Tech
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Tech
The Little Engines That Couldn’t
Tired of grinding their gears, micromachine researchers turn to surface science.
- Tech
Worms may spin silk fit for skin
Silk cocoons could become puffs of valuable human proteins if a new bioengineering method pans out.
- Tech
A Theremin’s Electronic Wail
A pioneering electronic instrument played without touch, the theremin can produce a wide range of eerie sounds. Introduced by Lev Sergeyvich Termen in 1921, the instrument responds to hand motions, which control the pitch and loudness. Information about the theremin is available at various Web sites, and if you’re dying to play it yourself, you […]
- Tech
Technique boosts data rate in light pipes
Turning a liability into an asset, a new technique for passing information through optical fibers increases the data flow by exploiting the very trait that has long held that flow back.
- Tech
Light Splash: Transparent pipes shape microstructures
A new technique using fluid dyes in microplumbing to create miniature fluid-carrying chips improves the 3-D topography of these microstructures and makes that topography relatively easy to modify.
- Tech
NanoLights! Camera! Action!
Fluorescent particles of semiconductors are giving biologists a new view of cells and proteins.
- Tech
Bridge Building
For those fascinated by the art, science, and history of building bridges, this Web site provides a wealth of information and images devoted to structures designed to span obstacles of various sorts. Check out different bridge types, key components of bridges, explanations of forces that act on bridges, and much more. Go to: http://www.brantacan.co.uk/bridges.htm
- 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.
