http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/computers_math/computer_science/ Computer Science. Read all the latest developments in the computer sciences including articles on new software, hardware and systems. en-us Thu, 15 May 2008 01:05:01 EDT Thu, 15 May 2008 01:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/computers_math/computer_science/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513101713.htm As cars become entertainment centers and data-gathering devices, the amount of information they're collecting about you is rapidly growing. And guess who might be interested? Insurance companies, advertisers, government agencies, your boss and perhaps your spouse. On the other hand, say researchers, an intelligent car with a caring voice might persuade humans to drive more safely. Thu, 15 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513101713.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513191103.htm Today's video games serve a multitude of functions ranging from entertainment to exercise and even education. Now, three recent graduates have created a game with an even more important purpose --- to foster independence among disabled individuals. Graduating seniors have led an interdisciplinary student team made up of programmers, game designers, character and level artists, electrical engineers, and music composers to create a groundbreaking interactive game simulation to help individuals with disabilities develop life skills and obtain increased autonomy. Thu, 15 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513191103.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513202149.htm Using mathematics and a computer model of brain activity, scientists have shown a direct link between activity in the cortex and the microscopic structure of this neuronal network. Building on the existing body of research, the new work indicates that the spontaneous activity of small neuronal networks in the cortex consists of highly structured patterns rather than random "noise," shedding light on previous speculations. Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513202149.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512090630.htm Discarded computer parts could one day wind up fueling your car. That's because researchers in Romania and Turkey have developed a simple, efficient method for recycling printed circuit boards into environmentally-friendly raw materials for use in fuel, plastic, and other useful consumer products. Mon, 12 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512090630.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508174310.htm A free, e-mail-based service that translates text into Braille and audio recordings is helping to bridge the information gap for blind and visually impaired people, giving them quick and easy access to books, news articles and web pages. Developed by European researchers, the RoboBraille service offers a unique solution to the problem of converting text into Braille and audio without the need for users to operate complicated software. Mon, 12 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508174310.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505165804.htm Researchers have designed a system capable of simultaneously measuring hundreds of radio frequency identification tags and rapidly testing new RFID tag prototypes. This testbed allows researchers to measure the signal strength of tags hidden behind other tags and to rapidly test unique antenna configurations and multiple antennas without actually constructing new tags for each experiment. Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505165804.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508122520.htm Gamers have devoted countless years of collective brainpower to idle pursuits. This week researchers will try to harness those finely honed skills to make medical discoveries through a competitive protein-folding computer game. Fri, 09 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508122520.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508115809.htm The National Center for Atmospheric Research has taken delivery of a new IBM supercomputer that will advance research into severe weather and the future of Earth's climate. The supercomputer, known as a Power 575 Hydro- Cluster, is the first in a highly energy-efficient class of machines to be shipped anywhere in the world. Fri, 09 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508115809.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507132855.htm Computer analyses of global climate have consistently overstated warming in Antarctica, new research concludes. The study can help scientists improve computer models and determine if Earth's southernmost continent will warm significantly this century, a major research question because of Antarctica's potential impact on global sea-level rise. Thu, 08 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507132855.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506124443.htm Three researchers have proposed an innovative way to improve global climate change predictions by using a supercomputer with low-power embedded microprocessors, an approach that would overcome limitations posed by today's conventional supercomputers. Wed, 07 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506124443.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502154248.htm Engineeers have discovered a way for peer-to-peer (P2P) users to efficiently identify nearby P2P clients in order to reduce costly cross-network traffic without sacrificing performance for the user. Mon, 05 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502154248.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502133106.htm A team of scientists will expend 22 million computational hours during the next year on one of the world's most powerful supercomputers, simulating an event that takes less than five seconds. This astrophysics work explores how the laws of nature unfold in natural phenomena at unimaginably extreme temperatures and pressures. The Blue Gene/P supercomputer will serve as one of their primary tools for studying exploding stars. Sat, 03 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502133106.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430103109.htm Researchers have produced tiny liquid crystal devices with electrodes made from graphene -- an exciting development that could lead to computer and TV displays based on this technology. They report on the use of graphene as a transparent conductive coating for electro-optical devices -- and show that its high transparency and low resistivity make it ideal for electrodes in liquid crystal devices. Fri, 02 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430103109.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501155234.htm Researchers from HP Labs have proven the existence of what had previously been only theorized as the fourth fundamental circuit element in electrical engineering. This scientific advancement could make it possible to develop computer systems that have memories that do not forget, do not need to be booted up, consume far less power and associate information in a manner similar to that of the human brain. Thu, 01 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501155234.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428123555.htm Quantum cryptography may be essentially solved, but getting the funky physics to work on disciplined computer networks is a whole new headache. Cryptography is an arms race, but the finish line may be fast approaching. Up to now, each time the codemakers made a better mousetrap, codebreakers breed a better mouse. But quantum cryptography theoretically could outpace the codebreakers and win the race. Forever. