ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Best time to study the cosmos was more than 13 billion years ago
• Civil engineers find savings where the rubber meets the road: Stiffer roads reduce fuel consumption
• How nanotechnology can help detect disease earlier
• Zapping deadly bacteria using space technology
• Availability of hydrogen controls chemical structure of graphene oxide
• Severe nuclear reactor accidents likely every 10 to 20 years, European study suggests
• Space lawyer: Before humans step into commercial spaceflight, laws need giant leap
• Making microscopic machines using metallic glass
• First Bose-Einstein condensate of erbium: Quantum condensate of the thirteenth kind
• Humanoid robot works side by side with people
• SpaceX launches Falcon 9/Dragon on historic mission to deliver cargo to International Space Station

Best time to study the cosmos was more than 13 billion years ago Posted: 22 May 2012 03:06 PM PDT The universe is a marvelously complex place, filled with galaxies and larger-scale structures that have evolved over its 13.7-billion-year history. Those began as small perturbations of matter that grew over time, like ripples in a pond, as the universe expanded. By observing the large-scale cosmic wrinkles now, we can learn about the initial conditions of the universe. But is now really the best time to look?

Civil engineers find savings where the rubber meets the road: Stiffer roads reduce fuel consumption Posted: 22 May 2012 01:14 PM PDT Pavement deflection under vehicle tires makes for a continuous uphill drive that increases fuel consumption, new research shows. A new study by civil engineers at MIT shows that using stiffer pavements on the nation's roads could reduce vehicle fuel consumption by as much as 3 percent — a savings that could add up to 273 million barrels of crude oil per year, or $15.6 billion at today's oil prices. This would result in an accompanying annual decrease in CO2 emissions of 46.5 million metric tons.

How nanotechnology can help detect disease earlier Posted: 22 May 2012 01:13 PM PDT Researchers have discovered a new way to precisely detect a single chemical at extremely low concentrations and high contamination.

Zapping deadly bacteria using space technology Posted: 22 May 2012 12:48 PM PDT Technology spin-off from long-running research aboard the International Space Station is opening up a new way to keep hospital patients safe from infections. Using plasma -- electrically charged gas -- researchers are developing ways to kill bacteria and viruses that can cause infections in hospitals.

Availability of hydrogen controls chemical structure of graphene oxide Posted: 22 May 2012 10:51 AM PDT A new study shows that the availability of hydrogen plays a significant role in determining the chemical and structural makeup of graphene oxide, a material that has potential uses in nano-electronics, nano-electromechanical systems, sensing, composites, optics, catalysis and energy storage.

Severe nuclear reactor accidents likely every 10 to 20 years, European study suggests Posted: 22 May 2012 10:49 AM PDT Western Europe has the worldwide highest risk of radioactive contamination caused by major reactor accidents. Catastrophic nuclear accidents such as the core meltdowns in Chernobyl and Fukushima are more likely to happen than previously assumed. Based on the operating hours of all civil nuclear reactors and the number of nuclear meltdowns that have occurred, scientists have calculated that such events may occur once every 10 to 20 years (based on the current number of reactors) -- some 200 times more often than estimated in the past.

Space lawyer: Before humans step into commercial spaceflight, laws need giant leap Posted: 22 May 2012 10:47 AM PDT SpaceX's launch to the International Space Station opens a new era in commercial spaceflight -- and raises questions about what laws govern private space companies and what legal obstacles affect future human space travel.

Making microscopic machines using metallic glass Posted: 22 May 2012 05:45 AM PDT A new manufacturing technology allows researchers to mass produce components for use in next-generation computer storage devices and disposable medical and chemical test kits.

First Bose-Einstein condensate of erbium: Quantum condensate of the thirteenth kind Posted: 22 May 2012 05:43 AM PDT Scientists have created a condensate of the exotic element erbium. Ultracold quantum gases have exceptional properties and offer an ideal system to study basic physical phenomena. Erbuim is a very exotic element, which due to its particular properties, offers new and fascinating possibilities to investigate fundamental questions in quantum physics.

Humanoid robot works side by side with people Posted: 22 May 2012 05:43 AM PDT The first robots reached the world of industry over 60 years ago. Since then, for security reasons, they have performed their work isolated in cages, and that prevented collaboration between workers and machines. Researches are embarking on a new era by incorporating into European industry the first robot capable of working shoulder to shoulder with people.

SpaceX launches Falcon 9/Dragon on historic mission to deliver cargo to International Space Station Posted: 22 May 2012 05:28 AM PDT A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket thundered into space and delivered a Dragon cargo capsule into orbit on May 22, 2012. The launch began an ambitious mission to show that the company is ready to deliver cargo to the International Space Station.

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