Iron-oxidizing bacteria could be used to convert electricity into biofuel

Iron-oxidizing bacteria could be used to convert electricity into biofuel:

What do bacteria, wind turbines and solar panels have to do with one another? Nothing ... unless you can teach the bacteria to “breathe” electricity and turn it into biofuel. That’s still a very long way off, but a team of researchers at the BioTechnology Institute at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities have found a method for growing iron-oxidizing bacteria by feeding it electricity. It’s primarily a way to better study a recently-discovered type of bacteria, but it also holds the promise of turning electricity into biofuel. .. Continue Reading Iron-oxidizing bacteria could be used to convert electricity into biofuel

Section: Science and Education

Tags: Bacteria, Biofuel, Electricity, University of Minnesota

Related Articles:

• Nasty bacteria get gagged with plastic
• Cold plasma therapy could provide an alternative to antibiotics
• Battery-powered plasma flashlight makes short work of bacteria
• Antibiotic resistant bacteria discovered in isolated New Mexico cave
• Bioengineered bacteria could produce fuel from CO2
• Scientists use bacteria to create fuel from sunlight and CO2

Mercedes-Benz provides closer look at its Intelligence Drive System

Mercedes-Benz provides closer look at its Intelligence Drive System:

When we looked at the 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class last year, one of the highlights was the vehicle's “Intelligent Drive System.” This assisted driving system is designed to avoid or mitigate collisions through a suite of sensors and computer-assisted steering and braking. The company has now released four videos that explain how each feature works... Continue Reading Mercedes-Benz provides closer look at its Intelligence Drive System

Section: Automotive

Tags: Adaptive Cruise Control, Automotive, Autonomous, Mercedes-Benz, Safety

Related Articles:

• Putting the brakes on running red lights - Mercedes Benz 'Smart Stop' technology
• Auto Shanghai debut for Mercedes Concept A-Class
• Volvo safety system for avoiding collisions at low speeds
• Volvo to unveil new safety technology at Frankfurt Motor Show
• New 2014 Mercedes-Benz E-Class revealed
• Volvo traffic jam assistance system takes over the chore of stop/start driving

Scientists turn light into a tractor beam

Scientists turn light into a tractor beam:

From The Skylark of Space to Star Wars, no self-respecting science fiction spaceship would break orbit without a tractor beam on board. We’re still a long way from locking on to errant shuttlecraft, but a team led by Dr. Tomas Cizmar, Research Fellow in the School of Medicine at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, has turned a laser into a tractor beam that works on the microscopic level... Continue Reading Scientists turn light into a tractor beam

Section: Science and Education

Tags: Laser, Photonics, University of St. Andrews

Related Articles:

• Bessel beam "tractor beam" concept theoretically demonstrated
• It's pulling us in! Researchers make tractor beams a reality
• NASA evaluating "tractor beam" technologies
• All-optical transistor created
• Dark Pulse Laser emits trillionths-of-a-second bursts of nothing
• Light resonators used to move nano-sized objects

Curiosity works the night shift

Curiosity works the night shift:

NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity has taken to working the night shift lately. This week, on the Martian night of January 22, the nuclear-powered explorer used its Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) instrument under ultraviolet light to examine a rock called "Sayunei” as part of its two-year mission to seek out areas of the Red Planet where life may once or could still exist... Continue Reading Curiosity works the night shift

Section: Science and Education

Tags: Curiosity Rover, Mars, Mars Science Laboratory, NASA, Space

Related Articles:

• Curiosity rover takes its first Martian soil samples
• NASA announces new rover mission for Mars
• Curiosity completes first rock inspection, unveils Stars and Stripes
• Curiosity takes self-portrait, sniffs Martian air
• NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity getting "brain transplant"
• Update: Curiosity object probably plastic

DARPA produces 10 million flu vaccine doses in one month

DARPA produces 10 million flu vaccine doses in one month:

A familiar news topic during the flu season is the difficulties that the authorities face in producing enough flu vaccine fast enough to control the outbreak. That’s a serious enough problem, but when the influenza outbreak turns out to be the start of a global pandemic, then hundreds of millions of lives could be at risk. To combat this, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has developed a new way of making vaccines that has turned out 10 million doses of H1N1 influenza vaccine in a month, in a recent test run. .. Continue Reading DARPA produces 10 million flu vaccine doses in one month

