The magnetic equivalent of electricity, dubbed "magnetricity", has been demonstrated experimentally for the first time. Just as the flow of electrons produces electrical current, individual north and south magnetic poles have been observed to roam freely, generating magnetic "current".
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Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Scientists to use artificial photosynthesis and nanotubes to generate hydrogen fuel with sunlight
A team of four chemists at the University of Rochester have begun work on a new kind of system to derive usable hydrogen fuel from water using only sunlight.
The project has caught the attention of the U.S. Department of Energy, which has just given the team nearly $1.7 million to pursue the design.
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The project has caught the attention of the U.S. Department of Energy, which has just given the team nearly $1.7 million to pursue the design.
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X-band offers cure for congested spectrum
DOD has to compete for available capacity on commercial satellites with media and telecommunications companies and other high-volume satellite communications customers.
One of those providers is Xtar, a joint venture of Loral Space and Communications and Hisdesat Sevicios Estratégicos. Xtar's commercial X-band service is now available as part of the Defense Information Systems Agency's Defense Information Systems Network Satellite Transmission Services-Global program and through the General Services Administration.
Detecting Light with Graphene
Researchers have explored graphene's extraordinary electronic properties for numerous applications over the past few years, from superfast transistors to extremely dense memory chips. Now, for the first time, IBM researchers are exploiting graphene's unique properties for optoelectronics, using graphene sheets to make photodetectors.
The future of electricity may be found in environmentally-friendly, thermoelectric cells
The Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the National Science Foundation are funding research that may result in a military turbine aircraft that for the first time ever will produce its own electricity from exhaust heat generated from thermo electricity.
Tracking down the human 'odorprint'
Each of the 6.7 billion people on Earth has a signature body odor -- the chemical counterpart to fingerprints -- and scientists are tracking down those odiferous arches, loops, and whorls in the "human odorprint" for purposes ranging from disease diagnosis to crime prevention.
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Cyber criminals find new ways to attack
Cyber criminals are finding new ways to steal information, including infecting legitimate Web sites with Trojans and creating rogue software packages that look legitimate but contain malware, cybersecurity experts warned.
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NASA Announces Commercial RLV Technology Roadmap Project
NASA is partnering with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to develop a technology roadmap for the commercial reusable launch vehicle, or RLV, industry.
"NASA is committed to stimulating the emerging commercial reusable launch vehicle industry," said Lori Garver, deputy administrator at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "There is a natural evolutionary path from today's emerging commercial suborbital RLV industry to growing and developing the capability to provide low-cost, frequent and reliable access to low Earth orbit.
KDDI fuel cell makes battery recharging a snap
KDDI has recently shown off a new fuel cell battery that can be refilled with methanol, where it will run for up to 320 hours before requiring another refill. This prototype fuel cell is a type of hybrid device which will be coupled to a lithium ion battery that offers enough juice for surges in use.
Air Products designs 24-hour self service hydrogen fuelling station
Air Products will install and operate the first ever 24-hour self service hydrogen fuelling station in Hürth, Germany. The station, based at the Infraserv-Knapsack Chemical Park, will be in regular operation by March 2010, when it will initially supply hydrogen to two buses run by the local council.
NASA Testing Alternative Orion Capsule
The NASA Engineering and Safety Center, set up in the wake of the Columbia accident to provide independent testing, analysis and assessments of the agency's high-risk programs, has been studying the alternative Orion capsule for about three years.
Could Observatory Lasers Damage Satellites?
Although adaptive optics technology is becoming more advanced, powerful lasers that are often used in the technique are at odds with the U.S. Air Force. For every astronomy campaign that requires the use of lasers, an application must be sent days ahead of time to the Laser Clearing House at Vandenberg Air Force base, Calif. In the past, this was just a routine requirement, but more recently restrictions have become very tight, impacting the science that is being carried out.
Barnes & Noble's 'color' e-book reader photos leaked
Ever since word got out that Barnes & Noble was set to announce its own e-book reader next week, the rumors have been flying, with lots of whispers that the gadget might just have a color display. Well, it appears those rumors are valid, with one big caveat: the upcoming eBook (as it appears to be called) apparently has a standard, 800x600 6-inch monochrome e-ink display along with a multitouch 480x144-pixel color LCD that's designed for browsing book covers and perhaps other content, according to Gizmodo.
How Can We Tell If a Country Is Making Nuclear Power or Nuclear Weapons?
Just about everyone insists that Iran’s nuclear program is aimed at building weapons. Iran claims it only wants nuclear power. So how do weapons inspectors get at the truth? They study the country’s supply and treatment of uranium, one of the most abundant nuclear materials on the planet.
The Future of Wi-Fi is Routerless
Routers are the middle-men of our wireless networks; without them, our Wi-Fi gadgets (laptops, hard drives, cameras, printers, whathaveyou) can't talk to each other. But routers, like most intermediaries, don't make anything easier -- not at all. A new Wi-Fi standard is on the horizon that will let our devices talk to each other directly. Ain't that sweet?
The new specification, which the Wi-Fi Alliance hopes will start showing up in devices in mid 2010, is called Wi-Fi Direct. But that's not all, a new Wi-Fi Direct device will be backwards compatible with any previously released Wi-Fi Certified gadget you have.
Boeing Advanced Tactical Laser Strikes Moving Target In Test
Boeing and the U.S. Air Force on Sept. 19 damaged a moving ground vehicle from the air using the Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) aircraft, completing ATL's first air-to-ground, high-power laser engagement of a mobile target.
Authorization Bill Kills Big U.S. Defense Programs
Weapon programs "are like vampires," Sen. John McCain said. "You can kill one occasionally, but not very often."
This year, however, Congress seems to have driven stakes through the hearts of at least a half dozen weapon programs - although not the C-17, which McCain, R-Ariz., strove mightily to execute.
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This year, however, Congress seems to have driven stakes through the hearts of at least a half dozen weapon programs - although not the C-17, which McCain, R-Ariz., strove mightily to execute.
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Russia To Adopt 1st Strike Nuke Policy
Russia will revise its military doctrine to allow a "preventative" nuclear strike against would-be aggressors, a top Kremlin policy-maker was quoted as saying Oct. 14.
Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of the powerful security council, said the conditions under which Russia could resort to atomic weapons are being reworked in the main strategy document and will be reviewed by President Dmitry Medvedev by the end of the year.
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