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The Lead
New technology propels “old energy” boom
May 6, 2013 | by Jonathan Fahey, AP Energy Writer | Comments
Oil companies big and small have used technology to find a bounty of oil and natural gas so large that worries about running out have melted away. New imaging technologies let drillers find oil and gas trapped miles underground and undersea. The result is an abundance that has put the United States on track to become the world's largest producer of oil and gas in a few years.
Inkjet-printed graphene may open doors to foldable electronics
May 20, 2013 3:15 pm | Comments
Northwestern University researchers have recently developed a graphene-based ink that...
Record-breaking high-energy particles detected by telescope buried in Antarctic
May 17, 2013 12:26 pm | Comments
A massive telescope buried in the Antarctic ice has detected 28 extremely high-energy...
Peering into living cells without dye or fluorophore
February 8, 2013 11:31 am | Comments
Two scientists in Switzerland have developed a device that can create 3D images of living cells...
U.S. health care: Does more spending yield better health?
May 23, 2013 8:20 am | CommentsHealth care spending is much higher for older Americans than for younger adults and children, on average, and analysts have said that increasing spending leads to longer life expectancy. But new research from the University of Michigan indicates that aging populations could view things differently.
Innovation could bring flexible solar cells, transistors
May 23, 2013 8:07 am | CommentsResearchers have created a new type of transparent electrode that might find uses in solar cells, flexible displays for computers and consumer electronics, and future "optoelectronic" circuits for sensors and information processing. The electrode is made of silver nanowires covered with a material called graphene, an extremely thin layer of carbon.
Navy's unmanned ocean recon craft makes 1st flight
May 22, 2013 5:32 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsAn unmanned jet built for U.S. Navy high-altitude maritime surveillance missions has made its first flight. Northrop Grumman Corp. says the MQ-4C Triton took off from Palmdale, Calif., Wednesday and completed a 90-minute flight. The aircraft is designed to fly missions lasting up to 24 hours at altitudes greater than 10 miles, allowing coverage out 2,000 nautical miles.
Retiring coal-fired plants in Nevada passes Senate
May 22, 2013 5:09 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsThe Nevada Senate has endorsed NV Energy Inc.'s plan to retire its coal-fired plants and pave the way for the state's biggest electrical utility to transition to more renewable sources. After several revisions, SB123 was approved unanimously Wednesday and now moves to the Assembly.
Theorists weigh in on where to hunt dark matter
May 22, 2013 11:26 am | CommentsNow that it looks like the hunt for the Higgs boson is over, particles of dark matter are at the top of the physics "Most Wanted" list. Dozens of experiments have been searching for them, but often come up with contradictory results. Theorists from the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology believe they've come up with an algorithm that could help narrow the search for these elusive particles.
Power of Moore tornado dwarfs Hiroshima bomb
May 22, 2013 11:16 am | by Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer | CommentsOn Tuesday, the National Weather Service gave the recent Moore, Okla., tornado the top-of-the-scale rating of EF5 for wind speed and breadth, and severity of damage. Wind speeds were estimated at between 200 and 210 mph. Everything had to come together just perfectly to create this killer tornado: wind speed, moisture in the air, temperature, and timing.
Test lead to doubling of fuel cell life
May 22, 2013 11:07 am | CommentsResearchers working to improve durability in fuel cell-powered buses, including a team from Simon Fraser University in Canada, have discovered links between electrode degradation processes and bus membrane durability. The team is quantifying the effects of electrode degradation stressors in the operating cycle of the bus on the membrane lifetime.
Whirlpools on the nanoscale could multiply magnetic memory
May 22, 2013 11:04 am | by Paul Preuss, Berkeley Lab | CommentsMagnetic memories store bits of information in discrete units whose electron spins all line up in parallel, pointing one way or the opposite to signify a one or a zero. At the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory scientists recently joined an international team to advance a new concept in magnetic memory, one in which spin orientation is controlled in magnetic nanodisks, allowing multi-bit storage.
U.S. opens inspection into shuttered nuke plant
May 22, 2013 10:06 am | by EMERY P. DALESIO - AP Business Writer - Associated Press | CommentsFederal regulators are launching a special inspection of a nuclear power plant outside North Carolina's capital city that was forced to shut down last week. A Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman said Wednesday that two specialists will study what led up to the shutdown after a problem was uncovered using year-old data.
Researchers develop radioactive nanoparticles that target cancer cells
May 22, 2013 9:09 am | CommentsScientists in Missouri have successfully created nanoparticles made of a radioactive form of the element lutetium. By covering these particles with gold shells and attaching targeting agents, they have a tool that can seek out dangerous secondary lymphoma tumors. They recently demonstrated the nanoparticles can find the tumors without attaching to or damaging healthy cells.
Study: Nation equipped to grow serious amounts of pond scum for fuel
May 22, 2013 9:02 am | by Tom Rickey, PNNL | CommentsA new analysis shows that the nation's land and water resources could likely support the growth of enough algae to produce up to 25 billion gallons of algae-based fuel a year in the United States, one-twelfth of the country's yearly needs. The findings come from an in-depth look at the water resources that would be needed to grow significant amounts of algae in large, specially built shallow ponds.
Computational study tracks E. coli cells’ regulatory mechanisms
May 22, 2013 8:58 am | CommentsEnvironment is not the only factor in shaping cell regulatory patterns—and it might not even be the primary factor, according to a new Rice University study that looks at how cells’ protein networks relate to a bacteria’s genome. When environmental factors are eliminated from an evolutionary model, the researchers say, mutations and genetic drift can give rise to the patterns that appear.
Research suggests modular design competence can benefit new product development
May 22, 2013 8:52 am | CommentsSupplier integration refers to a supplier providing information and participating in decision-making during the development of new products and processes. A new research study suggests that supplier integration into the new product development process can be more beneficial if buyers increase their competency in conceiving of products in terms of modules that can be modified without changing an overall product design.
New technique may open new era of atomic-scale semiconductor devices
May 22, 2013 8:08 am | CommentsResearchers at North Carolina State University have developed a new technique for creating high-quality semiconductor thin films at the atomic scale—meaning the films are only one atom thick. The technique can be used to create these thin films on a large scale, sufficient to coat wafers that are two inches wide, or larger.
Atomic-scale investigations solve key puzzle of LED efficiency
May 22, 2013 7:58 am | CommentsFrom the high-resolution glow of flat screen televisions to light bulbs that last for years, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) continue to transform technology. Their full potential, however, remains untapped. A contentious controversy surrounds the high intensity of indium gallium nitride, with experts split on whether or not indium-rich clusters within the material provide the LED's remarkable efficiency.
