A new moon has been discovered orbiting Saturn — bringing the planet’s latest moon tally up to 60. The body was spotted in a series of images taken by cameras onboard the Cassini spacecraft. Initial calculations suggest the moon is about 2km-wide and its orbit sits between those of two other Saturnian moons, Methone and Pallene. The Cassini Imaging Team, who found the object, said Saturn’s moon count could rise further still
Researchers at New Jersey Institute of Technology have developed an inexpensive solar cell that can be painted or printed on flexible plastic sheets. The team combined carbon nanotubes with tiny carbon buckyballs (fullerenes) to form snake-like structures. Add sunlight to excite the polymers, and the buckyballs will grab the electrons
The remarkable adhesive abilities of geckos and mussels have been combined to create a super-sticky material. Unlike other adhesives inspired by the nimble reptiles, geckel
can attach to both wet and dry surfaces. Its staying power comes from coating fibrous silicone, similar in structure to a gecko’s foot, with a polymer that mimics the glue
used by mussels
A liquid that changes colour when exposed to a magnetic field could cheaply replace the colour components in conventional LCD monitors. The liquid contains tiny iron oxide particles coated with plastic. It is cheap and easy to make, and could also be used in flexible, rewritable, electronic paper
Everyone should be seen as a potential organ donor on their death unless they expressly request not to be, England’s chief medical officer says. Sir Liam Donaldson wants a system of presumed consent
to be introduced in England to tackle organ shortages. His Scottish counterpart rejected the move
Scientists have discovered that carbon nanotubes have remarkable springy properties, which could make them ideal for use in artificial muscles. Currently, electroactive polymers are most commonly used to make artificial muscles, but these lack mechanical robustness. Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute tested the nanotubes by repeatedly squashing them between metal plates — via Slashdot
An Australian researcher has challenged the traditional assumption that the metric system of measurement was invented in 18th-century France. Pat Naughtin says he unearthed a description of such a system in a book written by John Wilkins, a century earlier in England In the book, Mr Wilkins describes a measuring system defined in units of ten for length, volume and money. He did not use the term metre, preferring Rhineland inches instead
Nestled at the foot of Syria’s coastal mountains, an ancient citadel has been put on the tourist map by restoration and excavation that revealed mysteries of the medieval Assassins sect, once based here. Saladin, the great Muslim leader, laid siege to Masyaf castle in the 12th century. But he thought twice before launching an assault on the Assassins, who had a reputation for mounting daring operations to slay their foes
Although the idea of teleporting individuals from one place to another in order to sidestep the headache of rush hour traffic has been around for quite some time, a team of Australian physicists are busy making it work, on a smaller scale, of course. The team has developed a so-called simple way to transport atoms
, which involves bringing the atoms to almost absolute zero, beaming them with two lasers, and using fibre optics to transport them to any other place at the speed of light where they enter a second condensate
and reconstruct
The cuneiform inscription in a tablet dating from 595BC has been deciphered for the first time — revealing a reference to an official at the court of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, that proves the historical existence of a figure mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah. It is rare evidence in a non-biblical source of a real person, other than kings, featured in the Bible
Scientists at Seoul National University Korea are seeking to commercially clone dogs this year — the world’s first attempt to create canine clones for money. Senior researcher Kim Min-kyu at the Seoul-based University is spearheading the efforts based on his team’s expertise in cloning dogs. As per Mr. Kim early last month, they signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Customs Service to clone its drug-sniffing dogs. They have already obtained somatic cells of the expensive dogs and will attempt to clone them in July or August to get puppies late this year at the earliest — via Slashdot
Researchers in Madrid are claiming that they have discovered that a type of wax found in olive skin can help to slow the spread of HIV. Their work shows that maslinic acid — a natural product extracted from dry olive-pomace oil in oil mills — inhibits serin-protease, an enzyme used by HIV to release itself from the infected cell into the extracellular environment and, consequently, to spread the infection into the whole body. These scientists from Granada determined that the use of olive-pomace oil can produce an 80% slowing down in AIDS spreading in the body
Neuroscientists say a recent report indicates moderate drinking may have a positive effect on the health of a person’s brain. Some of the world’s top neuroscientists are meeting in Cairns, in far north Queensland, to discuss ground-breaking research that shows brain cells continue to grow throughout our lifetime. Queensland Brain Institute director Professor Perry Bartlett says the report shows drinking alcohol does not kill off brain cells — and that drinking up to four standard glasses of wine a night might be beneficial
Its rock-hard surface can take a full-on assault from a baseball bat, yet remains flexible enough to allow you to kick, leap and roll with perfect ease. Crafted from cutting-edge science, its unique molecular structure means that while providing armoured protection against crude concrete and even barbed wire, it remains light enough to allow you to run at high speed. In a nutshell, d3o is an advanced polymer with an intelligent molecular structure that flows with you as you move but, when shocked, locks together to become rigid enough to absorb impact energy. In its simplest form, it is like an automatic knee-pad that can be sown seamlessly into a pair of jeans — via Warren Ellis
The Wellcome Trust, one of the UK’s largest medical charities, has released its image collection under Creative Commons licenses, with a new web site to search through it — via Boing Boing
The NanoSphere finishing technology is based on the self-cleaning principle and is nearly a perfect copy of nature. Water, stains and other substances such as ketchup, honey, oil, red wine or blood simply run off the nano-surface — via William Gibson
Cleantech America, a San Francisco company, said Friday it plans to build the world’s largest solar power farm near Fresno, California. The 80-megawatt farm is to occupy as much as 640 acres (260 hectares) and upon completion in 2011 will be 17 times the size of the largest US solar farm. The farm will also be about seven times the size of the world’s biggest plant and double the largest planned farm, both in Germany
Scientists have told a conference in Switzerland that a genetically engineered herpes virus has shown early promise in clinical tests. They say researchers believe viruses — which are experts at killing cells — could one day become a valuable addition to the medical armoury against cancer
A strange cephalopod has been found near Keahole Point on the big island of Hawaii. It appears to be a cross between an octopus and a squid, which is being called, you guessed it, an octosquid. The specimen, which has 8 arms, an octopus head and squid mantle, was brought up from a depth of 3000 feet by a pipeline operated by Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority
If the X-Finger looks like a prop from The Terminator, relax. It isn’t out to kill you, and it isn’t robotic. In fact, it’s a mechanical prosthetic finger so effective it provides articulation as fast and flexible as the real thing. Invented by Dan Didrick of Naples, Florida, the device has no batteries, electronics, servos or actuators. Instead, each digit incorporates a simple mechanism which, when pushed by the surviving part of the wearer’s finger, curls a set of artificial phalanges
RSS – Posts