ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• The nature of color: New formula to calculate hue improves accuracy of color analysis
• Shaky Hand, Stable Spoon: Device Helps Essential Tremor Patients
• The space double-whammy: Less gravity, more radiation
• CubeSats and robotics on International Space Station
• A molecular ballet under the X-ray laser: taking images of free molecules
• NASA scientists find evidence of water in meteorite, reviving debate over life on Mars
• Dangerous mistaken identity: Protein folding leads to some neurodegenerative diseases
• Twitter 'big data' can be used to monitor HIV, drug-related behavior
• Advantages emerge in using nanostructured material in the forging process of mechanical components
• Can an app help make life easier for children with ADHD?
• A sharp eye for molecular fingerprints: Broad absorption spectra recorded on microsecond scale with two laser frequency combs
• Drilling in concrete, without a sound?
• New class of magnetic materials: Physicists pave the way for more energy efficient technology
• New fast and furious black hole found
• Implantable magnetic 'bracelet' brings relief to GERD sufferers
• Google Glass could help stop emerging public health threats around the world
• More dangerous chemicals in everyday life: Now experts warn against nanosilver
• Social-media messages grow terser during major events, study finds
• Caffeine-based gold compounds are potential tools in fight against cancer
• Better remote-sensing explosive detectors: The beginning of the end of full-body scanners?

The nature of color: New formula to calculate hue improves accuracy of color analysis Posted: 28 Feb 2014 11:01 AM PST Color is crucial in ecological studies, playing an important role in studies of flower and fruit development, responses to heat/drought stress, and plant–pollinator communication. But, measuring color variation is difficult, and available formulas sometimes give misleading results. An improved formula to calculate hue (one of three variables characterizing color) has now been developed.

Shaky Hand, Stable Spoon: Device Helps Essential Tremor Patients Posted: 28 Feb 2014 09:11 AM PST For people whose hands shake uncontrollably due to a medical condition, just eating can be a frustrating and embarrassing ordeal – enough to keep them from sharing a meal with others. But a small new study suggests that a new handheld electronic device can help such patients overcome the hand shakes caused by essential tremor.

The space double-whammy: Less gravity, more radiation Posted: 28 Feb 2014 07:49 AM PST Astronauts floating weightlessly in the International Space Station may appear carefree, but years of research have shown that microgravity causes changes to the human body. Spaceflight also means exposure to more radiation. Together, microgravity and radiation exposure add up to pose serious health risks. But research is not only making space safer for astronauts, it's helping to improve health care for the Earth-bound as well.

CubeSats and robotics on International Space Station Posted: 28 Feb 2014 07:45 AM PST The deployment of miniature satellites from the International Space Station continued Feb. 27, while the onboard Expedition 38 crew prepared for the arrival of a U.S. commercial cargo craft and the departure of three crew members. Two sets of Nanoracks CubeSats were deployed late Wednesday and early Thursday from a deployer mechanism on the Multi-Purpose Experiment Platform attached to the Kibo robotic arm, leaving just two more launches to go of the 33 CubeSats that were delivered to the station in January by Orbital Sciences' Cygnus cargo ship.

A molecular ballet under the X-ray laser: taking images of free molecules Posted: 28 Feb 2014 07:34 AM PST An international team of researchers has used the world's most powerful X-ray laser to take snapshots of free molecules. The research team choreographed a kind of molecular ballet in the X-ray beam. The conventional way to determine the atomic structure of molecules is to "freeze" them in a crystal and illuminate them with bright X-rays. However, many molecules are extremely difficult to crystallize. In particular, this is a problem with many biomolecules. There are existing techniques to image single molecules, but none of these is fast enough to catch the ultra-fast motion of molecules. With their new work, the researchers have cleared important hurdles on the way to X-ray images of individual molecules.

NASA scientists find evidence of water in meteorite, reviving debate over life on Mars Posted: 28 Feb 2014 07:32 AM PST A team of scientists has found evidence of past water movement throughout a Martian meteorite, reviving debate in the scientific community over life on Mars. In 1996, a group of scientists reported biogenic evidence in the Allan Hills 84001(ALH84001) meteorite. In this new study, researchers focused on structures deep within a 30-pound (13.7-kilogram) Martian meteorite known as Yamato 000593 (Y000593). The team reports that newly discovered different structures and compositional features within the larger Yamato meteorite suggest biological processes might have been at work on Mars hundreds of millions of years ago.

Dangerous mistaken identity: Protein folding leads to some neurodegenerative diseases Posted: 28 Feb 2014 06:31 AM PST Tau proteins, which are responsible for Alzheimer's disease, bind to the folding protein HSP90. The molecular recognition mechanisms that play a role here have been unveiled by an international team of scientists, and may open the door for new approaches for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and further neurodegenerative diseases that are caused by protein aggregation. These scientific insights provide an important basis for better understanding these disease mechanisms.

Twitter 'big data' can be used to monitor HIV, drug-related behavior Posted: 28 Feb 2014 06:31 AM PST Real-time social media like Twitter could be used to track HIV incidence and drug-related behaviors with the aim of detecting and potentially preventing outbreaks. The study suggests it may be possible to predict sexual risk and drug use behaviors by monitoring tweets, mapping where those messages come from and linking them with data on the geographical distribution of HIV cases. The use of various drugs had been associated in previous studies with HIV sexual risk behaviors and transmission of infectious disease.

