http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/ News in Engineering, Chemistry and Physics. Read about energy news, nanotechnology and more. Full-text, images, free. en-us Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:05:01 EST Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104122522.htm New scientific discoveries are moving society toward the era of "personalized solar energy," in which the focus of electricity production shifts from huge central generating stations to individuals in their own homes and communities. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104122522.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111123610.htm Chemists are using a simple method to convert methane to methanol -- something that has the potential to exploit previously unused reserves of natural gas. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091111123610.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118092630.htm Scientists have discovered a method of using nanoparticles to illuminate the cellular interior to reveal the slow, complex processes taking place in a living cell. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118092630.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119121304.htm Traditional endoscopes provide a peek inside patients' bodies. Now, an engineering researcher is designing ones capable of a full inspection. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119121304.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120234858.htm Particle beams are once again zooming around the world's most powerful particle accelerator -- the Large Hadron Collider -- located at the CERN laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland. After more than one year of repairs, the LHC is now back on track to create high-energy particle collisions that may yield extraordinary insights into the nature of the physical universe. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120234858.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193644.htm Real-life particles released by car brake pads can harm lung cells in vitro. Researchers found that heavy braking, as in an emergency stop, caused the most damage, but normal breaking and even close proximity to a disengaged brake resulted in potentially dangerous cellular stress. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193644.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117124013.htm Convincing experimental evidence has finally been found for directed percolation, a phenomenon that turns up in computer models of the ways diseases spread through a population or how water soaks through loose soil. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117124013.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118181243.htm A recent experiment has found that a proton's nearest neighbors in the nucleus of the atom may modify the proton's internal structure. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118181243.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193818.htm Most people would like to be able to charge their cell phones and other personal electronics quickly and not too often. A recent discovery made by engineers could lead to carbon nanotube-based supercapacitors that could do just this. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193818.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193936.htm Scientists have identified and grouped the genes thought to be responsible for cell wall development in maize, an effort that expands their ability to discover ways to produce the biomass best suited for biofuels production. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193936.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029161218.htm Researchers have developed a new measurement technology that makes use of optical resonances in nanoparticles. The method, which opens new possibilities in the field of catalytics. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029161218.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120094745.htm Surplus biomass from the production of flax sheaves, and generated from Brassica carinata, a yellow-flowered plant related to those which engulf fields in spring, can be used to produce bioethanol. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120094745.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120084617.htm With the introduction of a single bacterial gene into yeast, researchers have achieved three improvements in bioethanol production from agricultural waste material: 'More ethanol, less acetate and elimination of the major by-product glycerol' Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120084617.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120084337.htm Two-dimensional carbon layers, so-called graphenes, are regarded as a possible substitute for silicon in the semiconductor industry. The electronic properties of these layers can be varied by "building in" specific arrays of holes in their structure. Physicists and chemists have, for the first time, succeeded in synthesizing a graphene-like porous polymer with atomic accuracy. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120084337.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119101046.htm Like the paperless office, the smart home has been a long time coming, but a new article suggests that radio tags coupled with mobile communications devices could soon provide seamless multimedia services to the home. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119101046.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118143223.htm Just as fly paper captures insects, an innovative new device with nano-sized features is able to grab cancer cells in the blood that have broken off from a tumor. These cells, known as circulating tumor cells, or CTCs, can provide critical information for examining and diagnosing cancer metastasis, determining patient prognosis, and monitoring the effectiveness of therapies. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118143223.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118160627.htm Engineering researchers have developed a unique and robust method to prevent cloning of passive radio frequency identification tags. The technology, based on one or more unique physical attributes of individual tags rather than information stored on them, will prevent the production of counterfeit tags and thus greatly enhance both security and privacy for government agencies, businesses and consumers. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118160627.