ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Clues to role of magnetism in iron-based superconductors uncovered
• Nanoparticle research could enhance oil recovery, tracing of fracking fluid
• Laser device may end pin pricks, improve quality of life for diabetics
• X-ray laser probes tiny quantum tornadoes in superfluid droplets
• First direct evidence of 'spin symmetry' in atoms
• Novel recycling methods: Fluorescent fingerprint of plastics
• Hacking Gmail with 92 percent success
• Physicists have chilled the world's coolest molecule
• Water window imaging opportunity
• Delivery by drone: New algorithm lets drones monitor their own health during long package-delivery missions
• Electric sparks may alter evolution of lunar soil
• Your toothpaste's fluorine formed in the stars
• Smartphone-loss anxiety disorder
• Water and sunlight: The formula for sustainable fuel
• 3-D printers used to create custom medical implants that deliver drugs, chemo
• Models to study polyelectrolytes developed, including DNA and RNA
• Does your computer know how you're feeling?
• For secure software: X-rays instead of passport control
• Security flaws found in backscatter X-ray scanners formerly used in U.S. airports
• New framework would facilitate use of new Android security modules
• Testing the shelf-life of nuclear reactors
• Laser optical tweezers reveal how malaria parasites infect red blood cells
• Future Phones to Use Blood, Speech to Monitor HIV, Stress, Nutrition
• Magnesium surgical implants can be designed to biodegrade, promote bone growth

Clues to role of magnetism in iron-based superconductors uncovered Posted: 21 Aug 2014 12:38 PM PDT New measurements of atomic-scale magnetic behavior in iron-based superconductors are challenging conventional wisdom about superconductivity and magnetism.

Nanoparticle research could enhance oil recovery, tracing of fracking fluid Posted: 21 Aug 2014 12:35 PM PDT Researchers are examining how nanoparticles move underground, knowledge that could eventually help improve recovery in oil fields and discover where hydraulic fracking chemicals travel.

Laser device may end pin pricks, improve quality of life for diabetics Posted: 21 Aug 2014 11:16 AM PDT Researchers have developed a way to use a laser to measure people's blood sugar, and, with more work to shrink the laser system to a portable size, the technique could allow diabetics to check their condition without pricking themselves to draw blood. In a new article, the researchers describe how they measured blood sugar by directing their specialized laser at a person's palm.

X-ray laser probes tiny quantum tornadoes in superfluid droplets Posted: 21 Aug 2014 11:15 AM PDT An experiment at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory revealed a well-organized 3-D grid of quantum 'tornadoes' inside microscopic droplets of supercooled liquid helium -- the first time this formation has been seen at such a tiny scale. The findings by an international research team provide new insight on the strange nanoscale traits of a so-called 'superfluid' state of liquid helium.

First direct evidence of 'spin symmetry' in atoms Posted: 21 Aug 2014 11:14 AM PDT Physicists have observed the first direct evidence of symmetry in the magnetic properties -- or nuclear 'spins' -- of atoms. The advance could spin off practical benefits such as the ability to simulate and better understand exotic materials such as superconductors.

Novel recycling methods: Fluorescent fingerprint of plastics Posted: 21 Aug 2014 11:13 AM PDT A new process has been developed that will greatly simplify the process of sorting plastics in recycling plants. The method enables automated identification of polymers, facilitating rapid separation of plastics for re-use.

Hacking Gmail with 92 percent success Posted: 21 Aug 2014 09:48 AM PDT Computer scientists have identified a weakness believed to exist in Android, Windows and iOS mobile operating systems that could be used to obtain personal information from unsuspecting users. They demonstrated the hack in an Android phone.

Physicists have chilled the world's coolest molecule Posted: 21 Aug 2014 08:59 AM PDT Physicists have chilled the world's coolest molecules. The tiny titans in question are bits of strontium monofluoride, dropped to 2.5 thousandths of a degree above absolute zero through a laser cooling and isolating process called magneto-optical trapping. They are the coldest molecules ever achieved through direct cooling, and they represent a physics milestone likely to prompt new research in areas ranging from quantum chemistry to tests of the most basic theories in particle physics.

Water window imaging opportunity Posted: 21 Aug 2014 08:58 AM PDT Ever heard of the water window? It consists of radiations in the 3.3 to 4.4 nanometer range, which are not absorbed by the water in biological tissues. A new theoretical study identifies the physical mechanism needed to efficiently generate harmonic radiations at high laser intensities that occur beyond the saturation threshold of atoms and molecules. These findings are aimed at improving conventional methods of coherent radiation production to reach the water window.

Delivery by drone: New algorithm lets drones monitor their own health during long package-delivery missions Posted: 21 Aug 2014 08:58 AM PDT In the near future, the package that you ordered online may be deposited at your doorstep by a drone: Last December, online retailer Amazon announced plans to explore drone-based delivery, suggesting that fleets of flying robots might serve as autonomous messengers that shuttle packages to customers within 30 minutes of an order. A new algorithm lets drones monitor their own health during long package-delivery missions.

