Science and Technology

NOTICE: Please Read!

8/30/10

Japanese scientists create touchable holograms. video

8/15/10

New plastic technology limits toxic outgasing (NaturalNews) Researchers have come up with a solution to the problem of plastic outgasing -- or the toxic release of plastic chemicals into food and the environment. The new technology prevents chemical leeching from certain plastics by stopping polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a commonly used plastic chemical, from migrating to the surface of plastics and escaping. Published in the bi-weekly journalMacromolecules, the study is a breakthrough in plastic technology that could change the wayfood packaging, tubing, children's toys and other consumer products are made. By preventing "plasticizer" chemicals from detaching themselves from plastics, scientists hope to improve the safety and quality of these consumer plastic products and many others.

Offshore wind turbines could power the entire planet, says study (NaturalNews) Offshore wind turbines could provide enough electricity for the entire world if connected into the right kind of grid, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Delaware and Stony Brook University and published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences.

8/13/10

Silk 'invisibility cloak' created by scientists At the moment the cloak only works for light outside the visible spectrum, in the terahertz band between radio and infrared. But its developers, at Boston University and Tufts University, believe that it could be made to work at far smaller wavelengths, possibly even including visible light, according to Discovery News.The researchers hope it will have applications in medical science, as well as opening the possibility of making people or objects invisible.

Mushrooms made into green packing material (NaturalNews) It sounds like a futuristic sci fi idea: a non-toxic, earth friendly packing material that grows itself and, after it's used, makes a great garden compost. But this isn't fiction -- it's mushrooms.

With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), two former Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute undergraduates, Gavin McIntyre and Eben Bayer, came up with the idea to make a composite of mushroom roots that could be used as a packing foam substitute. Their product, which they dubbed Mycobond, is now hitting the market and, according to a NSF press statement, has several advantages for the environment. ...the whole story at the link and resources.

7/30/10

Next Big Thing: Engineer's Life Mission The images of oil spoiling America's shores has folks thinking more seriously about alternative energy sources. One man has made it his life's mission to wean America off big oil. As part of our "The Next Big Thing" series meet Lonnie Johnson– a former NASA engineer with two potentially world-changing inventions.

7/24/10

 First Skyscraper With Built-In Wind Turbines Opens in London! | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World  London recently saw the completion of the world's first skyscraper with wind turbines integrated directly within its building fabric -- the Strata tower. Nicknamed the Razor, the black and silver skyscraper measures in at 147 meters (485 ft) tall, making it the tallest residential building in central London. The Strata is topped with three building-integrated wind turbines that provide 8% of the total electricity needs of the building, and it features an array of green building strategies that make it the face of the regeneration of the Elephant and Castle area.

Read more: First Skyscraper With Built-In Wind Turbines Opens in London! | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World 

6/30/10

Car Runs On Air video/ This five-seater car runs on compressed air, has zero pollution, very low running costs and will cost about $15,000. Refilling the automobile will, once the market develops, take place at adapted petrol stations to administer compressed air. In two or three minutes, and at a cost of approximately 2 dollars (1.5 Euros), the car will be ready to go another 125-175 miles (200-300 km). More info: BBC News   BBC Video   Business Week article.   Wikipedia: Motor Development International 

5/21/10

A New Era In Science: "Synthia" The First Synthetic Life Is Create Scientists from the J Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) in Maryland and California announced today that they have developed the first synthetic living cell.  Though theoretically this cell is the first step in the creation of artificial life, the inventors are focusing their efforts on creating new fuels, effective ways to clean polluted water, and faster vaccine production....

Scientists have moved single genes  and chunks of DNA from one species to another before, but Dr. Craig Venter's team met a milestone a few years ago, transplanting an entire naturalgenome of one bacterium into another and watched the original goat germ turn into a cattlegerm. 

/10/10

Zombie Satellite Causes Astronomical Buzz Don't be alarmed. High above your heads, a zombie satellite is on the loose. OK, actually, it won't really be a bother to us earthlings. Or at least to most of us. (More on that later.) But the rogue communications satellite is wreaking havoc in Earth's orbit and does threaten to interfere with signals coming from other satellites. Here's the backstory...

