Armed with inexpensive, mass-produced gems, two startups are launching an assault on the De Beers cartel and are stepping into the realm of the computer as diamonds show amazing potential as a superior semiconductor
Every once in a while a set of fraternal twin eggs merge into one embryo and the resulting person has two sets of DNA. It is possible for a Chimera to have different sets of DNA in different body parts, which can cause complication for body identification, DNA typing for organ transplants, crime investigation, etc. Researchers have no idea how common this is, but suppose that it is a reasonable percentage of all fraternal twin pregnancies, which would mean millions world-wide
Astronomers have found the first direct evidence of a giant spiral galaxy far away that is ripping apart a much smaller one and gobbling up millions of its stars — an event that demonstrates the power of that mysterious cosmic stuff called dark matter
A Royal Bengal tiger escaped from a Bangladesh zoo after its keeper left its cage open, but snuck back an hour later after apparently being frightened by the crowds — or possibly knowing when it’s onto a good thing
Ismo Rakkolainen and Karri Palovuori, from Tampere University of Technology, Finland, have come up with the Walk-thru Fog Screen. The fog screen, consisting of fog
that is blown down from top, and the protective laminar airflow creates a thin and crisp surface, pretty undisturbed by the air in the rest of the room, making it ideal for projector usage. People can walk right through this screen of fog. Their next idea is to use the fog as a touch-screen, making it even more accessible
Every night, as darkness descends, countless street lamps and lights turn on to keep the darkness at bay, bathing countless square feet of the planet in light that sometimes rivals day time. But has anyone stopped to consider what effect all this light may have on people and animals that have evolved to fit an environment where a significant part of the 24 hour day is spent in lightless conditions? Some scientists have, and they are claiming that all this light is causing numerous problems
Replacing the contents of the eye’s lens with a soft polymer gel could allow millions of people to throw away their reading glasses
This was rejected from Slashdot, so you get to enjoy it here. Can you feel the love?
The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that researchers have discovered a way to generate power for nanomachines using human blood. The method, devised by the Panasonic Nanotech Research Lab in Japan, proposes fuel cells that oxidise glucose in the form of blood sugar. In theory, a single human could generate 100 watts of power — if they didn’t need any of that blood sugar for themselves.
Maria Viaznikova and her team, of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute in Canada, have developed a new way of gathering DNA evidence for analysis using fingerprints. The new test can extract DNA in 15 minutes — even from a print stored for many years and in varying conditions. The patented extraction technique consistently produces ~10 nanograms of DNA. Analysis generally requires 5-10 nanograms, although it is possible with as little as 0.1 nanogram
Japanese lawmakers and bureaucrats support alternative energy as a home-grown business that can help cut energy costs
Give Franz Josef Och, a researcher at the Information Sciences Institute at the University of Southern California, enough parallel data and you can have a translation system for any two languages in a matter of hours. His approach relies on two concepts, gathering huge amounts of data, and applying statistical models to this data — it completely ignores grammar rules and dictionaries — the computer-encoded equivalents of the famous Rosetta Stone inscriptions
A bamboo bicycle is a strong step towards making bicycling more sustainable, especially in contrast to aluminium, one of the most resource demanding materials that exist — via Slashdot
Stress is one of the top causes of heart attacks — and working with stupid people on a daily basis is one of the deadliest forms of stress. Despite the dodgy source and unverifiable contacts, I have to wonder if this article would be proven true if authentic research was performed
Proving that scientists are indeed a wacky bunch of people, the Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists is a club for scientists who have, or believe they have, luxuriant flowing hair
A new type of tungsten filament — the world’s most widely used light source — may emit enough energy to power electric cars, generators, and consumer electronics
If you’ve ever had the overwhelming desire to add a rocket pack to your bicycle or build a 2 million volt tesla coil, United Nuclear scientific supply offers a dangerous products category where you can purchase the parts and plans that will have you well on your way to becoming an embarrassing headline in your local paper in no time
Thick-skinned mice with a remarkable ability to heal wounds are created by genetic engineering
Harold Newman, had pursued a hobby — an elaborate genealogy project — trying to link all characters from Greek mythology in a single family tree. Jon Newman wanted to finish it. Now, the Newmans’ combined work has been published by the University of North Carolina Press as A Genealogical Chart of Greek Mythology: Comprising 3673 Named Figures of Greek Mythology, All Related to Each Other Within a Single Family of 20 Generations
Guide Dogs Queensland has begun trials of a laser-guided walking cane, and plans to soon test a prototype Batcane that uses sonar technology to warn the blind of obstacles
Giving a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘death by chocolate’, scientists have invented a baitless mousetrap that attracts rodents with the irresistible aroma of chocolate
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