ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Study of Andromeda's stellar disk indicates more violent history than Milky Way
• Flashes from 'photonic booms' may help illuminate astronomical secrets
• 3-D 'pop-up' silicon structures: Transforming planar materials into 3-D microarchitectures
• Poker-playing program knows when to fold 'em: Heads-up limit for hold 'em poker solved
• Neuroprosthetics for paralysis: Biocompatible, flexible implant slips into the spinal cord
• Solving a case of intercellular entrapment
• New algorithm will allow better heart surgery, experts say
• Exposure to nanoparticles may threaten heart health
• Compact batteries enhanced by spontaneous silver matrix formations
• Astronomers use vanishing neutron star to measure space-time warp
• Emissions-free cars get closer
• Moving origami techniques forward for self-folding 3-D structures
• Novel vision of the death of massive stars
• Students testing Indian toilets
• Wearable tracking devices alone won't drive health behavior change, according to researchers
• Breathing in diesel exhaust leads to changes 'deep under the hood'
• Quantum optical hard drive breakthrough
• Unusual light signal yields clues about elusive black hole merger
• Preventing transformer explosions
• Defying the Achilles heel of 'wonder material' graphene: Resilience to extreme conditions
• Targeting supernovae in our neighborhood of the universe
• Researchers succeed in measuring the temperature at the heart of stars
• Magic numbers of quantum matter revealed by cold atoms
• Researchers work to counter a new class of coffee shop hackers
• Transformations of diazo compounds catalyzed by environmentally benign iron complexes

Study of Andromeda's stellar disk indicates more violent history than Milky Way Posted: 08 Jan 2015 03:43 PM PST A detailed study of the motions of different stellar populations in the disk of the Andromeda galaxy has found striking differences from our own Milky Way, suggesting a more violent history of mergers with smaller galaxies in Andromeda's recent past.

Flashes from 'photonic booms' may help illuminate astronomical secrets Posted: 08 Jan 2015 03:42 PM PST 'Photonic booms' may turn out to help illuminate a variety of astronomical objects such as asteroids and the moon.

3-D 'pop-up' silicon structures: Transforming planar materials into 3-D microarchitectures Posted: 08 Jan 2015 11:47 AM PST Researchers have invented simple routes to complex classes of 3-D micro/nanostructures in high performance materials, with relevance to electronics, photovoltaics, batteries, biomedical devices, and other microsystems technologies.

Poker-playing program knows when to fold 'em: Heads-up limit for hold 'em poker solved Posted: 08 Jan 2015 11:47 AM PST For over a half-century, games have been test beds for new ideas in Artificial Intelligence and the resulting successes have marked significant milestones: Deep Blue defeated Kasparov in chess, and Watson defeated Jennings and Rutter on Jeopardy! However, defeating top human players is not the same as actually solving a game, and for the first time researchers have essentially solved heads-up limit hold 'em poker.

Neuroprosthetics for paralysis: Biocompatible, flexible implant slips into the spinal cord Posted: 08 Jan 2015 11:47 AM PST New therapies are on the horizon for individuals paralyzed following spinal cord injury. The e-Dura implant can be applied directly to the spinal cord without causing damage and inflammation, scientists report.

Solving a case of intercellular entrapment Posted: 08 Jan 2015 11:14 AM PST Optogenetics, which uses light to control cellular events, is poised to become an important technology in molecular biology and beyond. Now researchers report that they have made a major contribution to this emergent field by developing a light-activated nanocarrier that transports proteins into cells and releases them on command.

New algorithm will allow better heart surgery, experts say Posted: 08 Jan 2015 11:14 AM PST A new technique to help surgeons find the exact location of heart defects could save lives, help them to treat patients more effectively and save health service cash, scientists report. Their development will allow non-invasive detection of the origin of heart problems and allow more effective treatment, they say.

Exposure to nanoparticles may threaten heart health Posted: 08 Jan 2015 11:13 AM PST While nanotechnology has led to countless advancements, a group of researchers is now raising a flag of caution about its effects on our health. They say exposure to tiny silica-based particles can play a big role in increasing heart attack and stroke risks.

Compact batteries enhanced by spontaneous silver matrix formations Posted: 08 Jan 2015 11:13 AM PST A conductive silver matrix forming inside an otherwise poorly performing battery enhances its efficiency and potential applications. X-rays revealed where, when, and how these nanoscale "bridges" emerge.

Astronomers use vanishing neutron star to measure space-time warp Posted: 08 Jan 2015 10:19 AM PST In an interstellar race against time, astronomers have measured the space-time warp in the gravity of a binary star and determined the mass of a neutron star--just before it vanished from view.

Emissions-free cars get closer Posted: 08 Jan 2015 09:59 AM PST Hydrogen fuel cells -- possibly the best option for emission-free vehicles -- require costly platinum. Nickel and other metals work but aren't nearly as efficient. New findings help pin down the basic mechanisms of the fuel-cell reaction on platinum, which will help researchers create alternative electrocatalysts.

Moving origami techniques forward for self-folding 3-D structures Posted: 08 Jan 2015 08:37 AM PST Though the past 15 years have seen an exciting run of creative scientific advances in fabricating three-dimensional (3-D) structures by self-folding of 2-D sheets, the complexity of structures achieved to date falls far short of what can easily be folded by hand using paper, says a polymer scientist. Now he has developed an approach that could open the door to a new wave of discoveries.

