ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Toxic nanoparticles might be entering human food supply
• Computer simulations indicate calcium carbonate has a dense liquid phase
• Drug delivery: Why gold nanoparticles can penetrate cell walls
• Morphing manganese: New discovery alters understanding of chemistry that moves elements through natural world
• Ytterbium atomic clocks set record for stability
• Space slinky: Jet of superheated gas -- 5,000 light-years long -- ejected from supermassive black hole
• Sticking power of plant polyphenols used in new coatings
• Process devised for ultrathin carbon membranes
• More efficient and economical capture of power plant carbon dioxide emissions
• 24,000 kilometers driven electrically: Two tons of CO2 emissions less
• Redesign for sudden autopilot disconnection needed, say flight safety experts

Toxic nanoparticles might be entering human food supply Posted: 22 Aug 2013 04:45 PM PDT Farmers have used silver nanoparticles as a pesticide because of their capability to suppress the growth of harmful organisms. However, a growing concern is that these particles could pose a potential health risk to humans and the environment. In a new study, researchers have developed a reliable method for detecting silver nanoparticles in fresh produce and other food products.

Computer simulations indicate calcium carbonate has a dense liquid phase Posted: 22 Aug 2013 12:22 PM PDT Computer simulations could help scientists make sense of a recently observed and puzzling wrinkle in one of nature's most important chemical processes. It turns out that calcium carbonate -- the ubiquitous compound that is a major component of seashells, limestone, concrete, antacids and myriad other substances -- may momentarily exist in liquid form as it crystallizes from solution. Calcium carbonate is a huge player in the planet's carbon cycle, so any new insight into how it behaves is potentially big news.

Drug delivery: Why gold nanoparticles can penetrate cell walls Posted: 22 Aug 2013 11:22 AM PDT Gold nanoparticles with special coatings can deliver drugs or biosensors to a cell's interior without damaging it.

Morphing manganese: New discovery alters understanding of chemistry that moves elements through natural world Posted: 22 Aug 2013 11:22 AM PDT An often-overlooked form of manganese, an element critical to many life processes, is far more prevalent in ocean environments than previously known, according to a new study. The discovery alters understanding of the chemistry that moves manganese and other elements, like oxygen and carbon, through the natural world. Manganese is an essential nutrient for most organisms and helps plants produce oxygen during photosynthesis.

Ytterbium atomic clocks set record for stability Posted: 22 Aug 2013 11:22 AM PDT A pair of experimental atomic clocks based on ytterbium atoms at the National Institute of Standards and Technology has set a new record for stability. The clocks act like 21st-century pendulums or metronomes that could swing back and forth with perfect timing for a period comparable to the age of the universe.

Space slinky: Jet of superheated gas -- 5,000 light-years long -- ejected from supermassive black hole Posted: 22 Aug 2013 09:25 AM PDT Astronomers have assembled, from more than 13 years of observations from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, a series of time-lapse movies showing a jet of superheated gas — 5,000 light-years long — as it is ejected from a supermassive black hole in the giant elliptical galaxy M87.

Sticking power of plant polyphenols used in new coatings Posted: 22 Aug 2013 08:21 AM PDT Researchers have exploited the powerful and healthful polyphenols found in green tea, red wine and dark chocolate in a new way. Polyphenols are also sticky, and the researchers have used this property to make new multifunctional coatings based on inexpensive compounds that can stick to virtually anything, including Teflon. Simply dissolving polyphenol powders in water with the proper dash of salt quickly produces colorless coatings that have antioxidant properties, are non-toxic and can kill bacteria on contact.

Process devised for ultrathin carbon membranes Posted: 22 Aug 2013 07:35 AM PDT Scientists have succeeded in developing a new path to produce carbon nanomembranes. In the future, such membranes are expected to be able to filter out very fine materials. The advantage of the new method of fabrication is that it allows a variety of different carbon nanomembranes to be generated which are much thinner than conventional membranes.

More efficient and economical capture of power plant carbon dioxide emissions Posted: 22 Aug 2013 06:00 AM PDT Scientists have developed a new technology that captures the carbon dioxide emissions of power plants more economically and ecologically. The new technology is based on a combination of traditional circulating fluidized bed combustion and oxyfuel combustion, enabling more extensive use of cheaper fuels and even biomass.

24,000 kilometers driven electrically: Two tons of CO2 emissions less Posted: 21 Aug 2013 05:50 AM PDT 1.97 tons of CO2 less, excellently suited for commuting traffic, quick charging as a prerequisite of economic efficiency: These are the first results of the RheinMobil electric mobility project after 23,710 km.

Redesign for sudden autopilot disconnection needed, say flight safety experts Posted: 20 Aug 2013 01:12 PM PDT Flight safety experts studying recent high-profile plane crashes found sudden autopilot disconnection to be a design flaw that creates unnecessary emergencies by surprising pilots during critical, high-workload episodes.

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