SkyTower, a US-based technology company, is planning to launch crewless solar-powered airplanes that would provide entire cities with broadband Internet access and 3G mobile services coming from 70,000 feet above the ground
ATS Automation Tooling Systems has developed solar cells that will slash the cost of solar power, holding out the possibility of a revolution in the generation of clean, renewable energy
Scotchgard, the water and stain repellent, was a sturdy household name before environmental concerns led 3M to phase out production two years ago. Now the company is relaunching the brand with squeaky-clean replacement products and expanding into new areas, such as paint
Russian space officials still are looking for the Demonstrator-2 inflatable space vehicle that was launched Friday from a nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea
A study by the World Wildlife Fund warns that the human race is plundering the planet at a pace that outstrips its capacity to support life. Earth’s population will be forced to colonise two planets within 50 years if natural resources continue to be exploited at the current rate
Light can be turned into a glowing stream of liquid that splits into droplets and splatters off surfaces just like water. The researchers who’ve worked out how to do this say liquid light would be the ideal lifeblood for optical computing, where chips send light around optical circuits to process data
The Sierra Railroad is planning to use diesel train locomotives to produce power for California. Each of the 48 engines are expected to produce 2.1 megawatts of power for a thousand hours each year. A key advantage to this plan is that since the PowerTrains are mobile, they can be taken to the areas that need power the most, so it doesn’t have to be routed across the state through the power grid
Bored with making the same old food or plasma in your microwave? David Reid has discovered that there is a potential foundry in every kitchen. He’s using his domestic microwave oven to melt iron, silver and bronze
In United States vs Lucite ball containing lunar material, the Feds are suing to get back a moon rock from an American who brought it back from Honduras. They’re alleging that this rock from the Apollo 17 mission is stolen property; ironic considering that NASA took something that wasn’t under US jurisdiction
Australian scientists have launched a new project to galvanise Australia’s property, building and construction industry to embrace sustainability. Evergen is an idea with a tangible outcome — commercial buildings, which are built faster, perform better, sell for more, and which ultimately, are recyclable and have a zero net cost to the environment
AMSAT-OSCAR 7 was launched in 1974 for radio hobbyists to use. In 1981 the onboard batteries died and the satellite went silent. Then on 21 June 2002, 20 years later, a hobbyist testing some new equipment made an amazing discovery — AMSAT-OSCAR 7 is live once more, both broadcasting and accepting signals — via Slashdot
The Civilian Space Exploration Team, a collection of rocket jocks, engineers and space enthusiasts around the country, are set to launch their rocket, dubbed Primera Spaceshot 2002, by the end of June from the Black Rock Desert in Nevada
Scientists running a pioneering experiment with living robots
which think for themselves said they were amazed to find one escaping from the centre where it lives
Greenpeace has said it would name smog-filled days in Toronto after local members of the federal Liberal government in order to draw attention to Canada’s failure to ratify the Kyoto accord, a world-wide effort to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases
A Boy Scout who went a little too far in trying to achieve a merit badge in Atomic Energy. From smoke alarms, lantern components, the paint from radio clocks, and a little help from the Nuclear Regulator Commission, David Hahn attempted to build a nuclear reactor in his mother’s shed
The sweet scent of roses or almonds could take some of the pain out of your stay in hospital. But only if you’re a woman
Canadian doctors implanted an artificial eye into a blind man — it performs well enough for him to be able to drive — admittedly in an empty parking lot — via Slashdot
Technonerds go to movies strictly for entertainment, and of course, the most entertaining part comes after the movie when they can dissect, criticise, and argue the merits of every detail
Teleportation is usually found in science fiction programs like Star Trek, but a team of researchers from the Australian National University has carried out a successful teleportation experiment in a gravitational wave lab
Australian scientists have developed a permanent contact lens to improve poor vision. The synthetic lens can be surgically implanted to provide permanent, but reversible, correction of refractive error
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