ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

Better residents' health after switch to electric buses

Posted: 29 Apr 2022 11:56 AM PDT

The health of residents living alongside a bus route in Gothenburg, Sweden, became considerably better when hybrid buses were replaced by buses fully powered by electricity. Along with the noise levels there was a reduction of fatigue, day time sleepiness and low mood, a new study shows.

Engineers develop new control electronics for quantum computers that improve performance, cut costs

Posted: 29 Apr 2022 11:49 AM PDT

Quantum computing experiments now have a new control and readout electronics option that will significantly improve performance while replacing cumbersome and expensive systems.

Future wearable health tech could measure gases released from skin

Posted: 29 Apr 2022 11:49 AM PDT

Scientists have taken the first step to creating the next generation of wearable health monitors.

Light-infused particles go the distance in organic semiconductors

Posted: 29 Apr 2022 11:49 AM PDT

Polaritons offer the best of two very different worlds. These hybrid particles combine light and molecules of organic material, making them ideal vessels for energy transfer in organic semiconductors. They are both compatible with modern electronics but also move speedily, thanks to their photonic origins.

'Eye-catching' smartphone app could make it easy to screen for neurological disease at home

Posted: 29 Apr 2022 11:49 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a smartphone app that could allow people to screen for Alzheimer's disease, ADHD and other neurological diseases and disorders -- by recording closeups of their eye. The app uses a smartphone's built-in near-infrared camera and selfie camera to track how a person's pupil changes in size. These pupil measurements could be used to assess a person's cognitive condition.

Self-assembled logic circuits created from proteins

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 01:16 PM PDT

In a proof-of-concept study, researchers have created self-assembled, protein-based circuits that can perform simple logic functions. The work demonstrates that it is possible to create stable digital circuits that take advantage of an electron's properties at quantum scales.

Bay Area storms get wetter in a warming world

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 12:22 PM PDT

Researchers used supercomputers to run high-resolution climate simulations that show how historically-impactful storm events could look in a warmer world. The researchers simulated five of the most powerful storms that have hit the San Francisco Bay Area since 1984, then projected how these historical storms would look in 2050 and 2100. They determined that some of these extreme events would deliver 26-37 percent more rain by 2100.

From seawater to drinking water, with the push of a button

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 12:22 PM PDT

Researchers created a portable desalination unit that can remove particles and salts simultaneously to generate drinking water. The user-friendly unit, which weighs less than 10 kilograms and does not require filters, can be powered by a small, portable solar panel.

Metamaterial significantly enhances chiral nanoparticle signals

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 11:28 AM PDT

Researchers have succeeded in amplifying the nonlinear response using artificial chiral metamaterial. The new technology enhances the possible applications of mirror symmetry by amplifying chiral nanoparticle signals.

Researchers unlock potential means to reduce lithium-ion batteries reliance on rare metals

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 11:28 AM PDT

Lithium-ion batteries power our everyday products, from laptops to vehicles, because of their safety, longevity, and charging speeds. Yet their production relies on rare metals such as cobalt and nickel. Now, a research group has unearthed a potential method for incorporating more common and cheaper elements as synthesizing electrode materials.

Scientific advance leads to a new tool in the fight against hackers

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 09:54 AM PDT

A new form of security identification could soon see the light of day and help us protect our data from hackers and cybercriminals. Quantum mathematicians have solved a mathematical riddle that allows for a person's geographical location to be used as a personal ID that is secure against even the most advanced cyber attacks.

Spinning stars shed new light on strange signal coming from galactic center

Posted: 28 Apr 2022 09:54 AM PDT

Researchers have found an alternative explanation for a mysterious gamma-ray signal coming from the center of the galaxy, which was long claimed as a signature of dark matter.

Origin of complex cells started without oxygen

Posted: 27 Apr 2022 07:06 AM PDT

The origin of complex cells started without oxygen, new research suggests.

Electronics can grow on trees thanks to nanocellulose paper semiconductors

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 12:36 PM PDT

A team in has created a nanocellulose paper semiconductor with both trans-scalability of structural design and wide electrical property tunability. The structure and function of the nanopaper semiconductor could be customized according to the desired use, allowing diverse applications as a wearable water-vapor-selective sensor and an enzymatic biofuel cell electrode for energy generation. This achievement is expected to open new doors for sustainable electronics that are completely derived from plant materials.

Machine learning model can steer traumatic brain injury patients to life-saving care

Posted: 26 Apr 2022 07:11 AM PDT

A new machine-learning algorithm can analyze brain scans and relevant clinical data to predict survival and recovery after severe traumatic brain injury.