The communications satellite named Galaxy 15 lost contact with ground control after a solar flare probably fried its brain. As a story from the Christian Science Monitor reports, attempts from Earth to contact the satellite have been unsuccessful. But instead of just dying and drifting off, the satellite has continued to orbit the Earth, even though it refuses to receive instructions from its owner, Intelsat.

For the science nerds out there: The satellite is still on, with its "C-band telecommunications payload still functioning even as it has left its assigned orbital slot of 133 degrees west longitude 36,000 kilometers over the equator." Translation: Not good.

What's confounding scientists is that even though the satellite is toast, it continues to operate at full power, but with nobody telling it what to do. Why on earth we should care: The "zombiesat" (as its known in space talk) could steal a working sat signal, and interrupt programming for its customers. Yes, that means our television programs. The horror. As the blog Boing Boing points out, Galaxy 15 was one of the satellites that carried the Syfy channel's signal. And now it's met an end good enough to be its own Syfy show.

5/3/10

Solar cell breakthrough achieves 90 percent efficiency at a fraction of the cost of current panels (NaturalNews) Scientists from the California Institute of Technology (CIT) have developed a new solar cell technology that they say absorbs up to 96 percent of "incident" light. Experimental tests revealed that the new cells operate at around a 90 percent quantum efficiency rate. Because they are made of plastic, they could significantly reduce the overall cost of photovoltaic cells as well.

Solar cells have long been a favorite of people trying to reduce or eliminate their energy bills. Many businesses have incorporated the technology as well because it is clean, renewable, and helps to reduce costs. Yet throughout its history, the relatively expensive up-front costs of obtaining photovoltaic cells has deterred many from investing in the technology. Researchers hope that their breakthrough new technology will change that.

4/20/10

Dancing spider-like sea cruiser boat The WAM-V, or Wave Adaptive Modular Vessel can travel up to 5,000 miles and can be controlled by just two crew members. It is powered by twin diesel engines and can - according to its designers - 'dance' over waves.Makers say the boat can be used as a luxury cruiser, an emergency response unit or a passenger ship for up to 12 people and because of the way it is powered uses 'significantly less' fuel than other boats.

Fake Hills Megastructure By MAD Architects It will be enough to hear what’s the name of the company that has designed this project and you’ll realize how incredible this really is. Chinese architecture company MAD Architects has created a conceptual design of a housing complex that should be eventually built in Beihai. The key feature of this incredible megastructure is that it just looks like a few of hills brought together.

12 Strange and Creative Camping Tents! Very cool and innovative designs..some are even clothing! Check it out at the link!

4/19/10

World's Oldest Living Tree -- 9550 Years Old -- Discovered In Sweden ScienceDaily (Apr. 16, 2008) — The world's oldest recorded tree is a 9,550 year old spruce in the Dalarna province of Sweden. The spruce tree has shown to be a tenacious survivor that has endured by growing between erect trees and smaller bushes in pace with the dramatic climate changes over time.

For many years the spruce tree has been regarded as a relative newcomer in the Swedish mountain region. "Our results have shown the complete opposite, that the spruce is one of the oldest known trees in the mountain range," says Leif Kullman, Professor of Physical Geography at Umeå University.

A fascinating discovery was made under the crown of a spruce in Fulu Mountain in Dalarna. Scientists found four "generations" of spruce remains in the form of cones and wood produced from the highest grounds.

4/13/10

Battery Breakthrough Technology Could Power Homes for Pennies Per Kilowatt Hour (NaturalNews) Scientists with Ceramatec, the research and development arm of CoorsTek, say that they have developed a new kind of deep-storage battery that, when coupled with on-site power generation mechanisms like wind and solar electricity, could power an entire home for only pennies per kilowatt hour.

