Tech

Tech

Columbia Disaster: Why did the space shuttle burn up?

The space shuttle Columbia, which tore apart killing all seven of its crew on Feb. 1 just minutes before it was scheduled to land, may have been doomed since its liftoff.

Tech

Magnifier May Crack Crimes, Crashes

Gumshoes equipped with a novel device for magnifying magnetic fields may spy clues on damaged, erased, or deliberately corrupted audio tapes and other magnetic media.

Tech

Super Truck

Even James Bond might take notice. The SmarTruck, developed for the U.S. Army by the National Automotive Center and the Integrated Concepts and Research Corporation, serves as a vehicle for testing cutting-edge technologies. The current model incorporates a sophisticated information system, an adjustable air suspension system for varied terrain, and a slanted body style that […]

Tech

Fiber Helper: Minuscule controllers may open data floodgates

A device that fits on the end of optical fibers may make possible the next big boost in Internet speed without new underground cables.

Tech

A Shot in the Light

Bullet replicas that look on a microscopic level like they've been fired from a gun—even though they haven't—enable forensics specialists to fine-tune as never before instruments to automatically match bullets from crime scenes.

Tech

Satellite links may don quantum cloaks

A theoretically foolproof scheme to shield secrets via the laws of quantum mechanics demonstrates its readiness to take on Earth-satellite communications.

Tech

Deadly Bubble Bath: Ultrasound fizz kills microbes under pressure

A modest pressure increase on a liquid agitated by ultrasound dramatically boosts the microbe-killing power of those high-frequency sound waves.

Tech

Robotic heart surgery

By using robotic rather than conventional open-heart techniques, doctors can perform heart surgery with smaller incisions, giving patients less pain and speeding recovery.

Tech

Resistancefree wire takes long jump

A wire-making company has demonstrated a process that yields potentially inexpensive, high-current superconducting wires about 10 times longer than previous prototypes.

Computing

Loony Tunes: Bugs blare in software set to music

A novel way of converting computer programs into familiar-sounding music helps programmers locate errors in their code.

Computing

Software’s beginnings

The earliest known use of the term software to describe computer programs dates back to 1958.

Computing

‘Love bug’ lessons

In early May, the malicious ILOVEYOU computer virus shut down hundreds of thousands of computers and caused several billion dollars in damage.