ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

Scientists invent 'quantum flute' that can make particles of light move together

Posted: 06 Jul 2022 01:54 PM PDT

Physicists have invented a 'quantum flute' that, like the Pied Piper, can coerce particles of light to move together in a way that's never been seen before.

Fiber optic sensing detects tremor from Icelandic subglacial volcano

Posted: 06 Jul 2022 01:54 PM PDT

Researchers used a fiber optic cable on the ice cap of an Icelandic subglacial volcano to detect low-frequency volcanic tremor, suggesting this technology could be useful in monitoring other ice-covered volcano systems.

Upside-down design expands wide-spectrum super-camera abilities

Posted: 06 Jul 2022 01:54 PM PDT

By turning the traditional lab-based fabrication process upside down, researchers have greatly expanded the abilities of light-manipulating metasurfaces while also making them much more robust against the elements. The combination could allow these quickly maturing devices to be used in a wide range of practical applications, such as cameras that capture images in a broad spectrum of light in a single shutter snap.

Researchers create VX neurotoxin detector

Posted: 06 Jul 2022 01:53 PM PDT

Researchers are advancing the field of molecular detection by developing proteins that can detect a deadly nerve agent called VX in real-time and without false positives from insecticides.

Using the power of the sun to roast green chile

Posted: 06 Jul 2022 12:31 PM PDT

Roasting green chile is an important cultural touchstone for New Mexico, but it leads to a seasonal emission of approximately 7,800 metric tons of carbon dioxide -- the equivalent of driving 1,700 cars for a year. Sandia National Laboratories engineer Kenneth Armijo, who grew up on a chile farm in Sabinal, located between Albuquerque and Socorro, New Mexico, thought there was a 'greener' way to roast green chile. The results of his experiments roasting chile with concentrated sunlight will be shared at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' conference on energy and sustainability next week.

Solving algorithm 'amnesia' reveals clues to how we learn

Posted: 06 Jul 2022 12:30 PM PDT

A discovery about how algorithms can learn and retain information more efficiently offers potential insight into the brain's ability to absorb new knowledge. The findings could aid in combating cognitive impairments and improving technology.

Physicists see electron whirlpools

Posted: 06 Jul 2022 10:33 AM PDT

Physicists have now observed electron whirlpools. Theorists have long predicted electrons should exhibit this hallmark of fluid flow; the findings could inform the design of more efficient electronics.

Solar-powered chemistry uses carbon dioxide and water to make feedstock for fuels, chemicals

Posted: 06 Jul 2022 10:33 AM PDT

Solar-powered synthesis gas could recycle carbon dioxide into fuels and useful chemicals, an international team of researchers has shown.

Validating a new method for assessing the antimicrobial efficacy of domestic cleaning products

Posted: 06 Jul 2022 10:33 AM PDT

Researchers have statistically validated a new method for assessing the antimicrobial efficacy of detergents and textile additives in domestic environments. The results reveal the validity of the new protocol, which has been presented to the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) requesting it to become the European standard.

Volcano's eruption will help scientists plot weather, climate

Posted: 06 Jul 2022 10:33 AM PDT

As it captivated people around the world, the January eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano gave scientists a once-in-a-lifetime chance to study how the atmosphere works, unlocking keys to better predict the weather and changing climate.

Scientists demonstrate machine learning tool to efficiently process complex solar data

Posted: 06 Jul 2022 10:33 AM PDT

Big data has become a big challenge for space scientists analyzing vast datasets from increasingly powerful space instrumentation. To address this, a team has developed a machine learning tool to efficiently label large, complex datasets to allow deep learning models to sift through and identify potentially hazardous solar events. The new labeling tool can be applied or adapted to address other challenges involving vast datasets.

Physicists work to shrink microchips with first one-dimensional helium model system

Posted: 06 Jul 2022 10:33 AM PDT

Physicists have created the first one-dimensional helium-based model system to advance research with applications to creating smaller microchips.