Section: Science and Education

Tags: DARPA, H1N1, Influenza, Plants, Vaccines, Viruses and Bacteria

Related Articles:

• New flu vaccine could provide immunity against all strains of influenza virus
• Bacterial spores could replace hypodermic needles for vaccinations
• Discovery of natural antibody offers hope for a near-universal flu vaccine
• Plant-based vaccine factory enables large-scale production in just weeks
• New nanoparticle for vaccine delivery developed at MIT
• New vaccine could provide lifetime immunity to nicotine addiction

DARPA video outlines progress of Phoenix satellite re-purposing project

DARPA video outlines progress of Phoenix satellite re-purposing project:

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has released a new video showing the progress of its Phoenix project, which aims at salvaging parts from defunct communications satellites to build new ones. Based on a new class of nanosatellites and a robotic “tender,” its purpose is to use repurposed satellites to construct a new communications net for the military at low cost. .. Continue Reading DARPA video outlines progress of Phoenix satellite re-purposing project

Section: Science and Education

Tags: DARPA, Recycling, Robotic, Satellite, Spacecraft

Related Articles:

• DARPA plans on scrounging parts from dead satellites - while they're still in orbit
• DARPA wants swarms of "disposable" satellites to provide almost-live images on demand
• US Air Force assumes control of first Boeing WGS satellite
• Tiny satellites will use Kinect to dock with one another
• NASA selects next nanosatellite flight demonstration missions
• Pentagon looking for someone to pick up the trash in space

Opportunity rover begins tenth year on Mars

Opportunity rover begins tenth year on Mars: David Szondy is a freelance writer based in Monroe, Washington. An award-winning playwright, he has contributed to Charged and iQ magazine and is the author of the website Tales of Future Past. All articles by David Szondy. Tags ...
Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine

New evidence of groundwater-fed lake on Mars

New evidence of groundwater-fed lake on Mars:

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has found new evidence of a wet underground environment that once existed on the Red Planet. Using its Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM), the orbiter examined the floor of McLaughlin Crater in the Northern Hemisphere of the planet and found evidence of the formation of carbonates and clay in a groundwater-fed lake in the ancient past. .. Continue Reading New evidence of groundwater-fed lake on Mars

Section: Science and Education

Tags: Mars, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASA, Space

Related Articles:

• New insight into Martian environment
• Curiosity finds ancient stream bed on Mars
• Google Earth goes to Mars
• Further evidence that Mars once had oceans emerges
• Curiosity rover makes first foursquare check-in on another planet
• NASA announces new rover mission for Mars

Planetary Resources shows off full-scale asteroid mining prototype

Planetary Resources shows off full-scale asteroid mining prototype:

Last year, we took an in-depth look at Planetary Resources’ asteroid mining plans. Now the Bellevue, Washington-based company has revealed a full-scale prototype of its Arkyd-100 Low Earth Orbit spacecraft that will search for promising mining candidates. In a video update, Planetary Resources President and “Chief Asteroid Miner,” Chris Lewicki gave a tour of the 11 kilogram (24.2 lb) spacecraft’s features and outlined the company’s immediate goals... Continue Reading Planetary Resources shows off full-scale asteroid mining prototype

Section: Aero Gizmo

Tags: Asteroid Mining, Planetary Resources, Prototype, Space, Spacecraft, Telescope

Related Articles:

• Is asteroid mining about to begin?
• Grand plans for asteroid mining unveiled by Planetary Resources
• Richard Branson lays out roadmap to put satellites, and his kids, into space
• ESA to test asteroid deflection
• Countdown to the launch of solar sailed spacecraft
• NASA’s Dawn spacecraft becomes first probe to enter orbit around object in asteroid belt

Boeing to upgrade survivor locator devices for U.S. Airforce

Boeing to upgrade survivor locator devices for U.S. Airforce:

Boeing has been awarded contracts worth US$13.6 million to upgrade the U.S. Air Force’s Combat Survivor Evader Locator (CSEL) radio and the CSEL ultrahigh frequency (UHF) base stations that support it. The purpose of the contract is to bring the personal survival radio and the CSEL network in line with the latest Information Assurance standards to protect them against jamming and other interference by hostile forces. .. Continue Reading Boeing to upgrade survivor locator devices for U.S. Airforce

Section: Military

Tags: Boeing, Communications, GPS

Related Articles:

