Technology News

New laser methods create dazzling colors on metals
Posted on Tuesday February 19, 2019

Researchers describe how to use a single commercially available laser to achieve three techniques for laser colorization on metal, making the techniques more practical for a wide range of applications in art and jewelry making.

Nanopores make portable mass spectrometer for peptides a reality
Posted on Tuesday February 19, 2019

Scientists have developed nanopores that can be used to directly measure the mass of peptides. Although the resolution needs to be improved, this proof of principle shows that a cheap and portable peptide mass spectrometer can be constructed using existing nanopore technology and the patented pores.

Firefly-inspired surfaces improve efficiency of LED lightbulbs
Posted on Tuesday February 19, 2019

A new type of light-emitting diode lightbulb could one day light homes and reduce power bills, according to researchers who suggest that LEDs made with firefly-mimicking structures could improve efficiency.

Can a flowing liquid-like material maintain its structural order like crystals?
Posted on Tuesday February 19, 2019

Scientists have discovered a chiral compound, which can spontaneously form a molecular assembly with an extremely large single domain structure beyond a size regime incapable of realizing with usual molecular self-assembly. The chiral compound, when heated and left to cool on a solid substrate, gives a droplet featuring a single-crystal-like structure. When the substrate is set up vertically, the droplet exhibits sliding and rotating motion controlled by the chirality while preserving the single-crystalline structural order.

Spherical display brings virtual collaboration closer to reality
Posted on Tuesday February 19, 2019

Virtual reality can often make a user feel isolated from the world, with only computer-generated characters for company. But researchers think they may have found a way to encourage a more sociable virtual reality.

Terahertz wireless makes big strides in paving the way to technological singularity
Posted on Tuesday February 19, 2019

Scientists have announced the successful development of a terahertz (THz) transceiver that can transmit or receive digital data at 80 gigabits per second (Gbit/s). The transceiver was implemented using silicon CMOS integrated circuit technology, which would have a great advantage for volume production.

Light-based production of drug-discovery molecules
Posted on Monday February 18, 2019

Chemists have developed a light-based chemical method for cheap and simple production of chemical molecules used in drug discovery, such as muscle relaxants and antimicrobials.

Gearing up for 5G: A miniature, low-cost transceiver for fast, reliable communications
Posted on Monday February 18, 2019

Researchers have designed a 28 GHz transceiver that integrates beamforming with dual-polarized multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) technology. Measuring just 3 mm by 4 mm, this tiny transceiver could help improve performances of fifth-generation cellular network (5G) and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

Weak spots for Mission to Mars revealed
Posted on Sunday February 17, 2019

Researchers are developing a predictive model to help NASA anticipate conflicts and communication breakdowns among crew members and head off problems that could make or break the Mission to Mars.

Altered data sets can still provide statistical integrity and preserve privacy
Posted on Sunday February 17, 2019

Synthetic networks may increase the availability of some data while still protecting individual or institutional privacy, according to a statistician.

Engineered metasurfaces reflect waves in unusual directions
Posted on Saturday February 16, 2019

Researchers have developed new metasurfaces for the arbitrary manipulation of reflected waves, essentially breaking classical reflection law to engineer it at will.

How do we conserve and restore computer-based art in a changing technological environment?
Posted on Saturday February 16, 2019

Just as conservators have developed methods to protect traditional artworks, computer scientists have now created means to safeguard computer- or time-based art by following the same preservation principles.

Diagnosing 'art acne' in Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings
Posted on Saturday February 16, 2019

A multidisciplinary team has diagnosed the strange paint disease causing Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings to deteriorate. The micron-sized protrusions are metal soaps, resulting from a chemical reaction between the metal ions and fatty acids commonly used as binder in paints.

Graphene-based wearables for health monitoring, food inspection and night vision
Posted on Saturday February 16, 2019

Scientists have developed dozens of new graphene-based prototypes. These technologies aim to turn mobile phones into life saving devices.

Lithium-air batteries can store energy for cars, houses and industry
Posted on Friday February 15, 2019

Growth in the offer of renewable energy sources will mean increased demand for devices optimal for energy storing.

Can we trust scientific discoveries made using machine learning?
Posted on Friday February 15, 2019

Statisticians are cautioning fellow scientists not to make assumptions about the accuracy, uncertainty or reproducibility of scientific discoveries made with today's machine learning models.

Tidal tails: The beginning of the end of an open star cluster
Posted on Friday February 15, 2019

In the course of their life, open star clusters continuously lose stars to their surroundings. The resulting swath of tidal tails provides a glimpse into the evolution and dissolution of a star cluster. Thus far only tidal tails of massive globular clusters and dwarf galaxies have been discovered in the Milky Way system. In open clusters, this phenomenon existed only in theory. Researchers have now finally verified the existence of such a tidal tail in the star cluster closest to the Sun, the Hyades. An analysis of measurements from the Gaia satellite led to the discovery.

Solid-state catalysis: Fluctuations clear the way
Posted on Friday February 15, 2019

Chemists have identified a mechanism that allows molecules to diffuse rapidly on the already crowded surface of a solid-state catalyst - an important capability, especially for efficient catalysis under industrial conditions.

Researchers discover anti-laser masquerading as perfect absorber
Posted on Friday February 15, 2019

Researchers have discovered that a perfect absorber of electromagnetic waves they described in a 2017 paper can easily be tweaked into a sort of 'time-reversed laser' known as a coherent perfect absorber (CPA).

A nearby river of stars
Posted on Friday February 15, 2019

Astronomers have found a river of stars, a stellar stream in astronomical parlance, covering most of the southern sky. The stream is relatively nearby and contains at least 4000 stars that have been moving together in space since they formed, about 1 billion years ago.