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428123555.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428083418.htm Sometimes the diagnosis of episodes of illness in schizophrenia, rotatory vertigo, or reading and writing deficits needs electro-oculography (EOG), performed using a special medical apparatus. Researchers have developed spectacles that could in future make this technique portable. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428083418.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423185112.htm Geologists can now explain how one of the largest continents ever to exist met its demise. Gondwana was a 'supercontinent' that existed between 500 and 180 million years ago. For the past four decades, geologists have debated how Gondwana eventually broke up, developing a multitude of scenarios which can be loosely grouped into two schools of thought -- one theory claiming the continent separated into many small plates, and a second theory claiming it broke into just a few large pieces. A new computer model shows that the supercontinent cracked into two pieces, too heavy to hold itself together. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423185112.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423101810.htm Researchers have developed a method to calculate how a device can provide maximum functionality with a minimum quantity of processor and memory capacity. TVs, DVD players and mobile phones can malfunction when the inbuilt chips and software cease to cope with the increasingly large flow of data. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423101810.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421133025.htm Although the digital age is well under way, one crucial detail remains to be worked out -- how to store vast amounts of digital information in a way that allows future generations to recover it. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421133025.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421162714.htm A new approach to robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) could lead to a revolution in the field by shifting the focus from what a thing is to how it can be used. Identifying what a robot is looking at is a key approach of AI and machine cognition. So far ambitious researchers have managed to teach a computer's vision system to recognize up to 100 objects. Granted, this is a huge achievement, yet far short of an "I, Robot" scenario. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421162714.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080418141246.htm A new computer simulation reveals a self-healing behavior that repairs radiation-induced damage in yttria-stabilized zirconia, indicating that the engineered ceramic may be suitable for use in development of radiation-resistant materials for nuclear power plants and nuclear waste storage. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080418141246.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416100455.htm Imagine a computer system that can carry on a discussion with a human being by reacting to signals such as tone of voice and facial expression. That's what is being developed by an international team of computer scientists. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416100455.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416161215.htm There's safety in numbers -- especially when those numbers are random. That's the lesson learned from new research that is already helping to beef up security at LAX airport in Los Angeles. Soon it may be used across the country to both predict and minimize risk. Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416161215.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416111607.htm From cars and mobile phones to computers and furniture, most of today's products are created virtually on a computer before they are actually produced. Researchers are adding new functionalities to digital product development. Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416111607.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416114413.htm Securing evidence at the scene of a crime, measuring faces for medical applications, taking samples during production -- 3-D images are in demand everywhere. A handy cordless device now enables such images to be prepared rapidly anywhere. Mon, 21 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416114413.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415185011.htm Computer scientists have created a fog and smoke machine for computer graphics that cuts the computational cost of making realistic smoky and foggy 3-D images, such as beams of light from a lighthouse piercing thick fog. By cutting the computing costs, the computer scientists are helping to pull cutting edge graphics techniques out of research labs and into movies and eventually video games and beyond. Sun, 20 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415185011.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417142452.htm Researchers have used the world's thinnest material to create the world's smallest transistor, one atom thick and ten atoms wide. The smaller the size of their transistors the better they perform, say the Manchester researchers. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417142452.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415075711.htm Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may gain better control over their breathing and breathe more efficiently by using their breath to play a computer game, according to new research. Thu, 17 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415075711.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080412175657.htm Emotions are an intrinsic part of communications. But machines don't have, perceive or react to them, which makes us -- their handlers -- hot under the collar. But thanks to building blocks developed by European researchers, machines that 'feel' may no longer be confined to science fiction. Nearly everybody has to communicate with machines at some level, be it mobile phones, personal computers or annoying, automated customer support 'solutions'. But the communication is on the machine's terms, not the person's. Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080412175657.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414232716.htm Engineers took an early step toward building superfast computers that run on far-infrared light instead of electricity: They made waveguides -- the equivalent of wires -- that carried and bent this form of light, also known as terahertz radiation, which is the last unexploited portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414232716.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080411150948.htm Supercomputers simulate products and manufacturing processes within minutes. In the Computer Aided Robust Design CAROD project, researchers are developing new methods and software that significantly improve the quality of the virtual components. Mon, 14 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080411150948.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408132137.htm The same team of astrophysicists that cracked the computer code simulating two black holes crashing and merging together has now, for the first time, caused a three-black-hole collision. Scientists have simulated triplet black holes to test their breakthrough method that, in 2005, merged two of these large mass objects on a supercomputer following Einstein's theory of general relativity. Sat, 12 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408132137.