Tech
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Physics
Catching the cell in action
A light microscope with high resolution may enable scientists to view the 3-D structures within living cells.
By Tia Ghose -
Tech
The flap on dragonfly flight
New experiments have revealed an aerodynamic trick that dragonflies use to fly efficiently — a trick that engineers could exploit to improve the energy efficiency of small aerial vehicles with a similar design.
By Sid Perkins -
Health & Medicine
Testing nanoparticles
Testing the toxicity of dozens of nanoparticles en masse may offer a faster track to medical applications.
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Computing
Scientists Get a 2nd Life
The virtual world of Second Life offers new ways to do and learn about real science.
By Terra Questi -
Tech
Down with the transistor
A new type of electronic component could shrink computer chips and make them more powerful.
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Humans
A Proposed NSF for Innovation
Researchers with the Brookings Institution have just published a blueprint for tackling what they perceive as a brewing innovation crisis. They propose that Uncle Sam create a federal agency to focus squarely on helping home-grown companies increase their innovation, productivity and profitability.
By Janet Raloff -
Tech
Power from heat
A more efficient material that converts heat into electricity could make a new kind of solar panel possible.
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Tech
Virtual Addicts
Logging on may become more than a choice for some young people.
By Janet Raloff -
Tech
Finding mass graves from on high
Aerial surveys that scan the ground at many wavelengths, some visible and some not, may offer a way to quickly and easily detect mass grave sites.
By Sid Perkins -
Tech
Diamond detectors
The quantum states of single diamond impurities work as magnetic sensors that could enable nuclear magnetic resonance to detect single atoms.
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Earth
Water-Hogging Electric Vehicles
Electric cars may save on gasoline, but some can place an indirect drain on other resources.
By Janet Raloff