Mafic Mound, a distinctive and enigmatic feature near the Moon’s South Pole, is a volcanic structure unlike any other found on the surface of the Earth’s only natural satellite, says a team of planetary geologists at Brown University. It stands about 2,600 feet tall and 47 miles across and lies in the middle of a giant impact crater known as the South Pole-Aitken Basin. “If the scenarios that we lay out for its formation are correct, it could represent a totally new volcanic process that’s ne...

Images sent back by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft last week reveal that Pluto has blue atmospheric hazes and water ice on its surface. Pluto’s haze layer shows its blue color in this picture taken by the New Horizons Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC). The high-altitude haze is thought to be similar in nature to that seen at Saturn’s moon Titan. The source of both hazes likely involves sunlight-initiated chemical reactions of nitrogen and methane, leading to relatively small, ...

Researchers have imaged in unprecedented detail the three-dimensional structure of supercoiled DNA, revealing that its shape is much more dynamic than the well-known double helix. As reported online today in the journal Nature Communications, the simulations also show the dynamic nature of DNA, which constantly wiggles and morphs into different shapes, a far cry from the commonly held idea of a rigid and static double helix. Improving our understanding of what DNA looks like when it is in the...

New research using data from its Cassini spacecraft shows a global ocean lies beneath the icy crust of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. NASA’s Cassini mission has confirmed the presence of what it termed a “global ocean” beneath the icy crust of Saturn’s moon, Enceladus and it has managed to deduce the presence of the ocean after analyzing new data from the Cassini mission. This exciting discovery expands the region of habitability for Enceladus from just a regional sea under the South Pole to all of...

Sea anemones are a common sight on many coastlines, and despite their brightly colored appearance it seems they may have more common with humans than people realize. What's more, researchers are wondering whether the creatures could hold the secret to eternal life. Once thought to be plants, sea anemones are soft bodied animals that attach themselves to rocks and coral reefs in shallow waters. Their tentacles inject venom into the small fish and shrimp that brush up against them and guide the...

Neuroscientists at MIT and Columbia University have now figured out how neurons in one part of the brain measure time intervals and accurately reproduce them. Keeping track of time is critical for many tasks, such as playing the piano, swinging a tennis racket, or holding a conversation. The researchers found the lateral intraparietal cortex (LIP), which plays a role in sensorimotor function, represents elapsed time, as animals measure, and then reproduce a time interval. They also demonstrated ...

Researchers at MIT have created tiny pores in single sheets of graphene that have an array of preferences and characteristics similar to those of ion channels in living cells. The surface of a single cell contains hundreds of tiny pores, or ion channels, each of which is a portal for specific ions. Ion channels are typically about 1 nanometer wide. By maintaining the right balance of ions, they keep cells healthy and stable. Like biological channels, graphene pores are selective for certain type...

IBM (NYSE:IBM) announced a research breakthrough that could soon permit replacing silicon transistors with carbon nanotubes in future high-performance electronic chips. Carbon nanotubes consist of single atomic sheets of carbon rolled up into a tube. The carbon nanotubes form the core of a transistor device whose superior electrical properties promise several generations of technology scaling beyond the physical limits of silicon. The IBM researchers developed a fabrication process that permi...

A new analysis supports the hypothesis that viruses are living entities that share a long evolutionary history with cells. The study offers the first reliable method for tracing viral evolution back to a time when neither viruses nor cells existed in the forms recognized today. Until now, viruses have been difficult to classify because of the abundance and diversity of viruses. Less than 4,900 viruses have been identified and sequenced so far, even though scientists estimate there are more th...

New findings from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provide the strongest evidence yet that liquid water flows intermittently on present-day Mars. NASA researchers using an imager aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter confirmed the watery flows by looking at light waves returned from seasonal dark streaks on the surface, long suspected to be associated with liquid water. They detected signatures of hydrated minerals on slopes where mysterious streaks are seen on the Red Planet. The...

