ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

New framework applies machine learning to atomistic modeling

Posted: 21 Jul 2021 02:26 PM PDT

A new method could lead to more accurate predictions of how new materials behave at the atomic scale.

New algorithm flies drones faster than human racing pilots can

Posted: 21 Jul 2021 11:20 AM PDT

For the first time an autonomously flying quadrotor has outperformed two human pilots in a drone race. The success is based on a novel algorithm that calculates time-optimal trajectories that fully consider the drones' limitations.

Origami comes to life with new shape-changing materials

Posted: 21 Jul 2021 11:19 AM PDT

Researchers have created butterflies that flap their wings, flower petals that wiggle with the touch of a button and self-folding origami drawing on new advances in soft robotics.

'Magic-angle' trilayer graphene may be a rare, magnet-proof superconductor

Posted: 21 Jul 2021 11:19 AM PDT

Physicists have observed signs of a rare type of superconductivity in a material called 'magic-angle' twisted trilayer graphene. They report that the material exhibits superconductivity at surprisingly high magnetic fields of up to 10 Tesla, which is three times higher than what the material is predicted to endure if it were a conventional superconductor.

Thumb-sized device quickly 'sniffs out' bad breath

Posted: 21 Jul 2021 09:07 AM PDT

Researchers have constructed a portable, thumb-sized device that diagnoses bad breath by quickly 'sniffing' exhalations for the gas that makes it stinky -- hydrogen sulfide.

Rounding errors could make certain stopwatches pick wrong race winners, researchers show

Posted: 21 Jul 2021 09:07 AM PDT

Simulated swimming race times show a small number of times recorded on quartzite oscillator-based devices are off by margins large enough to determine winners.

A large tidal stream observed in the Sombrero galaxy

Posted: 21 Jul 2021 09:07 AM PDT

Astronomers have made detailed observations of a large tidal flow around the Sombrero galaxy, whose strange morphology has still not been definitively explained.

The weather forecast for Venus

Posted: 21 Jul 2021 09:07 AM PDT

Little is known about the weather at night on Venus as the absence of sunlight makes imaging difficult. Now, researchers have devised a way to use infrared sensors on board the Venus orbiter Akatsuki to reveal the first details of the nighttime weather of our nearest neighbor. Their analytical methods could be used to study other planets including Mars and gas giants as well.

Nanostructures enable record high-harmonic generation

Posted: 21 Jul 2021 09:07 AM PDT

Researchers have developed nanostructures that enable record-breaking conversion of laser pulses into high-harmonic generation, paving the way for new scientific tools for high-resolution imaging.

Wearable brain-machine interface turns intentions into actions

Posted: 21 Jul 2021 09:06 AM PDT

An international team of researchers is combining soft scalp electronics and virtual reality in a brain-interface system.

Toxicity testing on the placenta and embryo

Posted: 21 Jul 2021 09:06 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a cell culture test to detect substances that are directly or indirectly harmful to embryos. Based on an existing test used for developing new drugs and chemicals, the augmented version is designed to help reduce the number of animal experiments.

Batteries for grid-scale energy storage

Posted: 21 Jul 2021 09:06 AM PDT

Researchers have designed a new class of molten sodium batteries for grid-scale energy storage.

Novel method predicts if COVID-19 clinical trials will fail or succeed

Posted: 21 Jul 2021 07:23 AM PDT

Researchers have modeled COVID-19 completion versus cessation in clinical trials using machine learning algorithms and ensemble learning.

How managing building energy demand can aid the clean energy transition

Posted: 21 Jul 2021 07:23 AM PDT

A comprehensive new study quantifies what can be done to make buildings more energy efficient and flexible in granular detail by both time (including time of day and year) and space (looking at regions across the U.S.). The research team found that maximizing the deployment of building demand management technologies could avoid the need for up to one-third of coal- or gas-fired power generation.

Nanoparticles create heat from light to manipulate electrical activity in neurons

Posted: 21 Jul 2021 07:23 AM PDT

Engineers developed technology to use nanoparticles to heat, manipulate cells in the brain and heart.

A mutual exchange: Synthesizing aryl sulfides from non-smelling, non-toxic compounds

Posted: 21 Jul 2021 07:23 AM PDT

The importance of aryl sulfides in biologically active compounds has led chemists to develop methods to synthesize them from carbon-sulfur bond forming reactions. The conventional reaction, however, uses thiols that are foul-smelling and toxic. Now, chemists report a novel, thiol-free synthesis technique comprising a nickel-catalyzed aryl exchange between 2-pyridyl sulfide and aromatic esters, providing a versatile and inexpensive technology for both scientific and industrial applications.

Cancer: Information theory to fight resistance to treatments

Posted: 21 Jul 2021 07:22 AM PDT

A major challenge in cancer therapy is the adaptive response of cancer cells to targeted therapies. Although this adaptive response is theoretically reversible, such a reversal is hampered by numerous molecular mechanisms that allow the cancer cells to adapt to the treatment. A team has used information theory, in order to objectify in vivo the molecular regulations at play in the mechanisms of the adaptive response and their modulation by a therapeutic combination.

Using ultra-low temperatures to understand high-temperature superconductivity

Posted: 21 Jul 2021 07:22 AM PDT

A so-called 'strange metal', well-known for its unusual properties, has been shown to be a superconductor at very low temperatures. This allows scientists to study the connection between 'strange metal'-behavior and superconductivity, which could be an important step towards understanding the phenomenon of high-temperature superconductivity.