Advantages emerge in using nanostructured material in the forging process of mechanical components Posted: 28 Feb 2014 05:07 AM PST Scientists have studied the process to forge mechanical components using nanostructured material. Specifically, they have been able to produce matrices to forge a set of mechanical parts like cogs and gears.

Can an app help make life easier for children with ADHD? Posted: 28 Feb 2014 05:06 AM PST We have tended to associate welfare technology with support for the elderly. Now researchers are looking at whether technology such as digital calendars and smartwatches can also provide support for children with autism and ADHD. Being able to function well in the morning is a challenge for parents of children with cognitive problems. Small details such as putting their leggings on inside out, or an adult saying something 'the wrong way' can trigger a temper tantrum and ruin the entire day. Children can become unruly, and some even become aggressive when something prevents them from following their routines and habits. Technology, research shows, can help this.

A sharp eye for molecular fingerprints: Broad absorption spectra recorded on microsecond scale with two laser frequency combs Posted: 28 Feb 2014 05:06 AM PST Scientists have developed a new method of real-time identification and quantification of molecular species. How to retrieve greenhouse gas concentrations in earth atmosphere or to test fundamental laws of quantum mechanics? By measuring the spectrum of light interacting with matter, i.e. measuring the intensity of light transmitted through a medium as a function of its color, it can be done. Each molecule leaves its fingerprint: characteristic absorptions, which make it possible to unambiguously identify it and measure its concentration.

Drilling in concrete, without a sound? Posted: 28 Feb 2014 05:06 AM PST If you choose the right equipment, drilling in concrete won't bother people in neighboring rooms. Anybody who has been in a building where construction work is going on knows how the sound of hammer drills and diamond saws can get on one's nerves. Even if you are some distance from the work site, the sound and vibrations are propagated in such a way that it feels as if they are going on right above -- and sometimes even inside -- your head.

New class of magnetic materials: Physicists pave the way for more energy efficient technology Posted: 28 Feb 2014 05:06 AM PST Scientists have paved the way for a new class of magnetic materials and devices with improved performance and power efficiency. Magnetic materials are currently used to store almost all digital information. However, with information processing and storage now making up a significant fraction of the world's energy consumption, continuing improvements in energy efficiency will require new technologies and materials.

New fast and furious black hole found Posted: 28 Feb 2014 05:06 AM PST Astronomers have been studying nearby galaxy M83 and have found a new superpowered small black hole, named MQ1, the first object of its kind to be studied in this much detail. Astronomers have found a few compact objects that are as powerful as MQ1, but have not been able to work out the size of the black hole contained within them until now.

Implantable magnetic 'bracelet' brings relief to GERD sufferers Posted: 27 Feb 2014 01:38 PM PST An innovative laparoscopic procedure that implants a ring of magnetic beads to help prevent acid reflux in patients who suffer from Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is the latest tool surgeons have to treat the disease. Using a small, flexible band of titanium beads with magnetic cores, surgeons implant the band around the patient's esophagus just above the stomach. The magnetic attraction between the beads strengthens the weakened esophageal sphincter's barrier function.

Google Glass could help stop emerging public health threats around the world Posted: 27 Feb 2014 09:55 AM PST The much-talked-about Google Glass -- the eyewear with computer capabilities -- could potentially save lives, especially in isolated or far-flung locations, say scientists. They are reporting development of a Google Glass app that takes a picture of a diagnostic test strip and sends the data to computers, which then rapidly beam back a diagnostic report to the user. The information also could help researchers track the spread of diseases around the world.

More dangerous chemicals in everyday life: Now experts warn against nanosilver Posted: 27 Feb 2014 08:54 AM PST Endocrine disruptors are not the only worrying chemicals that ordinary consumers are exposed to in everyday life. Also nanoparticles of silver, found in dietary supplements, cosmetics and food packaging, now worry scientists. A new study shows that nano-silver can penetrate our cells and cause damage. Nano-silver can be found in drinking bottles, cosmetics, band aids, toothbrushes, running socks, refrigerators, washing machines and food packaging, as some examples of every-day usage.

Social-media messages grow terser during major events, study finds Posted: 26 Feb 2014 02:45 PM PST In the last year or two, you may have had some moments -- during elections, sporting events, or weather incidents -- when you found yourself sending out a flurry of messages on social media sites such as Twitter. You are not alone, of course: Such events generate a huge volume of social-media activity. Now a new study shows that social-media messages grow shorter as the volume of activity rises at these particular times.

Caffeine-based gold compounds are potential tools in fight against cancer Posted: 26 Feb 2014 07:18 AM PST The side effects of ingesting too much caffeine -- restlessness, increased heart rate, having trouble sleeping -- are well-known, but recent research has shown that the stimulant also has a good side. It can kill cancer cells. Now, researchers report that combining a caffeine-based compound with a small amount of gold could someday be used as an anti-cancer agent.

Better remote-sensing explosive detectors: The beginning of the end of full-body scanners? Posted: 26 Feb 2014 07:18 AM PST Standing in a full-body scanner at an airport isn't fun, and the process adds time and stress to a journey. It also raises privacy concerns. Researchers now report that a more precise and direct method for using that 'terahertz' technology to detect explosives from greater distances. The advance could ultimately lead to detectors that survey a wider area of an airport without the need for full-body scanners.

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