ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

---

• Largest known prime number discovered; has 17,425,170 digits
• Team creates MRI for the nanoscale: Level comparable to an atomic force microscope
• Light-emitting bioprobe fits in a single cell
• Robots with lift: Researchers use combustible gases to power leaping machines
• Engineers show feasibility of superfast materials: 'Organic topological insulators' for quantum computing
• A cooler way to protect silicon surfaces
• Sustainable new catalysts fueled by a single proton
• Simulation helps scientists better understand the origin of our solar system
• Self-assembling, origami-inspired particles
• Deep space missions? Magnetic shielding of ion beam thruster walls may provide power
• Vortex pinning could lead to superconducting breakthroughs
• Rare explosion created our galaxy's youngest black hole, study suggests
• 'A drop of ink on the luminous sky:' Wide Field Imager snaps cosmic gecko
• Biosensing: Detecting cocaine 'naturally'
• New technology for producing hydrogen

Largest known prime number discovered; has 17,425,170 digits Posted: 13 Feb 2013 07:54 PM PST On Jan. 25, the largest known prime number, 257,885,161-1, was discovered on Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search (GIMPS) volunteer Curtis Cooper's computer. The new prime number, 2 multiplied by itself 57,885,161 times, less one, has 17,425,170 digits. With 360,000 CPUs peaking at 150 trillion calculations per second, 17th-year GIMPS is the longest continuously-running global "grassroots supercomputing" project in Internet history.

Team creates MRI for the nanoscale: Level comparable to an atomic force microscope Posted: 13 Feb 2013 01:57 PM PST An international team of researchers has opened the door for MRI technology at the nanoscale. Using tiny defects in diamonds they sensed the magnetic resonance of molecules to peer down to the level of atoms.

Light-emitting bioprobe fits in a single cell Posted: 13 Feb 2013 01:57 PM PST A new study is the first to demonstrate that sophisticated, engineered light resonators can be inserted inside cells without damaging the host. The researchers say it marks a new age in which tiny lasers and light-emitting diodes yield new avenues in the study and influence of living cells.

Robots with lift: Researchers use combustible gases to power leaping machines Posted: 13 Feb 2013 12:24 PM PST Using small explosions produced by a mix of methane and oxygen, researchers have designed a soft robot that can leap as much as a foot in the air. That ability to jump could one day prove critical in allowing the robots to avoid obstacles during search and rescue operations following a disaster.

Engineers show feasibility of superfast materials: 'Organic topological insulators' for quantum computing Posted: 13 Feb 2013 10:24 AM PST Engineers demonstrated it is feasible to build the first organic materials that conduct electricity on their edges, but act as an insulator inside. These materials, called organic topological insulators, could shuttle information at the speed of light in quantum computers and other high-speed electronic devices.

A cooler way to protect silicon surfaces Posted: 13 Feb 2013 10:24 AM PST Researchers have found a way to passivate silicon at room temperature, which could be a significant boon to solar-cell production and other silicon-based technologies.

Sustainable new catalysts fueled by a single proton Posted: 13 Feb 2013 10:23 AM PST Researchers have conceived an exceptionally efficient class of catalysts powered by a single proton embedded within their structures. The catalysts generate desirable organic molecules, are prepared easily and inexpensively, deliver exceptional selectivity and offer numerous applications to medical and life science research.

Simulation helps scientists better understand the origin of our solar system Posted: 13 Feb 2013 10:20 AM PST Simulations boost the significance of image and measurement data from space missions: based on the example of an asteroid. Astrophysicists show collisions with other celestial bodies can be reconstructed and that even the internal structure of so-called protoplanets can be described. These models help to understand the development of our solar system.

Self-assembling, origami-inspired particles Posted: 13 Feb 2013 10:18 AM PST The nanotechnology research space is rapidly growing, with vast implications for the healthcare, consumer electronics, surveillance, and defense industries. However, a major limitation to this research is the ability to create particles that vary in shape and function on a micrometer or nanometer scale. To overcome these limitations, chemical engineers have developed self-assembling particles that are inspired by origami, the traditional Japanese art of folding paper into complex three-dimensional shapes. A new article demonstrates the fabrication and folding of these particles.

Deep space missions? Magnetic shielding of ion beam thruster walls may provide power Posted: 13 Feb 2013 08:47 AM PST Electric rocket engines known as Hall thrusters, which use a super high-velocity stream of ions to propel a spacecraft in space, have been used successfully onboard many missions for half a century. Erosion of the discharge channels walls, however, has limited their application to the inner solar system. A research team has found a way to effectively control this erosion by shaping the engine's magnetic field in a way that shields the walls from ion bombardment.

Vortex pinning could lead to superconducting breakthroughs Posted: 13 Feb 2013 08:47 AM PST New findings may represent a breakthrough in applications of superconductivity. Scientists discovered a way to efficiently stabilize tiny magnetic vortices that interfere with superconductivity -- a problem that has plagued scientists trying to engineer real-world applications for decades.

Rare explosion created our galaxy's youngest black hole, study suggests Posted: 13 Feb 2013 08:45 AM PST New data suggest a highly distorted supernova remnant may contain the most recent black hole formed in the Milky Way galaxy. The remnant appears to be the product of a rare explosion in which matter is ejected at high speeds along the poles of a rotating star.

'A drop of ink on the luminous sky:' Wide Field Imager snaps cosmic gecko Posted: 13 Feb 2013 05:24 AM PST This part of the constellation of Sagittarius (The Archer) is one of the richest star fields in the whole sky -- the Large Sagittarius Star Cloud. The huge number of stars that light up this region dramatically emphasize the blackness of dark clouds like Barnard 86, which appears at the center of this new picture.

Biosensing: Detecting cocaine 'naturally' Posted: 13 Feb 2013 05:23 AM PST Since the beginning of time, living organisms have developed ingenious mechanisms to monitor their environment. Scientists have adapted some of these natural mechanisms to detect specific molecules such as cocaine more accurately and quickly. Their work may greatly facilitate the rapid screening —- less than five minutes —- of many drugs, infectious diseases, and cancers.

New technology for producing hydrogen Posted: 13 Feb 2013 05:23 AM PST Chemical engineers have been searching for a process to produce hydrogen from bio-oil that has a lower impact on the environment than the current one.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Top Technology News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610