Light rather than electrical current: The inner or outer surfaces of glass micropipettes can be coated with nanoparticles of a narrow-band-gap semiconductor. When visible or near-infrared light is used for excitation, these micropipettes (labeled PE Stim in the image) can activate nearby neurons (labeled *) in brain tissue without the damage associated with electrical stimulation. …
Scientists and engineers at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) are hoping to save around Rs.5 billion (Rs.500 crore or $104 million) by modifying the design of four fast reactors nuclear power plants. With the experience gained from prototype that is being completed, the new projects can be completed in five years as …
For any energy source, the cooling water can be waste-water or salt-water if the siting of the power plant has those non-fresh water sources available. Coal and solar-thermal can have more siting issues. Coal needs to be nearer to coal resources because millions of tons/year of coal is needed per plant. Solar thermal needs to …
Iran said it launched its first domestically produced satellite, an event likely to prompt new Western concerns about its development of technology with possible military applications. Sputnick was launched October 4, 1957 by the Soviet Union. The surprise launch of Sputnik 2, coupled with the spectacular failure of the United States’ first two Project Vanguard …
There was a NASA study of hypersonic skyhooks that determined the best designs and the strength of materials needed. No show-stoppers were uncovered. However, the elements of the concept require further development and refinement and then actual implementation programs. They have to build and test hardware to make the engineering work reliably. The recent development …
By Alvin Wang People have been asking what is Web 2.0 and what is 3.0.People have been asking what is Web 2.0 and what is 3.0. Is Web 2.0 ajax or social networking? I would propose that the question is completely irrelevant. The current Internet is an application of the next generation of computer architectures. …
UCLA researchers developed a method of placing graphite oxide paper in a solution of pure hydrazine (a chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen), which reduces the graphite oxide paper into single-layer graphene. This is the first reported instance of using hydrazine as the solvent. The graphene produced from the hydrazine solution is also a more …
The nanometer-sized cargo ships look individually like a chocolate-covered nut cluster, in which a biocompatible lipid forms the chocolate shell and magnetic nanoparticles, quantum dots and the drug doxorubicin are the nuts. Credit: Ji-Ho Park, UCSD Scientists at UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara and MIT report that their nano-cargo-ship system integrates therapeutic and diagnostic …
A better biodiesel process has been developed with no waste products and lower costs. Raw fats and oils of any type are combined with an alcohol. This mixture is run through a sulfated zirconia column heated to 300 degrees Celsius. Easy Fatty Acid Removal (EFAR) system recycles any unreacted raw material back through the reactor. …
Scientists at The University of Manchester have developed a new and fast method for making biological ‘chips’ – technology that could lead to quick testing for serious diseases, fast detection of MRSA infections and rapid discovery of new drugs. They are aiming to develop ‘nanoarrays’. These would be much smaller than existing ‘micro arrays’ and …
US Oil SupplyIn 2008, total domestic crude oil output is projected to average 5.15 million bbl/d, up slightly from the 2007 average of 5.10 million bbl/d. Production growth in the Lower-48 region is expected to more than offset declines in Alaskan output. In 2009, total production is projected to increase to 5.36 million bbl/d, due …