Tech

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New View: Speedy microscope takes fuller look at the nanoworld

Action movies of molecules and a better feel for microscopic surfaces could flow from a radically revised version of the atomic-force microscope.

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Artificial Animalcules

Advances that include the first swimming micromachine and novel designs for similar devices are deepening scientists' understanding of the bizarre world of microscale liquids.

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Beyond Bar Codes: Tuning up plastic radio labels

Electronic labels made from plastic semiconductors can now pick up and respond to radio signals at a frequency suitable for use on products.

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Virus has the Midas touch

Researchers have recruited a stringlike virus to carry nanoscale loads of gold that could serve as imaging agents in cancer diagnosis.

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Microbial Moxie

Microbial fuel cells, which take advantage of the fact that some microbes generate electricity when they break down organic matter, could one day power remote sensors, wastewater-treatment plants, and portable devices.

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Bizarre Stuff

Curious about airships or zoetropes? Want to build one? Created by Brian Carusella, this Web site spotlights unusual inventions and bizarre items. For each object, the site offers a history and review of how it was constructed. It features lots of ideas for interesting science projects and home experiments, along with easy-to-follow advice. Go to: […]

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Cranberry aid for assay

Cranberry juice, often used to stave off urinary-tract infections caused by Escherichia coli, also keeps the bacterium from reducing a biosensor's specificity.

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Is Anybody out There?

To speed the search for extraterrestrial life, researchers are using extreme conditions on Earth to develop a flotilla of detection devices to tease out signs of life in unlikely places.

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Transistors sprout inner forests

By combining nanowires and conventional transistor structures, researchers are creating novel transistors with improved performance and the potential to be easily manufactured.

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Hearing implant knows where it goes

A new type of cochlear implant includes sensors whose signals may help surgeons insert the device more deeply into the inner ear and so provide better hearing.

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Facing a hairy electronics problem

Investigating why kinky metal filaments sprout spontaneously on electronic- circuit cards, researchers have found that the way metal films have been electroplated onto the surface in the first place plays a lingering role.

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Narrow Escape: Sharp nanogutters hustle out wetness

Nanochannels with sharply tapered edges can dramatically boost fluid flow rates and potentially play a role in improved microchip cooling, fabrics to wick away perspiration, and other uses.