ScienceDaily: Top Technology News

Researchers have achieved a major breakthrough in shielding the quantum properties of single atoms on a surface. The scientists used the magnetism of single atoms, known as spin, as a basic building block for quantum information processing. The researchers could show that by packing two atoms closely together they could protect their fragile quantum properties much better than for just one atom.

Scientists have found evidence that double layers of graphene have a property that may let them conduct current completely without resistance. They probed the band structure at BESSY II with extremely high resolution ARPES and could identify a flat area at a surprising location.

Researchers have developed a new flexible and translucent base for silicon nanoneedle patches to deliver exact doses of biomolecules directly into cells and expand observational opportunities.

With energy demands rising, researchers have completed an algorithm -- or approach -- to design more efficient wind farms, helping to generate more revenue for builders and more renewable energy for their customers.

Scientists describe how they simulated knife motion, washing and scratching on bacteria-fighting, nanosilver-infused cutting boards to see if consumer use affects nanoparticle release. The test should help regulatory bodies identify if any safety or health risks exist from silver nanoparticles in kitchenware now being sold overseas, and if so, find ways to deal with them before the items are approved for sale in the United States.

Using an X-ray technique, scientists found that the metal-insulator transition in the correlated material magnetite is a two-step process.

One day in the not-too-distant future, the gases coming from power plants and heavy industry, rather than spewing into the atmosphere, could be captured and chemically transformed from greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into industrial fuels or chemicals thanks to a new system that can use renewable electricity to reduce carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide -- a key commodity used in a number of industrial processes.

A recent pilot study by kinesiologists found that pedaling while conducting work tasks improved insulin responses to a test meal. Investigators found that insulin levels following the meal were lower when sedentary workers used a pedal desk compared to a standard desk. In addition, work skills were not decreased in the pedaling condition.

Small molecules -- from naturally occurring metabolites and hormones to synthetic medicines and pesticides -- can have big effects on living things. But for scientists to understand how the molecules work and how to design beneficial ones, they need to know the precise arrangement of atoms and chemical bonds. Now researchers have found a faster, simpler and potentially more reliable way to solve the structures of small molecules.

Scientists have developed a technique for preventing the extraction of finger vein patterns from photographs. The technique involves the wearing of a clear sticker on the finger. It can prevent unwanted extraction of finger vein patterns from photographs while maintaining the convenience of finger vein authentication without having to remove the sticker.

New research shows what happens inside magnetic materials at high temperatures.