Dec 22

‘Trilobite’ compound eye puts a Paleozoic spin on mobile camera design

Posted in: research, Today's Chili

Extinct marine arthropods make for great design references — just ask Andreas Brückner. The Fraunhofer Institute of Applied Optics and Precision Engineering researcher has taken a cue from the trilobite in creating a 1.4mm thin “cluster eye” camera to take 221 images at 39 pixels per side to form a 700 x 550 (0.38 megapixel) composite. At this point, it’s also capable of recording 13 frames per second for video, and with a size like that, if they can bump up the specs it could pave way for smaller camera components in mobile phones. Not anytime soon, of course, as it’s still in the research state (and it’s just one of many camera research projects out there). The next step for Brückner and company is shrinking the aforementioned design to 1mm thin (and up the video to 30fps), as well as 1.5mm variant with one megapixel resolution.

‘Trilobite’ compound eye puts a Paleozoic spin on mobile camera design originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 02:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceNewScientist  | Email this | Comments

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Dec 21

Scientists developing E.Coli bacteria that stores, encrypts data

Posted in: research, science, storage, Today's Chili
Apparently it’s not good enough for bacteria to cause leprosy and tuberculosis any more, as scientists have been hard at work adapting the microorganisms for use as everything from microbial fuel cells to really, really small gears. Now, researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong have developed a way to use a colony of E.Coli for data storage and encryption. The technique involved placing data (in this case, The Declaration of Independence) in the DNA of bacterial cells, and can even harness site specific genetic recombination to encrypt the data. That said, the technology is still in its infancy: retrieving the info is “tedious and expensive,” according to Cambridge University’s Tim Middleton, and there is still the possibility that as organisms mutate, so will the data. Currently the only application of all this is the storage of copyright info in genetically engineered organisms, although further research might yield a bacterial storage medium that could survive the electromagnetic pulses and radiation of nuclear fallout.

Scientists developing E.Coli bacteria that stores, encrypts data originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 21:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceBlueSci  | Email this | Comments

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Dec 18

New research says e-cigarettes are safer than real ones, no cigarettes safer still

Posted in: Medicine, research, study, Today's Chili
Research swayed back and forth on the health risks associated with e-cigarettes since their debut in the US about three years ago. The faux cigs, which are essentially nicotine inhalers intended to help smokers kick the actual smoking habit while still getting their dose of nicotine, the main addictive ingredient in tobacco. In the first truly comprehensive study of the somewhat controversial nicotine replacement method, researchers at Boston University’s School of Public Health has found that not only are e-cigarettes much safer to “smoke” than normal ones, they may also aid in kicking the addictive habit altogether. According to the researchers, “few, if any” of the chemicals found in e-cigarettes pose serious health risks, and carcinogen levels in them are up to 1,000 times lower than in actual tobacco. This research, of course, disagrees with the FDA’s findings that essentially, the chemicals found in e-cigarettes were risky and unknowable. The FDA has yet to evaluate e-cigarettes the way that they have done with all medications and other nicotine replacement products, so we can’t be sure, but it’s looking more and more possible that if you just need to smoke, an e-cigarette may be a safer route… for everything but your dignity, of course.

New research says e-cigarettes are safer than real ones, no cigarettes safer still originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Dec 2010 03:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourcePhysorg  | Email this | Comments

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Dec 17

PSA: Your Christmas Tree Is a Fiery Death Trap [Video]

Posted in: research, Today's Chili, top, video

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum, you really are quite frightening! At least, you are after I’ve seen you burn down a living room in less than 60 seconds. Remember last year’s video? It gets worse. More »

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Dec 17

Researchers find weak point in lithium-ion batteries, suggest better nanowires could be the answer

Posted in: nano, research, Today's Chili
We’ve seen countless attempts to build a better lithium-ion battery, but there’s been far fewer research efforts devoted solely to figuring out why lithium-ion batteries don’t last longer. A team of scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have been doing just that, however, and they’re now sharing some of their findings. The main culprit, they say, are the nano-sized wires made of bulk tin oxide used in the batteries, which can expand and deform considerably over time, eventually rendering the battery useless. What’s more, while the research was focused primarily on examining the cause of battery aging, the researchers do naturally have a few suggestions on how to improve them — namely, to replace those wires made of bulk tin oxide with finer tin oxide nanowires. As lead scientist Chongmin Wang explains, that would effectively amount to winding together “thinner wires rather than making one thick rope,” which is of course easier said than done. Head on past the break for the complete press release.

