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 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:05:01 EST Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:05:01 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/2010/02/100209124503.htm New research into how the brain controls the movements of limbs could prompt major advances in understanding the human brain and the development of prosthetic limbs. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209124503.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100205115808.htm Parts of a car’s bodywork could one day double up as its battery, according to the scientists behind a new project in the UK. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100205115808.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100201101907.htm A new testing method is being developed to detect cancer soon after the tumor has formed. It will identify characteristic substances in the blood which accompany a certain type of tumor. The first steps in the development have already been completed. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100201101907.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100202101241.htm Considerable progresses made in controlling quantum gases open up a new avenue to study chemical processes. An Austrian research team has now succeeded in directly observing chemical exchange processes in an ultra-cold sample of cesium atoms and Feshbach molecules. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100202101241.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203101120.htm Researchers have developed a "smart coating" that helps surgical implants bond more closely with bone and ward off infection. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203101120.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100208144852.htm Researchers in fluid dynamics have studied algae to illuminate fluid mechanics. One of the researchers said, "Nature has long inspired researchers in fluid mechanics to explore the mechanical strategies used by living creatures. Where better to look for innovative solutions to a technological challenge than to organisms that have had millions of years to devise strategies for related challenges?" Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100208144852.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209191443.htm A new, more efficient low-cost microring resonator for high speed telecommunications systems has been developed. This technological advance capitalizes on the benefits of optical fibers to transmit large quantities of data at ultra-fast speeds. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209191443.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209124505.htm Two thousand years after the Romans invented cement, this material is still the most commonly used in construction throughout the world. Its complex internal structure means that many questions about this material continue to have unsatisfactory answers. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209124505.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100207214119.htm Workers exposed to tricholorethylene, a chemical once widely used to clean metal such as auto parts, may be at a significantly higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to a new study. Mon, 08 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100207214119.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100201171649.htm Researchers have designed a bioactive nanomaterial that promotes the growth of new cartilage in vivo and without the use of expensive growth factors. The therapy is minimally invasive, utilizes bone marrow stem cells and produces natural cartilage. Unlike bone, cartilage does not grow back, and it cannot effectively be replaced. Countless people learn this all too well when they bring their bad knees, shoulders and elbows to an orthopedic surgeon. Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100201171649.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204204321.htm Physicists have built an enhanced version of an experimental atomic clock based on a single aluminum atom that is now the world's most precise clock, more than twice as precise as the previous pacesetter based on a mercury atom. The new aluminum clock would neither gain nor lose one second in about 3.7 billion years. Mon, 08 Feb 2010 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204204321.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209111755.htm A newly developed 9 cubic millimeter solar-powered sensor system is the smallest that can harvest energy from its surroundings to operate nearly perpetually. Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209111755.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100208144850.htm When metals are shaped, the materials they are made of are often damaged in the process. One cause of this is excessive press force, which cracks and perforates the material. By running simulations on a PC, research scientists can now calculate how to avoid component defects. Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100208144850.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100208144846.htm Electric cars have many merits: They are quieter and require less maintenance than cars with internal combustion engines. A network of smartly located charging stations covering the entire Harz region in Germany is bound to make electric cars a regional feature. Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100208144846.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100205110636.htm Engineers and scientists from NASA and GM are working together to build a new humanoid robot capable of working side by side with people. Using leading edge control, sensor and vision technologies, future robots could assist astronauts during hazardous space missions and help GM build safer cars and plants. Sun, 07 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100205110636.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100205113551.htm IBM researchers have demonstrated a radio-frequency graphene transistor with the highest cut-off frequency achieved so far for any graphene device -- 100 billion cycles/second (100 GigaHertz). The high frequency record was achieved using wafer-scale, epitaxially grown graphene using processing technology compatible to that used in advanced silicon device fabrication. Sun, 07 Feb 2010 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100205113551.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100202103446.htm Scientists in Germany have succeeded in developing a method for treating the surface of nanoparticles which greatly improves the efficiency of organic solar cells. The researchers were able to attain an efficiency of 2 percent by using so-called quantum dots composed of cadmium selenide. These measurements, well above the previous efficiency ratings of 1 to 1.8 percent, were confirmed. Sun, 07 Feb 2010 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100202103446.