ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

How is haze formed?

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 09:12 AM PDT

Haze is formed when a cocktail of various gaseous pollutants is oxidized and forms particulate matter diffusing sunlight. This process is mainly mediated by hydroxyl radicals (OH), and researchers have now discovered a new route to their formation. This newly discovered radical-building mechanism could also offer new perspectives for air purification and the energy industry, as the study shows.

Scavenger nanoparticles could make fuel cell-powered vehicles a reality

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 07:15 AM PDT

Engineers have developed a material that could give fuel cell systems a competitive edge over the battery systems that currently power most electric vehicles.

New study solves mystery of how soft liquid droplets erode hard surfaces

Posted: 31 Mar 2022 07:15 AM PDT

A new study shows why liquid droplets have the ability to erode hard surfaces, a discovery that could help engineers design more erosion-resistant materials.

Critical signature sound when rocks crack

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 01:45 PM PDT

Finding the specific sound a rock makes when it cracks and breaks seems impossible when surrounded by other subsurface noises. But researchers have now discovered a way to hear and validate that sound.

New method purifies hydrogen from heavy carbon monoxide mixtures

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 01:45 PM PDT

Refining metals, manufacturing fertilizers and powering fuel cells for heavy vehicles are all processes that require purified hydrogen. But purifying, or separating, that hydrogen from a mix of other gases can be difficult, with several steps. Chemical engineers have now demonstrated that the process can be simplified using a pump outfitted with newly developed membrane materials.

Researchers’ novel tool to help develop safer pesticides

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 11:14 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a new computational approach to rapidly screen pesticides for safety, performance and how long they will endure in the environment. Moreover, and most importantly, the new approach will aid in the design of next-generation molecules to develop safer pesticides.

When a band falls flat: Searching for flatness in materials

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 11:14 AM PDT

The world's first catalog of flat band materials could reduce the serendipity in the search for new materials with exotic quantum properties, such as magnetism and superconductivity, with applications in memory devices or in long-range dissipationless transport of power.

SARS-CoV-2 spike protein more stable, slower changing than earlier version

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 11:13 AM PDT

New computational simulations of the behavior of SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins prior to fusion with human cell receptors show that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is more stable and slower changing than the earlier version that caused the SARS epidemic in 2003.

Battery-free MakeCode empowers kids to code sustainably

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 10:05 AM PDT

New sustainable coding platform automatically and invisibly transforms Microsoft MakeCode into a version that supports programming electronic devices that harvest energy from ambient sources, such as vibrations, movement, radio frequency transmissions and the sun.

Record broken: Hubble spots farthest star ever seen

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 09:46 AM PDT

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has established an extraordinary new benchmark: detecting the light of a star that existed within the first billion years after the universe's birth in the big bang -- the farthest individual star ever seen to date.

Engineering researchers develop porous nanoparticles for regenerative medicine

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 09:14 AM PDT

Stem cells can develop into many different types of cells in the body. For instance, when a person is injured, stem cells come to the site of the injury and aid in healing damaged tissues. New nanotechnology could leverage the body's regenerative potential by directing stem cells to form bone tissue.

When worlds collide: Studying impact craters to uncover the secrets of the solar system

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 09:13 AM PDT

While for humans the constants might be death and taxes, for planets the constants are gravity and collisions. Astronomers are using information about impacts to understand the history and the composition of planets, moons, asteroids and meteorites throughout the solar system.

Lottery luck in the light of physics: Researchers present theory on the dynamics of many-particle systems

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 08:13 AM PDT

Power functional theory is a new approach that makes it possible to describe precisely the dynamics of many-particle systems over time.

Researchers find topological phenomena at high, technologically relevant frequencies

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 07:33 AM PDT

A new study describes topological control capabilities in an acoustic system at high technologically relevant frequencies. This work has implications for applications such as 5G communications and quantum information processing.

Programmed assembly of wafer-scale atomically thin crystals

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 07:33 AM PDT

A research team develops an assembly method for atomically thin crystals at the wafer-scale.

An automatic information extraction system for scientific articles on COVID-19

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 07:32 AM PDT

VIGICOVID is a system that uses natural language questions to get answers in the avalanche of information on COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2.

The Rule of Two helps make spaces sound better

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 07:32 AM PDT

Researchers developed a new acoustic measurement technique in a room with more acoustic combinations than there are ants on Earth.

Engineering the quantum states in solids using light

Posted: 30 Mar 2022 07:31 AM PDT

A research team has developed a platform that can control the properties of solid materials with light and measure them.

From lab to slab: Rubber concrete flexes into the residential market

Posted: 29 Mar 2022 04:27 PM PDT

A novel approach to rubber recycling could see end-of-life tyres repurposed into concrete for residential constructions as new research shows that it can provide an economically viable and sustainable alternative to conventional concrete.

Researchers discover source of super-fast electron 'rain'

Posted: 29 Mar 2022 04:17 PM PDT

Scientists have discovered a new source of super-fast, energetic electrons raining down on Earth's atmosphere, a phenomenon that contributes to the colorful aurora borealis and poses hazards to satellites, spacecraft and astronauts.

'An underutilized tool:' UV-LED lights can kill coronaviruses and HIV with the flip of a switch, study finds

Posted: 29 Mar 2022 12:28 PM PDT

The same light bulbs used in offices and public spaces can destroy coronaviruses and HIV, according to a new study.