Continue reading Researchers find weak point in lithium-ion batteries, suggest better nanowires could be the answer

Researchers find weak point in lithium-ion batteries, suggest better nanowires could be the answer originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 09:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Autoblog Green  |  sourcePNNL  | Email this | Comments

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Dec 15

Fragrance Jet II receives video demonstration, still looks like a terrible idea (video)

Posted in: Japan, japanese, medical, Medicine, research, Today's Chili, university, video

Ah, those zany Keio University researchers trying to recreate Smell-O-Vision, do you want to know what they’re up to these days? They’re still trying, of course, but now they’ve taken the opportunity to demonstrate their hardware — which uses basic inkjet printer tech to fire off very short bursts of fragrance — to tech lovers in Japan while still tweaking and refining it. Primarily aimed at helping healthcare professionals in assessing a patient’s sense of smell, the Fragrance Jet II has a high degree of control granularity, permitting the varying of both intensity and duration of a scent, which in turn can provide a very accurate measurement of a given person’s olfactory acuity. A mobile prototype has also been trotted out (pictured above), hinting at the possibility of eventually shrinking these modules to fit inside cellphones and thus leading us to an awesome future of customizable “incoming call fragrances.” Awesome indeed. Video after the break.

Continue reading Fragrance Jet II receives video demonstration, still looks like a terrible idea (video)

Fragrance Jet II receives video demonstration, still looks like a terrible idea (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 06:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceDigInfo  | Email this | Comments

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Dec 14

Google fires Nexus S into space, invites tenuous Galaxy S analogies (video)

Posted in: Android, gingerbread, Google, nexus s, NexusS, research, samsung, space, Today's Chili, university, video

How are you killing the time until the Nexus S finally goes on sale? Google’s answer to that question has been a typically outlandish affair, involving seven Nexi, a collection of weather balloons, and another quest to see how much can be learned from a humble smartphone’s sensors when they’re shot to the edge of space. Yes, the Mountain View madmen fired a week’s worth of their latest and greatest smartphones through the Earth’s atmosphere, hoping to test both the durability and the information-gathering skills of the onboard compass, gyro, and accelerometer, while dedicated GPS modules were installed in each “shuttle” (made out of styrofoam beer coolers, if you can believe it) to help recover the cargo on its return to terra firma. So far, only six of the phones have been recovered — might this be another of Google’s crazy puzzles? A treasure hunt for an Android fallen from heaven? Video after the break.

Continue reading Google fires Nexus S into space, invites tenuous Galaxy S analogies (video)

Google fires Nexus S into space, invites tenuous Galaxy S analogies (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 21:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Tecca  |  sourceNew Scientist  | Email this | Comments

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Dec 14

Man Officially Cured of HIV [Hiv]

Posted in: Medicine, research, Today's Chili, top

For the first time, a man has been declared officially cured of HIV. The remedy may nearly have killed him, but it opens a door—just a crack—to hope that we may someday kill off the scourge for good. More »

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Dec 10

Researchers develop programmable molecular circuitry for living cells

Posted in: research, science, Today's Chili

Researchers at the UCSF School of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, led by Christopher A. Voigt have just published a paper which promises to get your circuits moving. The team has been working with E. coli bacteria to build logic gates like the ones found in computers directly into cells, making it possible to rewire and program them. The simple logic gates used in the experiment were built into genes then inserted into E. coli cells. The logic gates then acted as the communicator between the separate strains, allowing them to be connected together.The use of logic gates in cells could make it possible to tackle more complicated processes, so that science can begin to use cells at the molecular level for biomedical advances.

Researchers develop programmable molecular circuitry for living cells originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 05:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Physorg  |  sourceNature (summary only)  | Email this | Comments

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Dec 08

Carbon nanotubes run into magical polymer, become ‘tougher than Kevlar’

Posted in: nanotechnology, research, science, Today's Chili, university

Much like graphene, carbon nanotubes seem to be hitting on all cylinders in the lab. Of course, we can count on one hand finger how many instances we’ve seen them making a difference in “the real world,” but we aren’t giving up hope just yet. Researchers from a cadre of universities have come together to solve one of the most nagging issues when dealing with carbon nanotubes — in prior studies, the bundling of these tubes resulted in a marked decrease in strength, which in turn led to a profuse outpouring of tears. But thanks to a new approach, which mixes in a nondescript polymer, they’ve managed to conjure up a “a high performance fiber that is remarkably tough, strong, and resistant to failure.” More specifically, the resulting material is said to be “tougher than Kevlar, meaning it has a higher ability to absorb energy without breaking.” Notably, this material isn’t stronger than Kevlar, as it’s resistance to failure isn’t quite up to snuff, but you can bet the gurus working on this won’t stop until it is. And then, friends, we will have officially arrived in The Future.

Carbon nanotubes run into magical polymer, become ‘tougher than Kevlar’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 00:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Gizmag  |  sourceNorthwestern  | Email this | Comments

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