Tech

Tech

Putting squish into artificial organs

Artificial organs and tissues may someday feel more like the real thing if a new, rubbery polymer supplants mostly stiff materials available today for tissue engineering.

Tech

Building a Supermodel

Researchers are combining ergonomics and biological research with computer power to build a virtual human that can simulate human biology from anatomy down to the genetic code.

Computing

Scouring the Web

Looking for the perfect Web search engine? It probably doesn’t exist, but you can find out the strengths, weaknesses, and quirks of various Net-scouring tools at the “Search Engine Showdown” Web site, maintained by Montana State University librarian Greg R. Notess. Check out the inconsistencies report and sample tips for efficient searching. Go to: http://www.notess.com/search/

Tech

Making a Little Impression: New chip-making method may mold the industry

A simple mechanical means of embossing silicon may offer an alternative to conventional chip-making methods.

Tech

Tiny rockets may advance minisatellites

A new type of miniaturized rocket may bring microspacecraft one step closer to reality.

Tech

Paint-on displays get closer to reality

By smearing on a coating and hardening it with light, researchers have created a new kind of electronic display.

Tech

Deep Vision

Increasingly available virtual-reality gear gives scientists, engineers, and planetarium visitors new perspectives.

Tech

Bugs on Mars

Undaunted by the hurdles on flight posed by thin air and a lack of oxygen, aerospace engineers are devising extraordinary flying machines resembling giant insects and windmills to make the exploration of Mars more rapid and effective.

Tech

Live Tour: Joystick journeys reveal tumor interiors

A new holographic technique may someday enable doctors to skip certain biopsies and choose instead to take video excursions inside suspicious growths in skin or internal body linings.

Tech

Cold Lighting

Solid-state light sources, such as light-emitting diodes, promise greater energy efficiency than do incandescent lamps. The Sandia National Laboratories has launched a Web site that offers articles, references, and other information on semiconductor-based lighting and its use for illuminating homes, offices, and public spaces. Go to: http://lighting.sandia.gov/

Tech

Sowing neat rows of seeds on silicon

A new way to introduce foreign atoms into silicon with atomic-scale precision may help chip manufacturers over a looming hurdle.

Tech

Taming High-Tech Particles

Researchers are beginning to study whether nanomaterials could have unintended negative consequences in the human body or the environment.