
• Robots in the home: Will older adults roll out the welcome mat?
• A 'nanoscale landscape' controls flow of surface electrons on a topological insulator: Stripe-like contours on a surface modulate electrons that behave like light
• Not-so-permanent permafrost: 850 billion tons of carbon stored in frozen Arctic ground could be released
• Black widow's tango mortale in gamma-ray light: Scientists discover record-breaking millisecond pulsar with new analysis method
• Galactic snack time: Stream of stars slowly being ingested by the Milky Way
• Safety glass cut to any shape
• Monster galaxy may have been stirred up by black-hole mischief
• Why astronauts experience low blood pressure after returning to Earth from space
• Now the mobile phone goes emotional
• DNA's double stranded stretch: Models simulate what happens to DNA strands when stretched to the breaking point
• New bio-adhesive polymer demonstrated
• NASA spacecraft sees huge burp at Saturn after large storm

New study brings a doubted exoplanet 'back from the dead' Posted: 25 Oct 2012 02:46 PM PDT A second look at data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is reanimating the claim that the nearby star Fomalhaut hosts a massive exoplanet. The study suggests that the planet, named Fomalhaut b, is a rare and possibly unique object that is completely shrouded by dust.

Robots in the home: Will older adults roll out the welcome mat? Posted: 25 Oct 2012 01:15 PM PDT Robots have the potential to help older adults with daily activities that can become more challenging with age. But are people willing to use and accept the new technology? A new study indicates the answer is yes, unless the tasks involve personal care or social activities.

A 'nanoscale landscape' controls flow of surface electrons on a topological insulator: Stripe-like contours on a surface modulate electrons that behave like light Posted: 25 Oct 2012 12:29 PM PDT Physicists report new insights into the behavior of electrons on the surface of a topological insulator, a class of material with unique properties that challenge some of the oldest laws of physics.

Not-so-permanent permafrost: 850 billion tons of carbon stored in frozen Arctic ground could be released Posted: 25 Oct 2012 11:54 AM PDT As much as 44 billion tons of nitrogen and 850 billion tons of carbon stored in Arctic permafrost, or frozen ground, could be released into the environment as the region begins to thaw over the next century as a result of a warmer planet, according to a new study led by the U.S. Geological Survey. This nitrogen and carbon are likely to impact ecosystems, the atmosphere, and water resources including rivers and lakes. For context, this is roughly the amount of carbon stored in the atmosphere today.

Black widow's tango mortale in gamma-ray light: Scientists discover record-breaking millisecond pulsar with new analysis method Posted: 25 Oct 2012 11:07 AM PDT Pulsars are the compact remnants from explosions of massive stars. Some of them spin around their own axis hundreds of times per second, emitting beams of radiation into space. Until now, they could only be found through their pulsed radio emissions. Now, scientists have discovered a millisecond pulsar solely via its pulsed gamma radiation.

Galactic snack time: Stream of stars slowly being ingested by the Milky Way Posted: 25 Oct 2012 10:09 AM PDT Yale astronomers have caught the Milky Way having a snack. Using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, they have discovered a band, or stream, of stars believed to be the remnant of an ancient star cluster slowly being ingested by the Milky Way, Earth's home galaxy.

Safety glass cut to any shape Posted: 25 Oct 2012 10:07 AM PDT Shock-resistance is the great benefit of safety glass. However, the cut of the glass pane can make this difficult: With conventional processes, only straight cuts are possible. Yet a newly-developed method makes it possible to apply any cutting technique.

Monster galaxy may have been stirred up by black-hole mischief Posted: 25 Oct 2012 10:07 AM PDT Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have obtained a remarkable new view of a whopper of an elliptical galaxy that may have been puffed up by the actions of one or more black holes in its core.

Why astronauts experience low blood pressure after returning to Earth from space Posted: 25 Oct 2012 09:26 AM PDT When astronauts return to Earth, their altitude isn't the only thing that drops -- their blood pressure does too. This condition, known as orthostatic hypotension, occurs in up to half of those astronauts on short-term missions (two weeks or less) and in nearly all astronauts after long-term missions (four to six months). A new research report solves the biological mystery of how this happens by showing that low gravity compromises the ability of arteries and veins to constrict normally, inhibiting the proper flow of blood.

Now the mobile phone goes emotional Posted: 25 Oct 2012 08:29 AM PDT ForcePhone is a mobile synchronous haptic communication system. During phone calls, users can squeeze the side of the device and the pressure level is mapped to vibrations on the recipient's device. Computer scientists indicate that an additional haptic channel of communication can be integrated into mobile phone calls using a pressure to vibrotactile mapping with local and remote feedback.

DNA's double stranded stretch: Models simulate what happens to DNA strands when stretched to the breaking point Posted: 25 Oct 2012 08:01 AM PDT Theoretical physicists like to play with very unconventional toys. Researchers have adopted a seemingly playful approach to examining what happens to a double stranded molecule of DNA when it is stretched to the breaking point, in a new study.

New bio-adhesive polymer demonstrated Posted: 25 Oct 2012 07:57 AM PDT A new article details the use of a new laser-activated bio-adhesive polymer. The chitosan-based polymer, SurgiLux, is found in fungal cell walls or in exoskeletons of crustaceans and insects. This molecular component allows SurgiLux to form low energy bonds between the polymer and the desired tissue when it absorbs light. The technology may soon replace traditional sutures in the clinic.

NASA spacecraft sees huge burp at Saturn after large storm Posted: 25 Oct 2012 07:52 AM PDT NASA's Cassini spacecraft has tracked the aftermath of a rare massive storm on Saturn. Data reveal record-setting disturbances in the planet's upper atmosphere long after the visible signs of the storm abated, in addition to an indication the storm was more forceful than scientists previously thought.

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