ScienceDaily: Top Technology News


Learning and remembering movement

Posted: 09 Jun 2022 02:36 PM PDT

Researchers examining the brain at a single-neuron level found that computation happens not just in the interaction between neurons, but within each individual neuron. Each of these cells, it turns out, is not a simple switch, but a complicated calculating machine. This discovery promises changes not only to our understanding of how the brain works, but better understanding of conditions ranging from Parkinson's disease to autism. The findings are also expected to advance machine learning, offering inspiration for new architectures.

Ground-breaking number of brown dwarfs discovered

Posted: 09 Jun 2022 10:19 AM PDT

Brown dwarfs, mysterious objects that straddle the line between stars and planets, are essential to our understanding of both stellar and planetary populations. However, only 40 brown dwarfs could be imaged around stars in almost three decades of searches. An international team has directly imaged a remarkable four new brown dwarfs thanks to a new innovative search method.

Scientists craft living human skin for robots

Posted: 09 Jun 2022 10:19 AM PDT

From action heroes to villainous assassins, biohybrid robots made of both living and artificial materials have been at the center of many sci-fi fantasies, inspiring today's robotic innovations. It's still a long way until human-like robots walk among us in our daily lives, but scientists are bringing us one step closer by crafting living human skin on robots. The new method not only gave a robotic finger skin-like texture, but also water-repellent and self-healing functions.

Photosynthesis-inspired process makes commodity chemicals

Posted: 09 Jun 2022 10:19 AM PDT

A team used light and water to convert acetylene into ethylene, a widely used, highly valuable chemical that is a key ingredient in plastics. While this conversion typically requires high temperatures and pressures, flammable hydrogen and expensive metals to drive the reaction, a photosynthesis-like process is much less expensive and less energy intensive. Not only is the new process environmentally friendly, it also works incredibly well -- successfully converting nearly 100% of acetylene into ethylene with 99% selectivity.

What happened before, during and after solar system formation? A recent study of the Asteroid Ryugu holds the answers

Posted: 09 Jun 2022 10:19 AM PDT

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Hayabusa2 mission returned uncontaminated primitive asteroid samples to Earth. A comprehensive analysis of 16 particles from the asteroid Ryugu revealed many insights into the processes that operated before, during and after the formation of the solar system, with some still shaping the surface of the present-day asteroid. Elemental and isotopic data revealed that Ryugu contains the most primitive pre-solar nebular (an ancient disk of gas and dust surrounding what would become the Sun) material yet identified and that some organic materials may have been inherited from before the solar system formed.

Artificial intelligence reveals a never-before described 3D structure in rotavirus spike protein

Posted: 09 Jun 2022 10:18 AM PDT

The tip of rotavirus B spike protein is not only totally different from the corresponding structure in rotavirus A and C, but also no other protein before had been reported to have this structure.

Paving the way for faster computers, longer-lasting batteries

Posted: 09 Jun 2022 05:22 AM PDT

Scientists have finally cracked a problem that's frustrated chemists and physicists for years, potentially leading to a new age of powerful, efficient, and environmentally friendly technologies.

Radio waves for the detection of hardware tampering

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 01:14 PM PDT

Up to now, protecting hardware against manipulation has been a laborious business: expensive, and only possible on a small scale. And yet, two simple antennas might do the trick.

Faster computing results without fear of errors

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 01:14 PM PDT

A new technique can dramatically accelerate programs known as shell scripts, through a process called parallelization, while ensuring the programs return accurate results.

Bluetooth signals can be used to identify and track smartphones

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 01:14 PM PDT

A team of engineers has demonstrated for the first time that the Bluetooth signals emitted constantly by our mobile phones have a unique fingerprint that can be used to track individuals' movements.

Scientists observe effects of heat in materials with atomic resolution

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 01:13 PM PDT

Using cutting-edge electron microscopes and novel techniques, a team of researchers has found a way to map phonons -- vibrations in crystal lattices -- in atomic resolution, enabling deeper understanding of the way heat travels through quantum dots, engineered nanostructures in electronic components.

Rapid-fire fast radio burst shows hot space between galaxies

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 01:13 PM PDT

A recently discovered, rare and persistent rapid-fire fast radio burst source -- sending out an occasional and informative cosmic ping from more than 3.5 billion light years away -- helps to reveal the secrets of the broiling hot space between the galaxies.

Particle accelerator region revealed inside a solar flare

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 10:36 AM PDT

A new study offers direct evidence showing where near-light speed particle acceleration occurs inside the largest explosion known in the solar system, the solar flare.

Protein discovery reinvigorates promising new therapeutic

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 10:36 AM PDT

Engineers have developed a therapeutic that they say avoids major allergic reactions that plagued previous versions while maintaining its therapeutic activity. The keys to the discovery were the use of a similar, membrane-bound version of stem cell factor delivered in engineered lipid nanocarriers.

New delivery method allows slow-release of broader array of peptide drugs in the body

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 10:36 AM PDT

A new study describes one of the first entirely new drug delivery microencapsulation approaches in decades.