Most wind and solar-powered homes remain connected to the national electric grid, largely because it is difficult and expensive to install batteries large enough to keep the house powered through low wind or sun periods. Ceramatec's new battery, however, uses solid materials to store between 20 and 40 kilowatt hours of electricity at temperatures of only 90 degrees Celsius. In contrast, most high-density batteries use liquids heated to dangerous temperatures of roughly 600 degrees.

3/16/10

The Yike Bike.....another new wave of the future????...very cool! video...

Adhesive Bond Strong Enough to Hold a Human Scientists at Cornell University have invented a palm-sized device that uses water surface tension as an adhesive bond--an epoxy that can be instantly turned off with the flip of a switch--that they think eventually could be strong enough to hold a human. Equally if not more important, they believe they also eventually can turn these same “grabbers” into “pushers” with a few additional changes, raising the possibility of far-reaching uses from both functions, from clothing to lifesaving.The rapid adhesion mechanism could lead to shoes or gloves that stick and un-stick to walls, or Post-it-like notes that can bear loads. The “pushing” feature could be used to open up holes or crevices, or even blocked doors, such as in firefighting.

3/5/10

New Cell Phone Charger Turns Water into Electricity A palm-sized fuel cell that turns water into electricity aims to make wall outlets a thing of the past for charging up your cell phone. Being off the grid, or away from an AC outlet, used to mean you couldn’t charge your phone or other personal electronic devices. But a new device called the H3 charger aims to simplify on-the-go charging. Developed by Stockholm-based myFC, the H3 charger relies on portable fuel cells and is set for commercial release in Scandinavia in December, before making its way to a wider market including the United States some time in 2011. It will cost approximately $40 to $50.

Honda's radical three-wheeler Geneva concept reveals Japanese brand’s idea for the future of environmentally friendly commuting. You won’t mistake this three-wheeler for a Robin Reliant.Honda will showcase this radical-looking battery electric vehicle concept at next week’s Geneva motor show as part of its vision for the future of zero-emissions urban motoring.The 3R-C seats one driver in a near-vertical position, with the clear canopy covering the cockpit when the vehicle is parked but turning into a protective windshield when the vehicle is moving....video and the rest of the story at the link

3/4/10
Microsoft’s Skinput System Turns Skin into a Touchscreen Touchscreens have revolutionized the way we communicate with electronics, but sometimes they can get a little cramped — wouldn’t it be great if the iPhone’s screen was just a little bit bigger? One creative solution isSkinput, a device that uses a pico projector to beam graphics (keyboards, menus, etc.) onto a user’s palm and forearm, transforming the skin into a computer interface.

3/2/10

Uniqlo’s HeatTech Clothing Creates Heat From Your Sweat We can’t all afford $750 solar-powered jackets to keep us toasty when the mercury takes a swan dive, but when the alternative is to bundle up with more layers than an onion-fanciers’ convention,Uniqlo’s supremely affordable, lightweight heat-generating innerwear for men and women appears nothing short of inspired. So does the HeatTech fabric that absorbs your body’s moisture and converts it to heat—at first blush, anyway.

Architectural Buckypaper Paves Way for Buildings of the Future Nanotechnology is generally pursued by scientists and those involved with high-tech gadgetry, weapons, andmedical devices, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be applied in other fields. Recently NYC-based Decker Yeadon became the first architecture firm to synthesize a thin sheet of carbon nanotube buckypaper, and they plan on utilizing the super-strong and lightweight material in future building projects. The miraculous material is 10 times lighter and 500 times stronger than steel, it can conduct both heat and electricity, and it can filter particles.

Solar-Powered Hat and Gloves Offer Promise of “Endless Warm” Endless Warm’s ultrathin solar panels harness the power of the sun and convert into life-giving heat. The designer waxes poetic: “The endless warm come from so far away but it can reach every fingertip of you. The sun is so far, the sun is so close.” Deep.