A combination of two drugs appears to be effective at shrinking pancreatic cancers in laboratory mice Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly of all human cancers, and its incidence is increasing. A combination of two drugs, one already approved by the Food and Drug Administration, appears to be effective at shrinking pancreatic cancers in laboratory mice, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The drugs, which affect the structure and fu...

Micro-poration is a painless method of transferring medication through the skin. The latest invention called micro-poration is a painless method of transferring medication (intraepidermal) into the body using laser technology. It is an alternative to injecting a needle. A handheld laser creates micro pores in the epidermis of the skin for the transfer of molecules. This device delivers medication and vaccinations directly through the skin. As an alternative to injecting a needle, mic...

The world’s fastest motor which can spin in excess of 1 million revolutions per minute has been developed by researchers at ETH Zurich's Department of Power Electronics and marketed by the Swiss company, Celeroton. The need for smaller electronic devices requires smaller holes, which means we need smaller, faster, more efficient drills. This new motor could be applied for faster drills and more efficient and compact compressors for cars and airplanes. Compared to collapsed stars that sp...

A new system can convert MRI scans into 3D-printed, physical models in a few hours. Researchers at MIT and Boston Children’s Hospital have developed a system that can take MRI scans of a patient’s heart and, in a matter of hours, convert them into a tangible, physical model that surgeons can use to plan surgery. The models could provide a more intuitive way for surgeons to assess and prepare for the anatomical idiosyncrasies of individual patients. MRI data consist of a series of cross ...

Skinput, a new technology, listens to the vibrations of your body and turns it into a touching interface. One of the newest invention ideas in interface devices is Skinput which is the product of a collaboration between Carnegie Mellon's Harrison, Desny Tan and Dan Morris of Microsoft Research. Previous attempts at using projected interfaces used motion-tracking to determine where a person taps. Skinput uses a series of sensors to track where a user taps on his arm. It uses a different and no...

A flying robot that imitates a bird has been created. Plenty of robots can fly but none can fly like a real bird. Markus Fischer and his team at Festo built SmartBird, a large, lightweight robot, modeled on a seagull that flies by flapping its wings. This invention of a flying robot imitates a bird. It takes off, lands and flies like a real bird. The flying robot has a two-meter wingspan, and is made of a lightweight (450 gram) carbon-fiber skeleton body. It uses hybrid drive technol...

Roses have been genetically modified to be blue. The blue colored rose is often portrayed in literature and art as a symbol of love and prosperity but it does not exist in nature due to genetic limitations. They have been available at florists in recent years but have only artificially been created by using various dying techniques to stain the petals of naturally white roses. A blue rose is a flower that presents blue-to-violet pigmentation instead of the more common red, white, or yellow...

Imagine if you could glide through the air with wings like a bat and control your movements more easily. Inventor Tony Uragallo of Zephyrhills has invented a new product called Bird Wingsuit which is created of a web of nylon material between outstretched arms and legs. He based his research on the kite birds to develop his technique. He observed that Kites steer by twisting their tail one way or another and this led him develop his new wingsuit. Compared to the earlier wingsuits, this ...

Imagine if a vitamin sized pill could collect medical data from your body. Companies such as SmartPill have come out with wireless devices contained in tiny capsules to collect information from inside the body. The SmartPill capsule includes miniaturized sensors or cameras, a printed circuit board and tiny batteries that work to collect medical data as it makes its way through a person's gastrointestinal tract. Once swallowed, the device collects the required information, stores the data a...

New soccer ball, called the sOccet ball, generates enough energy to light up a home. This invention was developed by four students from Harvard University in partnership with the Laboratory at Harvard Think-Tank; it's a soccer ball which they call the sOccet that generates electricity from normal kicking during game play. The ball has a built-in inductive coil that collects kinetic energy. After about 15 minutes of kicking the ball around it will produce enough electricity to charge LED li...

