UnitedTec

Dutch Police Arrest Another Teen For Hacking

Patrick Brady — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 02:11:03 +0000

The Dutch police have bagged another teenager in the WikiLeaks hacker hunt. This time it was a 19-year-old who was nabbed on suspicion of hacking into a government website. So far, this is the second arrest made by the Dutch police of a teenager linked to the WikiLeaks brouhaha. The young man was arrested on Saturday [...]

Researchers hope to harness power of spider silk

Patrick Brady — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 23:52:36 +0000

When Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider in a laboratory, he became Spider-Man, a superhero with the ability to spin strong, flexible webs. Jeff Yarger and Gregory Holland are hoping to harness spider power in their research lab, as well. But these real-world spider men aren’t waiting around for bizarre lab accidents. The ASU chemists are studying the molecular structure of spider silk in an effort to produce materials ranging from bulletproof vests to artificial tendons. They also want to mimic spiders’ eco-friendly methods in the process.

Six New Isotopes of the Superheavy Elements Discovered

Patrick Brady — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 20:43:42 +0000

A team of scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has detected six isotopes, never seen before, of the superheavy elements 104 through 114. Starting with the creation of a new isotope of the yet-to-be-named element 114, the researchers observed successive emissions of alpha particles that yielded new isotopes of copernicium [...]

Protein Shows How Plants Keep Their Mouths Shut

Patrick Brady — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 20:18:15 +0000

UPTON, NY — Using intense beams of x-rays at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, researchers have uncovered the atomic structure of a protein responsible for closing the “mouths,” or stomata, of plants. These molecular photographs could help scientists understand how plants will respond to environmental changes facing our planet, such as [...]

Program guides female students in STEM fields

Patrick Brady — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 20:07:32 +0000

Studies show the gender gap between girls and boys in math achievement scores has closed all the way up to the college level. Despite this closure, though, women make up only 20% of engineering and computer science majors. Through programs like Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) at ASU’s Polytechnic campus, Robyn McKay is hoping [...]

Curious Exoplanet Hot Spot

Patrick Brady — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 22:39:52 +0000

This animation shows an unexpected warm spot on the gasiest exoplanet known as Epsilon Andromedae B. This planet only takes about 4.5 days to complete an orbit around its star. Since the planet is so close to the star, it is tightly locked in place with the same side always facing the heat of the [...]

Study Shows That Response To Alcohol Depends On Genes

Patrick Brady — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 00:20:30 +0000

Dopamine receptor deficiency leads to significant brain changes in response to drinking UPTON, NY — Many studies have suggested that genetic differences make some individuals more susceptible to the addictive effects of alcohol and other drugs. Now scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory provide the first experimental evidence to directly [...]

Building Europe’s Vision For Space Exploration

Patrick Brady — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 14:57:50 +0000

Europe’s vision for launching astronauts and robot explorers out into the Solar System will come into sharper focus on 21 October when the ministers responsible for space activities meet in Brussels to discuss Europe’s goals for space exploration. Events can be followed live on the web. Ministers from the 29 ESA and EU states will [...]

Jet Propulsion Laboratory – Asteroid And Comet Belt Video

Patrick Brady — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 20:22:53 +0000

This is a video from JPL showing the ring of asteroids and comets between Mars and Jupiter. It is amazing to see the thousands of objects floating between those two planets. [flv:http://www.unitedtec.com/technologyvideos/jpl-test-video.flv 480 360] [Credit: JPL]