Needle-free Blood Test Is on the Way
A new device uses light instead of needles to test blood. Researchers in Israel are developing the pain-free test, which is expected to reveal similar information as traditional blood tests, providing the doctor with immediate results. Besides providing the patient with a relatively stress-free experience, the optical unit, which is no bigger than a breadbox, […]
Manmade Retina Could Restore Vision to Millions
A new prosthetic retina could restore eyesight to millions of people suffering from a common cause of blindness – age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Usually affecting people over 50, AMD causes a loss of vision in the center of the visual field (the macula, or macula lutea) due to damage to the retina. This condition can […]
Woman Controls Robotic Arm With Her Mind
Almost 15 years after being paralyzed by a stroke, a 58-year-old woman was able to reach for, pick up and take a sip of a drink, by using her thoughts to operate a robotic arm. Up until then, the woman had depended upon caregivers to do this for her. As technology continues to meld man […]
Smarter Smartphones
Imagine having a doorknob that knows whether it should lock or unlock itself, based on how a user grips it; or a smartphone that silences itself if its user puts a finger to his or her lips; or a chair which automatically adjusts the lighting in a room by sensing whether the user is […]
Coils of Lava Found on Mars
An Arizona State University graduate student has discovered unique spiral patterns in solidified lava flows on the surface of Mars. In a paper published in Science, Andrew Ryan describes the snail-like patterns as ranging in size from about one meter to 30 meters across. While lava flows such as these have been found on the […]
Titanic Director Backs Venture to Mine Platinum from Asteroids
What do filmmaker and deep sea explorer, James Cameron, and Google co-founder, Larry Page, have in common? They’re both backing a new venture to extract natural resources, such as precious metals and water, from more than 1,500 near-Earth asteroids (NEA). The firm that plans to turn what sounds like science fiction into science fact is […]
Designing Human-like Robots
When we talk with someone, words aren’t the only thing that impact our listener. Other subtle factors – such as tone of voice, body language and eye contact – also have powerful communicative potential. Bilge Mutlu, a computer scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, understands and appreciates the power of nonverbal communication. The professor calls […]
Using Body Heat to Recharge Cellphone, Laptop
Imagine being able to use your own body heat to recharge your phone or tablet. Scientists in North Carolina have recently developed a felt-like fabric that generates power by scavenging for so-called waste heat, such as body heat. Right now, many of the electronic devices we use every day, such as cellphones or laptop computers, […]
Google Inspires Software for Chemists
A chemist in the northwestern U.S. state of Washington has taken some of the technology behind Google’s powerful Internet search engine and has applied it to chemistry. Aurora Clark, associate professor of chemistry at Washington State University, along with colleagues from the University of Arizona, recently took Google’s PageRank software and adapted it to create […]
Debate Over Global Warming/Climate Change Heats Up
Hardly a week goes by that we aren’t reporting a story on concerns about global warming. But, a growing number of people in the scientific community are coming forward to express doubts about the prevailing scientific opinions concerning global warming. Recently, 16 respected scientists signed a letter, published in the Wall Street Journal, which indicated […]