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Posts Tagged ‘Science’

dn16126 2 300Now this is pretty interesting. If nanotechnology news gives you the warm fuzzies then you’ll be pleased to learn that some chemists at the University of Zurich have created a new fabric that can’t ever get wet. Ever. I mean, it was in water for two months and it’s still not wet!

This material is made from polyester which were covered with 40nm-wide silicone nanofilaments. Since these filaments are so tiny and so spiky, they make it so water actually sits above the material in a sort of pocket. This is a permanent state. The material won’t ever be made wet.

So what are the potential applications of this technology? Well, it reduces drag in water by up to 20%, for one. It can also serve as a self-cleaning cloth. Regardless of how it ends up being used, this is still pretty cool and presents numerous opportunities.

Wow. This is just plain cool. Apparently, astronomers have successfully taken the first images of planets that fall outside of our solar system. In fact, these planets that orbit stars other than our own, were photographed using new imaging techniques.

other solar systems

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A report released by the UK Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution indicates that we might not know enough about nano-engineered materials for them to be widely used. In fact, the commission chair will not wear clothing that has nano silver in it until more study is completed.

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phoenix marsFor those interested in space and NASA, you’ll most likely be saddened to learn that the Mars Phoenix ends its mission yesterday. Yes, the little robot that found water on the barren planet stopped communicating with Earth yesterday, officially bringing the project to a close.

Interestingly enough, the Mars Phoenix was very connected on the Internet and would offer updates as to its status by means of Twitter. Standard status updates were the typical fare, like when the Phoenix went into safe mode and when it found its solar panels blocked by dust storms.

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Now this is interesting. In order to improve surveillance options, new platforms are being researched, especially those that mimic things from nature. Take for instance this robotic spy plane. It’s only six-inches long, but it can use just about everything as a power source and could be used for monitoring all sensory perceptions in a combat zone.

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Emerging green technologies are always something to get excited about. After all, it will be these technologies that ween our dependence off of fossil fuels. And even though hearing the term “fungus fuel” might sound like something out of a sci-fi movie, it’s a real thing that has real potential.

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Uhho! This sounds scary! Apparently, a group of computer scientists at UC San Diego have come up with a computer program that makes it so a key can be duplicated just by analyzing a photo of one.

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Wouldn’t it be nice if electricity were free? Well, that’s precisely what these two men from Australian thought. In fact, they’ve whipped up a perpetual motion machine that could save you money and let you produce your own energy. Maybe. 

perpetual motion machine

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DARPA is always coming up with interesting new military technology that we just can’t help but talk about. For instance, their new DBAC device could be used to save lives in the field. That’s definitely pretty cool by us.
 
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plasmoniclensTechnology keeps getting smaller and smaller and now researchers at the University of California at Berkeley have happened onto a new way to write data that could result in chips that are 10 times smaller than what’s currently available.  

It works by using a writing arm that’s incredibly small. This arm would use lenses with plasmons to write data in a very compact fashion. With all of the data much more closely spaced together, more data can fit on a single chip, meaning chip size can be reduced dramatically.

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