Electric sparks may alter evolution of lunar soil Posted: 21 Aug 2014 07:24 AM PDT The moon appears to be a tranquil place, but new modeling suggests that, over the eons, periodic storms of solar energetic particles may have significantly altered the properties of the soil in the moon's coldest craters through the process of sparking -- a finding that could change our understanding of the evolution of planetary surfaces in the solar system.

Your toothpaste's fluorine formed in the stars Posted: 21 Aug 2014 07:23 AM PDT The fluorine that is found in products such as toothpaste was likely formed billions of years ago in now-dead stars of the same type as our sun, according to new research by astronomers.

Smartphone-loss anxiety disorder Posted: 21 Aug 2014 07:23 AM PDT New research outlines the possible coping mechanisms that might be needed following loss or theft of one's smart phone or other digital devices and the security problems that the user might face.

Water and sunlight: The formula for sustainable fuel Posted: 21 Aug 2014 06:07 AM PDT Scientists have replicated one of the crucial steps in photosynthesis, opening the way for biological systems powered by sunlight which could manufacture hydrogen as a fuel.

3-D printers used to create custom medical implants that deliver drugs, chemo Posted: 21 Aug 2014 06:06 AM PDT An innovative method for using affordable, consumer-grade 3D printers and materials has been developed to fabricate custom medical implants that can contain antibacterial and chemotherapeutic compounds for targeted drug delivery. "It is truly novel and a worldwide first to be 3D printing custom devices with antibiotics and chemotherapeutics," said one researcher.

Models to study polyelectrolytes developed, including DNA and RNA Posted: 21 Aug 2014 06:06 AM PDT A novel and versatile modeling strategy has been developed to simulate polyelectrolyte systems. The model has applications for creating new materials as well as for studying polyelectrolytes, including DNA and RNA. Polyelectrolytes are chains of molecules that are positively or negatively charged when placed in water. Because they are sensitive to changes in their environment, polyelectrolytes hold promise for use in applications such as drug delivery mechanisms.

Does your computer know how you're feeling? Posted: 21 Aug 2014 06:05 AM PDT Researchers have designed a computer program that can accurately recognize users' emotional states as much as 87% of the time, depending on the emotion. The study combined -- for the first time -- two established ways of detecting user emotions: keystroke dynamics and text-pattern analysis.

For secure software: X-rays instead of passport control Posted: 21 Aug 2014 06:00 AM PDT Trust is good, control is better. This also applies to the security of computer programs. Instead of trusting "identification documents" in the form of certificates, JOANA, the new software analysis tool, examines the source text (code) of a program. In this way, it detects leaks, via which secret information may get out or strangers may enter the system from outside. At the same time, JOANA reduces the number of false alarms to a minimum.

Security flaws found in backscatter X-ray scanners formerly used in U.S. airports Posted: 20 Aug 2014 08:04 AM PDT Researchers have discovered security vulnerabilities in full-body backscatter X-ray scanners deployed to U.S. airports between 2009 and 2013. In laboratory tests, the team was able to conceal firearms and plastic explosive simulants from the Rapiscan Secure 1000 scanner. The team modified the scanner operating software to present an 'all-clear' image to the operator even when contraband was detected.

New framework would facilitate use of new Android security modules Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:17 AM PDT Computer security researchers have developed a modification to the core Android operating system that allows developers and users to plug in new security enhancements. The new Android Security Modules framework aims to eliminate the bottleneck that prevents developers and users from taking advantage of new security tools.

Testing the shelf-life of nuclear reactors Posted: 20 Aug 2014 06:16 AM PDT Researchers have devised a quick way to test the structural materials used to build nuclear reactors.

Laser optical tweezers reveal how malaria parasites infect red blood cells Posted: 19 Aug 2014 09:59 AM PDT Little is known about how malaria invades one red blood cell after another because it happens so quickly. In a new study, researchers used laser optical tweezers to study interactions between the disease-causing parasite and red blood cells. The findings reveal surprising new insights into malaria biology and pave the way for the development of more effective drugs or vaccines for a disease that affects hundreds of millions of people around the world.

Future Phones to Use Blood, Speech to Monitor HIV, Stress, Nutrition Posted: 19 Aug 2014 09:59 AM PDT A new program aims to deploy three phone devices that can have an immediate impact on personal healthcare: a Stress-Phone for long term stress management, a Nutri-Phone for nutritional awareness and a Hema-Phone for monitoring viral loading in HIV positive patients.

Magnesium surgical implants can be designed to biodegrade, promote bone growth Posted: 19 Aug 2014 08:28 AM PDT Ask anyone who has a surgical pin in their body, and they likely will tell you they wish it would just go away. In the future, it just might: researchers have developed a surgical pin made from magnesium that has the potential to degrade in the body. In laboratory tests, the pin offers several advantages over the plastic and stainless steel or titanium pins currently used.

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