Head-mounted microscope reaches deeper into mouse brains

Posted: 29 Mar 2022 11:25 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a miniature microscope that is designed for high-resolution 3D images inside the brains of living mice. The new, lightweight design could help scientists understand how brain cells operate by imaging deeper into the brain than previously possible with miniature widefield microscopes.

Planet-scale MRI

Posted: 29 Mar 2022 11:25 AM PDT

Researchers presented the results of efforts to perform global full waveform inversions of the Earth using the Frontera supercomputer. They used data from 300 earthquakes to construct the new global full wave inversion models that include attenuation and azimuthal anisotropy and approach continental-scale resolution. The researchers also recently released a visualization toolbox for large seismic model files and are building a platform for seismic analysis.

Mounds of ice in craters give new insight into Mars’ past climate

Posted: 29 Mar 2022 11:25 AM PDT

Newly discovered deposits of layered ice in craters scattered around Mars' southern hemisphere provide insights into how the planet's orientation controlled the planet's climate over the past 4 million years, according to a new study. The findings help scientists understand what controlled Mars' past climate, which is essential for predicting when the planet could have been habitable.

New software to help discover valuable compounds

Posted: 29 Mar 2022 11:25 AM PDT

Because the comparative metabolomics field lacks sophisticated data analysis tools that are available to genomics and proteomics researchers, metabolomics researchers spend a lot of time hunting for candidate compounds that could be useful as leads for the development of new pharmaceuticals or agrochemicals. To solve this problem, scientists have developed Metaboseek, a free, easy-to-use app that integrates multiple data analysis features for the metabolomics community.

Sensor for faster, more accurate COVID-19 tests

Posted: 29 Mar 2022 08:47 AM PDT

Researchers say the sensor combines accuracy levels approaching that of PCR testing with the speed of rapid antigen tests, and could be used for mass testing at airports, schools, and hospitals.

Scientists achieve record efficiency for ultra-thin solar panels

Posted: 29 Mar 2022 08:47 AM PDT

A team has successfully increased the levels of energy absorbed by wafer-thin photovoltaic panels by 25%. Their solar panels, just one micrometer thick, convert light into electricity more efficiently than others as thin and pave the way to make it easier to general more clean, green energy.

Researchers expand target range of CRISPR/Cas Systems

Posted: 29 Mar 2022 08:47 AM PDT

Researchers have created a genome editing technology that allows for slight variations in target DNA but retains local specificity, and which could help realize the potential of CRISPR/Cas-based gene therapy and pathogen diagnosis.

Fuel from waste wood

Posted: 29 Mar 2022 08:47 AM PDT

According to the latest assessment report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a considerable reduction in CO2 emissions is required to limit the consequences of climate change. Producing fuel from renewable sources such as waste wood and straw or renewable electricity would be one way to reduce carbon emissions from the area of transportation.

How eye imaging technology could help robots and cars see better

Posted: 29 Mar 2022 08:47 AM PDT

Using lessons learned from the eye-imaging technology optical coherence tomography (OCT), engineers have demonstrated a LiDAR system that is fast and accurate enough to potentially improve the vision of autonomous systems such as driverless cars and robotic manufacturing plants.

AI helps radiologists detect bone fractures

Posted: 29 Mar 2022 08:47 AM PDT

Artificial intelligence (AI) is an effective tool for fracture detection that has potential to aid clinicians in busy emergency departments, according to a new study.

New approach needed for forecasting corrosion within bridges, concrete structures

Posted: 29 Mar 2022 08:46 AM PDT

Researchers advocate for a paradigm change in the science of forecasting corrosion damage within reinforced concrete structures. They discuss the severe flaws in using the chloride threshold concept for forecasting corrosion and say change is needed to address the growing challenges of aging structures losing functionality and potentially collapsing, greenhouse gas emissions, and the economy at large. To achieve this, a multiscale, multidisciplinary approach combining scientific and practical contributions from materials science, corrosion science, cement/concrete research, and structural engineering is needed.

Folding design leads to heart sensor with smaller profile

Posted: 29 Mar 2022 08:46 AM PDT

Researchers want to leverage the centuries-old art of cutting paper, kirigami, into designs to develop a sensor sheet that can stretch and breathe with the skin while collecting electrocardiographic data. Scientists in Japan use cuts in a film made of polyethylene terephthalate printed with silver electrodes to fit a sensor on a person's chest to monitor his or her heart. At the optimal size found, they were able to detect enough signal from the heart to be used in a smartphone app.

Heat storage: Scientists develop material that is stable, efficient and eco-friendly

Posted: 29 Mar 2022 07:00 AM PDT

A new heat storage material could help to significantly improve the energy efficiency of buildings. It can be used to store surplus heat and release it back into the environment when needed. Unlike existing materials, the new one can absorb significantly more heat, is more stable, and is made of harmless substances.

Improving asphalt road pavement using engineered nano mineral composites

Posted: 29 Mar 2022 06:07 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a new, greener nano asphalt binder that produces a new type of asphalt which uses less energy and produces less vapor and fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

Visualizing the invisible

Posted: 28 Mar 2022 12:06 PM PDT

With the advent of cutting-edge apparatus that can image samples at the atomic scale, scientists found that traditional molecular models did not fit the images they saw. Researchers have devised a better way to visualize molecules building on these traditional methods. Their models fit the imaging data they acquire well, and they hope the models can therefore help chemists with their intuition for interpreting molecular images.

Methane could be the first detectable indication of life beyond Earth

Posted: 28 Mar 2022 12:05 PM PDT

A new study assesses the planetary context in which the detection of methane in an exoplanet's atmosphere could be considered a compelling sign of life.