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Wednesday, November 6, 2013

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News


New aluminum alloy stores hydrogen: Versatile, lightweight material opens the door to fuel cells of the future

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 09:14 AM PST

We use aluminum to make planes lightweight, store sodas in recyclable containers, keep the walls of our homes energy efficient and ensure that the Thanksgiving turkey is cooked to perfection. Now there may soon be a new application for the versatile metal: hydrogen storage for fuel cells.

The next big thing in the energy sector: Photovoltaic generated DC electricity

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 09:14 AM PST

A viable solution for sustainable energy transmission is the onsite generation of electricity using the photovoltaic method of converting solar energy directly into electrical energy.

Galaxy growth examined like rings of a tree

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 08:38 AM PST

Galaxies outlive trees by billions of years, making their growth impossible to see. But like biologists reading tree rings, astronomers can read the rings in a galaxy's disk to unravel its past. Using data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), scientists have acquired more evidence for the "inside-out" theory of galaxy growth, showing that bursts of star formation in central regions were followed one to two billion years later by star birth in the outer fringes.

Understanding what makes a thin film solar cell efficient

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 08:26 AM PST

Scientists have developed a new technique for manufacturing high-efficiency, flexible, thin film solar cells from CIGS (copper indium gallium di-selenide) semiconductors. This has enabled them to achieve an efficiency of 20.4 percent for the conversion of sunlight into electrical energy. As the solar cells are deposited onto plastic foils, they could be produced on an industrial scale using cost-effective roll-to-roll manufacturing.

Holograms offer hope in fight against malaria

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 07:36 AM PST

Scientists have developed a 3D filming technique that could help inform research to stem the spread of malaria.

Machines learn to detect breast cancer

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 07:36 AM PST

Software that can recognize patterns in data is commonly used by scientists and economics. Now, researchers in the US have applied similar algorithms to help them more accurately diagnose breast cancer.

A single-atom light switch: New switch is powerful tool for quantum information and quantum communication

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 07:35 AM PST

With just a single atom, light can be switched between two fiber optic cables. Such a switch enables quantum phenomena to be used for information and communication technology.

Emissions pricing revenues could overcompensate profit losses of fossil fuel owners

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 06:32 AM PST

Revenues from global carbon emission pricing could exceed the losses fossil fuel owners suffer from this policy. Stabilizing global warming at around 2 degrees Celsius by cutting greenhouse-gas emissions from fossil fuels would mean to leave much of coal, gas and oil unused underground.

Knife-wielding robot trains for grocery checkout job using new coactive learning technique

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 05:15 AM PST

Engineers have taught a robot to work in a mock-supermarket checkout line, modifying a Baxter robot from Rethink Robotics in Boston to "coactively learn" from humans and make adjustments while an action is in progress.

Astronomy: White dwarfs hide information on dark forces

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 05:14 AM PST

Researchers have ruled out a multitude of possible parameters for dark photons - a type of dark matter and energy - with the help of white dwarfs. In some aspects, the shining of these dying stars gives more information on dark forces than is provided by Earth-based laboratories.

The leviton, a silent electron wave

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 05:12 AM PST

Physicists have succeeded in injecting a few electrons into a conductor without causing any disturbance to it. This result has been achieved by generating ultra-short electrical pulses with a Lorentzian distribution in the time domain. The quantum electron wave obtained in this way has been named a leviton.

iPhone app offers individual hearing support

Posted: 05 Nov 2013 05:12 AM PST

Transmission losses and background noise can considerably impair speech intelligibility when making calls on a cell phone – particularly for people who suffer from hearing loss. Hearing research scientists have now developed an app for the iPhone that improves speech intelligibility for internet phone calls made using Voice over IP technology. In addition to allowing adjustment of loudness and sound settings to meet individual preferences, the app is also able to compensate for hearing loss.

Physicist spend 60 years cataloging the characteristics of a family of exotic particles called kaons

Posted: 30 Oct 2013 03:54 PM PDT

Three generations of University of Chicago physicists have spent decades painstakingly cataloging the characteristics of a family of exotic particles called kaons, and an upcoming experiment promises to be the most precise one yet.

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