2007 July

In recent years, Americans have been intrigued by the promise of hydrogen-powered vehicles. But experts have judged that several technology problems must be resolved before they are more than a novelty.
Recently, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have used their insights into nanomaterials to create bendy hydrogen sensors, which are at […]

Lead smelter workers who are better readers have more protection against the effect of lead exposure on the brain than those who do not read as well, according to a study on the impact of cognitive reserve published in the July 31, 2007, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
It […]

A method for making instant steam, without the need for electricity, promises to be useful for tackling antibiotic resistant ’superbugs’ like MRSA and C. difficile, as well as removing chewing gum from pavements and powering environmentally friendly cars, reports Nina Morgan in Chemistry & Industry, the magazine of the SCI. ‘The value of instant steam […]

In the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park, a team of researchers partially funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) discovered a new bacterium that transforms light into chemical energy. The discovery of the chlorophyll-producing bacterium, Candidatus chloracidobacterium (Cab.) thermophilum, is described in the July 27, 2007, issue of Science in a paper led by […]

This is an important summer for kori bustards at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. Four chicks of this threatened African bird have hatched in June and July. Along with the bumper crop of baby birds is a bumper crop of new information for scientists working to preserve the species, thanks to an electronic egg that transmits […]

An international team of scientists, including several at Johns Hopkins University, has detected a hidden magnetic “quantum order” that extends over chains of nearly 100 atoms in a material that is otherwise magnetically disordered.
The findings, which are published online today (July 26) in the journal Science, may have implications for the design of devices and […]

Imagine a chip, strategically placed in the brain, that could prevent epileptic seizures or allow someone who has lost a limb to control an artificial arm just by thinking about it.
It may sound like science fiction, but University of Florida researchers are developing devices that can interpret signals in the brain and stimulate neurons to […]

In an advance that could help curb global demand for oil, MIT researchers have demonstrated how ordinary spark-ignition automobile engines can, under certain driving conditions, move into a spark-free operating mode that is more fuel-efficient and just as clean.
The mode-switching capability could appear in production models within a few years, improving fuel economy by several […]

A key discovery at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute could help advance the role of graphene as a possible heir to copper and silicon in nanoelectronics.
Graphene, a one-atom-thick sheet of carbon, eluded scientists for years but was finally made in the laboratory in 2004 with the help of everyday, store-bought clear adhesive tape. Graphite, the common material […]

I do not honestly care which OS each of you chooses to run. For some of you, it will be Windows, others OS X. And for a growing number of the remaining minority, your OS of choice will be one of the Linux flavors available today.
But how would you feel if Microsoft Windows was powering […]

Wartime military patrols and civilian encounters can be especially dangerous if neither group understands the other’s language. To help American forces secure critical information and communicate with the local population, The DARPA program called TRANSTAC (Spoken Language Communication and Translation System for Tactical Use) currently focuses on English and Iraqi Arabic. From July 16 to […]

Learning to eat properly was a challenge in my house. My children had a hard time distinguishing between what to use a fork, and what to use a spoon for. Most of the time they just made everything finger food. Which was okay, until we ate out at a restaurant. Then some sort of table […]

Jeremy Gilley, British filmmaker and founder of Peace One Day, today officially launches the world’s first “digiwristband” at peaceoneday.org to unite and inspire other individuals across the globe to make a commitment for Peace Day on 21 September 2007.
Jeremy Gilley says, “We aim to create the largest ever socially networked peace community on the […]

An agricultural researcher at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has developed a simple process to make allergen-free peanuts. The new process — believed to be a first for food science — could provide relief to millions of peanut allergy sufferers, and be an enormous boon to the entire peanut industry.
Doug Speight of the […]

How do you choose the right boat propeller?
First of all, let’s go over some propeller terminology.

Diameter - the width of the circle carved by the rotating blades.

Pitch - the distance a propeller moves forward in one revolution. The idea is to select a prop with a pitch that allows the engine to reach the maximum […]

“I applaud your committee for taking a hard look at how the redistribution and search features of many popular P2P file sharing networks pose serious privacy and security threats to consumers, students, businesses and the Government,” said SafeMedia CEO & Chairman Safwat Fahmy.
SafeMedia Corporation CEO and Founder, Safwat Fahmy outlined the dangers and risks of […]

In what advocates hailed as a major advance for scientific communication, the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday approved a measure directing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to provide free public online access to agency-funded research findings within 12 months of their publication in a peer-reviewed journal. With broad bipartisan support, the House passed the […]

I enjoy taking a bath instead of a shower. Hey, it is good enough for Dagwood Bumstead, it’s good enough for me. But keeping it clean can be a chore. Here is an easy way to keep your spic and span clean.
Scrub-a-dub-dub, there’s soap scum in your tub — now how do you get it […]

In a previous article, I had mixed feelings about the new Microsoft Surface project, as it was really difficult to understand where the market for such a thing would be. Then I watched some new footage on DL.TV and I will admit, even as a Linux guy, that I was blown away.
Consider for a moment […]

Technologies will allow zoom lenses, such as those used in digital cameras and camera phones, to be manufactured at a dramatically smaller size without compromising clarity.
The University of Central Florida has signed a licensing agreement with Holochip Corp. for a portfolio of technologies that will allow zoom lenses, such as those used in digital cameras […]