ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Nuclear fragments could help uncover the origins of life-supporting planets
• Nanoshaping method points to future manufacturing technology
• Swarms of Pluto-size objects kick up dust around adolescent Sun-like star
• Basic rules for construction with a type of origami
• Understanding how emotions ripple after terrorist acts
• New method helps map species' genetic heritage
• Scientists measure speedy electrons in silicon
• Ebola virus may replicate in an exotic way
• Interstellar mystery solved by supercomputer simulations
• Scientists develop solar observatory for use on suborbital manned space missions
• Researchers detect possible signal from dark matter
• Stacking two-dimensional materials may lower cost of semiconductor devices
• Taking a production well's pulse
• Early adoption of robotic surgery leads to organ preservation for kidney cancer patients
• 'Trojan horse' proteins: step forward for nanoparticle-based anti-cancer, anti-dementia therapeutic approaches
• A golden thread through the labyrinth of nanomaterials
• Knees: Meniscus regenerated with 3-D-printed implant
• Move over smart cities, the Internet of Things is off to the country
• It doesn’t add up: People who say they are good at math, but aren't
• Exploring the use of digital games in the classroom during the learning process
• Revolutionary software helping overhaul inefficient healthcare delivery, improve patient safety and outcomes

Nuclear fragments could help uncover the origins of life-supporting planets Posted: 11 Dec 2014 06:00 PM PST New research describes how recreating isotopes that occur when a star explodes, can help physicists understand where life-supporting elements may be found in space.

Nanoshaping method points to future manufacturing technology Posted: 11 Dec 2014 03:05 PM PST A new method that creates large-area patterns of 3-D nanoshapes from metal sheets represents a potential manufacturing system to inexpensively mass produce innovations such as 'plasmonic metamaterials' for advanced technologies.

Swarms of Pluto-size objects kick up dust around adolescent Sun-like star Posted: 11 Dec 2014 01:25 PM PST Astronomers may have detected the dusty hallmarks of an entire family of Pluto-size objects swarming around an adolescent version of our own Sun. By making detailed observations of the protoplanetary disk surrounding the star known as HD 107146, the astronomers detected an unexpected increase in the concentration of millimeter-size dust grains in the disk's outer reaches. This surprising increase, which begins remarkably far -- about 13 billion kilometers -- from the host star, may be the result of Pluto-size planetesimals stirring up the region, causing smaller objects to collide and blast themselves apart.

Basic rules for construction with a type of origami Posted: 11 Dec 2014 11:26 AM PST Origami is capable of turning a simple sheet of paper into a pretty paper crane, but the principles behind it can be applied to making a microfluidic device or for storing a satellite's solar panel in a rocket's cargo bay. Researchers are turning kirigami, a related art form that allows the paper to be cut, into a technique that can be applied equally to structures on those vastly divergent length scales.

Understanding how emotions ripple after terrorist acts Posted: 11 Dec 2014 11:26 AM PST Emotional reactions on Twitter have been analyzed in the hours and weeks following the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. The new study is the first large-scale analysis of fear and social-support reactions from geographically distant communities following a terrorist attack.

New method helps map species' genetic heritage Posted: 11 Dec 2014 11:24 AM PST Where did the songbird get its song? What branch of the bird family tree is closer to the flamingo -- the heron or the sparrow? These questions seem simple, but are actually difficult for geneticists to answer. A new, sophisticated technique called statistical binning can help researchers construct more accurate species trees detailing the lineage of genes and the relationships between species.

Scientists measure speedy electrons in silicon Posted: 11 Dec 2014 11:24 AM PST Attosecond lasers provide the shortest light pulses yet, allowing observation of nature's most short-lived events. Researchers have used these lasers for the first time to take snapshots of electrons jumping from silicon atoms into the conduction band of a semiconductor, the key event behind the transistor. They clocked the jump at 450 attoseconds and saw the rebound of the crystal lattice 60 femtoseconds later: a delay 120 times longer than the jump itself.

Ebola virus may replicate in an exotic way Posted: 11 Dec 2014 11:18 AM PST Researchers ran biochemical analysis and computer simulations of a livestock virus to discover a likely and exotic mechanism to explain the replication of related viruses such as Ebola, measles and rabies. The mechanism may be a possible target for new treatments within a decade.