• Combat Survivor Evader Locator authorized for use in Middle East Theatre
• USB to synchronous cable gives tactical radios IP data capabilities
• Unmanned Air Combat X-45C to get Autonomous Aerial Refueling capabilities
• H2O Power radio runs on water from the shower
• Radio Receiver fits inside Microchip
• Boeing delivers first JTRS Cluster 1 Radios for Future Combat Systems Program

The Hyundai Genesis gets high-tech with HCD-14 concept

The Hyundai Genesis gets high-tech with HCD-14 concept:

Unveiled the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, the HCD-14 Genesis is intended to showcase Hyundai's future design direction for rear-wheel drive premium cars. For a premium-sport, four-door coupe, the HCD-14 concept presents a surprising mixture of style choices, along with the inclusion of some interesting interactive technologies such 3D gesture tracking navigation control... Continue Reading The Hyundai Genesis gets high-tech with HCD-14 concept

Section: Automotive

Tags: Automotive, Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show 2013, Hyundai, NAIAS 2013

Related Articles:

• Hyundai Connectivity Concept turns your car into a rolling smartphone
• Hyundai to present HED-5 concept in Geneva
• Hyundai prepares for the apocalypse with Zombie Survival Machine
• Hyundai C-Segment Arnejs concept
• Pickup Hatch? Hyundai C3 Roll Top pulls the roof off the Veloster
• Hyundai Veloster gets aggressive with Velocity concept

NASA releases animation of Titan landing to mark anniversary

NASA releases animation of Titan landing to mark anniversary:

On August 14, 2005, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Huygens probe landed by parachute on the surface of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. To commemorate the eighth anniversary of this historic event, NASA has released an animation that recreates that landing based on instrument readings taken by the unmanned probe during its final descent through the Titanian atmosphere. .. Continue Reading NASA releases animation of Titan landing to mark anniversary

Section: Science and Education

Tags: Anniversary, NASA, Space, Titan

Related Articles:

• Huygens begins its final journey into the unknown
• Better rug up dear, it's minus 200 degrees, and raining methane
• Titan's rivers point to Earth-like erosion
• Oceans on Titan a near-certainty according to Cassini spacecraft
• Saturn and Titan in living color
• TALISE aquatic rover may explore a lake on Titan

ESA to provide service module for NASA's Orion spacecraft

ESA to provide service module for NASA's Orion spacecraft:

NASA has signed an agreement with ESA (the European Space Agency) for the latter to supply service modules for NASA’s Orion manned spacecraft, due to launch in 2017. The modules will use technology from ESA’s Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) currently ferrying supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) and will provide propulsion, power and life support to the Orion module... Continue Reading ESA to provide service module for NASA's Orion spacecraft

Section: Science and Education

Tags: ESA, NASA, Orion Spacecraft, Spacecraft

Related Articles:

• NASA puts Orion spacecraft's backup parachutes to the test
• First Orion spacecraft begins testing
• The Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle – NASA awards design, develop, and build contract
• NASA to build manned space station beyond the Moon?
• Boeing to construct CST-100 spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center
• NASA heads underwater to test concepts for future asteroid mission

US, ESA to test asteroid deflection

US, ESA to test asteroid deflection:

When you’re trying to keep a rogue asteroid from hitting Earth, you’d better get it right the first time. With this in mind, the European Space Agency (ESA) is looking for new ideas to help develop a US-European asteroid deflection mission. With a target date of October, 2022, the purpose of the mission is to send a pair of spacecraft to a near-Earth asteroid where one will impact it while the other observes the effect... Continue Reading US, ESA to test asteroid deflection

Section: Science and Education

Tags: Asteroid, ESA, Johns Hopkins University, Space, Spacecraft

Related Articles:

• Laser-wielding satellite swarm to deflect asteroids
• Asteroid deflection schemes go green with solar-powered laser spacecraft
• Deflecting asteroids with paint balls
• Sentinel mission to place asteroid-hunting telescope into orbit around the Sun
• NASA heads underwater to test concepts for future asteroid mission
• China's Chang'E 2 succeeds in thrilling asteroid flyby

Curiosity scheduled to conduct first test drill on Mars

Curiosity scheduled to conduct first test drill on Mars:

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity is scheduled to carry out the first drilling ever conducted on the Red Planet. At a press conference, NASA officials said that the unmanned explorer would test its drill on a target rock within the next two weeks. The target selected is the “John Klein” area of Glen Crater where the rover will take rock samples as part of Curiosity’s two-year mission to find places on the Red Planet where life could have or still might exist... Continue Reading Curiosity scheduled to conduct first test drill on Mars

