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Supercomputing

Submission + - Slashdot Reader Names Prototype Supercomputer (umd.edu)

Submitted by
jah is mighty
jah is mighty writes: "An intern reading Slashdot while at work stumbled across a supercomputer naming contest proposed by The University of Maryland Engineers who developed this innovative technology. "Capable of computing speeds 100 times faster than current desktops, Vishkin's technology is based on parallel processing on a single chip, which allows the computer's processors to work together, makes programming practical and simple for software developers and could launch a new era of general use, desktop supercomputing." Click for full text"
Mozilla

Submission + - Two Firefox Releases within a Week (cybernetnews.com)

Submitted by jason
jason writes: On Tuesday Mozilla sent Firefox 2.0.0.10 out the door with a critical bug that can cause some extensions and websites to have troubles drawing images. One of the affected extensions, FoxSaver, is even urging Firefox users not to upgrade until Mozilla releases a new build. Firefox 2.0.0.11 is already in the Release Candidate stage and should be available tomorrow, making it the shortest period between two Firefox releases in the product's history.
Toys

Submission + - Superhydrophobic Material is Totally "Unwettab (ornl.gov) 1

Submitted by
Invisible Pink Unicorn
Invisible Pink Unicorn writes: "Oak Ridge researchers have developed an inexpensive super-water-repellent material that will maintain a microscopic layer of air on surfaces even when submerged in water. From the article: "The process for making superhydrophobic glass powder is based on differential etching of two glass phases from phase-separated glass. Differential etching makes the powder porous and creates nanoscale sharpened features. [These features] amplify the effect of water's surface tension and cause the powder to become 'unwettable'."
Space

Submission + - Youngest Known Solar Systems Detected 450 LY Away (eurekalert.org) 1

Submitted by
Invisible Pink Unicorn
Invisible Pink Unicorn writes: "University of Michigan astronomers have detected two of the youngest known solar systems, both located in the Taurus star formation region just 450 light years away. Using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, the researchers noticed gaps in the protoplanetary disks of gas and dust surrounding the young stars UX Tau A and LkCa 15, both only about 1 million years old. According to the lead researcher, the observed gap is "like a lane has been cleared within the disk. That is not consistent with photoevaporation. The existence of planets is the most probable theory that can explain this structure." The article abstract is available from The Astrophysical Journal Letters."
Data Storage

Submission + - Micron comes out with its first solid state disks (computerworld.com)

Submitted by
Lucas123
Lucas123 writes: "Micron announced today a new line of solid state disk drives called RealSSD, which includes a 64GB drive. The line ranges from 1GB to 64GB, but the 32GB (in 1.8" and 2.5" sizes) and 64GB (in a 2.5" size) models are targeted at notebooks and desktops. The drives use a SATA interface and are supposed to only consume 2 watts of power. The new RealSSD line also includes the Embedded USB and Mmodule products. The RealSSD Embedded USB can be plugged into a PC or blade server system to provide operating system storage and boot capabilities via an USB 2.0 interface. The RealSSD Module is for for server-based applications that measures 25 millimeters high by 133.5mm long and less than 4mm thick. Considering the smallish capacity of the drives, it was surprising that Dean Klein, vice president of memory system development at Micron, panned BitMicro Networks Inc.'s 1.6TB solid state drive unveiled this month as a "pricey piece of art.""
Space

Submission + - Organic Building Blocks Seen in Titan's Atmosphere (eurekalert.org)

Submitted by
Invisible Pink Unicorn
Invisible Pink Unicorn writes: "Scientists analyzing data gathered by the Cassini spacecraft have confirmed the presence of heavy negative ions in the upper regions of Titan's atmosphere. These particles may act as organic building blocks for even more complicated molecules. This discovery was completely unexpected because of the chemical composition of the atmosphere, mainly consisting of nitrogen and methane. According to the lead researcher at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, "Additional rings of carbon can build up on these ions, forming molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which may act as a basis for the earliest forms of life." The article abstract is available from Geophysical Research Letters."
PC Games (Games)

Submission + - How Games Are Scary (custompc.co.uk) 2

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: This is an analytical look at the techniques employed in games development to make games scary and how the scares and narrative structure of horror games differs from horror movies. It looks not so much at which games are scary, but at what parts of games are scary and how games work to create tension and atmosphere.
Space

Submission + - Earth's Evil Twin (esa.int)

Submitted by
Riding with Robots
Riding with Robots writes: "For the past two years, Europe's Venus Express orbiter has been studying Earth's planetary neighbor up close. Today, mission scientists have released a new collection of findings and amazing images. They include evidence of lightning and other results that flesh out a portrait of a planet that is in many ways like ours, and in many ways hellishly different, such as surface temperatures over 400C and air pressure a hundred times that on Earth."
Bug

