ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Infant solar system shows signs of windy weather
• Lego-like modular components make building 3-D 'labs-on-a-chip' a snap
• Engineers unlock potential for faster computing
• New chip promising for tumor-targeting research
• Engineers show light can play seesaw at the nanoscale: Step toward faster and more energy-efficient optical devices
• Online ratings influence parents' choices of physicians for their children
• Graphene imperfections key to creating hypersensitive 'electronic nose'
• New bracelet strengthens computer security
• New RFID technology helps robots find household objects
• Learning language through cookery and technology
• Finding hints of gravitational waves in the stars
• Research on photoacoustics to detect breast cancer
• Making light work of the workload for overworked healthcare workers
• Trees that can increase biomass production
• NASA's Newest Mars Mission Spacecraft Enters Orbit around Red Planet
• SpaceX Dragon spacecraft lifts off with scientific cargo for International Space Station
• Breezy science, plant studies and more head to space station on SpaceX-4
• Fracking's environmental impacts scrutinized
• Ultrasound enhancement provides clarity to damaged tendons, ligaments

Infant solar system shows signs of windy weather Posted: 22 Sep 2014 12:29 PM PDT Astronomers have observed what may be the first-ever signs of windy weather around a T Tauri star, an infant analog of our own Sun. This may help explain why some T Tauri stars have disks that glow weirdly in infrared light while others shine in a more expected fashion.

Lego-like modular components make building 3-D 'labs-on-a-chip' a snap Posted: 22 Sep 2014 12:28 PM PDT Thanks to new Lego-like components, it is now possible to build a 3-D microfluidic system (or 'lab-on-a-chip') quickly and cheaply by simply snapping together small modules by hand.

Engineers unlock potential for faster computing Posted: 22 Sep 2014 12:28 PM PDT Engineers discovered a way to create a special material -- a metal layer on top of a silicon semiconductor -- that could lead to cost-effective, superfast computers that perform lightning-fast calculations but don't overheat. This new "topological insulator" behaves like an insulator on the inside but conducts electricity on the outside.

New chip promising for tumor-targeting research Posted: 22 Sep 2014 11:58 AM PDT Researchers have developed a chip capable of simulating a tumor's 'microenvironment' and plan to use the new system to test the effectiveness of nanoparticles and drugs that target cancer. The new system, called a tumor-microenvironment-on-chip (T-MOC) device, will allow researchers to study the complex environment surrounding tumors and the barriers that prevent the targeted delivery of therapeutic agents.

Engineers show light can play seesaw at the nanoscale: Step toward faster and more energy-efficient optical devices Posted: 22 Sep 2014 10:07 AM PDT Electrical engineering researchers have developed a unique nanoscale device that for the first time demonstrates mechanical transportation of light. The discovery could have major implications for creating faster and more efficient optical devices for computation and communication.

Online ratings influence parents' choices of physicians for their children Posted: 22 Sep 2014 10:06 AM PDT Almost three-quarters (74%) of parents are aware of online rating sites for physicians, and more than one-quarter (28%) have used those online ratings to choose a healthcare provider for their children, according to research.

Graphene imperfections key to creating hypersensitive 'electronic nose' Posted: 22 Sep 2014 10:05 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a way to create a highly sensitive chemical sensor based on the crystalline flaws in graphene sheets. The imperfections have unique electronic properties that the researchers were able to exploit to increase sensitivity to absorbed gas molecules by 300 times.

New bracelet strengthens computer security Posted: 22 Sep 2014 08:30 AM PDT In a big step for securing critical information systems, such as medical records in clinical settings, researchers have created a new approach to computer security that authenticates users continuously while they are using a terminal and automatically logs them out when they leave or when someone else steps in to use their terminal.

New RFID technology helps robots find household objects Posted: 22 Sep 2014 08:05 AM PDT Researchers have created a new search algorithm that improves a robot's ability to find and navigate to tagged objects. The team has implemented their system on a PR2 robot, allowing it to travel through a home and correctly locate different types of tagged household objects, including a medication bottle, TV remote, phone and hair brush.

Learning language through cookery and technology Posted: 22 Sep 2014 08:03 AM PDT Researchers have cooked up a new way to teach modern languages. They placed the latest digital devices into cooking utensils to create the LanCook project -- an unique mix of cookery, technology and language teaching.

Finding hints of gravitational waves in the stars Posted: 22 Sep 2014 06:12 AM PDT Scientists have shown how gravitational waves -- invisible ripples in the fabric of space and time that propagate through the universe -- might be 'seen' by looking at the stars. The new model proposes that a star that oscillates at the same frequency as a gravitational wave will absorb energy from that wave and brighten, an overlooked prediction of Einstein's 1916 theory of general relativity. The study contradicts previous assumptions about the behavior of gravitational waves.

Research on photoacoustics to detect breast cancer Posted: 22 Sep 2014 06:11 AM PDT Researchers report a new method to detect breast cancer based on photoacoustics, which could become an alternative to mammography or sonogram, they say. One advantage this method has over X-rays is that no type of ionizing radiation is used. This technology exploits the property of ultrasonic wave generation in tissue when it is illuminated with short, high-energy pulses of light.

Making light work of the workload for overworked healthcare workers Posted: 22 Sep 2014 06:10 AM PDT Modern hospitals are staffed by overworked and overstressed healthcare workers, according to a research paper. As such, new technology must be implemented to reduce the number of treatment errors that arise because of this. With appropriate and regular training, a new article suggests that the advantages and benefits of IT solutions in hospitals such as the use of RFID (radio frequency identification) tags and healthcare management and dispensing software and electronic health records (EHR) can be made clear.

Trees that can increase biomass production Posted: 22 Sep 2014 06:10 AM PDT Thanks to biotechnology, researchers have increased the production of woody species. This result is of great interest to the energy market, they say.

NASA's Newest Mars Mission Spacecraft Enters Orbit around Red Planet Posted: 22 Sep 2014 08:11 AM PDT NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft successfully entered Mars' orbit at 7:24 p.m. PDT (10:24 p.m. EDT) Sunday, Sept. 21, where it now will prepare to study the Red Planet's upper atmosphere as never done before. MAVEN is the first spacecraft dedicated to exploring the tenuous upper atmosphere of Mars.

SpaceX Dragon spacecraft lifts off with scientific cargo for International Space Station Posted: 21 Sep 2014 08:11 AM PDT An eruption of fire and smoke sent a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft skyward laden with 5,000 pounds of scientific equipment and supplies destined for use by the crew of the International Space Station.

Breezy science, plant studies and more head to space station on SpaceX-4 Posted: 19 Sep 2014 08:11 AM PDT Imagine a dragon flying through the heavens on mighty, outstretched wings. The majestic beast knows the currents of winds and how to harness their power as it soars above the clouds. SpaceX's real Dragon -- the company's spacecraft that transports supplies and science to the International Space Station (ISS) -- will deliver, and later return, new technology, biology and biotechnology and Earth and space science research to the orbiting outpost.

Fracking's environmental impacts scrutinized Posted: 21 Sep 2014 06:29 AM PDT Greenhouse gas emissions from the production and use of shale gas would be comparable to conventional natural gas, but the controversial energy source actually fared better than renewables on some environmental impacts, according to new research.

Ultrasound enhancement provides clarity to damaged tendons, ligaments Posted: 19 Sep 2014 01:54 PM PDT Ultrasound is a safe, affordable and noninvasive way to see internal structures, including the developing fetus. Ultrasound can also "see" other soft tissue — including tendons, which attach muscles to bone, and ligaments, which attach bone to bone. Now one expert is commercializing an ultrasound method to analyze the condition of soft tissue.

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