University of California San Diego (UCSD)

NSF-funded NEWT Center aims for catalytic converter for nitrate-polluted water Engineers at Rice University’s Nanotechnology Enabled Water Treatment (NEWT) Center have found a catalyst that cleans toxic nitrates from drinking water by converting them into air and water. The research is available online in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Catalysis. “Nitrates come mainly from agricultural runoff,

A team of scientists at University of Limerick has discovered that applying pressure to a protein found in egg whites and tears can generate electricity. The researchers from the Bernal Institute observed that crystals of lysozyme, a model protein that is abundant in egg whites of birds as well as in the tears, saliva and

What if it were possible to quickly and inexpensively manufacture a part simply by using a series of close-range digital images taken of the object? Michael Immel, instructor in the Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, originally started thinking about the technique, called photogrammetry, for a different purpose, but quickly realized

Conductive filaments and 3-D printers allow quick construction of electromagnetic metamaterials Researchers at Duke University have 3-D printed potent electromagnetic metamaterials, using an electrically conductive material compatible with a standard 3-D printer. The demonstration could revolutionize the rapid design and prototyping of radio frequency applications such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, wireless sensing and communications devices. Metamaterials

Skylon is expected to slash the cost of launching satellites into orbit more than 10 times. Critical tests have been completed on a revolutionary rocket engine that could send astronauts into orbit and accelerate aircraft to five times the speed of sound. The British company heading the Sabre project said it was ‘the biggest breakthrough

Young Brothers could save fuel and energy while greatly reducing emissions, if it switched primarily to fuel cells Clean hydrogen power that’s expected to lower emissions and reduce energy consumption will be coming to the Port of Honolulu in 2015 after the completion of a new fuel cell technology demonstration, one that could lead to

The EPA must act swiftly to evaluate the possible health risks of nanotechnology A decade ago the great worry about nanotechnology was that it could quite literally destroy the planet. As Sun Microsystems co-founder Bill Joy warned in his essay “Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us,” self-assembling nanobots could potentially spread out of our control

The most productive places on Earth for solar power are farmlands, according to an Oregon State University study. The study, published today in the journal Scientific Reports, finds that if less than 1% of agricultural land was converted to solar panels, it would be sufficient to fulfill global electric energy demand. The concept of co-developing the same

Nintendo’s new 3DS device is quite literally like nothing you have seen before. Have you ever watched full-motion 3-D video without wearing those annoying special glasses? Didn’t think so. With the 3DS, set to makes its debut on Sunday, you will. In the guise of a hand-held game machine that costs about $250, Nintendo has produced