ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Moon and asteroids share history, NASA scientists find
• Clean electricity from bacteria? Researchers make breakthrough in race to create 'bio-batteries'
• Violins can mimic the human voice
• Super batteries? Hybrid ribbons a gift for powerful batteries
• Catalyst in a teacup: New approach to chemical reduction
• Glass-blowers at a nano scale
• Speed of light may not be fixed, scientists suggest; Ephemeral vacuum particles induce speed-of-light fluctuations
• Measuring the magnetism of antimatter: Antiprotons measured more accurately than ever before
• Ash from refuse could become hydrogen gas
• Laser empties atoms from the inside out
• Scientists propose alternative method for the study of ions

Moon and asteroids share history, NASA scientists find Posted: 25 Mar 2013 03:52 PM PDT NASA and international researchers have discovered that Earth's moon has more in common than previously thought with large asteroids roaming our solar system.

Clean electricity from bacteria? Researchers make breakthrough in race to create 'bio-batteries' Posted: 25 Mar 2013 03:39 PM PDT Scientists have made an important breakthrough in the quest to generate clean electricity from bacteria. New findings show that proteins on the surface of bacteria can produce an electric current by simply touching a mineral surface. The research shows that it is possible for bacteria to lie directly on the surface of a metal or mineral and transfer electrical charge through their cell membranes. This means that it is possible to 'tether' bacteria directly to electrodes – bringing scientists a step closer to creating efficient microbial fuel cells or 'bio-batteries.'

Violins can mimic the human voice Posted: 25 Mar 2013 10:53 AM PDT For many years, some musical experts have wondered if the sound of the Stradivari and Guarneri violins might incorporate such elements of speech as vowels and consonants. A Texas A&M University researcher has now provided the first evidence that the Italian violin masters tried to impart specific vowel sounds to their violins.

Super batteries? Hybrid ribbons a gift for powerful batteries Posted: 25 Mar 2013 09:56 AM PDT Ribbons of vanadium oxide and graphene become ultrafast charging and discharging electrodes for lithium-ion batteries in new research. The ribbons are thousands of times thinner than a sheet of paper, yet have potential that far outweighs current materials for their ability to charge and discharge very quickly.

Catalyst in a teacup: New approach to chemical reduction Posted: 25 Mar 2013 08:12 AM PDT Taking their inspiration from nature, scientists have developed a new method for carrying out chemical reduction – an industrial process used to produce fuels and chemicals that are vital for modern society. Their catalyst-based approach has the big advantages that it uses cheap, replenishable reagents and it works well at room temperature and in air – so much so, it can even be carried out safely in a teacup.

Glass-blowers at a nano scale Posted: 25 Mar 2013 08:11 AM PDT Very much like a glass-blower, researchers have managed to shape the exit hole of a glass capillary and finely control its diameter between 200 nanometers and zero.

Speed of light may not be fixed, scientists suggest; Ephemeral vacuum particles induce speed-of-light fluctuations Posted: 25 Mar 2013 08:11 AM PDT Two new articles challenge established wisdom about the nature of vacuum. In one article scientists have identified a quantum level mechanism for interpreting vacuum as being filled with pairs of virtual particles with fluctuating energy values. As a result, the inherent characteristics of vacuum, like the speed of light, may not be a constant after all, but fluctuate.

Measuring the magnetism of antimatter: Antiprotons measured more accurately than ever before Posted: 25 Mar 2013 06:40 AM PDT In a breakthrough that could one day yield important clues about the nature of matter itself, scientists have succeeded in measuring the magnetic charge of single particles of matter and antimatter more accurately than ever before.

Ash from refuse could become hydrogen gas Posted: 25 Mar 2013 06:35 AM PDT Every year, millions of tons of environmentally harmful ash is produced worldwide, and is mostly dumped in landfill sites or, in some countries, used as construction material. The ash is what is left when rubbish has been burnt in thermal power stations. A researcher has now developed a technique to use the ash to produce hydrogen gas.

Laser empties atoms from the inside out Posted: 25 Mar 2013 06:35 AM PDT Plasma physicists have used one of the world's most powerful lasers to create highly unusual plasma composed of hollow atoms. The experimental work demonstrated that it is possible to remove the two most deeply bound electrons from atoms, emptying the inner most quantum shell and leading to a distinctive plasma state.

Scientists propose alternative method for the study of ions Posted: 25 Mar 2013 06:35 AM PDT Scientists have proposed a new experimental method for researching positively charged ions. The study involved investigating the electronic structure of the argon ions using synchrotron radiation.

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