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116143621.htm An accidental discovery has apparently solved a quest that over thousands of years has absorbed the energies of ancient Egyptians, the Han dynasty in China, Mayan cultures and more -- the creation of a near-perfect blue pigment. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116143621.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118160357.htm Biologists and engineers have dramatically improved the speed and accuracy of measuring an enigmatic set of proteins that influences almost every aspect of how cells and tissues function. The new method offers a long-sought tool for studying stem cells, cancer and other problems of fundamental importance to biology and medicine. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118160357.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118092626.htm Researchers have developed a new, inexpensive, reusable and highly efficient microfluidic connector. The connector employs a ring magnet with a O-ring gasket on its bottom and a tube in its center set directly atop the inlet or outlet port of a microfluidic channel embedded in a glass chip. A disc magnet on the underside of the chip holds the first magnet -- and its tubing -- securely in place. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118092626.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118101403.htm New research points the way to a technology that might make it possible to harvest much of the wasted heat produced by everything from computer processor chips to car engines to electric power plants, and turn it into usable electricity. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118101403.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112121605.htm The performance of modern electronics increases steadily on a fast pace thanks to the ongoing miniaturization of the utilized components. However, severe problems arise due to quantum-mechanical phenomena when conventional structures are simply made smaller and reach the nanometer scale. Therefore current research focuses on the so-called bottom-up approach: the engineering of functional structures with the smallest possible building blocks -- single atoms and molecules. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112121605.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116104007.htm The freezing of suspensions of particles is not always a uniform phenomenon; in certain conditions it leads to a modification of the redistribution of particles and the growth of crystals. These results have been obtained by observing, through X-ray imaging, the movement of particles while they are being frozen. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116104007.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116103451.htm Researchers have launched a new community-based approach to electric vehicle design, conversion and operations. The new research project, ChargeCar, will explore how electric vehicles can be customized for an individual's commuting needs and how an electric vehicle's efficiency can be boosted and its battery life extended by using artificial intelligence to manage power. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116103451.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117184539.htm The artificial lower limbs of double-amputee Olympic hopeful Oscar Pistorius give him a clear and major advantage over his competition, taking 10 seconds or more off what his 400-meter race time would be if his prosthesis behaved like intact limbs. That's the conclusion of human performance experts. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117184539.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118092628.htm To exploit the quantum world to the fullest, a key commodity is entanglement -- the spooky, distance-defying link that can form between objects such as atoms even when they are completely shielded from one another. Now, physicists have developed a promising new source of entangled photons using quantum dots tweaked with a laser. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118092628.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118112421.htm In an advance with overtones of Star Trek phasers and other sci-fi ray guns, scientists are reporting development of an internal on-off "switch" that paralyzes animals when exposed to a beam of ultraviolet light. The animals stay paralyzed even when the light is turned off. When exposed to ordinary light, the animals become unparalyzed and wake up. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118112421.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117133510.htm First, it was the soccer-ball-shaped molecules dubbed buckyballs. Then it was the cylindrically shaped nanotubes. Now, the hottest new material in physics and nanotechnology is graphene: a remarkably flat molecule made of carbon atoms arranged in hexagonal rings much like molecular chicken wire. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117133510.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117094829.htm Scientists have set a new world record with next-generation particle fuel for use in high temperature gas reactors (HTGRs). Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117094829.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117102042.htm Even if you are not a cook, you might have wondered why a pinch of flour (or any small particles) thrown into a bowl of water will disperse in a dramatic fashion, radiating outward as if it was exploding. A mechanical engineering professor can now explain why. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117102042.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161122.htm Everybody loves a race to the wire, even when the result is a tie. The great irony is the ultraprecise clocks that could result from this competition could probably break any tie. A second lab of physicists has now demonstrated the long-sought creation of a Bose-Einstein condensate of strontium atoms. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161122.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104122524.htm Predictions of grape yields are extremely important to juice processors and wineries but until recently, forecasting yields has relied on expensive and labor-intensive hand-sampling methods. However, a new approach, Trellis Tension Monitor has been developed that works by detecting weight change on trellised grapevines as the vine and grapes grow. Using 10 commercial vineyards, researchers found that TTM produced more-accurate estimates of yield than previous methods. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091104122524.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120000801.htm A newly designed straw house -- built of pre-fabricated straw-bale and hemp panels -- has fire resistance as good as houses built of conventional building materials, according to researchers in the UK. