TechBlog

In Arizona State University camera orbiting Mars has uncovered salt deposits on the cratered Martian surface, suggesting water was once widespread on the Red Planet.

Scientists say the more than 200 deposits likely formed through water evaporation and could be ideal places to look for past life because of salt’s preservative qualities.

The findings are being published Friday in Science magazine.

Continue reading ‘Salt on Mars? ASU helps scientists make discovery’ »

 New Land Warrior Movie Technology that changes the Look and Feel of War on the battle grounds and Streets.

The video is from Discovery channel.

Courtesy Atsushi Asano, Cornell University

While not quite on the nanoscale, an average human sperm on average is about 0.055 mm long, sperm have provided inspiration for how to power nano-sized devices. Energy to power the sperm tail (flagellum) comes from the mitochondria, the power stations of the cell, while the rear section of the tail or ‘principal piece’ gets it’s energy from glycolysis, the direct breakdown of glucose to produce energy. It’s this process that has inspired researchers at the Cornell NanoScale Science and Technology Facility to try and mimic this process to provide a power source for nanodevices.

In sperm, the 10 enzymes required for glycolysis are attached to scaffolding proteins in the sperm tail, holding them in place in a unique conformation. Scientists engineered and tethered 3 of the 10 proteins to a gold surface covered in nickel ions, whilst retaining the enzymes activity. Researchers are now looking to extend the project to include all 10 protens necessary to complete a nano ‘power supply’.

Riverside, CA — Two engineers at the University of California, Riverside are part of a binational team that has found semiconducting nanotubes produced by living bacteria — a discovery that could help in the creation of a new generation of nanoelectronic devices.

The research team believes this is the first time nanotubes have been shown to be produced by biological rather than chemical means. It opens the door to the possibility of cheaper and more environmentally friendly manufacture of electronic materials.

Study results appear in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Continue reading ‘Nanotube-Producing Bacteria Show Manufacturing Promise’ »