ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

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• Ancient volcanic explosions shed light on Mercury's origins
• New insights into quantum dynamics and quantum chaos
• To boldly go? Experts issue ethics guidelines for health standards on NASA's next generation of risky missions
• Regolith of small asteroids formed by thermal fatigue
• Americans using more energy, according to new analysis
• 'Geologic clock' helps determine moon's age
• Criticism of violent video games has decreased as technology has improved, gamers age
• The science of champagne fizz: How many bubbles are in your bubbly?
• Treating tumors: Radiation able to be securely stored in nontoxic molecule, study suggests
• Tiny crystals to boost solar
• Galactic serial killer: Galaxy engulfed several other galaxies in its violent history
• Low-cost, highly efficient OLED lighting: Europium complexes emit red light at record efficiency
• Steel-fiber reinforced concrete for conventional construction work as well
• 'Chemical atlas' provides unique understanding of ocean geochemistry
• New test makes Parkinson's-like disorder of middle age detectable in young adulthood
• Vibration may help heal chronic wounds
• New gel to promote bone growth on implants used in surgical procedures
• Hormone causes dividing plant cell to rebel

Ancient volcanic explosions shed light on Mercury's origins Posted: 02 Apr 2014 12:36 PM PDT The surface of Mercury crackled with volcanic explosions for extended periods of the planet's history, according to a new analysis. The findings are surprising considering Mercury wasn't supposed to have explosive volcanism in the first place, and they could have implications for understanding how Mercury formed.

New insights into quantum dynamics and quantum chaos Posted: 02 Apr 2014 12:36 PM PDT A team of researchers has announced analytical prediction and numerical verification of novel quantum rotor states in nanostructured superconductors.

To boldly go? Experts issue ethics guidelines for health standards on NASA's next generation of risky missions Posted: 02 Apr 2014 11:42 AM PDT An Institute of Medicine committee has issued a report with ethics principles and guidelines to aid NASA in decision-making for longer, higher risk human spaceflights. Such missions, including extended stays on the International Space Station and flights to Mars, have higher risks and are unlikely to meet the space agency's current health standards.

Regolith of small asteroids formed by thermal fatigue Posted: 02 Apr 2014 10:39 AM PDT The centimeter-sized fragments and smaller particles that make up the regolith -- the layer of loose, unconsolidated rock and dust -- of small asteroids is formed by temperature cycling that breaks down rock in a process called thermal fatigue, according to a new article.

Americans using more energy, according to new analysis Posted: 02 Apr 2014 10:39 AM PDT Americans used more renewable, fossil and even nuclear energy in 2013, according to the most recent energy flow charts. Wind energy continued to grow strongly, increasing 18 percent from 1.36 quadrillion BTUs, or quads, in 2012 to 1.6 quads in 2013. New wind farms continue to come on line with bigger, more efficient turbines. Most new wind turbines can generate 2 to 2.5 megawatts of power.

'Geologic clock' helps determine moon's age Posted: 02 Apr 2014 10:39 AM PDT Planetary scientists have determined that the moon formed nearly 100 million years after the start of the solar system, according to a new article. This conclusion is based on measurements from the interior of the Earth combined with computer simulations of the protoplanetary disk from which the Earth and other terrestrial planets formed.

Criticism of violent video games has decreased as technology has improved, gamers age Posted: 02 Apr 2014 08:00 AM PDT Journalists writing about video gaming expressed a considerable amount of concern about the level of violence in the game software companies were creating in the early 1990s, when video game design was limited by technology. However, this has decreased as the age of gamers has increased and the technology behind the games has improved.

The science of champagne fizz: How many bubbles are in your bubbly? Posted: 02 Apr 2014 08:00 AM PDT The importance of fizz, more technically known as effervescence, in sparkling wines and champagnes is not to be underestimated -- it contributes to the complete sensory experience of a glass, or flute, of fine bubbly. A scientist has now closely examined the factors that affect these bubbles, and he has come up with an estimate of just how many are in each glass.

