Tech

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We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.

  1. Tech

    Hopping robot powered by explosions

    A soft-bodied robot that can jump with the help of an explosion could one day aid search-and-rescue operations.

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  2. Tech

    Long after JFK assassination, gunshot forensics still limited

    The Warren Commission Report included the results of a neutron activation analysis test of Lee Harvey Oswald. But even that high-tech analysis can't distinguish the type of weapon fired.

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  3. Tech

    Octobot uses webbed arms to swim faster

    Octopus-inspired robot could one day help researchers observe underwater ecosystems.

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  4. Tech

    Hydrogen made using sunlight, cheap materials

    Photosynthesis-inspired fuel cell uses water to make hydrogen gas and could feature in next-generation cars.

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  5. Planetary Science

    Spot on comet chosen for Rosetta mission lander

    Philae, the Rosetta mission lander, will attempt to land on a spot called site J on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

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  6. Tech

    ‘Virtual Unreality’ chronicles dangers of digital deception

    Journalist Charles Seife documents how the lies and misinformation that riddle the Internet are harming the real world.

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  7. Tech

    Space tourism’s price tag rockets upward

    The “high price” of space tourism proposed in the 1960s is nowhere close to the astronomical price tag of trips today.

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  8. Tech

    To have a sound mind, a brain needs a body

    Replicating human intelligence in robots requires the right materials for brain-body-environment interactions.

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  9. Tech

    Robot swarm takes many shapes

    One Kilobot is not very smart. But 1,000 can follow simple instructions to assemble into multiple shapes without human intervention.

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  10. Materials Science

    Magnets get flipped by light

    Controlling magnetism with lasers could lead to faster computer hard drives.

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  11. Life

    Malaria parasite’s invasion of blood cells tweezed apart

    Tugging on malaria-causing parasite cells with laser optical tweezers suggest that the parasite cells interact only weakly with red blood cells and that the interactions could be disrupted with drugs or antibodies.

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  12. Computing

    Thousand-robot swarm self-assembles into complex shapes

    A swarm of a thousand tiny robots can now self-assemble into complex shapes, suggesting scientists have taken a step forward in engineering collective artificial intelligence

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