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Tuesday, November 19, 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News


Pressure cooking to improve electric car batteries

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 01:00 PM PST

Researchers have redesigned the component materials of the battery in an environmentally friendly way to solve some of the problems associated with electric car batteries. By creating nanoparticles with a controlled shape, they believe smaller, more powerful and energy efficient batteries can be built.

Optimizing electronic correlations for superconductivity

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 01:00 PM PST

Researchers find that electrons teetering on the edge of free motion or stuck in place yield optimal superconductivity. Their work explains common characteristics between two different superconducting iron compounds and may help in the search for better "high-temperature" superconductors.

Researchers use simple scaling theory to better predict gas production in barnett shale wells

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 01:00 PM PST

Researchers have developed a simple scaling theory to estimate gas production from hydraulically fractured wells in the Barnett Shale. The method is intended to help the energy industry accurately identify low- and high-producing horizontal wells, as well as accurately predict how long it will take for gas reserves to deplete in the wells.

A superconductor-surrogate earns its stripes

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 11:18 AM PST

Understanding superconductivity -- whereby certain materials can conduct electricity without any loss of energy -- has proved to be one of the most persistent problems in modern physics. Now scientists have teased out another important tangle from this giant ball of string, bringing us a significant step closer to understanding how high-temperature superconductors work their magic.

SlipChip counts molecules with chemistry and a cell phone

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 10:30 AM PST

Limited access to expensive equipment and trained professionals can impede the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Qualitative tests that provide a "yes" or "no" answer (like at-home pregnancy tests) have been optimized for resource-limited settings, but most quantitative tests -- needed to determine precise concentrations, like viral loads -- are still done in a laboratory. Using a lab-on-a-chip device and a smartphone, researchers developed a method to determine the concentration of HIV RNA in a sample.

Deep-space radiation hazards documented and quantified

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 10:30 AM PST

Scientists have published comprehensive findings on space-based radiation as measured by a detector aboard NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The data provide critical information on the radiation hazards that will be faced by astronauts on extended missions to deep space such as those to Mars.

After 84 years, von Neumann-Day math problem finally solved

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 10:30 AM PST

A famous math problem that has vexed mathematicians for decades has finally met an elegant solution. Mathematicians have now described a geometric solution for the von Neumann-Day problem, first described by mathematician John von Neumann in 1929.

Refined materials provide booster shot for solar energy conversion

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 10:29 AM PST

Researchers have set their sights on improving the materials that make solar energy conversion/photocatalysis possible. Together, they have developed a new form of high-performance solar photocatalyst based on the combination of the titanium dioxide and other "metallic" oxides that greatly enhance the visible light absorption and promote more efficient utilization of the solar spectrum for energy applications.

New 5-D method to understand big data

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 10:24 AM PST

Scientists have developed a new method to display large amounts of data in a color-coded, easy-to-read graph. Neuroscientists originally designed the method to interpret enormous amounts of data derived from their research on the human brain. The method, called a five dimensional (5D) colorimetric technique, is able to graph spatiotemporal data (data that includes both space and time), which has not previously been achieved. Until now, spatiotemporal problems were analyzed either from a spatial perspective or from a time-based approach.

Graphene nanoribbons with nanopores created for fast DNA sequencing

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 08:19 AM PST

Researchers have made an advance towards realizing a new gene sequencing technique based on threading DNA through a tiny hole in a layer of graphene. Earlier versions of the technique only made use of graphene's unbeatable thinness, but scientists now show how the material's unique electrical properties may be employed to make faster and more sensitive sequencing devices.

Graphene: Minor rotation of 'chicken wire' has major consequences

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 07:24 AM PST

Since the discovery of graphene, a great future has been predicted for the material, which is strong and highly conductive. The just one atom layer thick carbon can lead to new electronics. Examples include printable and flexible electronics, touch screens and OLEDs. For this, interaction with other materials is necessary, however. Researchers have now examined what happens at the interface with other materials and have thus brought graphene electronics a step closer.

DIY and save: A scientist's guide to making your own lab equipment

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 07:22 AM PST

Joshua Pearce has penned a how-to book on the open-source 3-D printing technology that could revolutionize how science is done all over the world.

Evidence found for granite on Mars: Red Planet more more geologically complex than thought

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 06:15 AM PST

Researchers now have stronger evidence of granite on Mars and a new theory for how the granite -- an igneous rock common on Earth -- could have formed there, according to a new study. The findings suggest a much more geologically complex Mars than previously believed.

World's smallest FM radio transmitter

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 06:15 AM PST

Scientists have taken advantage of graphene's special properties —- its mechanical strength and electrical conduction —- and created a nano-mechanical system that can create FM signals, in effect the world's smallest FM radio transmitter.

Digital radio requires high data rate

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 05:09 AM PST

The digital radio DAB+ (Digital Audio Broadcast) must be assigned the capacity to broadcast with a high data rate, otherwise there is a risk for an inferior audio quality.

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