The Optical Society (OSA)

The quarter-sized RoboBee looks like a fly, but it was designed to save us from colony collapse disorder. If the bees die, we have a robot backup. We take for granted the effortless flight of insects, thinking nothing of swatting a pesky fly and crushing its wings. But this insect is a model of complexity.

Makes the inside of bottles so slippery, nothing is left inside   Watch never-before-seen videos of an amazing new condiment lubricant that makes the inside of bottles so slippery, nothing is left inside. This means no more pounding on the bottom of your ketchup containers–and a lot less wasted food. When it comes to those

Image via Wikipedia Generating Matter and Antimatter from Nothing Under just the right conditions — which involve an ultra-high-intensity laser beam and a two-mile-long particle accelerator — it could be possible to create something out of nothing, according to University of Michigan researchers. The scientists and engineers have developed new equations that show how a

UMB 425 is being called a breakthrough in the development of therapeutics to treat chronic pain, acts on two different opioid receptors with diminished tolerance over time and no obvious toxic effects. A team of researchers led by Andrew Coop, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences (PSC) at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy (UMSOP),

“We’ve found compounds from the wild tomatillo that have strong anti-cancer properties against breast cancer, skin cancer, thyroid cancer and brain cancer in our early studies,” For decades the native prairie plant with tomato-like vines, and marbled-sized fruit covered in thin husks, has sprawled across the Kansas prairie in relative obscurity. But scientists from around

ARPA-e and others aim to fund development of a battery that relies on lithium and air In his State of the Union address, President Obama painted a vision of the jobs of tomorrow — then pointed to the scientists of today. “None of us can predict with certainty what the next big industry will be,

That was only about a third of its theoretical capacity, but three times better than current batteries Researchers at Rice University have refined silicon-based lithium-ion technology by literally crushing their previous work to make a high-capacity, long-lived and low-cost anode material with serious commercial potential for rechargeable lithium batteries. The team led by Rice engineer

Food prices are soaring to record levels, threatening many developing countries with mass hunger and political instability. Finance ministers of the Group of 20 leading economies discussed the problem at a meeting in Paris last week, but for all of their expressed concern, most are already breaking their promises to help. After the last sharp

While roofs across the world sport photovoltaic solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity, a Duke University engineer believes a novel hybrid system can wring even more useful energy out of the sun’s rays. Instead of systems based on standard solar panels, Duke engineer Nico Hotz proposes a hybrid option in which sunlight heats a