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209111801.htm Researchers have developed a method for controlling the properties of magnets that could be used to improve the storage capacity of next-generation computer hard drives. Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209111801.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203121554.htm Scientists have published the first report on a new way of preventing potentially harmful plasticizers -- the source of long-standing human health concerns -- from migrating from one of the most widely used groups of plastics. Sat, 06 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203121554.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100205162953.htm A major hurdle in the ambitious quest to design and construct a radically new kind of quantum computer has been finding a way to manipulate the single electrons that very likely will constitute the new machines' processing components or "qubits." Now, a physicist has discovered how to do just that -- demonstrating a method that alters the properties of a lone electron without disturbing the trillions of electrons in its immediate surroundings. The feat is essential to the development of future varieties of superfast computers with near-limitless capacities for data. Sat, 06 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100205162953.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203111628.htm The water content of leaves, their thickness, their density and other properties can now be determined without even having to touch them. Researchers in Spain have presented an innovative technique that enables plant leaves to be studied using ultrasound in a quick, simple and noninvasive fashion. Sat, 06 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203111628.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100205112105.htm Using an elaborate sleuthing system they developed to probe how cells manage their own division, scientists have discovered that common but hard-to-see sugar switches are partly in control. Sat, 06 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100205112105.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100205115810.htm With the use of the new super material graphene, Swedish and American researchers have succeeded in producing a new type of lighting component. It is inexpensive to produce and can be fully recycled. Sat, 06 Feb 2010 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100205115810.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204204323.htm An advancement in hybrid electric vehicle technology is providing powerful benefits beyond transportation. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204204323.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204204307.htm Scientists have made a significant step towards developing a so-called "artificial pancreas" system for managing type 1 diabetes in children. The team has developed and successfully tested a new algorithm, providing a stepping stone to home testing for the artificial pancreas. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204204307.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203111811.htm Carbon emissions from air travel could be reduced, thanks to a new collaboration between engineers in the UK and the aerospace industry. The million project will investigate new ways of using composite materials for wing panels in aircraft. The research will be using carbon fibres that are curved within flat plates to produce damage-tolerant, buckle-free structures. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203111811.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204144555.htm Researchers have demonstrated the first laser built from germanium that can emit wavelengths of light useful for optical communications. It's also the first germanium laser to operate at room temperature. Unlike the materials typically used in lasers, germanium is easy to incorporate into existing processes for manufacturing silicon chips. So the result could prove an important step toward computers that move data -- and maybe even perform calculations -- using light instead of electricity. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204144555.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204144547.htm Researchers make new material to clean up oil spills in factories or on the ocean, and conserve the oil. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204144547.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204204438.htm Scientists have discovered a way to use lasers and nanoparticles to identify and treat individual diseased cells with tiny vapor "nanobubbles." In a new study, the scientists described how to use the method to explode nanobubbles and kill cancer cells. In laboratory tests, they showed they could tune these nanobubbles for "theranostics," a combined approach that melds diagnosis and treatment into a single procedure. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204204438.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100121141102.htm New video footage of a virus infecting cells is challenging what researchers have long believed about how viruses spread, suggesting that scientists may be able to create new drugs to tackle some viruses. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100121141102.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203161430.htm Scientists researching how nanomaterials align have found a way to use gold nanorods as orientation sensors by combining their plasmonic properties with polarization imaging techniques. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203161430.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100129112023.htm Some natural latexes are the main ingredient in the extraction of natural rubber, an indispensable raw material for all kinds of industries and essential for the manufacture of surgical gloves, condoms or tyres. All the latex used in Europe is imported, extracted fundamentally from the the Hevea brasiliensis tree. The largest producers in the world are Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, three Asian countries that have practically the worldwide monopoly of this resource. In order to find alternatives to this commercial dependence and promote the cultivation of latex-producing plant species in the European Union, a research project is being undertaken in which 12 technological centres, universities and companies related to this matter are taking part. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100129112023.