Scientists have found evidence of an important similarity between the behavior of polycrystalline materials — like metals and ceramics — and glasses, research that could lead to better predictions of how many valuable materials behave under stress.
Scientists have developed a new material by applying a biotechnological treatment to paper sludge. In many cases, the new material could replace plastic packaging and certain building materials.
Engineers used a novel underwater manufacturing technique to successfully build biomimetic cilia. The hairlike appendages mix tiny volumes of liquid to speed up biomedical reactions.
The market for brain-training software continues to grow, but evidence of the programs' ability to boost memory or intelligence in a broadly applicable way (rather than simply making people better at the task they are practicing) remains scarce. New studies offer a tantalizing suggestion that certain programs may work–but the bulk of the research is murky.
Ariane has recently launched the world's biggest commercial telecommunication satellite build for TerreStar Networks. The TerreStar-1 platform weighed seven tones at launch at it will provide voice, messaging and data connection to the North American market. The heaviest commercial satellites in the past have weighed over six tones.
A novel ion trap could usher in a new generation of applications, because the device holds promise as a stylus for sensing very small forces or for an interface for efficient transfer of individual light particles for quantum communications.
A new statistical analysis technique that identifies and removes systematic bias, noise and equipment-based artifacts from experimental data could lead to more precise and reliable measurement of nanomaterials and nanostructures likely to have future industrial applications.
Behind an ordinary door in a nondescript room hosting several printers and copiers at PARC is the world's first Ethernet cable. In 1973, Bob Metcalfe sent an internal memo to his colleagues at Xerox proposing a local system of interacting workstations, files, and printers. The devices would all be linked by one coaxial cable, he said, and would run within a local area network.
A blood protein that only a short time ago was thought by some to be more important than cholesterol in heart disease now appears to be little more than a bystander. The substance, C-reactive protein, or CRP, a marker of inflammation in the body, is unquestionably associated with heart disease: the more CRP in a person's blood, the greater the likelihood of heart disease.
When the supersonic car Bloodhound SSC streaks across the desert sometime in 2011 in its bid to break the land speed record, it will be powered by no fewer than three different types of engine. A rocket will boost the car to around 1200 kilometres per hour, (Mach 1) while a Eurofighter jet engine will provide more controllable thrust to coax it up to 1600 km/h (1000 miles per hour). Finally, the car is equipped with a V12 petrol engine to pump the fuel and provide electrical and hydraulic power to the jet and rocket.