University of Calgary

Hologram technology has been steadily evolving   From training sessions to romantic interludes, the holodeck aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise provided virtual environments for both work and play in “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” On Earth, hologram technology has been steadily evolving in the 24 years since that series debuted. A full “Star Trek” holodeck experience

From Apple’s Siri to Honda’s robot Asimo, machines seem to be getting better and better at communicating with humans. But some neuroscientists caution that today’s computers will never truly understand what we’re saying because they do not take into account the context of a conversation the way people do. Specifically, say University of California, Berkeley,

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers have 3D printed live cells that convert glucose to ethanol and carbon dioxide gas (CO2), a substance that resembles beer, demonstrating a technology that can lead to high biocatalytic efficiency. Bioprinting living mammalian cells into complex 3D scaffolds has been widely studied and demonstrated for applications ranging from tissue

Scientists at the University of Sheffield have created a computer model of how bees avoid hitting walls – which could be a breakthrough in the development of autonomous robots. Researchers from the Department of Computer Science built their computer model to look at how bees use vision to detect the movement of the world around

Keeping the lights on: Solving the intermittency shortcomings of renewable solar energy The Science More efficient, eco-friendly electricity generation with a “solar flow battery” combines a redox flow battery and a dye-sensitized solar cell, using compatible, water-based (aqueous) solvents. Solar energy is harvested and stored as chemical energy during the charging process. When it is

World’s first demonstration of persistent luminescence from organic materials set to unlock new and expanded uses for the glow-in-the-dark phenomenon Glow-in-the-dark paints that have improved flexibility and transparency while also being cheaper and easier to manufacture are on the horizon courtesy of new research from Kyushu University. In a groundbreaking demonstration, light emission lasting more

It’s time to let scientists study whether LSD, marijuana and ecstasy can ease psychiatric disorders Discovery of new psychiatric medication, whether for the treatment of depression, autism or schizophrenia, is at a virtual standstill. As just one example, the antidepressants on the market today are no more effective at reversing the mood disorder than those

New Cornell research suggests an economically viable model to scrub carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to thwart runaway, point-of-no-return global warming. The researchers propose using a “bioenergy-biochar system” that removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in an environmental pinch, until other removal methods become economically feasible and in regions where other methods are impractical. Their

A paper-thin, flexible device created at Michigan State University not only can generate energy from human motion, it can act as a loudspeaker and microphone as well, nanotechnology researchers report today in Nature Communications. The audio breakthrough could eventually lead to such consumer products as a foldable loudspeaker, a voice-activated security patch for computers and

A Stanford-led team of researchers has developed tiny bubbles that bind to malignant tumors, making them visible to ultrasound imaging. A team led by researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine has demonstrated a way to diagnose cancer without resorting to surgery, raising the possibility of far fewer biopsies. For this first-in-humans clinical trial,