Shedding new light on dark matter

Posted: 06 Jul 2022 10:32 AM PDT

A team of physicists has developed a method for predicting the composition of dark matter -- invisible matter detected only by its gravitational pull on ordinary matter and whose discovery has been long sought by scientists.

Case solved: The biosynthesis of strychnine elucidated

Posted: 06 Jul 2022 10:32 AM PDT

A research team has disclosed the complete biosynthetic pathway for the formation of strychnine in the plant species Strychnos nux-vomica (poison nut). The researchers identified all genes involved in the biosynthesis of strychnine and other metabolites and expressed them in the model plant Nicotiana benthamiana. This enabled them to show that these extremely complex and pharmacologically important molecules can be synthesized using 'metabolic engineering' methods.

Shapeshifting microrobots can brush and floss teeth

Posted: 05 Jul 2022 04:41 PM PDT

A robotic microswarm may one day automate the routine of rinsing, brushing, and flossing teeth. A multidisciplinary team developed the technology, which employs a magnetic field to direct the iron oxide nanoparticle-based microrobots into antimicrobial bristle- and floss-shaped arrays.

Researchers expand understanding of vortex spread in superfluids

Posted: 05 Jul 2022 04:41 PM PDT

Researchers have created a model that describes the spread and speed of tornado-like vortex tubes in superfluids. This work expands on a previous study that reported experimental results obtained in superfluid helium-4 within a narrow temperature range.

New photocatalytic membrane that can be cleaned using light energy

Posted: 05 Jul 2022 01:22 PM PDT

Researchers have developed a nanosheet-laminated photocatalytic membrane that demonstrates both excellent water permeance and photocatalytic activity. The membrane's photocatalytic properties make it easier to clean as irradiating the membrane with light successfully reduces fouling. This revolutionary membrane technology can be applied to water purification, and thus has the potential to contribute towards tackling both global environmental and energy issues by helping to ensure a supply of safe drinking water and clean energy.

Discovery could inspire new way to detect brain abnormalities

Posted: 05 Jul 2022 01:22 PM PDT

Scientists have taken a promising step towards a new generation of accurate, affordable and portable devices to detect concussion, epilepsy and dementia.

Printing a new chapter in solar energy

Posted: 05 Jul 2022 01:22 PM PDT

A simple and versatile nanoparticle ink could help next-generation perovskite solar cells to be printed at scale and become the dominant force in commercial photovoltaics.

8000 kilometers per second: Star with the shortest orbital period around black hole discovered

Posted: 05 Jul 2022 01:22 PM PDT

A newly discovered star only takes four years to travel around the black hole at the center of our galaxy.

Study points to Armenian origins of ancient crop with aviation biofuel potential

Posted: 05 Jul 2022 01:22 PM PDT

Camelina, an oilseed plant grown in modern-day Ukraine, may have been a more important and widespread crop than previously thought. New findings could inform breeding programs to improve this crop for biofuels applications.

COVID-19 virus spike protein flexibility improved by human cell's own modifications

Posted: 05 Jul 2022 01:22 PM PDT

Researchers created atomic-level models of the spike protein that plays a key role in COVID-19 infection and immunity, revealing how the protein bends and moves as it seeks to engage receptors.

Using big data to better understand cancerous mutations

Posted: 05 Jul 2022 08:22 AM PDT

The ideal method of determining what type of cancer mutation a patient has is to compare two samples from the same patient, one from the tumor and one from healthy tissue. Such tests can be complicated and costly, however, so researchers hit upon another idea -- using massive public DNA databases to look for common cell mutations that tend to be benign, so that researchers can identify rarer mutations that have the potential to be cancerous.

Shedding light on comet Chury's unexpected chemical complexity

Posted: 05 Jul 2022 08:22 AM PDT

Researchers have for the first time identified an unexpected richness of complex organic molecules on a comet. This was achieved thanks to the analysis of data collected during ESA's Rosetta mission at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, also known as Chury. Delivered to the early Earth by impacting comets, these organics may have helped to kick-start carbon-based life as we know it.

