New York University physicists have developed a method for moving microscopic particles, using a blue light to prompt colloids to move and then assemble — much like birds flock and move together in flight.
The method could enhance the design of a range of industrial products, including the architecture of electronics.
The work addresses a fundamental question in nature — what causes flocks and… read more
University of Cambridge scientists have created a new type of microchip that allows information to travel in three dimensions, enabling additional storage capacity on chips.
Currently, microchips can only pass digital information in a very limited way — from either left to right or front to back, the researchers say.
In the future, a 3D microchip would enable additional storage capacity on chips by… read more
Two common enzymes, catalase* and urease*, show movement in the presence of their respective substrate (hydrogen peroxide or urea, which act as fuel), Pennsylvania State University researchers Peter J. Butler, Ayusman Sen, and colleagues have found in experiments.
The finding has “important implications in areas ranging from biological transport to the design of ‘intelligent,’ enzyme-powered, autonomous nano- and micromotors, which are expected to find applications in bottom-up assembly… read more
Researchers at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and the University of Barcelona in Spain have discovered a biomaterial that can generate new differentiated neural stem cells, as part of a project to develop an implant that allows brain repair and regeneration.
The team tested different types of polylactic acid (PLA), a biodegradable material allowing neural cell adhesion and growth. They found that PLA with… read more
Rex the bionic man shows how close technology is to catching up with — and exceeding — the abilities of the human body, The Guardian reports.
Housed within a frame of state-of-the-art prosthetic limbs is a functional heart-lung system, complete with artificial blood pumping through a network of pulsating modified-polymer arteries.
He has a bionic spleen to clean the blood, and an artificial pancreas to keep… read more
Almost one million $35 Raspberry Pi computers have shipped since last February, capturing the imaginations of educators, hobbyists and tinkerers around the world, The New York Times reports.
The Raspberry Pi — about 3 inches by 2 inches and less than an inch high — was intended to replace the expensive computers in school science labs. For less than the price of a new keyboard, a… read more
IBM announced Wednesday that it will provide a modified version of an IBM Watson system to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, making it the first university to receive such a system.
The Watson system will enable upstate New York-based RPI to find new uses for Watson and deepen the systems’ cognitive capabilities, IBM says.
Watson has a unique ability to understand the subtle nuances of human language, sift… read more
DARPA and the US Army have taken the wraps off ARGUS-IS, a 1.8-gigapixel video surveillance platform that can resolve details as small as six inches from an altitude of 20,000 feet (6km), ExtremeTech reports.
ARGUS is by far the highest-resolution surveillance platform in the world, and probably the highest-resolution camera in the world, period.
ARGUS, which would be attached to some kind of unmanned UAV (such as… read more
A small asteroid named 2012 DA14 will pass inside the geosynchronous satellite ring on February 15, but the orbit will be no closer to the Earth’s surface than 3.2 Earth radii , according to NASA JPL..
Although its size is not well determined, this near-Earth asteroid is thought to be about 45 meters in diameter.
Stanford Engineering‘s Center for Turbulence Research (CTR) has set a new record in computational science by successfully using a supercomputer with more than 1.5 million computing cores to solve a complex fluid dynamics problem: the prediction of noise generated by a supersonic jet engine.
Joseph Nichols, a research associate in the center, worked on the newly installed Sequoia IBM Bluegene/Q system at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL)… read more
The first trial comparing a new dual-hormone “artificial pancreas” with conventional diabetes treatment using an insulin pump has been completed by researchers at IRCM (Institut de Recherches Cliniques) of Montreal, led by endocrinologist Dr. Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret. It showed improved glucose levels and lower risks of hypoglycemia.
How it works
The artificial pancreas developed at IRCM is an automated system that simulates the normal pancreas by… read more
About 25 miles northeast of Sacramento, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District construction crews are working to complete one of the Corps’ biggest projects — a new spillway at Folsom Dam, designed to help reduce the risk of flooding throughout the Sacramento region.
With an estimated project cost of more than $750 million, it’s important to be able to show and describe how the project will… read more
Vaccines usually consist of inactivated viruses that prompt the immune system to remember the invader and launch a strong defense if it later encounters the real thing. However, this approach can be too risky with certain viruses, including HIV.
In recent years, many scientists have been exploring DNA as a potential alternative vaccine. About 20 years ago, DNA coding for viral proteins was found to induce strong immune responses… read more
Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics in China physicists have designed and built a remote-sensing “ghost imaging” device that uses a single pixel to record three-dimensional images, MIT Technology Review reports.
Ghost imaging is the extraordinary technique of bouncing a laser beam off an object and making high quality images from the reflected light using a single pixel. This single pixel is used to record data… read more
The DeltaMaker team has launched a Kickstarter project to develop an elegant personal 3D printer
“We will provide our backers with a 3D printer that runs faster, looks better, and is just more fun to watch. With the help of our Kickstarter supporters, we will put DeltaMakers on as many desktops, and inside as many classrooms, as we can.
Product Performance: The DeltaMaker prints big and… read more