Lifespan of solid-state lithium batteries extended

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 08:25 AM PDT

Researchers have successfully increased the lifespan and stability of solid-state lithium-ion batteries, creating a viable approach for future widespread usage.

How some high-energy particle 'jets' lose energy

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 08:25 AM PDT

Scientists studying particle collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) have revealed how certain particle-jets lose energy as they traverse the unique form of nuclear matter created in these collisions. The results should help them learn about key 'transport properties' of this hot particle soup, known as a quark-gluon plasma (QGP).

'E-nose' sniffs out mixtures of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 06:14 AM PDT

As paint thinner, ink and adhesives dry, they can release volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can negatively impact health. Typically, one of those VOCs is xylene, which exists as three isomers with the same elements but slightly different arrangements. Because the isomers are so similar, they're hard to monitor separately. Now, researchers have developed an electric nose ('e-nose') with porous metal-organic framework (MOF) films that can accurately distinguish xylene isomer mixtures.

Lithium-ion batteries that last longer in extreme cold

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 06:14 AM PDT

When temperatures fall below freezing, cellphones need to be recharged frequently, and electric cars have shorter driving ranges. This is because their lithium-ion batteries' anodes get sluggish, holding less charge and draining energy quickly. To improve electrical performance in the extreme cold, researchers have replaced the traditional graphite anode in a lithium-ion battery with a bumpy carbon-based material, which maintains its rechargeable storage capacity down to -31 F.

Yoyo stars responsible for off-center bubbles

Posted: 08 Jun 2022 06:14 AM PDT

Astronomers have developed a new code to simulate the formation of a cluster of baby stars. Comparison with the well-known real case of the Orion Nebula shows that its off-center bubble of ionized gas was caused by a massive star that was pushed out of the newborn cluster but is now falling back in.

Sponge-like solar cells could be basis for better pacemakers

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 01:10 PM PDT

Scientists find that holes can also improve technology, including medical devices. The article describes an entirely new way to make a solar cell: by etching holes in the top layer to make it porous.

Unfreezing waters in ligand binding sites

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 01:10 PM PDT

Scientists have revealed the effect of temperature on water in protein-ligand interactions, providing a way to produce structures for drug discovery that are less biased by freezing artifacts.

'Ugly' reef fishes are most in need of conservation support

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 11:24 AM PDT

What's the relationship between people's perception of beauty and animals' conservation needs? According to a machine-learning study, the reef fishes that people find most beautiful tend to be the lowest priority for conservation support.

High-speed, efficient and compact electro-optic modulators for free space

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 10:09 AM PDT

Current technologies to modulate light in free space are bulky, slow, static, or inefficient. Now researchers have developed a compact and tunable electro-optic modulator for free space applications that can modulate light at gigahertz speed.

Yolk-shell nanocrystals with movable gold yolk: Next generation of photocatalysts

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 10:09 AM PDT

Owing to their unique permeable, hollow shell structures with inner, movable cores, yolk-shell nanocrystals are suitable for a wide variety of applications. Yolk-shell nanocrystals consisting of a gold core with various semiconductor shells have been developed using a novel sequential ion-exchange process. These metal-semiconductor yolk-shell nanocrystals can serve as highly effective photocatalysts for many applications.

New theory of decision-making seeks to explain why humans don't make optimal choices

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 09:10 AM PDT

A new theory of economic decision-making offers an explanation as to why humans, in general, make decisions that are simply adequate, not optimal.

Nanotechnology used to destroy and prevent relapse of solid tumor cancers

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 09:10 AM PDT

As people across the globe look forward to longer life expectancies, malignant cancers continue to pose threats to human health. The exploration and development of immunotherapy aims to seek new breakthroughs for the treatment of solid tumors. Although immune checkpoint-based immunotherapy has been shown to have great potential, only a small proportion of patients fully respond to this therapy, and the relevant molecular mechanisms need to be further explored. This delivery method is however complex and inefficient. In a breakthrough development, a team of scientists has formulated a novel vaccine which showed high efficacy in the treatment of solid tumors, achieving complete clearance of solid tumors and inducing long-lasting immune memory. This prevents the relapse of tumor growth that the patient originally presented with and provides immunity against similar tumour types. This was shown through the application of this vaccine on melanoma tumor models.

Merging physical domain knowledge with AI improves prediction accuracy of battery capacity

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 09:10 AM PDT

Researchers succeed in increasing the prediction accuracy of the battery capacity by up to 20% by merging physical domain knowledge with AI.

New model offers physics-inspired rankings evaluation

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 09:10 AM PDT

Researchers describe a new way to evaluate rankings. Their goal is not to find one true hierarchy, but to calculate the spread of all possible hierarchies, with each one weighted by its probability.

Nano-sensor detects pesticides on fruit in minutes

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 09:10 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a tiny sensor for detecting pesticides on fruit in just a few minutes. The technique uses flame-sprayed nanoparticles made from silver to increase the signal of chemicals. While still at an early stage, the researchers hope these nano-sensors could help uncover food pesticides before consumption.

