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chip charted
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Storing
light, even briefly, was considered impossible
until recently. Since scientists have proved
it could be done, they've been finding different
ways of accomplishing the feat. A proposal
for slowing and stopping light in photonic
crystal promises to bring these experiments
to the chip level. The result could boost
efforts to make all-optical computer chips
and quantum computers.
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Coincidences
set up mental error
What you think is happening in a given situation
isn't necessarily the case, even when everything
seems to add up. Your mental model of a situation
is necessarily distorted, which can lead you to
see a cause and effect that isn't there. This has
major consequences for the design of critical human-machine
interfaces, like aircraft cockpits.
Noise
boosts nanotube antennas
Sometimes adding a little noise can help a signal
come through loud and clear. This is true for the
neural network between your ears, and it turns out
to also be true for carbon nanotubes. The result
could be better cell phones, chemical detectors
and video screens. It could also boost efforts to
build brain-computer interfaces.
Web
users re-visit in steps
There are all kinds of tools to help you find information
on the Web, but if you don't bookmark the page when
you get there, you're on your own when you need
to find your way back. A study that teases out how
people re-find pages could lead to better annotation
tools. Following a marked trail, after all, is easier
than relying on memory.
Briefs
All-plastic
display demoed... DNA
sorts nanotubes... Electricity
teleportation devised... Mechanical
storage goes low power... Scientists
brew tree-shaped DNA... Magnets
tune photonic crystal.
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