Looks like a theoretical physicist at St Andrews University in Scotland believes that invisibility may be possible. And its not going to be a potion or a cloak, but will come in the form of a device
German scientists may have found a way to significantly reduce the radioactive decay time of nuclear waste. This could render the waste harmless in just tens of years and make disposal much less difficult as opposed to current standards — via Slashdot
Armor Holdings plans to start selling their liquid armour next year. The new armour, originally envisioned to be spread on like peanut butter, is instead sprayed onto Kevlar in ultrathin coats. It’s a mix of polyethylene glycol, a polymer found in laxatives and other consumer products, and nanobits of silica, or purified sand. Together they produce a sheer-thickening liquid
that stiffens instantly into a shield when hit hard by an object. It reverts to its liquid state just as fast when the energy from the projectile dissipates — via Slashdot
A substance found in crab shells called chitosan has very useful properties. For example, it has been used in bandages to stop bleeding. But now, researchers at the University of Maryland have used the chitosan from blue crabs living in Chesapeake Bay as a component of a nanoscale sensor system which could save many lives in the future. These blue crab nanosensors will be used to improve security in airports, hospitals and other public locations by detecting tiny amounts of explosives or chemicals in air and water — via Slashdot
After a five month trial and two weeks of deliberation, a jury in Santa Ana has convicted two leaders of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang of racketeering and murder. Barry The Baron
Mills and Tyler and The Hulk
Bingham were found guilty of ordering attacks on black inmates from maximum security cellblocks, and are now eligible for the death penalty. How did they order hits from within such high-security cells? With 400-year-old crypto, and invisible ink made from urine — via Boing Boing
Just one metre square of a new super-sticky material inspired by gecko feet could suspend the weight of an average family car, say its inventors. The plastic, known as Synthetic Gecko, has been developed by researchers at aerospace and defence firm BAE Systems. Like the reptile’s foot, the polymer is covered in millions of tiny mushroom-like hairs that provide grip — via Warren Ellis
For five years, Oxana Malaya lived with dogs and survived on raw meat and scraps. When she was found she was running around on all fours barking via Warren Ellis
A Calgary biotech firm has developed a process to turn genetically modified safflower oil into human insulin in commercial quantities. The process reduces capital costs by 70% and product cost by 40%. SemBioSys says it can make more than one kilogram of human insulin per acre of safflower production. That amount could treat 2,500 diabetic patients for one year and, in turn, meet the world’s total projected insulin demand in 2010 with less than 16,000 acres of safflower production via Slashdot
Scientists have managed to regrow nerve fibres after a spinal injury. Using an enzyme called sialidase, isolated from bacteria, researchers were able to stimulate nerve fibre growth in rats
Indian Scientists have succeeded in developing a vaccine against the bird flu disease that has affected poultry business in many parts of the world. This was formally announced, and ICAR Director-General Mangala Rai described this as a big step forward in tackling the highly pathogenic avian influenza
Suspended animation tests have been successfully carried out with pigs. The pig that was the subject of the article was kept in suspended animation for two hours, and Duggan and his team have successfully suspended hundreds of pigs for an hour at a time. It’s still a far cry from a spaceship filled with sleep pods, but would be just the ticket for doctors who need to buy extra time to save lives — via Slashdot
According to the World Conservation Union, the West African black rhinoceros has likely gone extinct and Africa’s northern white rhino could soon follow
People stopping to smell the roses can now take that sweet floral fragrance home with them or even send it to a faraway grandmother thanks to a new gadget in Japan that records and replicates the world’s odours. Creator Takamichi Nakamoto says the technology will have applications in food and fragrance industries where companies want to replicate odours — via Warren Ellis
Australian scientists have found the strongest evidence so far that bacteria play a key role in forming gold grains and nuggets. They have found bacteria that remove gold from the soil and deposit pure grains of it around them
Researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have discovered that under certain conditions, some very common bacteria can form nanowires. These bacteria were able to produce nanowires as small as 10 nanometers in diameter, but which can reach hundreds of microns in length. What is interesting here is that these nanowires are electrically conductive ones. This means that bacteria could be used to build microbial fuel cells or bacteria-powered batteries. As one researcher said, Earth appears to be hard-wired
A Swiss scientist says magnets may one day drag genes around the body in a novel form of gene therapy. The magnets would be attracted to iron oxide nanoparticles attached to the genes, a concept that has been tested in sheep
Toronto researchers have discovered a method to utilise bone marrow cells in the repair of a damaged heart after a heart attack. While it has long been known that bone marrow cells have the ability to clear the dead tissue after a heart attack, what has not been known until now is the critically important role of bone marrow adult stem cells in repairing a damaged heart, restoring its function and enhancing the growth of new blood vessels
Australian scientists have developed a super-drug with potential to cure various illnesses including cancers, age-related blindness, heart disease and arthritis
Sticking a needle with a flaming plasma tip into your mouth may not at first strike you as much of an improvement on conventional dentistry. However, the plasma needle, which is cold and painless to the touch, could be just the panacea we have been waiting for
Recently, the FDA approved Gardasil, a vaccine against the human papilloma virus (HPV) which causes cervical cancer in women. The approval wasn’t without a fight, and even now it’s still being fought, primarily by the KKK-linked hate group, the Family
Research Council. Cervical cancer kills 4,000 women a year, and yet these people will still fight a vaccine that stops the virus that causes it. Why, you ask?
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