Reclaiming forgotten power.
I just had an enjoyable email exchange with a friend who asked me about something he’d been wondering. (These are generally the best kinds of email exchanges to have.) He’d … Read the rest “Reclaiming forgotten power.”
engineering
Science Art: Some NACA Muroc personnel with snowman, 1949.
In the good old days, computers looked like this. “Computer” was a job, not a tool, and it was often done by a woman who was quick with figures.
These computers… Read the rest “Science Art: Some NACA Muroc personnel with snowman, 1949.”
Drones that think.
Endgadgets prepares us for robot dominance of the skies by 2047:
… Read the rest “Drones that think.”In its recently released “Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Plan 2009-2047” report, the US Air Force details
Feather in your tank.
The Daily Green recently revealed an alternative fuel scheme that may be much better than bird-brained:
… Read the rest “Feather in your tank.”Finding novel uses for chicken feathers is a pet project of Professor Richard P.
Drinking air.
It’s practically like the moisture farms in Star Wars. Scientific Blogging has this thing about how we could be getting drinking water from *humidity* and solar power:
… Read the rest “Drinking air.”“The process
Science Art: Mort de Harris (1824), from the Tissandier Collection at the Library of Congress.
The Death of Harris, who jumped from a hydrogen balloon in 1824.
It was not a “perfectly good balloon,” as the sky divers put it – it was leaking, and … Read the rest “Science Art: Mort de Harris (1824), from the Tissandier Collection at the Library of Congress.”
None more deep.
New Scientist has a picture taken by the world’s deepest-diving robot:
… Read the rest “None more deep.”“Nereus is like no other deep submergence vehicle,” says oceanographer Tim Shank of WHOI.
“It
Oops. Uh, sorry, Martians.
“Oops,” of course, is a word that means science is going about its job correctly, because by discovering mistakes we learn what works and what doesn’t. So, um, it’s… Read the rest “Oops. Uh, sorry, Martians.”
Science Art: Pelton Wheel, p. 1593, Webster’s New International.
Behold the Pelton wheel. This is a kind of water turbine designed to turn babbling brooks into industrious electrical generators.
Beautiful imagery from the Wikipedia entry: “There… Read the rest “Science Art: Pelton Wheel, p. 1593, Webster’s New International.”
Breathe out.
The MIT Technology Review (and other sources) have reported on a new technique that Canadian doctors devised for preparing lungs for transplants – or repairing damaged lungs –… Read the rest “Breathe out.”
Science Art: Schlieren photograph of a T-38 at Mach 1.1, altitude 13,700 feet, by Leonard Weinstein.
This is what a sonic boom looks like, through a Schlieren camera – one outfitted to see differences in air pressure. The T-38 pilot could probably feel these bands… Read the rest “Science Art: Schlieren photograph of a T-38 at Mach 1.1, altitude 13,700 feet, by Leonard Weinstein.”
Jacket makes movies feelies.
The IEEE (what used to be the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) reports in Spectrum about a strange new entertainment breakthrough that combines neurology, electronics… Read the rest “Jacket makes movies feelies.”
Roboctopus!
New Scientist introduces our latest underwater overlords – or at least the blueprints for one – in a story about Italian researchers who’re designing the world’s… Read the rest “Roboctopus!”
My Bionic Eye.
BBC News tells the story of a blind man whose life has been changed by his bionic eye:
… Read the rest “My Bionic Eye.”Ron, who has not revealed his surname, told the BBC: “For 30 years I’ve seen absolutely nothing
Waterproof sand brings promise of new life.
PhysOrg, ready for a day on the beach, reports that nanotech engineers have created waterproof sand. They expect to use it to make the world’s deserts bloom. The stuff is just like … Read the rest “Waterproof sand brings promise of new life.”