ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

Candid cosmos: eROSITA cameras set benchmark for astronomical imaging

Posted: 25 May 2021 01:09 PM PDT

A team of scientists has developed the cameras for an astronomical instrument built to perform all-sky surveys in the x-ray wavelength regime. They highlight the features of the cameras, a key part of a telescope called eROSITA, describing the hardware development and ground testing, and report the performance aboard the satellite, opening doors to a deeper understanding of our cosmos.

Holograms increase solar energy yield

Posted: 25 May 2021 01:08 PM PDT

Researchers recently developed an innovative technique to capture the unused solar energy that illuminates a solar panel. They created special holograms that can be easily inserted into the solar panel package. This method can increase the amount of solar energy converted by the solar panel over the course of a year by about five percent.

Probing deeper into origins of cosmic rays

Posted: 25 May 2021 08:37 AM PDT

Researchers know cosmic rays originate from the multitude of stars in the Milky Way and other galaxies. The difficulty is tracing the particles to specific sources, because the turbulence of interstellar gas, plasma, and dust causes them to scatter and rescatter in different directions. Researchers developed a simulation model to better understand these and other cosmic ray transport characteristics, with the goal of developing algorithms to enhance existing detection techniques.

Silver attacks bacteria, gets 'consumed'

Posted: 25 May 2021 08:37 AM PDT

As antibiotic-resistant bacteria become more prevalent, silver has seen steep growth in its use in things like antibacterial coatings. Still, a better understanding can provide clues on how to best apply it. Researchers have now monitored the interaction of silver nanoparticles with a nearby E. coli culture and found the silver undergoes several dramatic changes. Most notably, the E. coli cells caused substantial transformations in the size and shape of the silver particles.

Scientific software - Quality not always good

Posted: 25 May 2021 08:37 AM PDT

Computational tools are indispensable in almost all scientific disciplines. Especially in cases where large amounts of research data are generated and need to be quickly processed, reliable, carefully developed software is crucial for analyzing and correctly interpreting such data. Nevertheless, scientific software can have quality quality deficiencies. To evaluate software quality in an automated way, computer scientists have designed the SoftWipe tool.

New details on what happened in the first microsecond of Big Bang

Posted: 25 May 2021 08:37 AM PDT

Researchers have investigated what happened to a specific kind of plasma - the first matter ever to be present - during the first microsecond of Big Bang. Their findings provide a piece of the puzzle to the evolution of the universe, as we know it today.

Superflimsy graphene turned ultrastiff by optical forging

Posted: 25 May 2021 08:37 AM PDT

Graphene is an ultrathin material characterized by its ultrasmall bending modulus, superflimsiness. Now researchers have demonstrated how an experimental technique called optical forging can make graphene ultrastiff, increase its stiffness by several orders of magnitude.

Quantum electronics: 'Bite' defects in bottom-up graphene nanoribbons

Posted: 25 May 2021 08:36 AM PDT

Scientists have identified a new type of defect as the most common source of disorder in on-surface synthesized graphene nanoribbons, a novel class of carbon-based materials that may prove extremely useful in next-generation electronic devices. The researchers identified the atomic structure of these so-called 'bite' defects and investigated their effect on quantum electronic transport. These kinds of defective zigzag-edged nanoribbons may provide suitable platforms for certain applications in spintronics.

Technique to evaluate wind turbines may boost wind power production

Posted: 25 May 2021 08:36 AM PDT

With a global impetus toward utilizing more renewable energy sources, wind presents a promising, increasingly tapped resource. Despite the many technological advancements made in upgrading wind-powered systems, a systematic and reliable way to assess competing technologies has been a challenge. Researchers have used advanced data science methods and ideas from the social sciences to compare the performance of different wind turbine designs.

Does the Milky Way move like a spinning top?

Posted: 25 May 2021 07:17 AM PDT

An investigation carried out by the astrophysicists questions one of the most interesting findings about the dynamics of the Milky Way in recent years: that the precession, or the wobble in the axis of rotation of the disc warp is incorrect.

Data from smartwatches can help predict clinical blood test results

Posted: 25 May 2021 07:17 AM PDT

Smartwatches and other wearable devices may be used to sense illness, dehydration and even changes to the red blood cell count, according to biomedical engineers and genomics researchers.

Machine learning platform identifies activated neurons in real-time

Posted: 25 May 2021 07:16 AM PDT

Biomedical engineers have developed an automatic process that uses streamlined artificial intelligence (AI) to identify active neurons in videos faster and more accurately than current techniques. The technology should allow researchers to watch an animal's brain activity in real time, as they are behaving.

AI spots neurons better than human experts

Posted: 25 May 2021 07:16 AM PDT

A combination of optical coherence tomography (OCT), adaptive optics and deep neural networks can easily and precisely track changes in the number and shape of retinal ganglion cells in the eye. This new AI-driven method can enable better diagnosis and monitoring for neuron-damaging eye and brain diseases like glaucoma.

Synchrotron X-ray experiment reveals a small nudge with big consequences

Posted: 25 May 2021 07:16 AM PDT

QUT researchers have used experimental x-ray techniques at the Australian Synchrotron to gain fundamental insights into how gypsum dehydrates under pressure and the processes that create earthquakes.

Soft X-ray method promises nanocarrier breakthroughs for smart medicine

Posted: 25 May 2021 05:43 AM PDT

A new technique using chemically-sensitive 'soft' X-rays offers a simpler, non-disruptive way of gaining insight into nanocarriers. Currently researchers have to rely on attaching fluorescent dyes or heavy metals to label parts of organic nanocarrier structures for investigation, often changing them in the process. Researchers have demonstrated the capability of the new X-ray method on a smart drug delivery nanoparticle and a polysoap nanostructure intended to capture crude oil spilled in the ocean.

Quantum sensing: Odd angles make for strong spin-spin coupling

Posted: 25 May 2021 05:43 AM PDT

A new study finds a unique form of tunable and ultrastrong spin-spin interactions in orthoferrites under a strong magnetic field. The discovery has implications for quantum simulation and sensing.

Engineering matter at the atomic level

Posted: 25 May 2021 05:43 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a way to use a 'dry transfer technique' -- a technique that uses no solvent -- to position optical quality carbon nanotubes in a precise way.

Delivering serendipity: Seemingly random product discovery, aided by technology

Posted: 25 May 2021 05:42 AM PDT

Marketers can capitalize on the power of serendipity to increase consumer satisfaction.

Milky Way not unusual, astronomers find

Posted: 24 May 2021 01:18 PM PDT

The first detailed cross-section of a galaxy broadly similar to the Milky Way reveals that our galaxy evolved gradually, instead of being the result of a violent mash-up. The finding throws the origin story of our home into doubt.