ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Nanoscale scaffolds and stem cells show promise in cartilage repair
• Autonomous robot maps ship hulls for mines
• 'Sifting' liquid at the molecular level
• Why is Earth so dry? Planet formed from rocky debris in hotter region, inside of solar system's 'snow line'
• Chips with self-assembling rectangles: Complex microchip structures in one self-assembling step
• Musical glove improves sensation, mobility for people with spinal cord injury
• Artificial pores mimic key features of natural pores
• In visual searches, computer is no match for the human brain
• 3-D motion of cold virus offers hope for improved drugs using Australia's fastest supercomputer
• Frog calls inspire a new algorithm for wireless networks
• A bright future -- with algae: Diatoms as templates for tomorrow's solar cells
• World record: Lightest material in the world produced
• Lightweight construction on the way to volume production

Nanoscale scaffolds and stem cells show promise in cartilage repair Posted: 17 Jul 2012 10:13 AM PDT Tissue engineers have used tiny, artificial fiber scaffolds thousands of times smaller than a human hair to help coax stem cells into developing into cartilage, the shock-absorbing lining of elbows and knees that often wears thin from injury or age.

Autonomous robot maps ship hulls for mines Posted: 17 Jul 2012 10:13 AM PDT Researchers have designed algorithms that vastly improve underwater robots' navigation and feature-detecting capabilities.

'Sifting' liquid at the molecular level Posted: 17 Jul 2012 10:13 AM PDT Engineers continue to drive research into the use of carbon nanotubes, straw-like structures that are more than 1,000 times thinner than a single human hair. Their most recent development uses the tiny tubes to separate liquids within a solution.

Why is Earth so dry? Planet formed from rocky debris in hotter region, inside of solar system's 'snow line' Posted: 17 Jul 2012 10:12 AM PDT A new analysis of the common accretion-disk model explaining how planets form in a debris disk around our Sun uncovered a possible reason for Earth's comparative dryness. The study found that our planet formed from rocky debris in a dry, hotter region, inside of the so-called "snow line." The snow line in our solar system currently lies in the middle of the asteroid belt, a reservoir of rubble between Mars and Jupiter; beyond this point, the Sun's light is too weak to melt the icy debris left over from the protoplanetary disk. Previous accretion-disk models suggested that the snow line was much closer to the Sun 4.5 billion years ago, when Earth formed.

Chips with self-assembling rectangles: Complex microchip structures in one self-assembling step Posted: 17 Jul 2012 08:29 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new approach to creating the complex array of wires and connections on microchips, using a system of self-assembling polymers. The work could eventually lead to a way of making more densely packed components on memory chips and other devices.

Musical glove improves sensation, mobility for people with spinal cord injury Posted: 17 Jul 2012 08:17 AM PDT Researchers have created a wireless, musical glove that may improve sensation and motor skills for people with paralyzing spinal cord injury.

Artificial pores mimic key features of natural pores Posted: 17 Jul 2012 08:17 AM PDT Inspired by nature, an international research team has created synthetic pores that mimic the activity of cellular ion channels, which play a vital role in human health by severely restricting the types of materials allowed to enter cells.

In visual searches, computer is no match for the human brain Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:03 AM PDT You're headed out the door and you realize you don't have your car keys. After a few minutes of rifling through pockets, checking the seat cushions and scanning the coffee table, you find the familiar key ring and off you go. Easy enough, right? What you might not know is that the task that took you a couple seconds to complete is a task that computers -- despite decades of advancement and intricate calculations -- still can't perform as efficiently as humans: the visual search.

3-D motion of cold virus offers hope for improved drugs using Australia's fastest supercomputer Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:02 AM PDT Researchers are now simulating in 3-D, the motion of the complete human rhinovirus, the most frequent cause of the common cold, on Australia's fastest supercomputer, paving the way for new drug development.

Frog calls inspire a new algorithm for wireless networks Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:01 AM PDT Males of the Japanese tree frog have learnt not to use their calls at the same time so that the females can distinguish between them. Scientists in Spain have used this form of calling behavior to create an algorithm that assigns colours to network nodes -- an operation that can be applied to developing efficient wireless networks.

A bright future -- with algae: Diatoms as templates for tomorrow's solar cells Posted: 17 Jul 2012 07:01 AM PDT Long before humankind invented silicon-based solar cells, nature had already found a way to use silica to harness the power of the sun -- in the form of algae. Researchers are now using diatoms and other single-celled algae as templates for developing tomorrow's solar cells.

World record: Lightest material in the world produced Posted: 17 Jul 2012 05:48 AM PDT A network of porous carbon tubes that is three-dimensionally interwoven at nano and micro level – this is the lightest material in the world. It weights only 0.2 milligrams per cubic centimeter, and is therefore 75 times lighter than Styrofoam, but it is very strong nevertheless.

Lightweight construction on the way to volume production Posted: 17 Jul 2012 05:48 AM PDT Cars and airplanes need to lose weight – and one way to do that is to produce as many of the components as possible using carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics CRP. Up until now, these components have been made by hand. Today, there are automated production methods that are also suitable for volume production in carmaking.

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