ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Case of missing quasar gas clouds now solved
• A curious cold layer in the atmosphere of Venus
• Sticky paper offers cheap, easy solution for paper-based diagnostics
• Acoustic cell-sorting chip may lead to cell phone-sized medical labs
• One glue, two functions: Spider webs stick to the ground and elevated surfaces differently
• 3-D medical scanner: New handheld imaging device to aid doctors on the 'diagnostic front lines'
• Superman-strength bacteria produce 24-karat gold
• Solar cell consisting of a single molecule: Individual protein complex generates electric current
• Thanks for the transparent memories: Progress in quest for reliable, flexible computer memory for transparent electronics
• Engineers invent new device that could increase Internet download speeds
• Ordered atoms in glass materials discovered
• Switching cause and effect in quantum world? A causes B causes A
• Researchers create most detailed, 3-D rendering of key region of mammal lung
• Warning, automatic braking systems on autos will help save lives, researchers predict
• Watching crystals 'heal' themselves: Novel way to remove defects in materials
• Android-based network built to study cyber disruptions and help secure hand-held devices

Case of missing quasar gas clouds now solved Posted: 02 Oct 2012 04:04 PM PDT The case of the missing quasar gas clouds has been solved. A new article describes 19 distant quasars whose giant clouds of gas seem to have disappeared in just a few years.

A curious cold layer in the atmosphere of Venus Posted: 02 Oct 2012 03:50 PM PDT Venus Express has spied a surprisingly cold region high in the planet's atmosphere that may be frigid enough for carbon dioxide to freeze out as ice or snow.

Sticky paper offers cheap, easy solution for paper-based diagnostics Posted: 02 Oct 2012 03:30 PM PDT Global health researchers are working on cheap systems like a home-based pregnancy test that might work for malaria, diabetes or other diseases. A new chemical technique makes medically interesting molecules stick to regular paper -- a possible route to building such paper-based diagnostics from paper you could buy at an office-supply store.

Acoustic cell-sorting chip may lead to cell phone-sized medical labs Posted: 02 Oct 2012 01:19 PM PDT A technique that uses acoustic waves to sort cells on a chip may create miniature medical analytic devices that could make Star Trek's tricorder seem a bit bulky in comparison, according to experts.

One glue, two functions: Spider webs stick to the ground and elevated surfaces differently Posted: 02 Oct 2012 12:42 PM PDT Polymer scientists and biologists have discovered that a house spider -- in order to more efficiently capture different types of prey -- performs an uncommon feat. It tailors one glue to demonstrate two adhesive strengths: firm and weak.

3-D medical scanner: New handheld imaging device to aid doctors on the 'diagnostic front lines' Posted: 02 Oct 2012 12:00 PM PDT Engineers have created a new imaging tool for primary care physicians: a handheld scanner that would enable them to image all the sites they commonly examine -- such as inner ears or the health of patients' retinas. The device relies on optical coherence tomography and could offer sooner and better diagnoses for common conditions such as diabetes.

Superman-strength bacteria produce 24-karat gold Posted: 02 Oct 2012 12:00 PM PDT At a time when the value of gold has reached an all-time high, researchers have discovered a bacterium's ability to withstand incredible amounts of toxicity is key to creating 24-karat gold.

Solar cell consisting of a single molecule: Individual protein complex generates electric current Posted: 02 Oct 2012 12:00 PM PDT Photosynthesis allows plants to convert light into chemical energy. Utilizing this process to produce electrical energy is a research goal worldwide. Scientists have now demonstrated that a photosynthetic protein system can be integrated into artificial photovoltaic device architectures while retaining biomolecular functional properties. The proteins represent light-driven, highly efficient single-molecule electron pumps that can act as current generators in nanoscale electric circuits.

Thanks for the transparent memories: Progress in quest for reliable, flexible computer memory for transparent electronics Posted: 02 Oct 2012 11:57 AM PDT Researchers are building transparent, two-terminal, three-dimensional computer memories on flexible sheets that show promise for making transparent electronics and sophisticated heads-up displays.

Engineers invent new device that could increase Internet download speeds Posted: 02 Oct 2012 11:57 AM PDT Scientists and engineers have invented a unique microscale optical device that could greatly increase the speed of downloading information online and reduce the cost of Internet transmission. The device uses the force generated by light to flop a mechanical switch of light on and off at a very high speed. This development could lead to advances in computation and signal processing using light instead of electrical current.

Ordered atoms in glass materials discovered Posted: 02 Oct 2012 11:57 AM PDT Scientists have discovered the underlying order in metallic glasses, which may hold the key to the ability to create new high-tech alloys with specific properties.

Switching cause and effect in quantum world? A causes B causes A Posted: 02 Oct 2012 11:54 AM PDT A deeply rooted concept in everyday life is causality; the idea that events in the present are caused by events in the past and, in turn, act as causes for what happens in the future. Physicists have now shown that in quantum mechanics it is possible to conceive situations in which a single event can be both, a cause and an effect of another one.

Researchers create most detailed, 3-D rendering of key region of mammal lung Posted: 02 Oct 2012 11:32 AM PDT A research team has created the most detailed, three-dimensional rendering of a key region of a mammal lung. The model is important, because it can help scientists understand where and how lung diseases emerge as well as advance how drugs are delivered through the respiratory system.

Warning, automatic braking systems on autos will help save lives, researchers predict Posted: 02 Oct 2012 11:32 AM PDT Researchers extracted 1,396 incidents of rear-end collisions from a national U.S. database and looked at them on a case-by-case basis to determine whether the intelligent vehicle systems being studied would have been called into play and, if so, how they would have helped. The research showed that 7.7 percent of crashes would be prevented by use of all three systems -- warning, assisted braking, and autonomous braking.

Watching crystals 'heal' themselves: Novel way to remove defects in materials Posted: 02 Oct 2012 06:28 AM PDT Physicists have succeeded in creating a defect in the structure of a single-layer crystal by simply inserting an extra particle, and then watching as the crystal "heals" itself.

Android-based network built to study cyber disruptions and help secure hand-held devices Posted: 02 Oct 2012 06:17 AM PDT As part of ongoing research to help prevent and mitigate disruptions to computer networks on the Internet, researchers have turned their attention to smartphones and other hand-held computing devices.

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