Gifu University

Just weeks after producing its first batch of synthetic diesel fuel made from carbon dioxide and water, Audi has laid claim to another synthetic, clean-burning and petroleum-free fuel called “e-benzin.” The fuel was created by Audi’s project partner Global Bioenergies, in France. In late 2014, Global Bioenergies started up the fermentation unit for a pilot

The Triboelectric Effect As sources of renewable energy, sun and wind have one major disadvantage: it isn’t always sunny or windy. Waves in the ocean, on the other hand, are never still. American researchers are now aiming to use waves to produce energy by making use of contact electrification between a patterned plastic nanoarray and

Image via Wikipedia A few weeks back, we covered the “debate” that composer Jason Robert Brown had with a young fan of his, concerning the reasonableness of sharing digital copies of his sheet music online. For some reason, Brown keeps appearing in the press over this issue, which is a bit unfortunate, as there are

Scientists from Université Laval, the University of British Columbia and the University of Oxford have discovered a natural resistance gene against spruce budworm in the white spruce. The breakthrough, reported in The Plant Journal, paves the way to identifying and selecting naturally resistant trees to replant forests devastated by the destructive pest. A research team

Scientists hopeful for applications in people A revolutionary gene therapy developed in Colorado could relieve people’s chronic pain, such as arthritis or fibromyalgia but first, it is being tested on pets with incredible results. A Lafayette veterinarian is using cutting-edge research to heal dogs. It may not look like it when 9-year-old Amos, a Labrador

Unlike many conventional chemical detectors that require an external power source, Lawrence Livermore researchers have developed a nanosensor that relies on semiconductor nanowires, rather than traditional batteries. The device overcomes the power requirement of traditional sensors and is simple, highly sensitive and can detect various molecules quickly. Its development could be the first step in

As CRISPR-Cas9 starts to move into clinical trials, a new study published in Nature Methods has found that the gene-editing technology can introduce hundreds of unintended mutations into the genome. “We feel it’s critical that the scientific community consider the potential hazards of all off-target mutations caused by CRISPR, including single nucleotide mutations and mutations

Researchers have developed a tiny nanolaser that can function inside of living tissues without harming them. Just 50 to 150 nanometers thick, the laser is about 1/1,000th the thickness of a single human hair. At this size, the laser can fit and function inside living tissues, with the potential to sense disease biomarkers or perhaps

Soft actuator could be ‘holy grail’ for soft robotics Soft robots do a lot of things well but they’re not exactly known for their speed. The artificial muscles that move soft robots, called actuators, tend to rely on hydraulics or pneumatics, which are slow to respond and difficult to store. Dielectric elastomers, soft materials that