Tech
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Tech
Nuclear energy: As Germany goes…
The German government surprised many energy analysts May 30, with its pledge to phase out use of nuclear power. What makes the announcement particularly noteworthy is that this government is not offering to walk away from a bit player. Nuclear power currently supplies almost one-quarter of that nation’s electrical energy — more than its share in the United States.
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Cans bring BPA to dinner, FDA confirms
Federal chemists have confirmed what everyone had expected: that if a bisphenol-A-based resin is used to line most food cans, there’s a high likelihood the contents of those cans will contain at least traces of BPA.
- Tech
Nanotubes coming to a screen near you
New technology promises brighter, bigger display screens that use less energy.
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- Tech
Fishy fat from soy is headed for U.S. dinner tables
Most people have heard about omega-3 fatty acids, the primary constituents of fish oil. Stearidonic acid, one of those omega-3s, is hardly a household term. But it should become one, researchers argued this week at the 2011 Experimental Biology meeting.
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U.S. network detects Fukushima plume
Traces of radioactivity attributable to the earthquake-damaged Fukushima reactor complex in Japan have reached the West Coast of the United States.
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Chernobyl’s lessons for Japan
Radioactive iodine released by the Chernobyl nuclear accident has left a legacy of thyroid cancers among downwinders — one that shows no sign of diminishing. The new data also point to what could be in store if conditions at Japan’s troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear-power complex continue to sour.
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Radiation: Japan’s third crisis
As if the magnitude-9 earthquake on March 11 and killer tsunami weren’t enough, a new round of aftershocks — psychological ones over fear of radiation — are rocking Japan and its neighbors.
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Physics of burrowing sandfish revealed
A new study shows how sandfish lizards swim through Saharan sands, a find that could inspire better burrowing tools for use in the aftermath of disasters.
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Model copes with chaos to deliver relief
A computer program can get supplies to disaster areas efficiently even when the transportation system is part of the problem.
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New batteries fix themselves
Self-healing lithium-ion batteries may last longer than current versions and be less likely to burst into flames.
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The numbers prove it: This is a data age
An assessment of the world’s computing capacity documents a staggering rise in power and storage since 1986.
