ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• The Many Moods of Titan
• Erosional origin of linear dunes on Earth and Saturn's moon Titan
• Light-emitting nanocrystal diodes go ultraviolet
• Robot obeys to commands and gestures
• Novel method to make nanomaterials discovered
• Oil sands pollution comparable to a large power plant

The Many Moods of Titan Posted: 24 Feb 2012 12:13 PM PST A set of recent papers, many of which draw on data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, reveal new details in the emerging picture of how Saturn's moon Titan shifts with the seasons and even throughout the day. The papers show how this largest moon of Saturn is a cousin -- though a very peculiar cousin -- of Earth.

Erosional origin of linear dunes on Earth and Saturn's moon Titan Posted: 24 Feb 2012 11:06 AM PST Linear dunes, widespread on Earth and Saturn's moon, Titan, are generally considered to have been formed by deposits of windblown sand. It has been speculated for some time that some linear dunes may have formed by "wind-rift" erosion, but this model has commonly been rejected due to lack of sufficient evidence. Now, new research indicates that erosional origin models should not be ruled out.

Light-emitting nanocrystal diodes go ultraviolet Posted: 24 Feb 2012 11:05 AM PST Scientists have developed a process for creating glass-based, inorganic light-emitting diodes that produce light in the ultraviolet range. The work is a step toward biomedical devices with active components made from nanostructured systems.

Robot obeys to commands and gestures Posted: 24 Feb 2012 08:06 AM PST A robot helping in the household no longer is a dream of the future. ARMAR, the humanoid robot, can understand commands and execute them independently. For instance, it gets the milk out of the fridge. Thanks to cameras and sensors, it orients itself in the room, recognizes objects, and grasps them with the necessary sensitivity. Additionally, it reacts to gestures and learns by watching a human colleague how to empty a dishwasher or clean the counter. Thus, it adapts naturally to our environment.

Novel method to make nanomaterials discovered Posted: 24 Feb 2012 08:06 AM PST Researchers have discovered a novel way to make nanomaterials. Using computer simulations, the researchers have been able to predict that long and narrow graphene nanoribbons can be rolled into carbon nanotubes by means of twisting.

Oil sands pollution comparable to a large power plant Posted: 22 Feb 2012 12:46 PM PST In the first look at the overall effect of air pollution from the excavation of oil sands, also called tar sands, in Alberta, Canada, scientists used satellites to measure nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide emitted from the industry.

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