Why natural gas is not a bridge technology

Posted: 05 Jul 2022 07:36 AM PDT

The expansion of natural gas infrastructure jeopardizes energy transition, as natural gas is not a bridge technology towards a 100 per cent renewable energy system as defined by the Paris Climate Agreement. The researchers have examined the natural gas issue from five perspectives and given gas a fairly poor climate balance, comparable to that of coal or oil. They recommend that politicians and scientists revise the current assumptions about natural gas.

Making it easier to differentiate mirror-image molecules

Posted: 05 Jul 2022 06:07 AM PDT

Using a new method, scientists are better able to distinguish between mirror-image substances. This is important amongst others in drug development, because the two variants can cause completely different effects in the human body.

More dogs in the neighborhood often means less crime, research shows

Posted: 05 Jul 2022 06:07 AM PDT

In a recent study, researchers found that neighborhoods with more dogs had lower rates of homicide, robbery and, to a lesser extent, aggravated assaults compared to areas with fewer dogs, at least when residents also had high levels of trust in each other.

Magnetic spins that 'freeze' when heated: Nature in the wrong direction

Posted: 04 Jul 2022 03:09 PM PDT

Physicists observed a strange new type of behavior in a magnetic material when it's heated up. The magnetic spins 'freeze' into a static pattern when the temperature rises, a phenomenon that normally occurs when the temperature decreases.

These energy-packed batteries work well in extreme cold and heat

Posted: 04 Jul 2022 03:09 PM PDT

Researchers developed lithium-ion batteries that perform well at freezing cold and scorching hot temperatures, while packing a lot of energy. This could help electric cars travel farther on a single charge in the cold and reduce the need for cooling systems for the cars' batteries in hot climates.

Researchers develop rapid COVID-19 test to identify variants in hours

Posted: 04 Jul 2022 06:42 AM PDT

In just a few hours, scientists can tell which variant has infected a COVID-19 patient -- a critical task that can potentially influence treatment decisions but takes days or weeks at most medical centers.

Fast and facile synthesis of antibacterial amino acid Schiff base copper complexes

Posted: 04 Jul 2022 06:41 AM PDT

Schiff base-metal complexes exhibit promising antibacterial and antioxidant properties. However, conventional methods for their preparation can be time-consuming. To reduce the reaction time and improve the quality and quantity of the products, researchers designed a new synthesis technique that uses microwave irradiation and methanol for the preparation of amino acid Schiff base copper complexes in just 10 minutes. The resulting products exhibit desirable properties, such as mild antioxidant activity and antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli.

New antibody detection method for coronavirus that does not require a blood sample

Posted: 01 Jul 2022 07:27 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a rapid and effective antibody detection method for SARS-CoV-2 that is minimally invasive and applicable in resource-limited settings. Their methodology, which uses a patch sensor containing porous microneedles and a paper-based immunoassay, could have far-reaching implications for the blood-free detection of COVID-19 and many other infectious diseases.

Virtual reality technology could strengthen effects of traditional rehabilitation for multiple sclerosis

Posted: 30 Jun 2022 11:22 AM PDT

By increasing sensory input and promoting multisensory processing, virtual reality may increase the effectiveness of traditional cognitive rehabilitation and exercise training in individuals with MS, according to researchers.

Found: The 'holy grail of catalysis' turning methane into methanol under ambient conditions using light

Posted: 30 Jun 2022 08:44 AM PDT

Scientists have developed a fast and economical method of converting methane, or natural gas, into liquid methanol at ambient temperature and pressure. The method takes place under continuous flow over a photo-catalytic material using visible light to drive the conversion.To help observe how the process works and how selective it is, the researchers used neutron scattering.

Laser creates a miniature magnetosphere

Posted: 30 Jun 2022 05:32 AM PDT

A research team realized magnetic reconnection driven by electron dynamics in laser-produced plasmas and measured the pure electron outflows. Their findings will be applied not only to space and astrophysical plasmas, but also to magnetic propulsion and fusion plasmas.