Tech

Researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have managed, with the help of an advanced X-ray flash, to photograph the movement of atoms during photosynthesis, they write in Science.

Physiological signals can nowadays be easily monitored with measurement devices implanted inside a living body. The object – animal or human – is barely aware of the presence of the implant. An example of a device implantable in humans is the pacemaker that has long since become standard treatment for heart patients. Researcher Jarno Riistama from Tampere University of Technology (TUT) believes that the next tech-savvy generation represents a potential customer base for new applications in the field.

Biofuels hold promise as environmentally friendly sources of renewable energy, but which ones should industry and policy leaders focus their efforts on developing? A new study involving researchers from North Carolina State University offers detailed insights into how biofuel chemicals react when burned. Their data and new computer models pave the way for development of new biofuels and technologies to maximize energy efficiency while minimizing environmental and human health risks.

Algae--already being eyed for biofuel production--could be put to use right away to remove nitrogen and phosphorus in livestock manure runoff, according to an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist. That could give resource managers a new eco-friendly option for reducing the level of agricultural pollutants that contaminate water quality in the Chesapeake Bay.

No one wants antibiotic residues in their milk. But antibiotics are sometimes used even in the dairy barn. The routine tests conducted nowadays take hours to produce a result and do not test for all of the typical antibiotics. This gap can now be closed, thanks to a fully automated minilab developed by scientists from the TUM in cooperation with the LMU Muenchen and gwk Praezisionstechnik GmbH.

ESA's GOCE satellite has been orbiting the Earth for more than a year and surveying its gravitational field more accurately than any instrument previously. The goal of the researchers – including scientists at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) – is to determine the gravitational force in precise detail even in pathless places like the Himalayas. Evaluations of the first data from the satellite indicate that current models of the gravitational field in some regions can be fundamentally revised.

Computed tomography (CT) scans are superior to standard radiography (X-rays) for the detection of pelvic fractures, according to a study to be presented at the ARRS 2010 Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA. CT scanning combines special X-ray equipment with sophisticated computers to produce multiple images of pictures of the inside of the body.

Researchers at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, ICMAB-CSIC, and the firms Labein Tecnalia and Nexans, coordinated by the electrical company Endesa, have constructed a 30m cable and the terminals needed to connect it to the network using the high-temperature superconducting material BSCCO. This is the most advanced cable in terms of distribution (24 kV), since its current value is higher than that obtained up to date, 3200 Amperes RMS, and therefore can transport the electrical strength of 110 MVA, i.e. five times more than a conventional copper cable of the same dimensions.

Whole body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) should be the imaging modality of choice for the detection of breast cancer metastases (when the cancer has spread beyond the breast) as it is highly accurate and can detect bone metastases while a patient is still asymptomatic (shows no symptoms), according to a study to be presented at the ARRS 2010 Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA.

ARLINGTON, Va. – Dr. Linda Chrisey, a leading scientist at the Office of Naval Research, discussed how researchers are generating electricity from bacteria found in mud and wastewater during National Public Radio's recent "Science Friday" segment.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., May 6, 2010 -- Long-term continuous monitoring of groundwater where contaminants are present or suspected could be streamlined with a technology developed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

WASHINGTON, May 6—Devices that can mimic Superman's X-ray vision and see through clothing, walls or human flesh are the stuff of comic book fantasy, but a group of scientists at Boston University (BU) has taken a step toward making such futuristic devices a reality.

The researchers will present their device at the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics/Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference (CLEO/QELS: 2010), which takes place May 16 to 21 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, Calif.