Scientists at the University of California demonstrated a new technology for creating "cyborg insects." That is, beetles implanted with miniaturized electronics that allows the insects to be controlled. The flying beetle is powered by a wireless signal from a mobile transmitter that controls the insect. Varying impulses trigger an appropriate response from the beetle so that it flies according to its handler. The movements of flying insects is controlled using a radio transmitter and a min...

Tony Dighera in California has come up with a technology to develop molds that can sculpts edible fruits and vegetables to look like just about anything you want. Fruits can be grown to form various shapes like Frankstein's Face or Buddha or into any other idea that appeals to the customers. Plastic molds with the required shapes are placed over immature fruits till they ripen. The art of modifying, arranging, or decorating food to enhance its aesthetic appeal is known as "plating." This u...

A novel nanocoating promises to permanently protect surfaces from damage or deterioration. Scientist Thomas Choate has introduced the world's first Wipe-On clear nanomaterial that will protect surfaces from damage or deterioration and also help restore them. The product, named Vecdor Nano-Clear®, has the ability to permanently restore original color, gloss and surface hardness back into oxidized textured plastics, highly oxidized fiberglass and highly oxidized paint surfaces while reducing...

3Doodler is the world’s first 3D printing pen. The pen, created by science inventors Max Bogue and Peter Dilworth is called the 3Doodler, and allows the user to draw in the air. It does not require any software but simply needs to be plugged into an electrical outlet for use. This pen has been fed into with colorful plastic thread. The thread is then extruded as heated plastic that cools and solidifies instantly as it exits the tip. This allows solid 3D structures to be drawn on any surfac...

Wireless charging is already here. Though most individuals connect their phones to a wired charger, the charging landscape may soon change as companies such as Powermat Technologies Ltd., a developer of wireless power solutions for consumers, act as pioneers in the field. Wireless power, also known as inductive coupling and is based on magnets. The Powermat, is the first, perhaps, of many wireless chargers for hi tech gadgets. How does it work? You simply place your gadget on the mat to ch...

Bahrain is the home of the first skyscraper to have wind turbines integrated into the structure of the building. The Bahrain World Trade Center is a 50-story twin tower complex containing two identical towers that rise over 240 meters in height. The sail-shaped buildings offer a visually striking image and boasts of one its very unique feature which is the 3 giant wind turbines tying the two “sails” together. It is the first skyscraper in the world to integrate wind turbines into its desig...

Order and pick up your customized personal car. That's the vision of Arizona-based company Local Motors. Local Motors plans to transform the traditional automotive world with the launch of a three dimensional (3D) printed car next year. Strati is an electric car developed by Local Motors and manufactured in collaboration with Cincinnati Incorporated and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. It is made from ABS plastic that has been enforced with carbon fibre. The car was manufactured using a Larg...

A promising new voice stick can convert can read what you write--out loud. Invented by Sungwoo Park, this cool new gadget is a portable scanning device that reads printed text and converts it into a voice. The Voice Stick can read any written document including newspapers, books and mail. It is very hard for someone with sight to understand the experience and needs of blind people, who would love to read these same newspapers, books, and mail as we all do. Braille is the most important way...

Biomimicry, the science that imitates nature to create new products, is the field responsible for new, airless, tubeless, tires that cannot go flat. Resilient Technologies, a Wisconsin based company, is behind this invention. The inspiration for the design of the tire was found in nature: the honeycomb. Instead of using a pressurized air cavity, the tire design relies on a geometric pattern of six-sided cells that are arranged in a matrix like a honeycomb. The tire has uniform flexibility ...

Scientists at Pennsylvania State University have create a power plastic that sticks together with a drop of water. This mold-able polymer heals itself when exposed to water. It was observed that all squids around the world had proteins in their system which allow them to self-heal. This observation was the basis for creating this polymer. The yield of these proteins is quite low per squid meaning that many animals would have to be processed in order to obtain a usable amount for use in pol...