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NEWS
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Paper power
 Paper
suffused with carbon nanotubes and an electrically conductive
liquid forms flexible, lightweight batteries and supercapacitors
that can be folded and cut into a variety of shapes. Batteries
made from the paper could power machines ranging from
vehicles to implantable medical devices. (Flexible
Energy Storage Devices Based on Nanocomposite Paper,
Procedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
published online August 15, 2007)
Cellular CT scan
A CT scan for cells builds three-dimensional images
based on the way different materials bend light waves.
This refractive index technique makes three-dimensional
images of individual living cells without immobilizing
them or altering them with fluorescent dyes or other contrast
agents. (Tomographic
Phase Microscopy, Nature Methods, published
online August 12, 2007)
Spotting diseases
Quantum dots as microscopic barcodes make for
microfluidic devices that identify multiple infectious
diseases simultaneously in small droplets of blood. The
technique could lead to fast, inexpensive, handheld devices
for diagnosing and monitoring diseases. (Convergence
of Quantum Dot Barcodes with Microfluidics and Signal
Processing for Multiplexed High-Throughput Infectious
Disease Diagnostics, Nano Letters, published
online August 18, 2007)
Cellular cyborg
Put a cluster of pulsating rat heart cells on
a tiny plastic platform with six legs and you get a microrobot
that shows the potential of biological entities as components
of microdevices. The tiny robot walked continuously for
over 10 days, racking up 50 meters of mileage. (Establishment
of a Fabrication Method for a Long-Term Actuated Hybrid
Cell Robot, Lab on a Chip, published online
August 10, 2007)
Worm clamps
A plastic chip full of tiny, narrowing channels
gently traps dozens of microscopic worms, making it possible
to measure and even perform surgery on many worms in parallel.
The microfluidic device could help automate biological
and medical research. (A
Microfabricated Array of Clamps for Immobilizing and Imaging
C. Elegans, Lab on a Chip, published
online August 16, 2007)
EM-proof antenna
An antenna that converts radio signals to light
field oscillations toughens radios against large electromagnetic
pulses. Weapons that generate electromagnetic pulses can
destroy or disable radios and other electronic devices.
(All-Dielectric
Photonic-Assisted Radio Front-End Technology, Nature
Photonics, published online August 19, 2007) |
FEATURES
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View
from the High Ground: ICL's John Pendry
Physics as machine tool, negative refractive
index, metamaterials, shattered wine glasses, higher capacity
DVDs, scientific backwaters, risk perception and practice,
practice, practice.
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How
It Works: Quantum computing: qubits
Photons, electrons and atoms, oh my! These particles are
the raw materials for qubits, the basic building blocks
of quantum computers. |
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"Physics
is to the rest of science what machine tools are
to engineering. A corollary is that science places
power in our hands which can be used for good or
ill. Technology has been abused in this way throughout
the ages from gunpowder to atomic bombs."
- John Pendry, Imperial College London |
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Thanks
to Kevin from
GoldBamboo.com
for technical support |
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