Death of bats at wind turbines interrupts natural food chains

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 09:10 AM PDT

The numerous casualties of bats at wind turbines (WT) have a negative impact on the populations of affected species and potentially far-reaching consequences for the biodiversity in rural areas. Until now, it could only be assumed that the death of bats had further consequences. Now, a team of scientists show that natural food chains are interrupted, which can have far-reaching negative consequences for agriculture and forestry. The study demonstrates the extent to which the functional importance of bats for habitats has been underestimated so far.

Creating mRNA with an all-chemical process may allow for customized mRNA vaccines

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 09:09 AM PDT

A new synthesis method offers hope for creation of advance mRNA vaccines to fight viruses and even cancers.

Breakthrough paves way for photonic sensing at the ultimate quantum limit

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 09:09 AM PDT

A team of physicists has found a way to operate mass manufacturable photonic sensors at the quantum limit. This breakthrough paves the way for practical applications such as monitoring greenhouse gases and cancer detection.

A quantum drum that stores quantum states for record-long times

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 09:09 AM PDT

Researchers have improved the coherence time of a previously developed quantum membrane dramatically. The improvement will expand the usability of the membrane for a variety of different purposes. With a coherence time of one hundred milliseconds, the membrane can for example store sensitive quantum information for further processing in a quantum computer or network.

Low levels of high-risk salmonella evade traditional methods of detection

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 09:09 AM PDT

Poultry is responsible for more than one out of every five cases of salmonella infection in the U.S. But traditional methods of testing the chicken you grab off the grocery shelf may not be enough to detect all strains of the bacteria, according to new research.

Detecting new particles around black holes with gravitational waves

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 09:09 AM PDT

Clouds of ultralight particles can form around rotating black holes. A team of physicists now show that these clouds would leave a characteristic imprint on the gravitational waves emitted by binary black holes.

Earth-abundant solar pixels found to produce hydrogen for weeks

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 09:09 AM PDT

Devices made of readily available oxide and carbon-based materials can produce clean hydrogen from water over weeks -- according to new research. The findings could help overcome one of the key issues in solar fuel production, where current earth-abundant light-absorbing materials are limited through either their performance or stability.

'Urban canyons' prolong sonic booms in cities

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 09:09 AM PDT

Recent efforts have sought to make low-boom supersonic aircraft, but noise issues due to sonic booms may become more pronounced in cities, where buildings form canyons that distort the booms. Researchers conducted simulations comparing how sonic booms reflect differently over a single building, two neighboring buildings, and multiple buildings spaced at regular intervals. The researchers found the wider the streets compared to the height of buildings, the less booms are affected. Narrower streets introduced more complex boom propagation.

Sizzling sound of deep-frying reveals complex physics

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 09:08 AM PDT

Researchers carefully studied bubbles that form when water droplets come into contact with heated cooking oil and found that the type and number of bubbles formed depends on the amount of water absorbed by the chopsticks as well as the chopstick material. The water droplet explodes when it hit the hot oil, in three types of bubble events: an explosion cavity, an elongated cavity, and an oscillating cavity.

Scientists develop novel computational model for aptamer generation, with wide applications

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 09:07 AM PDT

Aptamers are single-stranded oligonucleotides generated by the systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX). They have a wide variety of applications, but computational approaches are necessary to efficiently identify candidate aptamers. A team of researchers has now developed RaptGen, a variational autoencoder that efficiently discovers new aptamers not included in the input SELEX dataset. This novel computational model could one day be the standard method for aptamer generation.

Deep nerve stimulation consistently reduces blood pressure

Posted: 07 Jun 2022 09:05 AM PDT

Biomedical engineers are expanding the study of wireless electrodes to treat hypertension and are reporting that blood pressure can be consistently controlled by bioelectronic treatment.

All wound up: A reversible molecular whirligig

Posted: 06 Jun 2022 03:12 PM PDT

Over the last few decades, researchers have built minuscule molecular machines that rotate or shuttle other molecules. However, it's difficult to determine the mechanical work and forces that these tiny contraptions produce, which is important when using them as nanorobots or in artificial muscles. Now researchers report molecular motors that twist and untwist like whirligig toys -- enabling the measurement of the energy and torque of their rotations.

Glass: Anomalous properties of amorphous solids

Posted: 06 Jun 2022 08:15 AM PDT

Researchers explain the distinctive low-temperature thermal properties of glasses using molecular dynamics simulations. By focusing on string-like defects, they were able to create a unified explanation, which may assist in glass applications.

Liquid platinum at room temperature

Posted: 06 Jun 2022 08:15 AM PDT

Researchers in Australia have been able to use trace amounts of liquid platinum to create cheap and highly efficient chemical reactions at low temperatures, opening a pathway to dramatic emissions reductions in crucial industries.

New nanoparticles aid sepsis treatment in mice

Posted: 06 Jun 2022 08:14 AM PDT

Sepsis, the body's overreaction to an infection, affects more than 1.5 million people and kills at least 270,000 every year in the U.S. alone. The standard treatment of antibiotics and fluids is not effective for many patients, and those who survive face a higher risk of death. Researchers have reported a new nanoparticle-based treatment that delivers anti-inflammatory molecules and antibiotics.