3/1/10

Spray-on Liquid Glass is About to Revolutionize Almost Everything (Seriously!) (PhysOrg.com) -- Spray-on liquid glass is transparent, non-toxic, and can protect virtually any surface against almost any damage from hazards such as water, UV radiation, dirt, heat, and bacterial infections. The coating is also flexible and breathable, which makes it suitable for use on an enormous array of products. The liquid glass spray (technically termed “SiO2 ultra-thin layering”) consists of almost pure silicon dioxide (silica, the normal compound in glass) extracted from quartz sand. Water or ethanol is added, depending on the type of surface to be coated. There are no additives, and the nano-scale glass coating bonds to the surface because of the quantum forces involved. According to the manufacturers, liquid glass has a long-lasting antibacterial effect because microbes landing on the surface cannot divide or replicate easily.

2/23/10

2/4/10

Researcher Creates Strongest Metal Foam Ever Spongy metal sounds like a bit of an oxymoron, but it’s actually a real material that is capable of absorbing large impacts without damage. Metal foams have been around for some time, but new research by Dr. Afsaneh Rabiei of North Carolina State University, has revealed the strongest metal foam ever. It can compress up to 80% of its original size under loading and still retain its original shape. The applications for this type of material are too numerous to fathom, but one of the most anticipated uses for the spongy metal is in automobiles to lessen the impact of crashes and protect the driver and passengers.

2/2/10

Japanese Scientists Create Elastic Water Elastic Water could eventually replace plastic, or be used in an environmentally-safe plastic. Bernama, a part of the Malaysian National News Agency, reports that Japanese scientists have created “elastic water.” Developed at the Tokyo University, the new material consists mostly of water — 95-percent — with an added two grams of clay and organic material. The resulting substance resembles jelly, but is extremely elastic and transparent.

The invention was originally revealed last week in the latest issue of the Nature scientific magazine. According to the article, the new material is quite safe for the environment and humans, and may be a “long-term” tool in medical technology, possibly to help wounded or surgically cut tissue to remain closed.

---

WHY SO MUCH ABOUT SCIENCE IS WRONG Michael Crichton once said, “In the end, science offers us the only way out of politics. And if we allow science to become politicized, then we are lost. We will enter the Internet version of the Dark Ages, an era of shifting fears and wild prejudices transmitted to people who don’t know any better. That’s not a good future for the human race. That’s our past.”

Unfortunately, since long before those words were written science has been politicized to a point where it is no better than the religions it once replaced as the arbiters of “official” wisdom and knowledge. A brief history lesson is in order for those who don’t know how science came to be what it is today.

---

1/30/10
What to get the man who has everything? An underwater plane of course Billionaire Sir Richard Branson may already own an airline, a record label, a mobile phone company, several luxury restaurants and a Caribbean island. But today the entrepreneur unveiled his latest toy - an underwater plane.The £415,000 prototype submersible is called the Necker Nymph and can dive to depths of up to 130ft. Sir Richard hopes to one day explore depths of 35,000ft - which is far more than the height of Mount Everest.

 

1/21/10
LG Unveils Flexible Electronic Newspaper by Sarah Parsons
Reading the newspaper during your morning commute is about to get a lot more convenient. LG recently unveiled its flexible e-paper, a new type of e-reader designed to mimic the look and feel of a newspaper page. Once commercialized, the revolutionary technology will slim down bulky dailies and hopefully save tons ofpaper, wastewater and carbon emissions.

1/19/10
Is energy 'miracle' finally taking off? A project trumpeted as a potential solution to America's energy needs is on the verge of taking off with the U.S. military, but government bureaucracy is causing frustrating delays and a chokehold on funding, raising out-of-pocket expenses for the company spearheading the technology.

Bell Bio-Energy of Tifton, Ga., has developed a groundbreaking process that rapidly converts virtually anything that grows out of the Earth into all sorts of hydrocarbon fuel – from gasoline and diesel, to home heating oil and jet fuel for fighter aircraft such as the Navy's F/A-18 Super Hornets.

1/16/10
HYMINI Tiny Portable Wind-powered Gadget Charger We’ve seen an array of solar-powered battery chargers, but the HyMini takes wind power to a whole new portable level. This cute little personal wind turbine can be hooked up to various devices to charge your phones, cameras, and other small electronics when you are on the go: walking around, driving or even riding your bike.