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120000801.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118120312.htm Sulfate groups are crucial building blocks for many molecules but are difficult to handle. Chemists have now discovered how sulfate groups can be protected during the construction of a molecule. Thanks to his method new molecules, which could be used for the production of medicines, can now be constructed far more easily. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118120312.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118110700.htm Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technology is experiencing a surge of interest and rapid expansion as a result of advances such as instrumentation that pushes capacity to 1,536 wells and optimization-free multiplexing. The technique's ability to both detect and simultaneously quantify specific DNA sequences is increasing its use in basic research and diagnostics, according to a new study. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118110700.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116173632.htm In this year, 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of ‘On the Origin of Species’ a UK scientist has used Darwin’s seminal work on Natural Selection in helping to define the biological essentiality of the second (silicon) and third (aluminium) most abundant elements of the Earth’s crust. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116173632.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117094935.htm The sensor of some optical mice can be used to easily and cheaply detect counterfeit euros, according to a study published by researchers in Spain. Almost 80 percent of counterfeit coins discovered in Europe in 2008 were two-euro coins. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117094935.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116143619.htm It's the year 2060, and 75 percent of drivers in the Greater Los Angeles area have hydrogen fuel cell vehicles that emit only water vapor. Look into Shane Stephens-Romero's crystal ball -- a computer model called STREET -- and find that air quality has significantly improved. Greenhouse gas emissions are more than 60 percent lower than in 2009, and levels of microscopic soot and ozone are about 15 percent and 10 percent lower, respectively. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116143619.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091113125445.htm Single layers of carbon atoms, called graphene sheets, are lightweight, strong, electrically semi-conducting -- and notoriously difficult and expensive to make. Now, scientists have invented a simple way to make graphene electrical devices by growing the graphene directly onto a silicon wafer. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091113125445.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116165739.htm Titanium dioxide nanoparticles, found in everything from cosmetics to sunscreen to paint to vitamins, cause systemic genetic damage in mice, according to a comprehensive study. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116165739.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116204229.htm An upgrade to a Cray XT5 high-performance computing system deployed by the Department of Energy has made the "Jaguar" supercomputer the world's fastest. Located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Jaguar is the scientific research community's most powerful computational tool for exploring solutions to some of today's most difficult problems. The upgrade, funded with $19.9 million under the Recovery Act, will enable scientific simulations for exploring solutions to climate change and the development of new energy technologies. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116204229.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118092623.htm Researchers have created a novel and simple way to analyze samples that are complex mixtures -- such as whole milk, blood serum and dirt in solution -- by adapting a new separation technique called gradient elution moving boundary electrophoresis. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118092623.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117192400.htm Catalysis is a process that is widely used in industry to synthesize molecules or materials. However, determining catalytic mechanisms is a major challenge for modern chemistry. Researchers have now used numerical simulation methods to show how the selectivity of reaction mechanisms at the surface of a metal catalyst can be understood far more simply. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117192400.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161131.htm With a bit of leverage, researchers have used a very tiny beam of light with as little as 1 milliwatt of power to move a silicon structure up to 12 nanometers. That's enough to completely switch the optical properties of the structure from opaque to transparent. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161131.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116085053.htm Scientists have developed a simple, cheap, accurate test to find undetected landmines. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116085053.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116085057.htm Small amounts of oil leave a fluorescent sheen on polluted water. Oil sheen is hard to remove, even when the water is aerated with ozone or filtered through sand. Now, an engineer has developed an inexpensive new method to remove oil sheen by repeatedly pressurizing and depressurizing ozone gas, creating microscopic bubbles that attack the oil so it can be removed by sand filters. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116085057.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091115134128.htm Physicists have demonstrated the first "universal" programmable quantum information processor able to run any program allowed by quantum mechanics -- the rules governing the submicroscopic world -- using two quantum bits (qubits) of information. The processor could be a module in a future quantum computer, which theoretically could solve some important problems that are intractable today. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091115134128.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091113141242.htm By applying epitaxial strain to thin films of bismuth ferrite, researchers have produced a lead-free alternative to the current crop of piezoelectric materials. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091113141242.htm