Section: Science and Education

Tags: Mars, Mars Science Laboratory, NASA, Space

Related Articles:

• Curiosity suspends sampling, may have dropped a bit of itself
• Curiosity begins new year of exploration
• NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity getting "brain transplant"
• Curiosity rolls out, and writes a message on Mars
• NASA announces new rover mission for Mars
• Update: Curiosity object probably plastic

2014 Infiniti Q50 sedan features drive-by-wire steering

2014 Infiniti Q50 sedan features drive-by-wire steering:

Fly-by-wire systems are the sort of thing we associate with aircraft and space shuttles, but they’re now moving into the automotive world. This week at a press conference at the 2013 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), Infiniti unveiled its Q50 luxury sports sedan. Based on the Infiniti Essence concept, this is the first production car to feature drive-by-wire steering instead of conventional mechanical and hydraulic linkages... Continue Reading 2014 Infiniti Q50 sedan features drive-by-wire steering

Section: Automotive

Tags: Automotive, Infiniti, NAIAS 2013, Sedan, Steering

Related Articles:

• Infiniti developing range-extended sports EV
• Infiniti's Emerg-e range-extended electric sports car breaks cover
• Infiniti EMERG-E demonstrator makes global debut
• F1 champion Mark Webber to drive Infiniti Emerg-E prototype at Goodwood
• Infiniti Emerg-E revealed - 400 bhp electric sports car concept
• Nissan Leaf gets a fancy brother: The Infiniti LE

Ecovacs Winbot 7 robot cleans windows with sticktoitiveness

Ecovacs Winbot 7 robot cleans windows with sticktoitiveness:

Window cleaning robots aren't that new, but most of them, like the Windoro, rely on magnets to stay vertical. This requires the robot to be built in two parts and sets a limit on how thick the window glass can be. Ecovacs' Winbot 7, which was on display at CES, uses a pair of concentric suction rings to adhere to the glass, so is claimed to work on any thickness of window... Continue Reading Ecovacs Winbot 7 robot cleans windows with sticktoitiveness

Section: Robotics

Tags: Cleaning, Ecovacs, Glass, Robots

Related Articles:

• Window walking Windoro robot scrubs windows clean
• Smart Energy Glass controls light on demand
• New thinner, safer, blast-resistant glass
• XDModo solar charger sticks to the inside of a window to soak up the sun
• The handheld vacuum cleaner that never clogs and never loses suction
• RSi unveils semi-transparent solar window

NASA awards contract to Bigelow Aerospace for inflatable ISS module

NASA awards contract to Bigelow Aerospace for inflatable ISS module:

NASA has announced that it has awarded a US$17.8 million contract to Bigelow Aerospace to provide the International Space Station with an inflatable module. Details of the award will be discussed by NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver and Bigelow Aerospace President Robert Bigelow at a press conference on January 16 at the Bigelow Aerospace facilities in North Las Vegas. However, based on previous talks, it’s likely that the module in question could be the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM)... Continue Reading NASA awards contract to Bigelow Aerospace for inflatable ISS module

Section: Aero Gizmo

Tags: Bigelow Aerospace, Inflatable, International Space Station, NASA, Space

Related Articles:

• SpaceX and Bigelow Aerospace team up to push private space missions
• Boeing to construct CST-100 spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center
• CST-100 capsule landing system tested in 11,000 foot drop test
• Aerospace Giants combine in race to build Orbital Space Plane
• NASA testing next-gen lunar rover in Arizona
• NASA selects “green” propellant technology demonstration mission

Olive oil may save York Minster cathedral

Olive oil may save York Minster cathedral:

York Minster is one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in Northern Europe and one of the great monuments of medieval architecture. Built in the city of York, UK between 1220 and 1472, it has suffered looting, vandalism, arson and a devastating fire after a lightning strike in 1984. Despite decades of restoration costing millions of pounds, the Minster still faces an implacable enemy, the air itself. In hopes of protecting the Minster from rotting away due to air pollution, Dr. Karen Wilson and Prof. Adam Lee of the Cardiff School of Chemistry, Cardiff University along with researchers at the University of Iowa have discovered that the key to saving the church may lie in olive oil... Continue Reading Olive oil may save York Minster cathedral

