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Invention: Ultrasound brain 'window'

14:54 09 January 2009

Bouncing a beam of sound waves off a person's skull opens up a "window" that makes it easier to map activity inside without surgery

Immoral advances: Is science out of control?

UK protesters demonstrate in a field of genetically modified oilseed rape (Image: Ray Tang/Rex Features)

FEATURE:  10:14 09 January 2009  | 41 comments

When research raises deeply felt objections, it's not enough just to dismiss them as "irrational", says Dan Jones

Gallery: Nanobristles that twist and grip

This neat arrangement was made simply by letting wet bristles dry, click the link left for more images (Image: Joanna Aizenberg/Harvard University/Science)

19:00 08 January 2009

The same process that makes wet hair tangle as it dries can be harnessed to make biological-looking spirals of tiny bristles

Obama team to raise questions over Ares rocket

UPFRONT:  12:20 08 January 2009  | 11 comments

Why is NASA developing a new generation of space rockets when the US already has two that could do the same job?

Invention: Recycled trash construction materials

11:25 08 January 2009  | 1 comment

Plant and plastic waste destined for landfill can be recycled into heat or noise insulation, and could even be used for construction, says a patent application

Cool your brain, save your mind

FEATURE:  18:00 07 January 2009  | 5 comments

Techniques that rapidly chill the brain could prevent damage and even aid resuscitation after a heart attack

Repulsive quantum effect finally measured

Artist's rendition of how a repulsive quantum force between nanoscale objects can allow an object to become "bouyant" on a liquid less dense than itself (Image: Jay Penni/Federico Capasso)

18:00 07 January 2009  | 4 comments

Physicists at last observe a "quantum buoyancy" effect that could one day be used to oil the wheels of nanomachines

World's smallest fuel cell promises greener gadgets

The new micro fuel cell is just 3 mm by 3 mm (Image: Saeed Moghaddam)

11:42 07 January 2009  | 12 comments

Portable devices could be hydrogen powered if fuel cell technology could be made smaller – a design 3 mm across might do the trick

US investigation into gravity weapons 'nonsense'

Even the gravity waves produced by circling pairs of superdense neutron stars can only be detected indirectly (Image: Mark Galick/SPL)

Physicists are surprised to find that military intelligence investigated whether elusive gravitational waves could threaten US security

One Laptop Per Child ready for version 2.0

Children in Nigeria using the cheap laptop developed by the One Laptop Per Child project (Image: OLPC)

The founder of the ambitious project tells Paul Marks how its cheap, robust laptop is spreading rapidly across globe's poorest areas

FROM THE BLOG

Pimp my penknife

18:15 09 January 2009

Just the other day I was reading this fun discussion about which tools should feature on future, somewhat sci-fi, penknives.Now leading Swiss brand Victorinox has unveiled its latest nerdy knife at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, more usually...

Could your social networks spill your secrets?

17:16 07 January 2009

In an article at the end of last year we looked at some of the ways data-mining techniques are being used by marketeers and security services to extract sometimes private information by assembling huge amounts of data from web visits,...

Using Tetris to treat trauma

17:03 07 January 2009

Mention Tetris to anyone between the ages of 25 and 40 and his or her head will probably brim with blocks of various shapes and colours. The video game is so insidious that a long session can lead to Tetris...

VIDEO

Fat fingers no problem for 'transparent' touchscreen

A touch gagdet with the interface on the back provides a new way to interact

Even the tiniest gadgets are easy to use if they have a touch interface on the back

VIDEO

Rolling robot can hop

This spherical robot can jump over obstacles (Image: University of Bath)

A new design allows a spherical robot to either jump or roll over obstacles

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VIDEO

Chameleon-like 'opal' copies any colour

A new material that flits to any colour in the spectrum at the flick of a switch could revolutionise electronic paper

INVENTION COLUMN

Invention: Ultrasound brain 'window'

14:54 09 January 2009

Bouncing a beam of sound waves off a person's skull opens up a "window" that makes it easier to map activity inside without surgery

Invention: Recycled trash construction materials

11:25 08 January 2009  | 1 comment

Plant and plastic waste destined for landfill can be recycled into heat or noise insulation, and could even be used for construction, says a patent application

Gizmo

GIZMO:  00:00 07 January 2009

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10 January 2009

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