Submission + - New Type of Fatigue Discovered in Silicon (eurekalert.org)

Submitted by
Invisible Pink Unicorn
Invisible Pink Unicorn writes: "Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have discovered a phenomenon long thought not to exist. They have demonstrated a mechanical fatigue process that eventually leads to cracks and breakdown in bulk silicon crystals. Silicon — the backbone of the semiconductor industry — has long been believed to be immune to fatigue from cyclic stresses because of the nature of its crystal structure and chemical bonds. However, NIST examination of the silicon used in microscopic systems that incorporate tiny gears, vibrating reeds and other mechanical features reveals stress-induced cracks that can lead to failure. This has important implications for the design of new silicon-based micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) devices that have been proposed for a wide variety of uses. The article abstract is available from Applied Physics Letters."
Space

Submission + - Voyager 2 Spacecraft Set to Reach Space Milestone (eurekalert.org) 1

Submitted by
Invisible Pink Unicorn
Invisible Pink Unicorn writes: "A computer model simulation developed at UC Riverside has predicted that in late 2007 to early 2008, the interplanetary spacecraft Voyager 2 will cross the termination shock, the spherical shell around the solar system that marks where the solar wind slows down to subsonic speed. At the termination shock, located at 7-8.5 billion miles from the sun, the solar wind is decelerated to less than the speed of sound. The boundary of the termination shock is not fixed, however, but wobbly, fluctuating in both time and distance from the sun, depending on solar activity. Because of this fluctuation, the spacecraft is also predicted to cross the boundary again in middle 2008. The article abstract is available from The Astrophysical Journal."
Biotech

Submission + - Hereditary Cancer-Killing Gene Bred into Mice (eurekalert.org)

Submitted by
Invisible Pink Unicorn
Invisible Pink Unicorn writes: "A family of mice resistant even to highly-aggressive forms of cancer has been bred by scientists at the University of Kentucky. The team utilized a recently-discovered tumor-suppressor gene called "Par-4" in the prostate. The gene is one of the few known molecules that will kill cancer cells but leave normal cells unharmed. The lead researcher explained that this resistance is hereditary: 'The mouse itself does not express a large number of copies of this gene, but the pups do, and then their pups start expressing the gene. So, we've been able to transfer this activity to generations in the mouse.' The article abstract from Cancer Research is available online."
Biotech

Submission + - Gene Study Supports Single Bering Strait Migration (eurekalert.org)

Submitted by
Invisible Pink Unicorn
Invisible Pink Unicorn writes: "One of the most comprehensive analyses of genetic variation ever undertaken supports the theory that the ancestors of modern native peoples throughout the Americas came from a single source in East Asia across a northwest land bridge some 12,000 years ago. One particular discovery is of a 'unique genetic variant widespread in natives across both continents — suggesting that the first humans in the Americas came in a single migration or multiple waves from a single source, not in waves of migrations from different sources. The variant, which is not part of a gene and has no biological function, has not been found in genetic studies of people anywhere else except eastern Siberia. The researchers say the variant likely occurred shortly prior to migration to the Americas, or immediately afterwards.' The full article is available online from PLoS."
Biotech

Submission + - Cancer-Resistant Family of Mice Developed (eurekalert.org)

Submitted by
Invisible Pink Unicorn
Invisible Pink Unicorn writes: "A mouse resistant even to highly-aggressive forms of cancer has been created by scientists at the University of Kentucky. The team utilized a recently-discovered tumor-suppressor gene called "Par-4" in the prostate. The gene is one of very few known molecules that specifically kill cancer cells but leave normal cells unharmed. The lead researcher also explains that this resistance is hereditary: 'The mouse itself does not express a large number of copies of this gene, but the pups do, and then their pups start expressing the gene. So, we've been able to transfer this activity to generations in the mouse.' The article abstract from Cancer Research is available online."
Power

Submission + - Microbial Hydrogen Fuel Cells at Record Efficiency (nsf.gov)

Submitted by
Invisible Pink Unicorn
Invisible Pink Unicorn writes: "Researchers at Penn State University have built upon past attempts to generate electricity from microbes, reaching efficiencies of up to 91%. According the lead researcher, 'this process produces 288% more energy in hydrogen than the electrical energy that is added to the process.' In certain configurations, nearly all of the hydrogen contained in the molecules of source material converted to useable hydrogen gas, an efficiency that could eventually open the door to bacterial hydrogen production on a larger scale."

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