Novel vision of the death of massive stars Posted: 08 Jan 2015 08:36 AM PST Scientists have published a compendium of data obtained after the simultaneous research of three supernovas and of their corresponding Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRB). The research enabled contrasting statistically that the supernovas associated with GRB emit greater quantities of nickel compared to those not linked to GRB.

Students testing Indian toilets Posted: 08 Jan 2015 08:35 AM PST A group students and researchers spent New Year's in an unconventional way -- installing sanitation systems in India. The systems employ breathable fabric, the sort you'd find in raincoats and tents, to contain waste and protect nearby groundwater from contamination.

Wearable tracking devices alone won't drive health behavior change, according to researchers Posted: 08 Jan 2015 08:35 AM PST New Year's weight loss resolutions are in full swing, but despite all the hype about the latest wearable tracking devices, there's little evidence that this technology alone can change behavior and improve health for those that need it most, according to a new research.

Breathing in diesel exhaust leads to changes 'deep under the hood' Posted: 08 Jan 2015 07:07 AM PST Diesel exhaust switches some genes on, while switching others off, by altering the methylation of DNA, scientists say.

Quantum optical hard drive breakthrough Posted: 08 Jan 2015 07:06 AM PST Scientists developing a prototype optical quantum hard drive have improved storage time by a factor of over 100. The team's record storage time of six hours is a major step towards a secure worldwide data encryption network based on quantum information which could be used for banking transactions and personal emails.

Unusual light signal yields clues about elusive black hole merger Posted: 08 Jan 2015 06:44 AM PST Scientists have found what appear to be two supermassive black holes in the final stages of a merger, a rare event never seen before. The discovery could help shed light on a long-standing conundrum in astrophysics called the "final parsec problem," which refers to the failure of theoretical models to predict what the final stages of a black hole merger look like or even how long the process might take.

Preventing transformer explosions Posted: 08 Jan 2015 06:20 AM PST Technology used in the crumple zones of cars can avert serious explosions in transformers, believe researchers. Large oil filled transformers are found in all power and switching stations, as well as in many large buildings. If an internal short-circuit occurs, an electrical arc, gas formation and pressure increase will be the result.

Defying the Achilles heel of 'wonder material' graphene: Resilience to extreme conditions Posted: 08 Jan 2015 05:48 AM PST A resilience to extreme conditions by the most transparent, lightweight and flexible material for conducting electricity could help revolutionize the electronic industry, according to a new study. Researchers have discovered that a material adapted from the 'wonder material' graphene can withstand prolonged exposure to both high temperature and humidity.

Targeting supernovae in our neighborhood of the universe Posted: 08 Jan 2015 05:48 AM PST While many astronomical collaborations use powerful telescopes to target individual objects in the distant universe, a new project is doing something radically different: using small telescopes to study a growing portion of the nearby universe all at once. Since it officially launched in May 2014, the project has detected 89 bright supernovae and counting -- more than all other professional astronomical surveys combined.

Researchers succeed in measuring the temperature at the heart of stars Posted: 08 Jan 2015 05:44 AM PST Researchers have succeeded, for the first time, in measuring the temperature at the heart of certain stars, as well as dating them. In 1926, astrophysicist Sir Arthur Eddington wrote in his work The internal constitution of the stars: "At first sight it would seem that the deep interior of the Sun and stars is less accessible to scientific investigation than any other region of the universe. What appliance can pierce through the outer layers of a star and test the conditions within?" Nearly 90 years later, this question has now gained an answer, thanks to the work of a team of six astrophysicists who have managed to measure the temperature at the heart of specific stars and to estimate their age.

Magic numbers of quantum matter revealed by cold atoms Posted: 08 Jan 2015 05:44 AM PST Topology, a branch of mathematics classifying geometric objects, has been exploited by physicists to predict and describe unusual quantum phases: the topological states of matter. These intriguing phases, generally accessible at very low temperature, exhibit unique conductivity properties which are particularly robust against external perturbations, suggesting promising technological applications. The great stability of topological states relies on a set of magic integers, the so-called Chern numbers, which remain immune to defects and deformations. For the first time scientists have succeeded in measuring the topological Chern number in a non-electronic system with high precision.

Researchers work to counter a new class of coffee shop hackers Posted: 08 Jan 2015 05:37 AM PST If you're sitting in a coffee shop, tapping away on your laptop, feeling safe from hackers because you didn't connect to the shop's wifi, think again. Hackers may be able to see what you're doing just by analyzing the low-power electronic signals your laptop emits even when it's not connected.

Transformations of diazo compounds catalyzed by environmentally benign iron complexes Posted: 06 Jan 2015 07:27 AM PST Iron can undergo facile changes in its oxidation state and possesses a distinct Lewis acid character. These properties have afforded iron a privileged position as a catalyst in the transformations of diazo compounds. In a new study, scientists review recent research on iron-catalyzed diazo transformation reactions. They also outline iron's potential as an inexpensive and environmentally benign alternative to precious metals, including rhodium, used in catalytic systems.

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