Reading the brain without poking it
Experimental devices that read brain signals have helped paralyzed people use computers and may let amputees control bionic limbs. But existing devices use tiny electrodes that poke into the brain. view more (2009-06-29)
Magnet Made Of Pure Carbon
All known magnets contain metals and so far scientists believed that non-metallic material could not behave like a strong magnet. However, at the end of 20th century, some organic substances with strong magnetic properties were found, but they were magnetic only at very low temperatures, just above liquid helium. It seemed impossible to obtain... view more... (2001-10-24)
New magnets with 99% air content
Researchers from the Physics Department at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), the Institut de Cie'nca de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), and the Universidad de Zaragoza have created a new ultra-light transparent magnetic material. Thanks to its properties, the new material could have interesting technological applications,... view more... (2003-11-25)
Varnish measures pressure and vibrations
Despite the use of computer simulation, wind tunnel testing is still required to measure pressure changes and airflow speeds on the surfaces of new aircraft and automobile prototypes. Such testing is now done less with smoke visualization and threads but more frequently with high-tech sensors which have the least influence on air flows. Film... view more... (2003-02-20)
Living Metals
Using synchrotron x-ray microbeams, a research team from the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research in Stuttgart and the ESRF has been able to observe for the first time that the microscopic structure of a crystalline material fluctuates in time. The results are published today in Science Express with the title: Scaling in the Time Domain:... view more... (2005-04-22)
Contraceptive pill produced from potato toxin
Dutch researcher Patrick Vronen from Wageningen University has investigated several methods for converting toxins in high-starch potatoes into a raw material for steroid hormones used, for example, in contraceptive pills. The molecular structure of the potato toxin solanidine, which is found in high-starch potatoes, is similar to that of... view more... (2003-06-24)
Hybrid composite for root canal treatment
Unrelenting toothache means a visit to the dentist is inevitable, and if the tooth decay is really bad root canal treatment is often the only option. view more (2009-11-05)
Continuous Stiching Method Reduces Pain For Women With Perineal Damage After Childbirth
Authors of a study in this week's issue of THE LANCET suggest that a simple, continuous stitching technique to repair tears to the perineum after vaginal delivery can prevent one woman in six from having pain ten days after childbirth. The study also highlights how the use of more rapidly absorbed suture material can avoid the need for the removal... view more... (2002-06-26)
Hydrogen found to transmit magnetism
A team of chemists and physicists at the Universities of Liverpool and Oxford have shown that hydrogen transmits magnetism. This discovery could be the first step to a new class of magnetic materials, and opens up a new field of chemistry. The team, headed by Professor Matthew Rosseinsky of the Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, and... view more... (2002-03-07)
Precise measurement of phenomenon advances solar cell understanding
Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have shed light on a basic process that could improve future solar cells. view more (2008-11-19)
The JRC and CEN/STAR searching for standards
Main objectives of The Strategic Workshop on Pre-normative Research and the Needs for Standards in the of Humanitarian Demining Technologies and Detection of Buried Material, hosted by the JRC-Ispra Site (Province of Varese, Italy) from 3rd to 5th November are: To provide a summary overview of the current state of research and development in... view more... (1999-10-25)
Light-sensing cells in retina develop before vision
Investigators at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that cells making up a non-visual system in the eye are in place and functioning long before the rods and cones that process light into vision. view more (2005-12-22)
Living in a material world
Material goods are seen by many as a central life goal; the main route to identity, success and happiness; and the yardstick for evaluating self and others. view more (2004-08-23)
A wider range of sounds for the deaf
More than three decades ago, scientists pursued the then-radical idea of implanting tiny electronic hearing devices in the inner ear to help profoundly deaf people. view more (2007-06-11)
New NIST reference material for peptide analysis
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued its first-ever reference material designed to improve the performance and reliability of experiments to measure the masses and concentrations of peptides in biomolecular samples. view more (2007-05-29)
Porous ceramic foam - taking the heat out of furnaces
Concerns over the health effects on humans caused by RCF dust lead to a number of studies in the USA. The EU directive in November 1997 and growing legislation from EU member states, including Germany and The Netherlands, has lead to a widespread search for a suitable alternative. Hi-Por, developed by TMS, is proving to be one of the leading... view more... (1999-04-30)
Shredding corn silage could produce more ethanol at less cost
A Purdue University researcher has found a way to get more bang for fewer bucks when it comes to processing cellulosic material to make ethanol. view more (2009-02-24)
Nanostructures can pose big measurement problems
Materials scientists will tell you that to best understand, characterize and eventually utilize the properties of a specific material, you have to be able to define how the atoms within it are arranged. view more (2007-04-30)
Contact lenses inside the eyes
INASMET Foundation, a member of the TECNALIA Corporation from the Basque Country, is currently carrying out research on intraocular lenses. In fact, INASMET presented two projects at the 17th European Congress on Biomaterials held in Barcelona. Apart from publishing the results of a comparative study on intraocular lenses, they presented a... view more... (2003-01-03)
The optimal stuff
Most chaotic systems are hard to grasp. This is also true of the snarls of fibers found in filters, fabrics and insulation material that filtrate solutions, absorb noise or retain heat. Manufacturers typically approach product development by trial and error. What they expect to see as a result is more a question of experience than what they... view more... (2003-04-24)
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