DARPA has developed a “private Internet” system that allows soldiers or marines on patrol to quickly share current intelligence information and imagery on their mobile devices, instead of waiting until they are back at camp to access a central server.
Called Content-Based Mobile Edge Networking (CBMEN), the program provides an alternative approach to the top-down focus of most military networks.… read more
The Steward Observatory Mirror Lab (SOML) at the University of Arizona is spin-casting the world’s largest telescope mirror: the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), which will be more than 80 feet in diameter.
In comparison, the mirror of the Hubble Telescope measures 94.5 inches (just over 7.5 feet) from one edge to the other; that mirror has allowed astronomers to capture some of the most miraculous… read more
Bielefeld University researchers have developed a new way to produce a variety of carbon nanomembranes (CNM) from self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). The CNMs consist of just one layer of molecules, with a thickness of ∼0.5 to ∼3 nm. — much thinner than conventional membranes
In the future, CNMs are expected to be able to filter out very fine materials and allow for separating gases from one… read more
Researchers from Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands have succeeded in determining which letter a test subject was looking at.
They did that by analyzing the corresponding functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanned images of activity in the visual cortex of the brain, using a linear Gaussian mathematical model.
The researchers “taught” the model how 1200 voxels (volumetric pixels) of 2x2x2 mm from the… read more
Researchers at MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have discovered a communication pathway between two brain structures — the amygdala and the ventral hippocampus — that appears to control anxiety levels.
By turning the volume of this communication up and down in mice, the researchers were able to boost and reduce anxiety levels. The research could help find better drugs to treat… read more
NASA will revive the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) next month with the goal of discovering and characterizing near-Earth objects (NEOs), space rocks that can be found orbiting within 28 million miles (45 million kilometers) from Earth’s path around the sun.
NASA anticipates WISE will use its 16-inch (40-centimeter) telescope and infrared cameras to discover about 150 previously unknown NEOs and characterize the… read more
NASA released Thursday new photos and video animations depicting the agency’s planned mission to find, capture, redirect, and study a near-Earth asteroid.
The images show crew operations including the Orion spacecraft’s trip to and rendezvous with the relocated asteroid, and astronauts maneuvering through a spacewalk to collect samples from the asteroid.
NASA plans to identify and characterize near-Earth objects for scientific investigation, and to find potentially… read more
Adapting conventional printing technology, UC Berkeley researchers have developed a way to rapidly and inexpensively make uniform arrays of high-performing transistors out of carbon nanotubes on flexible plastic sheets, MIT Technology Review reports.
The process could eventually lead to a tool for manufacturing large-area, low-power sensor arrays and displays.
Thin-film transistors made from carbon nanotubes are attractive for these types of applications because they are robust and mechanically… read more
3D Robotics (3DR) has announced Iris — an advanced quadcopter with full GPS-guided autonomous capabilities.
Iris is designed to provide an “out-of-the-box” flying experience that brings the power of professional-grade aerial robotics to the mass market, the company says.
Iris can be controlled by an Android tablet or phone (iOS coming soon) or through a nine-channel radio control transmitter (included). With a mobile app,… read more
Michigan Technological University, scientists have replaced expensive ($1,500 an ounce) platinum in solar cells with low-cost 3D graphene.
Regular graphene is a two-dimensional form of carbon. Yun Hang Hu, the Charles and Caroll McArthur Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at MTU, and his team invented a way to synthesize a 3D version, with a honeycomb-like structure.
The 3D graphene had excellent conductivity and high… read more
A new report by biometric researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) used data from thousands of frequent travelers enrolled in an iris recognition program to determine that no consistent change occurs in the distinguishing texture of their irises for at least a decade.
The new study counters a previous study of 217 subjects over a three-year period that… read more
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday the existence of several NSA programs that allow for far greater surveillance than the government has admitted to, and, importantly, detail how the government forces Internet service providers (ISPs) to hand over raw data, TechCrunch reports.
The programs have the ability to “reach roughly 75% of all U.S. Internet traffic,” according to the Journal, “including a wide array of… read more
Project Loon is looking for folks in California’s Central Valley who are willing to have a Loon Internet antenna installed on their house or small business building to help test the strength of the Loon Internet balloon connection, Google has announced on Google+.
“When balloons fly overhead, the Loon Internet antennas will generate traffic that will load-test our service,” Google says.
Google is… read more
Google has been granted a patent that appears to reveal some far-reaching plans for the eye-tracking sensor that exists — but currently isn’t formally used — on Google Glass, Marketing Land suggests.
In the patent, Google is calling it “pay-per-gaze” advertising, and it involves charging advertisers if the user looks at an ad — online or offline — while wearing a Glass-like device.
The… read more
Berkeley Lab scientists have helped to develop a biochip that could quickly determine whether someone has been exposed to dangerous levels of ionizing radiation.
The first-of-its-kind chip has an array of nanosensors that measure the concentrations of proteins that change after radiation exposure.
Although still under development, the technology could lead to a hand-held device that “lights up” if a person needs medical attention… read more