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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Earth

    Water-Hogging Electric Vehicles

    Electric cars may save on gasoline, but some can place an indirect drain on other resources.

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  2. Tech

    Nanocrystal

    Researchers have used DNA as Velcro to create the first materials that spontaneously assemble into regular 3-D patterns.

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  3. Tech

    Smells like DNA

    By reshuffling the chemical letters of the genetic code, scientists have made short strands of DNA that can distinguish several different smells, such as explosives and food preservatives.

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  4. Tech

    Retro RAM

    A prototype memory chip stores data bits using carbon nanotubes as mechanical switches.

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  5. Tech

    Energy forest

    Silicon nanowires can at least double the storage capacity of lithium-ion batteries.

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  6. Tech

    Tractor beam

    Magnetic nanoparticles selectively bind to specific bacteria and can drag them out of a liquid.

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  7. Computing

    Social Networking for Zebras

    Scientists are developing a new branch of network theory to understand zebra communities.

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  8. Tech

    Crystal clear

    Growing nanowires directly on a crystal might lead to high-density memory chips and transparent LEDs

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  9. Tech

    A smaller magnetometer

    A novel sensor the size of a rice grain can detect magnetic fields as small as those produced by brain or heart waves.

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  10. Tech

    Bad Vibrations

    Despite computer models and wind tunnel tests, bridges show surprising vibrations and movements that engineers are still learning to cope with.

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  11. Tech

    Bucky shrink-wrap

    Scientists filmed cage-shaped carbon molecules as they shrank to become buckyballs.

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  12. Tech

    Hooking up

    Cleverly designed molecules can self-assemble into networks and stay robustly connected.

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