ScienceDaily: Matter & Energy News

Carbon nanotube finding could lead to flexible electronics with longer battery life Posted: 14 Jan 2015 05:27 PM PST Materials engineers have made a significant leap toward creating higher-performance electronics with improved battery life -- and the ability to flex and stretch. The team has reported the highest-performing carbon nanotube transistors ever demonstrated. In addition to paving the way for improved consumer electronics, this technology could also have specific uses in industrial and military applications.

'Kitchen of the future' here, now Posted: 14 Jan 2015 01:26 PM PST Researchers have created innovative future of kitchen designs. The kitchen design is part of a research project exploring manufacturing strategies and the greater integration of technology with architecture or, in other words, the industrial production of smart homes.

Chemical dial controls attraction between water-repelling molecules Posted: 14 Jan 2015 12:29 PM PST Researchers have provided new insights on hydrophobic interactions within complex systems. They have shown how the nearby presence of polar (water-attracted, or hydrophilic) substances can change the way the nonpolar hydrophobic groups want to stick to each other.

Race of the electrons: Laser pulses can be used to track the motion of electrons in metals with attosecond precision Posted: 14 Jan 2015 11:05 AM PST Light can rip electrons out of a piece of metal. This 'photoelectric effect' is extremely fast. But now modern attosecond technology can resolve the time evolution of such processes. A new article discusses the race of electrons in a layered structure made of magnesium and tungsten.

List of top 50 game-changing technologies for defeating global poverty Posted: 14 Jan 2015 11:00 AM PST The aim of the 50 Breakthroughs study is to give philanthropies, aid agencies, businesses, and technologists a blueprint for where to invest their resources to achieve the highest impact.

Advanced 3-D facial imaging may aid in early detection of autism Posted: 14 Jan 2015 08:56 AM PST Autism is a spectrum of closely related disorders diagnosed in patients who exhibit a shared core of symptoms, including delays in learning to communicate and interact socially. Early detection of autism in children is the key for treatment. Using advanced 3-D imaging and statistical analysis techniques, researchers have identified facial measurements in children with autism that may lead to screening tools for young children and provide clues to genetic causes.

Atomic placement of elements counts for strong concrete Posted: 14 Jan 2015 08:55 AM PST The forces that bind atoms and molecules can impact the strength of particulate materials like concrete. Researchers have carried out simulations to determine how the atomic placement of elements in concrete can be tuned to maximize its mechanical properties.

Laser-induced graphene 'super' for electronics: Flexible, 3-D supercapacitors tested Posted: 14 Jan 2015 08:55 AM PST Scientists show the practicality of turning laser-induced graphene into portable, flexible devices by making stacked supercapacitors.

DNA 'smart glue' could someday be used to build tissues, organs Posted: 14 Jan 2015 08:55 AM PST DNA molecules provide the 'source code' for life in humans, plants, animals and some microbes. But now researchers report an initial study showing that the strands can also act as a glue to hold together 3-D-printed materials that could someday be used to grow tissues and organs in the lab.

Two-dimensional metamaterial surface manipulates light Posted: 14 Jan 2015 08:52 AM PST A single layer of metallic nanostructures has been designed, fabricated and tested by a team of Penn State electrical engineers that can provide exceptional capabilities for manipulating light.

Tattoo-like sensor can detect glucose levels without painful finger prick Posted: 14 Jan 2015 07:17 AM PST The first ultra-thin, flexible device that sticks to skin like a rub-on tattoo can detect a person's glucose levels. The sensor has the potential to eliminate finger-pricking for many people with diabetes.

A new step towards using graphene in electronic applications Posted: 14 Jan 2015 07:16 AM PST Scientists have managed, with atomic precision, to create nanostructures combining graphene ribbons of varying widths.

New contaminants found in oil, gas wastewater Posted: 14 Jan 2015 07:16 AM PST High levels of two potentially hazardous contaminants, ammonium and iodide, have been documented in wastewater being discharged into streams and rivers from oil and gas operations in Pennsylvania. Levels of contamination were just as high in wastewater coming from conventional oil and gas wells as from hydraulically fractured shale gas wells.

People conform to the norm -- even if the norm is a computer Posted: 14 Jan 2015 06:08 AM PST Often enough, it is human nature to conform. This tendency makes us follow the lead of computers, even if the machines give us the wrong advice. This is the finding of a study that investigates how people make judgment calls after playing role-playing video games. Real-life encounters and face-to-face contact with other people are on the decline in a world that is becoming increasingly computerized. Many routine tasks are delegated to virtual characters. People spend hours role-playing through virtual-reality video games by taking on the persona of a virtual character or avatar.

Early warning alarms while there is still time to prevent problems: The sound of chirping birds in control center Posted: 14 Jan 2015 04:27 AM PST Computer scientists develop a method for monitoring by listening in factories, operating rooms, and postal logistics centres. When the alarm light starts blinking in the control room of a factory, the problem has already occurred. Computer scientists have now developed a method that allows control room staff to monitor several processes at the same time, which enables them to take preventative action. The trick: processes are coded with sounds. Workers hear, for example, whether there is enough material on the conveyor belt and can react before the supply is used up.

Urban stormwater management: Permeable pavements to reduce run-off from parking lots Posted: 14 Jan 2015 04:27 AM PST Scientists have developed permeable pavements to reduce the problems caused by storm and runoff water in urban areas. The project also aims to prepare for the higher volumes of rainfall and more intense storms that can be expected in the future. The pavement solutions developed in the project are well suited for areas with low traffic volume, such as car parks, pavements, courtyards, fields and squares.

Tumor micro-environment is a rough neighborhood for nanoparticle cancer drugs Posted: 13 Jan 2015 03:41 PM PST Nanoparticle drugs -- tiny containers packed with medicine and with the potential to be shipped straight to tumors -- were thought to be a possible silver bullet against cancer. However new cancer drugs based on nanoparticles have not improved overall survival rates for cancer patients very much. Scientists now think that failure may have less to do with the drugs and tumors than it does the tumor's immediate surroundings.

Crush those clinkers while they're hot Posted: 13 Jan 2015 12:40 PM PST Clinkers pulverized to make cement should be processed right out of the kiln to save the most energy. The environmentally friendly advice is the result of a recent computational study.

On-site visualization of planned buildings Posted: 13 Jan 2015 06:04 AM PST Using a new system, architects, developers or their clients can view a 3D model of a building in its intended shape, precisely where the building is to be constructed. This will give them a much clearer, realistic impression of the design.

Physicist makes the case for studying the strong nuclear force Posted: 12 Jan 2015 12:44 PM PST Physicists are making the case for nuclear physics and its big experiments. A proton- and nuclei-smashing PHENIX Experiment is helping physicists study a new state of matter and the basic bits and forces of nature.

Chemist one step closer to a new generation of electric car battery Posted: 12 Jan 2015 10:55 AM PST An ultra-thin nanomaterial is at the heart of a major breakthrough by scientists who are in a global race to invent a cheaper, lighter and more powerful rechargeable battery for electric vehicles.