ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Nanotechnology simplifies hydrogen production for clean energy
• Tiny probes shine brightly to reveal the location of targeted tissues
• Gold nanoparticles quickly detect hazardous chemicals
• Bioinspired robot meets fish: Robotic fish research swims into new ethorobotics waters
• Synthetic membrane channels built out of DNA: Nanotech structures mimic nature's way of tunneling through cell walls
• Thousands of natural gas leaks discovered in Boston
• Nanotech device mimics dog's nose to detect explosives
• Hot gas bridges galaxy cluster pair
• Finding rainbows on the nanoscale may lead to better solar cells and LED-displays
• Major advance in using sunlight to produce steam without boiling water

Nanotechnology simplifies hydrogen production for clean energy Posted: 20 Nov 2012 01:09 PM PST In the first-ever experiment of its kind, researchers have demonstrated that clean energy hydrogen can be produced from water splitting by using very small metal particles that are exposed to sunlight.

Tiny probes shine brightly to reveal the location of targeted tissues Posted: 20 Nov 2012 12:24 PM PST Nanostructures called BRIGHTs seek out biomarkers on cells and then beam brightly to reveal their locations. In the tiny gap between the gold skin and the gold core of the nanoparticle, there is an electromagnetic hot spot that lights up the reporter molecules trapped there. BRIGHTs, which shine about 1.7 x 10^11 more brightly than isolated Raman reporters, are intended for use in noinvasive bioimaging.

Gold nanoparticles quickly detect hazardous chemicals Posted: 20 Nov 2012 12:23 PM PST Scientists have developed a system to quickly detect trace amounts of chemicals like pollutants, explosives or illegal drugs. The new system can pick out a single target molecule from 10,000 trillion water molecules within milliseconds, by trapping it on a self-assembling single layer of gold nanoparticles. The technology opens the way to develop devices that are compact, reusable and easy to assemble, and could have a range of uses including detecting illegal drugs, explosives, pollutants in rivers or nerve gases released into the air.

Bioinspired robot meets fish: Robotic fish research swims into new ethorobotics waters Posted: 20 Nov 2012 09:20 AM PST New research is illuminating the emerging field of ethorobotics -- the study of bioinspired robots interacting with animal counterparts. They studied how real-time feedback attracted or repelled live zebrafish. The fish were more attracted to robots with tail motions that mimicked the live fish. The researchers hope that robots eventually may steer live animal or marine groups from danger.

Synthetic membrane channels built out of DNA: Nanotech structures mimic nature's way of tunneling through cell walls Posted: 20 Nov 2012 09:20 AM PST Physicists have shown that synthetic membrane channels can be constructed through "DNA nanotechnology." This technique employs DNA molecules as programmable building materials for custom-designed, self-assembling, nanometer-scale structures. The researchers present evidence that their nature-inspired nanostructures may also behave like biological ion channels. Their results could mark a step toward applications of synthetic membrane channels as molecular sensors, antimicrobial agents, and drivers of novel nanodevices.

Thousands of natural gas leaks discovered in Boston Posted: 20 Nov 2012 09:18 AM PST The City of Boston is riddled with more than 3,000 leaks from its aging natural-gas pipeline system, according to a new study.

Nanotech device mimics dog's nose to detect explosives Posted: 20 Nov 2012 07:04 AM PST Engineers have designed a detector that uses microfluidic nanotechnology to mimic the biological mechanism behind canine scent receptors. The device is both highly sensitive to trace amounts of certain vapor molecules, and able to tell a specific substance apart from similar molecules.

Hot gas bridges galaxy cluster pair Posted: 20 Nov 2012 07:01 AM PST Space telescope has made the first conclusive detection of a bridge of hot gas connecting a pair of galaxy clusters across 10 million light-years of intergalactic space.

Finding rainbows on the nanoscale may lead to better solar cells and LED-displays Posted: 20 Nov 2012 05:50 AM PST New research may lead to improved solar cells and LED-displays. Researchers have demonstrated in detail how to separate colors and create 'rainbows' using nanoscale structures on a metal surface.

Major advance in using sunlight to produce steam without boiling water Posted: 19 Nov 2012 07:48 AM PST Scientists have developed a revolutionary new way to use sunlight to produce steam and other vapors without heating an entire container of fluid to the boiling point. The advance has potential applications, especially in the poverty-stricken areas of the developing world, that include inexpensive, compact devices for purification of drinking water, sterilization of medical instruments and sanitizing sewage.

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