Section: Architecture

Tags: Building and Construction, Cardiff University, Coatings, Hydrophobic, Pollution, University of Iowa

Related Articles:

• Bioethanol from Olive Stones
• De Soto uses limestone for its T1 Wetsuits
• On the road to cleaner air with air-purifying concrete
• Human virus cloning first, new vaccines could result
• Recording data using heat could lead to faster, more efficient magnetic recording devices
• New water treatment system saves space and reduces costs

Gigantic C SEED 201 outdoor LED TV descends into the ground when not in use

Gigantic C SEED 201 outdoor LED TV descends into the ground when not in use:

For those who go in for outdoor television viewing with a big dash of ostentation, Porsche Design Studio of Zell am See, Austria offers the C SEED 201 LED television. This 201-inch (5.11 m) 16:9 LED behemoth isn't just enormous, it also rises out of the ground like something out of a Bond film and unfolds itself in less than 30 seconds... Continue Reading Gigantic C SEED 201 outdoor LED TV descends into the ground when not in use

Section: Home Entertainment

Tags: LED, LED TV, Outdoor TV, Television

Related Articles:

• The SEED Project - from unused shipping container to sustainable emergency housing
• Diaspora – a distributed, open source, secure social network with Facebook in its sights
• Sprout ... a living plant from a dying pencil
• Lockheed Martin's Samarai monocopter - you won't believe how this thing flies
• Bacterial byproduct keeps barnacles from clinging to ships' hulls
• LG Electronics will unveil the world's largest 3D Ultra Definition TV at CES

Sisma Calce seismic fabric helps hold buildings together during ...

Sisma Calce seismic fabric helps hold buildings together during <b>...</b>: David Szondy is a freelance writer based in Monroe, Washington. An award-winning playwright, he has contributed to Charged and iQ magazine and is the author of the website Tales of Future Past. All articles by David Szondy. Tags ...
Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine

Corning introduces laser fiber optic USB cable

Corning introduces laser fiber optic USB cable:

Digital systems are notorious for bottlenecks. It’s no good having a blazing, overclocked PC and an internet connection like a firehose if the USB cable between them is like a straw. It’s even worse when the distance between PC and modem is more than a few feet away, so the cable can’t reach. With the aim of eliminating these bottlenecks, Corning Cable Systems LLC is unveiling its Optical Cable by Corning at CES in Las Vegas. These cables replace copper wires with fiber optics to produce cables up to 100 meters (328 ft) long, that are much more durable and achieve speeds of 10 gigabytes per second, which is enough to load a full-length HD video in 30 seconds... Continue Reading Corning introduces laser fiber optic USB cable

Section: Electronics

Tags: CES 2013, Corning, Data Transfer, Fiber Optic, Thunderbolt, USB

Related Articles:

• High definition universal gaming cable for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii
• Roboden electrical cable stretches like human skin
• Optical system could revolutionize underwater communications
• Philips' Wireless HDTV Link transmits up to 1080p
• Twig iPhone cable doubles as a tripod
• Spring-loaded Recoil Winder aims to end cable management misery

Stanford team developing spiky robot "hedgehogs" to explore Phobos

Stanford team developing spiky <b>robot</b> "hedgehogs" to explore Phobos: Stanford University is developing spiky spherical robots called “hedgehogs” to better cope with the very low gravity of the Martian moon Phobos.
Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine

Stanford team developing spiky robot "hedgehogs" to explore Phobos

Stanford team developing spiky robot "hedgehogs" to explore Phobos:

Robot hedgehogs on the moons of Mars may sound like the title of a B-grade sci-fi movie, but that is what Stanford University is working on. Marco Pavone, an assistant professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and his team are developing spherical robots called “hedgehogs” that are about half a meter (1.6 ft) wide and covered in spikes to better cope with rolling and hopping across the surface of the Martian moon Phobos with its very low gravity... Continue Reading Stanford team developing spiky robot "hedgehogs" to explore Phobos

Section: Robotics

Tags: Mars, Robotic, Space, Spacecraft, Stanford University

Related Articles:

• Mars Express takes close up of Phobos
• Fragments of Phobos Grunt crash into the Pacific Ocean
• NASA investigates sending CubeSats to Phobos and back
• Russian Mars probe trapped in orbit
• Curiosity suspends sampling, may have dropped a bit of itself
• Curiosity finishes self-inspection, photographs Phobos