Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Researchers launch multi-year project to develop robots that can make moral decisions Researchers from Tufts University, Brown University, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are teaming with the U.S. Navy to explore technology that would pave the way for developing robots capable of making moral decisions. In a project funded by the Office of Naval Research and

Image via Wikipedia Hand-held devices could soon have pressure-sensitive touch-screens and keys, thanks to a UK firm’s material that exploits a quantum physics trick. The technology allows, for example, scrolling down a long list or webpage faster as more pressure is applied. A division of Samsung that distributes mobile phone components to several handset manufacturers

Just-released Nature paper shows more strategic use of nutrients and water on a global scale could boost production 45 to 70 percent for most crops Can we have enough to eat and a healthy environment, too? Yes—if we’re smart about it, suggests a study published in Nature this week by a team of researchers from the University

A computer simulation of a cognitive model entirely made up of artificial neurons learns to communicate through dialogue starting from a state of tabula rasa A group of researchers from the University of Sassari (Italy) and the University of Plymouth (UK) has developed a cognitive model, made up of two million interconnected artificial neurons, able

Image via CrunchBase Renewable energy technologies will never get off the ground until they become cheaper than fossil fuels. Today, Nanosolar CEO Martin Roscheisen says his startup took a step in that direction by shipping its first thin-film solar panel after five years of development. In a blog post, Roscheisen claims his company has produced

Biocompatible fibers could use light to stimulate cells or sense signs of disease Researchers from MIT and Harvard Medical School have developed a biocompatible and highly stretchable optical fiber made from hydrogel — an elastic, rubbery material composed mostly of water. The fiber, which is as bendable as a rope of licorice, may one day

One of the aircraft on display at next week’s Paris Air Show will be Boeing’s new 747-8 Freighter. While the 76-meter (250-foot) jumbo jet will no doubt be pretty impressive to see on the ground, what many gawkers may not realize is that its flight from Seattle to Paris will have marked an aviation milestone

The findings open a doorway on an unexplored chemical galaxy containing vast numbers of new molecules for making drugs, plastics and unprecedented smart materials Chemists led by Nobel laureate K. Barry Sharpless at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have used his click chemistry to uncover unprecedented, powerful reactivity for making new drugs, diagnostics, plastics, smart

Funded by private investors and governments, cancer tests of blood and urine are coming to market. How much does it cost to bring to market a diagnostic test that’s able to measure cancer without a tissue biopsy? In the case of Trovagene, almost $100 million. That’s the cumulative loss, or expense including salaries, R&D, and