Interstellar mystery solved by supercomputer simulations Posted: 11 Dec 2014 08:56 AM PST An interstellar mystery of why stars form has been solved thanks to the most realistic supercomputer simulations of galaxies yet made. Theoretical astrophysicists found that stellar activity -- like supernova explosions or even just starlight -- plays a big part in the formation of other stars and the growth of galaxies.

Scientists develop solar observatory for use on suborbital manned space missions Posted: 11 Dec 2014 08:55 AM PST Scientists are preparing to unveil a new, miniature portable solar observatory for use onboard a commercial, manned suborbital spacecraft.

Researchers detect possible signal from dark matter Posted: 11 Dec 2014 08:55 AM PST Scientists have picked up an atypical photon emission in X-rays coming from space, and say it could be evidence for the existence of a particle of dark matter. If confirmed, it could open up new perspectives in cosmology.

Stacking two-dimensional materials may lower cost of semiconductor devices Posted: 11 Dec 2014 08:55 AM PST A team of researchers has found that stacking materials that are only one atom thick can create semiconductor junctions that transfer charge efficiently, regardless of whether the crystalline structure of the materials is mismatched -- lowering the manufacturing cost for a wide variety of semiconductor devices such as solar cells, lasers and LEDs.

Taking a production well's pulse Posted: 11 Dec 2014 07:18 AM PST Oil companies are having problems finding out how much each of their wells is producing.  Researchers believe this can be solved by providing each well with its own frequency.

Early adoption of robotic surgery leads to organ preservation for kidney cancer patients Posted: 11 Dec 2014 07:18 AM PST Researchers found that partial nephrectomy -- the recommended treatment for localized kidney tumors -- was performed more frequently at hospitals that were early adopters of robotic surgery.

'Trojan horse' proteins: step forward for nanoparticle-based anti-cancer, anti-dementia therapeutic approaches Posted: 11 Dec 2014 05:11 AM PST Scientists have found a way of targeting hard-to-reach cancers and degenerative diseases using nanoparticles, but without causing the damaging side effects the treatment normally brings.

A golden thread through the labyrinth of nanomaterials Posted: 11 Dec 2014 05:11 AM PST The LICARA guidelines are geared towards small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from all branches of industry, and help weigh up the pros and cons of nanomaterials and make decisions on their use. The guidelines also do their bit towards efficient communication in the value added chain.

Knees: Meniscus regenerated with 3-D-printed implant Posted: 10 Dec 2014 02:13 PM PST Researchers have devised a way to replace the knee's protective lining, called the meniscus, using a personalized 3D-printed implant, or scaffold, infused with human growth factors that prompt the body to regenerate the lining on its own. The therapy, successfully tested in sheep, could provide the first effective and long-lasting repair of damaged menisci, which occur in millions of Americans each year and can lead to debilitating arthritis.

Move over smart cities, the Internet of Things is off to the country Posted: 10 Dec 2014 05:06 AM PST Computer scientists are investigating how the Internet of Things could work in the countryside.

It doesn’t add up: People who say they are good at math, but aren't Posted: 10 Dec 2014 04:41 AM PST Thinking you're good at math and actually being good at it are not the same thing, new research has found. About one in five people who say they are bad at math in fact score in the top half of those taking an objective math test. But one-third of people who say they are good at math actually score in the bottom half.

Exploring the use of digital games in the classroom during the learning process Posted: 09 Dec 2014 07:10 AM PST A new report examines how teachers are using digital games in their classrooms to monitor student learning and provide ongoing feedback. The overall study is designed to help game designers as they develop educational games, researchers as they frame future studies of games and learning, and educators as they think about the role of games in everyday classroom practice.

Revolutionary software helping overhaul inefficient healthcare delivery, improve patient safety and outcomes Posted: 09 Dec 2014 06:18 AM PST Amid rising healthcare expenditures, an innovative software program called TimeCaT is helping hospitals identify where inefficiencies in workflow are impacting both the quality of patient care and the bottom line.

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