1/7/09

Twirling Battery Provides Instant Energy for a Dead Cellphone This spinning kinetic cellphone battery is a smart solution for times when your phone is dangerously low on juice. With a simple twirl of your finger, you can charge your battery with enough energy to provide a couple more minutes of talk time or a number of minutes of standby. Designed by Song Teaho & Hyejin Lee, the cell phone battery is recharged by simply placing it on your finger and twirling. As the diagrams indicate, twirling the battery 130 times will generate enough power to provide you 2 more minutes of talk time or 25 minutes of standby power. If a cell phone battery like this ever gets manufactured and becomes popular, expect to see the next dance craze centered around twirling your finger

12/30/09

The see-through glass toaster that could be the best thing since sliced bread Burned or underdone toast could soon be a thing of the past thanks to a new glass toaster - which lets you see your bread as it browns.Bread is placed between two sheets of heated glass and cooked in full view so you can eject your slice at the perfect moment. (the perfect gift for those who 'have everything'.......now they really will!)

Bright future for lighting technology with glowing OLED wallpaper Wallpaper that can glow with light and bendable flat-panel screens are a step closer thanks to research into organic LEDs (OLEDs), which are widely hailed as the next generation of environmentally friendly lighting technology.

OLEDs use very little power to produce light, even compared with modern energy-saving bulbs. The chemicals they are made from can be painted on to thin, flexible surfaces, allowing them potentially to be used to replace traditional lightbulbs in homes and offices with panels of energy-efficient light built into walls, windows or even furniture. Other uses include flexible display screens, whose very low power consumption would mean they could operate without mains power, for example as roadside traffic warning signs powered by small solar panels.

 

The False Hope of Hi-Tech“I don’t know if HAL is homicidal, suicidal, neurotic, psychotic, or just plain broken.”
Arthur C. Clark, 2010: Odyssey Two Ten years ago today the clock was ticking down on Y2K. Many feared a social and economic meltdown; that a programming glitch would throw us into a new Dark Age. Fast forward one decade. Washington and Wall Street are now betting the bank that technology is America’s savior. Everything seems within reach—more jobs, clean energy, a budget surplus, even a super-bull market. Technology was not the Antichrist a decade ago, nor is it our savior now. It will not destroy us. Nor will it revolutionize our world. That was the power of innovation a century ago, not today.

'Idiot' Dragons' Den contestant who was laughed off show turns his invention into huge business A swimming coach has turned his invention into a huge business success despite being ridiculed on the BBC's Dragons' Den TV programme.Kevin Moseley dreamed up the idea for a child's buoyancy aid shaped like a shark fin and went on the BBC2 show hoping for investment.The father-of-two, 45, recalls how Theo Paphitis warned the idea was dangerous and Duncan Bannatyne laughed in his face on the show in 2006.
Now......success ...'Swimfin" has won government assistance through the UK Trade & Investment and the Northwest Regional Development Agency.

Judith Kyle, international trade adviser for UKTI North West, said: 'Kevin's design is proving to be a real hit among parents and swimming associations across the globe.

Scientists say paper battery could be in the works Ordinary paper could one day be used as a lightweight battery to power the devices that are now enabling the printed word to be eclipsed by e-mail, e-books and online news.

Scientists at Stanford University in California reported on Monday they have successfully turned paper coated with ink made of silver and carbon nanomaterials into a "paper battery" that holds promise for new types of lightweight, high-performance energy storage.

New technologies emerge for storing grid electrical power

PHOTOS: Favorite gadgets of 2009 starting with

Sony Reader Touch Edition

New battery could change world, one house at a time n a modest building on the west side of Salt Lake City, a team of specialists in advanced materials and electrochemistry has produced what could be the single most important breakthrough for clean, alternative energy since Socrates first noted solar heating 2,400 years ago.

 

Tom Bearden ENERGY FROM THE VACUUM

 

Tesla Technology in the BioCharger Machine

 

Whole Body Vibration is a fascinating new technology in the Noblerex K1