In a large-scale project recently funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration, several MIT faculty members are working on a “human-on-a-chip” system that scientists could use to study up to 10 human tissue types at a time. The goal is to create a customizable system of interconnected tissues, grown in small wells on a …
Gartner – Worldwide sales of mobile phones to end users reached almost 428 million units in the third quarter of 2012, a 3.1 percent decline from the third quarter of 2011, according to Gartner, Inc. Smartphone sales accounted for 39.6 percent of total mobile phone sales, as smartphone sales increased 46.9 percent from the third …
Arxiv – Quantum teleportation and quantum memory are two crucial elements for large-scale quantum networks. With the help of prior distributed entanglement as a “quantum channel”, quantum teleportation provides an intriguing means to faithfully transfer quantum states among distant locations without actual transmission of the physical carriers. Quantum memory enables controlled storage and retrieval of …
Yarns woven from carbon nanotubes can contract like muscles at extremely high speeds to lift large weights. These carbon nanotube muscles can lift loads 200 times greater than natural muscles the same size. Videos made by researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas show the nanotube yarns lifting loads as much as 50,000 times greater than …
NASA is marking two milestones in the search for planets like Earth; the successful completion of the Kepler Space Telescope’s 3 1/2- year prime mission and the beginning of an extended mission that could last as long as four years. Scientists have used Kepler data to identify more than 2,300 planet candidates and confirm more …
Northwestern University – Steve Ciatti, a mechanical engineer at Argonne National Laboratory west of Chicago, modifies diesel engines. By the time he finishes, emissions are reduced 66 to 95 percent and gas mileage improves. Q: Why hasn’t there been more progress in fuel economy for cars sold in the U.S. despite the high price of …
Technology Review – In theory, quantum batteries such as atoms and molecules can store and release energy on demand almost perfectly–provided they are entangled, says physicists. Physicists have long known that it is possible to extract work from some quantum states but not others. These others are known as passive states. So the quantity physicists …
Phys Org – Northwestern University scientists have developed a thermoelectric material that is the best in the world at converting waste heat to electricity. This is very good news once you realize nearly two-thirds of energy input is lost as waste heat. This is a very environmentally stable material that is expected to convert 15 …
Wired UK has an article that summarizes recent developments with cold fusion / low energy nuclear reactions. They cover recent news from Rossi, Brillouin, Celani, Defkalion and others. The weekend of 7 and 8 September saw a conference in Zurich on Rossi’s reactor, known as the E-Cat. The conference mainly preached to the converted, attended …