Hasta La Gadget!

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  |  Northwestern  | Email this | Comments

Kudos to Bristol University for catching our attention, and doing so in the name of promoting education. Professor of Ultrasonics Bruce Drinkwater is evoking a rather iconic name to better explain how cool science / engineering can be. Though already used in the manufacturing and medical fields — don’t yawn and look away just yet — Drinkwater expresses some confidence that the future of this technology could very well usher in a pocketable device similar to the sonic screwdriver fancied by a certain former resident of Gallifrey. You know, that do-it-all device that can repair electronic equipment, burn and cut items, fuse metals, scan for information, and render virtually any lock useless… except here we’re focusing on ultrasonic sound waves capable of fixing parts together and creating miniature force fields. As for the Time Lord himself, we know of at least one past Doctor who, as joked by a later incarnation, would rather “save the universe using a kettle and some string” (and has, in more recent iterations, pulled out miraculous victories with even a BlackBerry Storm). Point is, you should maybe consider a degree in Physics and an eccentric outfit should you ever find yourself holding a working prototype.

Doctor Who’s sonic screwdriver is still fiction — but not forever originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 02:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink io9  |  Bristol University  | Email this | Comments

Okay, so there’s no actual way to phone up Sad Keanu Reeves and confirm that the Mercedes-Benz BIOME is indeed on sale in the “real world,” but it should be. Revealed in The Matrix’s own LA Auto Show, this here vehicle has a theoretical weight of just 875.5 pounds, but it’s likely far too wide to cruise on this planet’s existing roadway system. The vehicle was imagined by designers from the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios in Carlsbad, California, and it’s said to be “fully integrated into the ecosystem, from the moment of its creation right through to the end of its service life.” How so? It’s grown “in a completely organic environment from seeds sown in a nursery,” and just being totally frank here, we’ve no idea what that means. But hey, if M-B can figure out how to grow cars in Morpheus’ backyard, who are we to question the reality of it?

Continue reading Mercedes-Benz BIOME concept car grows in a nursery, on sale now in Zion

Mercedes-Benz BIOME concept car grows in a nursery, on sale now in Zion originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 13:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TG Daily  |  Autoblog  | Email this | Comments

If you were hoping NASA was going to announce the very first tweet from an extraterrestrial being, sorry to break your heart — it is astrobiological, but the findings are actually borne of this rock. Researchers in Mono Lake, California, have discovered a microorganism (pictured) that uses arsenic instead of phosphorous to thrive and reproduce. The latter, as far as terrestrial life is concerned, is a building block of life along with carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur, all integral to our DNA and RNA. Arsenic, meanwhile, is generally considered poisonous — but “chemically it behaves similarly to phosphate,” apparently making for a good substitution. In other words, NASA’s proven that life can be made with components different than our current assumptions, both locally and beyond the stars. Seems entirely logical, if you ask us. (A silicon-based Horta, Mr. Spock?)

So, what about other atypical life-forming chemicals? NASA isn’t speculating. That sound you hear is a thousand light bulbs popping up as science fiction writers everywhere conjure up brand new super villains — and a thousand Chemistry professors writing new extra credit questions for their fall semester finals.

NASA reveals arsenic-bred organisms, search for life gets broader parameters originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 14:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  NASA  | Email this | Comments

Good news, Boston: your city’s Museum of Science today announced that it will reopen the Charles Hayden Planetarium (not to be confused with the cheerleader on Heroes) on Sunday, February 13, 2011. It will then offer the most technologically advanced digital theater in New England. Powered by full-dome video and audio systems, as well as a new Zeiss Starmaster projector, the reopening will culminate a $9 million renovation project.

As part of the grand re-opening, the museum will premier Undiscovered Worlds: The Search Beyond Our Sun, an original astronomy show that explores the study of exoplanets, meaning planets outside our solar system. The film looks into whether planets like Earth are common or rare.