ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

---

• 'International beam team' solves Martian meteorite-age puzzle
• Shedding new light on the brightest objects in the universe
• Changes proposed to New Orleans area levee systems
• Direct nitrogen fixation for low cost energy conversion
• Starburst to star bust: Light shed on mystery of missing massive galaxies
• Ancient technology for metal coatings 2,000 years ago can't be matched even today
• Curiosity makes its longest one-day drive on Mars
• First human tests of new biosensor that warns when athletes are about to 'hit the wall'
• Solar system's youth gives clues to planet search
• A magnetic pen for smartphones adds another level of conveniences
• The ferromagnetic Kondo effect: A circuit simulates an effect predicted by physicists but never actually observed
• Low radon concentrations accurately measurable for the first time
• 'Fat finger' compensator: Scientists use game to generate database for analysis of drawing

'International beam team' solves Martian meteorite-age puzzle Posted: 24 Jul 2013 05:06 PM PDT By directing energy beams at tiny crystals found in a Martian meteorite, geologists have proven that the most common group of meteorites from Mars is almost four billion years younger than many scientists had believed -- resolving a long-standing puzzle in Martian science and painting a much clearer picture of the Red Planet's evolution that can now be compared to that of habitable Earth.

Shedding new light on the brightest objects in the universe Posted: 24 Jul 2013 05:06 PM PDT Astrophysicists have documented the immense power of quasar radiation, reaching out for many thousands of light years to the limits of the quasar's galaxy.

Changes proposed to New Orleans area levee systems Posted: 24 Jul 2013 05:05 PM PDT Less may mean more when it comes to the levee systems designed to protect New Orleans from hurricanes. That's the conclusion of a new study led by the co-developer of the authoritative computer model for storm surge used by the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state of Louisiana to determine water levels due to hurricane surge and to design levee heights and alignments.

Direct nitrogen fixation for low cost energy conversion Posted: 24 Jul 2013 10:31 AM PDT Researchers have announced a simple, low-cost and eco-friendly method of creating nitrogen-doped graphene nanoplatelets (NGnPs), which could be used in dye-sensitized solar cells and fuel cells The work could be a step towards replacing conventional platinum (Pt)-based catalysts for energy conversion.

Starburst to star bust: Light shed on mystery of missing massive galaxies Posted: 24 Jul 2013 10:30 AM PDT The cosmic fireworks that characterize a starburst galaxy can abruptly fizzle out after only a relatively brief period of star formation, and astronomers want to know why.

Ancient technology for metal coatings 2,000 years ago can't be matched even today Posted: 24 Jul 2013 09:49 AM PDT Artists and craftsmen more than 2,000 years ago developed thin-film coating technology unrivaled even by today's standards for producing DVDs, solar cells, electronic devices and other products. Understanding these sophisticated metal-plating techniques from ancient times could help preserve priceless artistic and other treasures from the past.

Curiosity makes its longest one-day drive on Mars Posted: 24 Jul 2013 09:00 AM PDT NASA's Mars rover Curiosity drove twice as far on July 21 as on any other day of the mission so far: 109.7 yards (100.3 meters). The length of the drive took advantage of starting the 340th Martian day, or sol, of the mission from a location with an unusually good view for rover engineers to plan a safe path. In weeks to come, the rover team plans to begin using "autonav" capability for the rover to autonomously navigate a path for itself, which could make such long drives more frequent.

First human tests of new biosensor that warns when athletes are about to 'hit the wall' Posted: 24 Jul 2013 08:43 AM PDT A new biosensor, applied to the human skin like a temporary tattoo, can alert marathoners, competitive bikers and other "extreme" athletes that they're about to "bonk," or "hit the wall," scientists are reporting.

Solar system's youth gives clues to planet search Posted: 24 Jul 2013 08:42 AM PDT Comets and meteorites contain clues to our solar system's earliest days. But some of the findings are puzzle pieces that don't seem to fit well together. A new set of theoretical models shows how an outburst event in the Sun's formative years could explain some of this disparate evidence. The research could have implications for the hunt for habitable planets outside of our solar system.

A magnetic pen for smartphones adds another level of conveniences Posted: 24 Jul 2013 08:42 AM PDT Scientists have developed a magnetically driven pen interface that works both on and around mobile devices. This interface, called the MagPen, can be used for any type of smartphones and tablet computers so long as they have embedded magnetometers.

The ferromagnetic Kondo effect: A circuit simulates an effect predicted by physicists but never actually observed Posted: 24 Jul 2013 07:27 AM PDT A group of physicists has shown how to obtain a particular case of a physical effect -- so far never observed in reality -- whose studies have earned a Nobel Prize. The scientists have also observed the response of the material subject to such effect. These observations will provide precious indications to the experimental physicists in order to verify, in the future, their theory.

Low radon concentrations accurately measurable for the first time Posted: 24 Jul 2013 07:26 AM PDT You can't see it, you can't smell it, you can't taste it -- but at high doses, it can be lethal: the natural radioactive noble gas radon occurs especially in places where the subsoil consists of granite. It can, however, also occur in construction materials. It has been known for a long time that radon at high doses can cause lung cancer -- numerous workers from the Wismut-Werke uranium mines in the former GDR died of it. Now, scientists, however, deem radon to be dangerous also at low concentrations and therefore have increased the classification of its radiation effects: radon gas is now officially classified as contributing just as strongly to the exposure rate of the general public as medical diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.

'Fat finger' compensator: Scientists use game to generate database for analysis of drawing Posted: 22 Jul 2013 09:32 AM PDT The fingers of thousands of people who created sketches of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie on their iPhones can collectively guide and correct the drawing strokes of subsequent touchscreen users in a new application created by researchers. The app compensates for the "fat finger" problem associated with touchscreens, automatically correcting a person's drawing strokes while preserving the user's artistic style.

You are subscribed to email updates from ScienceDaily: Top Technology News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610