Πέμπτη 27 Σεπτεμβρίου 2012

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

ScienceDaily: Top Technology News


Asteroid's troughs suggest stunted planet

Posted: 26 Sep 2012 11:35 AM PDT

Enormous troughs that reach across the asteroid Vesta may actually be stretch marks that hint of a complexity beyond most asteroids. Scientists have been trying to determine the origin of these unusual troughs since their discovery just last year. Now, a new analysis supports the notion that the troughs are faults that formed when a fellow asteroid smacked into Vesta's south pole. The research reinforces the claim that Vesta has a layered interior, a quality normally reserved for larger bodies, such as planets and large moons.

Artificially intelligent game bots pass the Turing test on Turing's centenary

Posted: 26 Sep 2012 10:32 AM PDT

An artificially intelligent virtual gamer has won the BotPrize by convincing a panel of judges that it was more human-like than half the humans it competed against. The victory comes 100 years after the birth of mathematician and computer scientist Alan Turing, whose "Turing test" stands as one of the foundational definitions of what constitutes true machine intelligence.

Taking the battle against the toxic trio beyond 'Leaves of three, leave it be'

Posted: 26 Sep 2012 09:38 AM PDT

With more than half of all adults allergic to poison ivy, oak and sumac, scientists are reporting an advance toward an inexpensive spray that could reveal the presence of the rash-causing toxic oil on the skin, clothing, garden tools, and even the family pet. Using the spray would enable people to wash off the oil, or avoid further contact, in time to sidestep days of misery.

Reducing acrylamide levels in french fries

Posted: 26 Sep 2012 09:38 AM PDT

The process for preparing frozen, par-fried potato strips -- distributed to some food outlets for making french fries -- can influence the formation of acrylamide in the fries that people eat, a new study has found. The study identifies potential ways of reducing levels of acrylamide, which the National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer regard as a "probable human carcinogen."

Search for element 113 concluded at last

Posted: 26 Sep 2012 08:27 AM PDT

The most unambiguous data to date on the elusive 113th atomic element has now been obtained. A chain of six consecutive alpha decays, produced in experiments at the RIKEN Radioisotope Beam Factory (RIBF), conclusively identifies the element through connections to well-known daughter nuclides.

How is a Kindle like a cuttlefish? Parallels between e-Paper technology and biological organisms that change color

Posted: 26 Sep 2012 08:01 AM PDT

New research examines parallels between e-Paper technology (the technology behind sunlight-readable devices like the Kindle) and biological organisms that change color.

New simulation method produces realistic fluid movements

Posted: 26 Sep 2012 08:01 AM PDT

What does a yogurt look like over time? The food industry will soon be able to answer this question using a new fluid simulation tool.

Computers match humans in understanding art

Posted: 26 Sep 2012 06:45 AM PDT

Understanding and evaluating art has widely been considered as a task meant for humans, until now. Computer scientists tackled the question "can machines understand art?" The results were very surprising. In fact, an algorithm has been developed that demonstrates computers are able to "understand" art in a fashion very similar to how art historians perform their analysis, mimicking the perception of expert art critiques.

Rich colors of a cosmic seagull

Posted: 26 Sep 2012 06:29 AM PDT

A new image from the European Southern Observatory's La Silla Observatory shows part of a stellar nursery nicknamed the Seagull Nebula. This cloud of gas, formally called Sharpless 2-292, seems to form the head of the seagull and glows brightly due to the energetic radiation from a very hot young star lurking at its heart.

Dawn suggests special delivery of hydrated material to Vesta

Posted: 26 Sep 2012 06:26 AM PDT

The mechanism by which water is incorporated into the terrestrial planets is a matter of extensive debate for planetary scientists. Now, observations of Vesta by NASA's Dawn mission suggest that hydrous materials were delivered to the giant asteroid mainly through a build-up of small particles during an epoch when the Solar System was rich in dust.

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