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NEWS
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Keeping tabs on physical files
An augmented reality office system lets computer
users search for and select physical file folders. Tabs
on the file folders have LEDs that light up when a folder
is selected on the computer, and buttons that select the
folder's digital index entry. The prototype works with
the Microsoft Office OneNote information organization
software. (Integration
of Virtual and Real Document Organization, Tangible
and Embedded Interaction 2008, Bonn, Germany, February
18-20, 2008)
Nanotubes are blackest
An array of loosely packed, vertically aligned
carbon nanotubes is the blackest material on record. The
material is three times less reflective than the previous
darkest artificial material. Such ultra-black materials
could boost the efficiency of solar cells and light-detecting
equipment. (Experimental
Observation of an Extremely Dark Material Made By a Low-Density
Nanotube Array, Nano Letters, January 9, 2008)
Nanotube transistor radio
A way of forming electronic circuits by connecting
individual carbon nanotubes brings practical use of nanotube
electronics a step closer. Researchers built a prototype
transistor radio using the technique. The radio's key
components -- antennas, radiofrequency amplifiers, radiofrequency
mixers and audio amplifiers -- were made from nanotube
circuits. (Radio
Frequency Analog Electronics Based on Carbon Nanotube
Transistors, Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences, published online January 28, 2008)
Plankton chips
A genetic profile of a species of diatom reveals
the hard-shelled plankton's mechanisms for producing the
silica nanostructures that make up its shell. The information
could be used to develop ways of synthesizing silicon
computer chips chemically rather than etching them with
light. It could also prove useful in studying the diatoms'
critical role in the carbon cycle, which is a key factor
in global warming. (Whole-Genome
Expression Profiling of the Marine Diatom Thalassiosira
pseudonana Identifies Genes Involved in Silicon Bioprocesses,
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
published online January 22, 2008)
Dynamic DNA pyramids
DNA tetrahedra with parts that expand and contract
could serve as building blocks for reconfigurable three-dimensional
nanostructures. Tetrahedra are three-dimensional objects
with four triangular faces. The tiny, changeable DNA pyramids
could be used to deliver drugs and carry out other nanoscale
medical procedures. (Reconfigurable,
Braced, Three-dimensional DNA Nanostructures, Nature
Nanotechnology, published online February 3, 2008)
3D DNA crystals
Two approaches to using DNA molecules to arrange
nanoparticles into three-dimensional crystals are step
toward fine control of forming metamaterials with specific
magnetic and optical properties. Such metamaterials could
be used in communications and data storage devices and
scientific equipment. (DNA-Guided
Crystallization of Colloidal Nanoparticles, DNA-Programmable
Nanoparticle Crystallization, Nature, January
31, 2008) |
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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