Science & Technology News
Nanotubes and the dawn of the flexible solar cell
Posted Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:22:00 GMT by Dave CollierThe development of a transparent, flexible conductor could have interesting implications for solar cell design. Northwestern University in the United States, has come up with a novel solution: an application of nano-technology to create a flexible material that is both transparent and conductive.
Nanotubes and the dawn of the flexible solar cell
Breaking the Cosmic Speed Limit
Posted Sun, 25 Sep 2011 20:00:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongWhile the speed of light is accurately measured at 299,792,458 metres per sec (700 million mph) neutrinos have just been policed at an unexpected higher rate over a 450 mile test. While the rate is a mere 60 nanoseconds faster, the incredible fact is that the speed difference is actually 12,000 mph!
Breaking the Cosmic Speed Limit
Scientists revise long-held beliefs about plant biodiversity and biomass
Posted Sun, 25 Sep 2011 09:00:00 GMT by Dale KieferFor decades, scientists have believed there is a particular relationship between the biomass produced by plants and the number of different plant species in a given habitat. New research published in the journal Science shows that a long held belief about the relationship between plant biomass and plant diversity is flat wrong.
Scientists revise long-held beliefs about plant biodiversity and biomass
NASA Aquarius satellite maps ocean salinity
Posted Sun, 25 Sep 2011 03:10:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongSo relevant to all life forms and our climate, the sea's salt has now been estimated by NASA's Aquarius/SAC-D satellite observatory. After two and a half weeks, since only August 25th, the preliminary data have been exemplary, providing us with an early view of large-scale ocean patterns.
NASA Aquarius satellite maps ocean salinity
Look out below: Satellite coming back to Earth
Posted Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:50:00 GMT by Dale KieferNASA's UARS sattelite is expected to plunge back to Earth in the very near future, but no one knows exactly when, or where, debris may land. Although the satellite will break up upon re-entry, not all of the pieces are expected to burn up in the atmosphere.
Look out below: Satellite coming back to Earth
NASA tests sunshield for Webb telescope
Posted Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:21:00 GMT by Sharon GillNASA is conducting tests on the James Webb Space Telescope's sunshield, which will protect its mirrors and instruments whilst on its mission to observe remote objects in the universe.
NASA tests sunshield for Webb telescope
All in the game: online players open up AIDS drug research
Posted Mon, 19 Sep 2011 14:18:00 GMT by Colin RickettsFar from being a waste of time, online games have proved vital in new research which could help design new AIDS drugs. Research results could prove a vital tool in developing new AIDS drugs as the players used a specially designed game called Foldit to come up with an accurate model of an enzyme from a virus similar to the deadly immune system condition.
All in the game: online players open up AIDS drug research
Oldest woolly rhino emerges from frozen wilderness
Posted Sat, 17 Sep 2011 15:05:01 GMT by Colin RickettsAn expedition to some of Tibet's remotest and most inhospitable country has yielded a wonderful result in the shape of a previously unknown giant woolly rhino fossil. At 3.7 million years old, it's also the oldest woolly rhino ever found by some distance, predating the previous earliest find by some 1.1 million years.
Oldest woolly rhino emerges from frozen wilderness
Young scientists float new carbon capture plans - Updated
Posted Thu, 15 Sep 2011 17:05:00 GMT by Colin RickettsA panel of young scientists convened from around the globe to discuss the vital role of carbon capture in fighting climate change have come up with floating power stations and green cities.
Young scientists float new carbon capture plans - Updated
Evolution measured in decades not centuries
Posted Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:55:00 GMT by Colin RickettsStudies of an endangered species of fish which has been moved to a new habitat in order to save it show that evolution can move extremely quickly, causing measurable changes in just decades.
Evolution measured in decades not centuries
Sprinkle of seaweed to make more powerful, less toxic batteries
Posted Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:40:00 GMT by Martin LeggettA team from Clemson University and the Georgia Institute of Technology has turned to seaweed for help with pushing lithium batteries onto the next level - silicon-based electrodes that could boost charging capacity significantly. The work, published in today's online version of Science, also promises to slash costs, and ditch toxic chemicals previously needed in the manufacture of rechargeable lithium batteries.
Sprinkle of seaweed to make more powerful, less toxic batteries
Flame retardants that fight fire and pollution
Posted Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:31:00 GMT by Martin LeggettScientists at Texas A&M University believe they have taken the first steps towards a more effective flame-retardant for clothes - one that shouldn't be as damaging to the environment as previous types of fire-proofing. The work is being presented today at the American Chemical Society, which is meeting for the 242nd time, in Denver, Colorado, all this week.
Flame retardants that fight fire and pollution
How coral could be the secret for sunscreen pill
Posted Wed, 31 Aug 2011 13:41:00 GMT by Laura BrownThree year study discovered a chemical providing a natural sunscreen which could be manufactured for humans. The role of photosynthesis within the process means the coral needs to live close to the surface of the water, raising the risk of sunburn and damage from direct sunlight.
