Tech
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
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- Tech
Nanorods go for the gold
Gold blobs grown onto the ends of tiny, rod-shaped crystals provide potential points for electric contact and chemical liaisons that could enable such semiconductor bits to self-organize into complex circuits or structures.
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Sweet Frequency: Implantable glucose sensor transmits data wirelessly
Modeled after antitheft magnetic strips, a new implantable glucose sensor for diabetes patients could do away with daily pinprick tests.
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Sixth Sense
A budding technology called electric field imaging may soon enable devices such as appliances, toys, and computers to detect the presence of people and respond to their motions.
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DNA puts its best foot forward
A robot made of DNA has taken its first steps, suggesting that such devices could eventually be used for nanoscale manufacturing.
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Microwave mirror hits the spot
A technique for rebounding and refocusing sound also works for electromagnetic waves, possibly opening new uses ranging from improving cell phone communication to treating illness.
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Tiny Tubes Brighten Bulbs: Nanotubes beat tungsten in lightbulb test—maybe
Experiments suggest that lightbulbs with filaments made from carbon nanotubes outshine conventional bulbs.
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Protein Power: Solar cell produces electricity from spinach and bacterial proteins
Researchers have fabricated a solar cell that uses photosynthetic proteins to convert light into electricity.
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Groovy Pictures: Extracting sound from images of old audio recordings
To preserve songs and words on antique vinyl records and wax cylinders, a new scanning technique maps their grooves, then simulates a stylus moving along those contours to extract high-quality sound.
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Diagnostic gadget mixes and matches all in one
Researchers have fabricated a miniature diagnostic lab that can detect disease-linked genes in a small sample of whole blood.
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Injectable Medibots: Programmable DNA could diagnose and treat cancer
Researchers have created a miniature DNA computer that can detect cancer genes in a test tube and respond by releasing a drug.
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Super-repellent surface switches on and off
Nanotechnologists have created a remarkably effective liquid-repelling surface that can also become, at the flick of a switch, liquid-attracting.