Treating tumors: Radiation able to be securely stored in nontoxic molecule, study suggests Posted: 02 Apr 2014 07:56 AM PDT Researchers discovered that microscopic "bubbles" are safe and effective storage lockers for harmful isotopes that emit ionizing radiation for treating tumors. The findings can benefit patient health and advance radiation therapy used to treat cancer and other diseases.

Tiny crystals to boost solar Posted: 02 Apr 2014 07:00 AM PDT A new approach to studying solar panel absorber materials has been developed. The technique could accelerate the development of non-toxic and readily available alternatives to current absorbers in thin film based solar cells.

Galactic serial killer: Galaxy engulfed several other galaxies in its violent history Posted: 02 Apr 2014 06:58 AM PDT A new image shows two contrasting galaxies: NGC 1316, and its smaller neighbor NGC 1317. These two are quite close to each other in space, but they have very different histories. The small spiral NGC 1317 has led an uneventful life, but NGC 1316 has engulfed several other galaxies in its violent history and shows the battle scars.

Low-cost, highly efficient OLED lighting: Europium complexes emit red light at record efficiency Posted: 02 Apr 2014 06:54 AM PDT Researchers worldwide continue search for better luminescent materials for OLED manufacturing. Two new compounds with europium complexes display in their class record high luminescence efficiencies in red, and their properties enable faster, low cost manufacturing of thin OLED films.

Steel-fiber reinforced concrete for conventional construction work as well Posted: 02 Apr 2014 06:54 AM PDT When adding steel fibers the size of a clip, concrete is less prone to cracking, an engineer demonstrates. What the study shows is that this material has certain advantages over conventional reinforced concrete, and it can be used for purposes like the manufacture of cylindrical holding tanks.

'Chemical atlas' provides unique understanding of ocean geochemistry Posted: 01 Apr 2014 08:20 AM PDT An international project has produced a 'chemical atlas' providing unprecedented insight into the distributions of key elements, isotopes and other substances in the world's oceans. The atlas, which includes 3D maps and rotating images, provides a wealth of information including the distribution of micronutrients. They are important for the growth of marine phytoplankton and determine how much planet-warming carbon dioxide the ocean can soak up through biology, plus they can indicate areas of lead contamination from cars burning petrol laced with the toxic metal.

New test makes Parkinson's-like disorder of middle age detectable in young adulthood Posted: 01 Apr 2014 07:27 AM PDT The very earliest signs of a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder, in which physical symptoms are not apparent until the fifth decade of life, are detectable in individuals as young as 30 years old using a new, sophisticated type of neuroimaging, researchers have found. People with the condition -- fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) -- experience tremors, poor balance, cognitive impairments and Parkinsonism. The genetic condition results from a mutation in the fragile X mental retardation gene (FMR1).

Vibration may help heal chronic wounds Posted: 31 Mar 2014 12:36 PM PDT Wounds may heal more quickly if exposed to low-intensity vibration, report researchers. The finding, in mice, may hold promise for the 18 million Americans who have type 2 diabetes, and especially the quarter of them who will eventually suffer from foot ulcers. Their wounds tend to heal slowly and can become chronic or worsen rapidly.

New gel to promote bone growth on implants used in surgical procedures Posted: 31 Mar 2014 05:40 AM PDT A new responsive coating for implants used in surgery to improve their integration into bone and to prevent rejection has been developed. Neutron scattering experiments have shown how a protein that promotes bone growth binds to this surface and can be released in a controlled way.

Hormone causes dividing plant cell to rebel Posted: 31 Mar 2014 05:40 AM PDT Cell division in plants is governed by a physical law. A law that was postulated in the 19th century and tested in a two-dimensional plane many times after that. In an article, researchers outline that the law applies equally in 3D. However, the plant hormone auxin then breaks this law, steering growth to generate the organized plants we all know and love.

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