ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

COVID-19 test offers solution for population-wide testing, scientists say

Posted: 01 Jul 2021 04:53 PM PDT

Researchers report real-world results on SwabSeq, a high-throughput testing platform that uses sequencing to test thousands of samples at a time to detect COVID-19. They were able to perform more than 80,000 tests in less than two months, with the test showing extremely high sensitivity and specificity.

Rethinking plastics

Posted: 01 Jul 2021 04:52 PM PDT

In a new issue of Science, devoted to the plastics problem, call for new approaches to plastics design, production and use, with the goal of keeping plastics out of landfills and waterways, reusing the valuable resources they represent indefinitely in a 'circular' plastics economy.

Skin in the game: Transformative approach uses the human body to recharge smartwatches

Posted: 01 Jul 2021 04:52 PM PDT

As smart watches are increasingly able to monitor the vital signs of health, including what's going on when we sleep, a problem has emerged: those wearable, wireless devices are often disconnected from our body overnight, being charged at the bedside.

Imaging spectroscopy can predict water stress in wild blueberry fields

Posted: 01 Jul 2021 12:09 PM PDT

Imaging spectroscopy can help predict water stress in wild blueberry barrens, according to a new study. Researchers deployed a drone with a spectrometer to photograph wild blueberry fields, then process the images to measure reflected light spectra from plants for properties that would help them estimate water potential. Incorporating data from the images into models allowed them predict water stress in the fields.

Understanding potential topological quantum bits

Posted: 01 Jul 2021 11:09 AM PDT

Scientists have been looking for half an electron as a basis for a quantum computer. They investigated a promising experimental setup just to find that the signals they measured were not telling the truth.

The first commercially scalable integrated laser and microcomb on a single chip

Posted: 01 Jul 2021 11:09 AM PDT

Fifteen years ago, an electrical and materials professor pioneered a method for integrating a laser onto a silicon wafer. The technology has since been widely deployed in combination with other silicon photonics devices to replace the copper-wire interconnects that formerly linked servers at data centers, dramatically increasing energy efficiency -- an important endeavor at a time when data traffic is growing by roughly 25% per year. Now there is a new laser breakthrough.

Catalyzing the conversion of biomass to biofuel

Posted: 01 Jul 2021 11:09 AM PDT

Zeolites are extremely porous materials: Ten grams can have an internal surface area the size of a soccer field. Their cavities make them useful in catalyzing chemical reactions and thus saving energy. An international research team has now made new findings regarding the role of water molecules in these processes. One important application is the conversion of biomass into biofuel.

Using AI to predict 3D printing processes

Posted: 01 Jul 2021 11:09 AM PDT

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) experiments are slow and expensive. Engineers are using physics-informed neural networks to predict the outcomes of complex processes involved in AM. The team trained the model on supercomputers using experimental and simulated data. They recreated the dynamics of two benchmark experiments in metal AM. The method could lead to fast prediction tools for AM in the future.

In a supramolecular realm: Advances in intracellular spaces with de novo designed peptide

Posted: 01 Jul 2021 10:49 AM PDT

Scientists have set out to harness the potential of self-assembling peptides (SAPs) in intracellular spaces. They present a de novo designed peptide, Y15, which displays a strong tendency to assemble in cellular environments. The addition of Y15-tagged bioactive proteins can functionalize these assemblies, enhancing their utility and relevance by leaps and bounds.

New algorithms give digital images more realistic color

Posted: 01 Jul 2021 08:27 AM PDT

Researchers describe a new approach for digitizing color. It can be applied to cameras and displays -- including ones used for computers, televisions and mobile devices -- and used to fine-tune the color of LED lighting.

How children integrate information

Posted: 01 Jul 2021 08:27 AM PDT

Researchers use a computer model to explain how children integrate information during word learning.

Discovery of nano-sized molecules that might inhibit Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases

Posted: 01 Jul 2021 08:26 AM PDT

Nanosized molecules of a particular chemical element can inhibit the formation of plaque in the brain tissues, according to researchers. The discovery provides renewed hope for novel treatments of, for instance, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease in the long run.

Closing the gap on the missing lithium

Posted: 01 Jul 2021 08:26 AM PDT

There is a significant discrepancy between theoretical and observed amounts of lithium in our universe. Now, researchers have reduced this discrepancy by around 10 percent, thanks to a new experiment on the nuclear processes responsible for the creation of lithium.

Novel heat-management material keeps computers running cool

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 04:17 PM PDT

UCLA engineers have demonstrated successful integration of a novel semiconductor material into high-power computer chips to reduce heat on processors and improve their performance. The advance greatly increases energy efficiency in computers and enables heat removal beyond the best thermal-management devices currently available.

Molecular 'speed bump' adds function to new generation of printed objects

Posted: 29 Jun 2021 11:43 AM PDT

A process that uses heat to change the arrangement of molecular rings on a chemical chain creates 3D-printable gels with a variety of functional properties.