The European Space Agency is developing a new thruster based on the same physics that power the northern and southern auroras. This new plasma thruster could eventually deliver more power than the efficient ion engines which have been installed on several spacecraft — via digg
A recent study has determined that Narwhal tusks are not for fighting or breaking through ice, but are highly sensitive sensory organs. The close-ups showed that 10 million nerve endings tunnel from the tusk’s core toward its outer surface, and can detect subtle changes of temperature, pressure, particle gradients and probably much else
In recent tests by Stephanie Schuckers, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Clarkston University, she has shown that, among other things, biometric security measures were fooled 90% of the time by simple attacks like Play-Doh moulds. Schuckers’ biometric research is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Office of Homeland Security and the Department of Defence. She is currently assessing spoofing vulnerability in fingerprint scanners and designing methods to correct for these as part of a $3.1 million interdisciplinary research project funded through the NSF
Researchers at the Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service in Washington state say the long, loud pant is the sound of a dog laughing, and it has a direct impact on the behavior of other dogs. When they played the sound of a dog panting over the loudspeaker, the gaggle of dogs at the shelter kept right on barking. But when they played the dog version of laughing, all 15 barking dogs went quiet within about a minute — via Boing Boing
The US Air Force has unveiled its first hand-held laser weapon that gives security forces a non-lethal
option for controlling crowds and protecting areas like checkpoints. While only in prototype form and years away from fielding, the weapon, known as the Personnel Halting and Stimulation Response (PHaSR) system, they claim it holds great promise
Nissan has created a paint that repairs scratches on its own, restoring a car’s surface to normal within a week — via digg
A shear thickening material, it is flexible when moved slowly, but when it is compresssed by an impact, its molecules lock together. The Ribcap is a combination soft, flexible beanie and tough helmet. Unfortunately, you will look like a dork wearing it — via digg
In the dense central forests of Borneo, a conservation group has found what appears to be a new species of mammal. WWF caught two images of the animal, which is bigger than a domestic cat, dark red, and has a long muscular tail — via digg
Raytheon has developed a technology for safely detonating all the landmines in disused landmine fields — they drop a shell containing many hundreds of steel arrows into the field, which sets off all the old mines — via Boing Boing
A highly dexterous, bio-inspired artificial hand and sensory system that could provide patients with active feeling, is being developed by a European project called cyberhand. The final prototype includes sensors for tension, force, joint angle, end stroke and contact
A New Scientist investigation has revealed that finding gunshot residue on a suspect doesn’t necessarily mean they fired a gun. Gunshot residue analysis is used by forensic scientists around the world. It is based on identifying combinations of heavy metals in microscopic particles that are formed when the primer in a cartridge ignites. However, recent research shows that someone who has never fired a gun can be contaminated by someone who has. What is more, it is even possible to pick up incriminating particles from entirely innocent sources
Distributed computing experiment SETI@home will be switched off on 15 December as it becomes part of the Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC). The BOINC site will allow boffins to build other volunteer computing projects in areas like molecular biology, high-energy physics, and climate change study — via digg
For the first time, a genetically modified plant has been shown to cause inflammation in animals — the 10-year project to develop pest-resistant peas is dropped
A compact welding torch enhancement and a novel power supply have made some cracks in the age-old problem of how to weld in magnetic fields. A team of researchers from CSIRO has come up with a superior welding system that should also improve worker safety and save time, energy and money
The Austrian town of Rattenberg, a ten minute walk from sunlight during the winter, plans to install a mirror on a mountain to redirect sunlight towards the town. The town was built in the winter shadow of Rat Mountain. The plan is to place heliostat mirrors to shine light in several locations around town, where villagers could congregate and get sunned up
. The EU is ponying up half the $2.4 million costs. The company installing the mirrors, Bartenbach Lichtlabor GmbH, is contributing $600,000, and hopes other communities will use their technology
Chemical burns, ruined clothes, eleven years, half a million dollars — it’s not easy to improve the world’s most popular toy. Yet the success of Tim Kehoe’s quest to dye a simple soap bubble may change the way the world uses colour
A new species of wooly lemur has been named in honour of John Cleese in recognition of his work to protect lemurs in general. The avahi cleesei, which weights less than two pounds and eats leaves, was discovered in Western Madagascar in 1990 by a team led by anthropologist Urs Thalmann and his colleague Thomas Geissman of Zurich University
Scientists caught eleven fish off the coast of Southern California that have ovary tissue in their testes. Usually, mutant fish like this are only found in freshwater that has been tainted with pollution from industrial facilities — via Boing Boing
A team at CSIRO Manufacturing and Infrastructure Technology has developed a small device that can extract enough hydrogen per day from water to power a family car for up to 150kms
Fungi native to East Africa could be used as a new tool in the fight against malaria. An international team of scientists from the Netherlands, Tanzania and the UK say their technique could significantly reduce malaria cases. When fungi infect certain insects, including malaria-carrying mosquitoes, they grow and quickly kill the animal
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