How coral could be the secret for sunscreen pill
Will a little piece of the Red planet go green in 2030?
Posted Sun, 28 Aug 2011 20:22:00 GMT by Martin LeggettPlans to get astronauts all the way to Mars and back will need to include room for a space garden, according to a presentation at the American Chemical Society meet in Colorado this week. Not only will the garden provide the Mars-bound travelers with a little culinary sparkle to their diet - it will help to help to keep the capsule's atmosphere breathable, and its water clean.
Will a little piece of the Red planet go green in 2030?
Power to the people - how a walk could charge your cell phone
Posted Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:56:00 GMT by Martin LeggettA report on a technology for harvesting power 'on-the-move' offers the promise of mobile devices being freed from the grid. Cell phones, laptops and a myriad of other electrical gadgets could benefit from an innovative shoe-powered device, say a University of Wisconsin-Madison duo in this week's Nature Communications.
Power to the people - how a walk could charge your cell phone
Radar results from Japan disaster offer hope for tsunami warning system
Posted Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:56:00 GMT by Colin RickettsScientists in California and Japan believe that high frequency radar which picked up the changes in the oceans as Japan was devastated by an earthquake and tsunami in March could form the basis of a new early-warning system.
Radar results from Japan disaster offer hope for tsunami warning system
Sponsors
Recent News
Green web hosting is a simple, inexpensive step businesses can take to reduce the environmental impact of their websites. This is how it works...
Xmas comes very early for us this year, with a tremendous guide to all our ancestors and their evolution into modern forms. You will need a subscription to Nature to read the details but we have the lowdown on the nitty-gritty of fishies and birdies too!
How important are our streams and rivers to us in this age of pollution and interference with natural systems? The effect of conifer plantations is generally negative, but the positive effects on some f these streams could point to ways to improve many such forestry projects, as well as the original moorland.
Sponsored Links
Recent Blog Posts
The future is certainly renewable, but are we too late to prevent future centuries problems of global warming- and the rest! Here are some current US solutions to waste and warming for you to enjoy---there are some ads in this piece but weve allowed them for one blog only.
Need to save money after the spending boom to end them all? Here are 2 sets of opinions on how to pull out the plugs at night at least.
When dolphins are 'rescued' in various countries, the car given seems to be ill-considered. We are simply looking at the success rate which is reported to be low, in most places. They could even end up in commercial aquarium shows, but they certainly rarely make it back to the sea.
Sponsored Links
Our Eco Friends
Interested in being an Eco Friend for this page? Then:
Science & Technology Articles
Our vertebrate relatives have evolved plenty of Jaw
Posted Mon, 31 Jul 2017 08:59:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongSalamander polyploid amazes with its genome (s)
Posted Fri, 23 Jun 2017 10:56:47 GMT by Dave ArmstrongThe Tempo of Evolution is revealed on Hawaii
Posted Mon, 20 Mar 2017 09:59:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongBlue whales' calls give ID of new populations
Posted Wed, 04 Jan 2017 10:36:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongCrow wing shape and its association with species distribution.
Posted Wed, 14 Dec 2016 09:10:00 GMT by JW DoweyThe Force is with the Claw of Land Crabs
Posted Thu, 24 Nov 2016 14:20:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongSailfish hunt, but is cooperation evolving?
Posted Wed, 02 Nov 2016 10:45:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongGoing to the dogs in Sardinia.
Posted Thu, 13 Oct 2016 13:05:31 GMT by Dave ArmstrongThe great migration of the painted lady.
Posted Wed, 05 Oct 2016 08:35:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongMurder mystery involves a 5000-year-old personality
Posted Tue, 27 Sep 2016 09:10:00 GMT by JW DoweyEditor's Choice
They're after Iceman Oetzi's 5300-year-old blood!
Posted Wed, 02 May 2012 21:18:15 GMT by Dave ArmstrongChimpanzee losses and successes.
Posted Thu, 22 Jan 2015 16:46:05 GMT by Dave ArmstrongYoung scientists float new carbon capture plans - Updated
Posted Thu, 15 Sep 2011 17:05:00 GMT by Colin RickettsNiches and speciation in orca
Posted Wed, 14 Aug 2013 09:26:48 GMT by Colin RickettsScientists unite in global hunt for climate change-resistant crops
Posted Mon, 13 Dec 2010 11:24:03 GMT by David Hewitt'Penguin' mini-sub will explore ocean depths
Posted Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:22:00 GMT by Adrian BishopNanotubes and the dawn of the flexible solar cell
Posted Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:22:00 GMT by Dave CollierThermo-learning from Nest Labs
Posted Tue, 25 Oct 2011 22:17:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongMammoth cloning possible
Posted Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:44:00 GMT by Dave ArmstrongNew 'bio-Styrofoam' seems 'pretty green'
Posted Tue, 23 Nov 2010 18:22:19 GMT by Rachel England