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080409100456.htm Computer science and engineering researchers revealed that the answer quality provided by online question-and-answer Web sites, such as Yahoo! Answers and Google Answers, depends on two factors -- how much you pay and how many people contribute to your answer. Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080409100456.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408140849.htm A cell constantly remodels its fluid membranes to carry out critical tasks, such as recognizing other cells, getting nutrients or sorting proteins. Because membranes are fluid and intrinsically disordered, investigating these and other life-sustaining processes in detail has always been difficult. But a computer model provides a new approach by allowing scientists simulate and observe membrane dynamics the large scale where critical membrane-mediated processes take place. Fri, 11 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408140849.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080410101128.htm Nanotechnology could improve the life of the lithium batteries used in portable devices, including laptop computers, mp3 players and mobile phones. New research demonstrates that carbon nanotubes can prevent such batteries from losing their charge capacity over time. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080410101128.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408144820.htm Computer scientists are one step closer to realizing distributed quantum computing. They recently demonstrated one of the basic building blocks for distributed quantum computing using entangled photons generated in optical fibers. Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408144820.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408144817.htm A surprisingly large fraction of Web traffic gets sucked into temporary black holes, in which information between two computers disappears en route. A new online observatory monitors Internet black holes so network administrators -- and frustrated Web users -- can diagnose problems in real time. Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408144817.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407153030.htm Fungi processing audio signals. E. Coli storing images. DNA acting as logic circuits. It's possible, and in some cases, it's already happened. In any event, performing digital signal processing using organic and chemical materials without electrical currents could be the wave of the future. Electrical engineers and computer science specialists describe experiments that perform signal processing with novel materials while stirring the engineering community towards "a possible not-so-electronic future" of digital signal processing. Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407153030.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407172710.htm A limited nuclear weapons exchange between Pakistan and India using their current arsenals could create a near-global ozone hole, triggering human health problems and wreaking environmental havoc for at least a decade, according to a new study. Mid-latitude ozone decreases would approach 40 percent and last for years, impacting human health and ecosystems. Tue, 08 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407172710.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407101854.htm Nano-physicists have made a discovery that could change the way data is stored on computers. In the future it will be possible to store data much faster, and with more accuracy. A computer has two equally important elements: computing power and memory. Traditionally, scientists have developed these two elements in parallel. Now computer scientists have made a step towards a new means of data-storage, in which electricity and magnetism are combined in a new transistor concept. Tue, 08 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407101854.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403133910.htm Three engineering professors have created a computer ranking system that consistently predicts NCAA basketball rankings more accurately than polls, formulas, other computer models and even the tournament seeds themselves. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403133910.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080404122139.htm Will the Miss America pageant ever be the same? "Beauty," goes the old saying, "is in the eye of the beholder." But does the beholder have to be human? Not necessarily, say computer scientists who have successfully "taught" a computer how to interpret attractiveness in women. Sat, 05 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080404122139.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402084336.htm Using state-of-the-art supercomputers climate scientists have performed a 400-year high-resolution global ocean-atmosphere simulation with results that are more similar to actual observations of surface winds and sea surface temperatures. Sat, 05 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402084336.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080404094502.htm Emerging computer technologies will change our lives for the better by 2020. But we need to retain control to ensure that these developments do not impact negatively on basic human values, according to a new report. Fri, 04 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080404094502.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403131859.htm A modern computer contains two different types of components: magnetic components, which perform memory functions, and semiconductor components, which perform logic operations. Computer scientists are working to combine these two functions in a single hybrid material. This new material would allow seamless integration of memory and logical functions and is expected to permit the design of devices that operate at much higher speeds and use considerably less power than current electronic devices. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403131859.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331223826.htm A virtual reality underground ride has been used by researchers to reveal the extent that paranoia occurs in the general public. The research demonstrates that suspicious or paranoid thoughts are much more common in the general population than was previously thought, and that they are almost as common as anxiety and depression. Researchers found that the participants interpreted the same computer characters very differently. The most common reaction was to find the virtual reality characters friendly or neutral, but almost 40% of the participants experienced at least one paranoid thought. Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331223826.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331111029.htm How can pensioners with little if any computer skills successfully cope with a digital information system? According to researchers, the design of an accessible system needs to incorporate large letter types and keys, the mother language, and a touch screen and ABCDE keyboard as input devices. Furthermore, positive feedback is important to reduce the stress experienced by pensioners whilst using the computer. Wed, 02 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331111029.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080330225933.htm Second Life is more than an on-line game for some young scientists. It is a handy three-dimensional tool used for resolving real issues. Computer Science students have recently used it to analyze and solve the everyday frustrations involved in borrowing a book from a library. Tue, 01 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080330225933.htm