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100128142228.htm Researchers have demonstrated they were able to speed up SystemC based simulation by factors of 30 to 100 times that of previous performances. SystemC is often used to shorten manufacturing design cycles to improve the time it takes to bring a product to the marketplace. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100128142228.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209091840.htm Scientists have observed electrons in a semiconductor on the brink of the metal-insulator transition for the first time. Caught in the act, the electrons formed complex patterns resembling those seen in turbulent fluids, confirming some long-held predictions and providing new insights into how semiconductors can be turned into magnets. The work also could lead to the production of smaller and more energy-efficient computers. Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100209091840.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203121552.htm Scientists in Texas are reporting that a technique used in the search for new drugs could also be used in the quest to discover new, environmentally friendly materials for fighting global warming. Such materials could be used to capture the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from industrial smokestacks and other fixed sources before it enters the biosphere. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203121552.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203121550.htm Scientists in Poland are describing how a medical imaging technique has taken on a second life in revealing forgery of an artist's signature and changes in inscriptions on paintings that are hundreds of years old. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203121550.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100202111103.htm Scientists are conducting research that may lead to new ways to move or position single molecules -- a necessary step if man someday hopes to build molecular machines or other devices capable of working at very small scales. They have shown how bionanomotors can be used some day to move and manipulate molecules at the nanoscale. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100202111103.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100129123611.htm By analyzing sediments up to 4,000 years old, an environmental scientist is hoping to provide a tool to help predict future climate change. Ancient records of what was happening with climate conditions can be used with regional climate models to tell a story of what happened in the past and to correlate it to the present and the future. Current models typically use data only for the last 100 years or less and may miss wet and dry periods from past millennia. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100129123611.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100201101911.htm Scientists at Georgia Tech and the Ovarian Cancer Institute have further developed a potential new treatment against cancer that uses magnetic nanoparticles to attach to cancer cells, removing them from the body. The treatment, tested in mice in 2008, has now been tested using samples from human cancer patients. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100201101911.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203131356.htm Chemists have made a major contribution to the emerging field of quantum biology, observing quantum mechanics at work in photosynthesis in marine algae. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203131356.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203172849.htm A team of scientists has identified two compounds that act on novel binding sites for an enzyme used by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS. The discovery lays the foundation for the development of a new class of anti-HIV drugs to enhance existing therapies, treat drug-resistant strains of the disease, and slow the evolution of drug resistance in the virus. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203172849.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203131407.htm Researchers have determined where an antiviral drug binds to and blocks a channel necessary for the flu virus to spread. The team also discovered that the drug spins in the channel, meaning there could be room for developing drugs that do a better job blocking the channel and stopping the flu. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100203131407.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100129092014.htm Researchers have created the first-ever all-solid-state cryocooler that can be applied to airborne and spaceborne sensors. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100129092014.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204101734.htm Smart control units that learn householders' energy habits and provide immediate feedback on consumption could give home energy savings of up to 20 percent without compromising comfort. Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100204101734.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100202103754.htm Remote central locking is among the most convenient aspects of modern motoring. However, transmission of the radio signal that activates the system is not particularly secure, however. A new encryption technique increases security without draining the key’s battery. Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100202103754.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100202151053.htm An international team of researchers has identified a new theoretical approach that may one day make the synthesis of hydrogen fuel storage materials less complicated and improve the thermodynamics and reversibility of the system. Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100202151053.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100127113753.htm Just as cooking helps people digest food, pretreating polycarbonate plastic -- source of a huge environmental headache because of its bisphenol A content -- may be the key to disposing of the waste in an eco-friendly way, scientists have found. Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100127113753.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100128165844.htm Researchers have engineered microsystems for the detection of water-borne pathogens using a technique called dielectrophoresis (DEP), which separates and identifies cells and microparticles suspended in a medium based on their size and electrical properties. Now they have found a way to provide the nonuniform electric field required for DEP that does not require electrodes to contact the sample fluid. Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100128165844.htm