News
The long road to the 2000-watt society: How sustainable is Switzerland?
May 24, 2013 10:02 am | by EMPA | CommentsThe vision of a society in which each inhabitant of the earth manages to consume only 2000 watts has already been around for 15 years. During this time, there has been a steady increase in environmental awareness in the West. Technology has become more efficient and there appears to be very little standing in the way of a sustainable lifestyle.
NASA head views progress on asteroid lasso mission
May 24, 2013 9:56 am | by ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer | CommentsSurrounded by engineers, NASA chief Charles Bolden inspected a prototype spacecraft engine that could power an audacious mission to lasso an asteroid and tow it closer to Earth for astronauts to explore. Bolden checked on the progress Thursday a month after the Obama administration unveiled its 2014 budget...
Taiwan cuts growth forecast on muted export demand
May 24, 2013 9:46 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsTaiwan has lowered its economic growth forecast for 2013 to a muted 2.4 percent as global demand for the island's electronics exports remained subdued. In February, the government predicted 3.6 percent growth this year. The economy grew 1.3 percent in 2012.
Sanyo may sell stake in Chinese joint venture
May 24, 2013 9:37 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsSanyo Electric a group company of Panasonic, is considering selling a stake of about 30 percent in its joint venture in the eastern Chinese province of Anhui, sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday. U.S. home appliance maker Whirlpool Corp. is one of the companies interested in buying the stake...
Solving a semiconductor riddle
May 24, 2013 12:00 am | by Massachusetts Institute of Technology | CommentsLight-emitting diodes (LEDs) continue to transform technology, whether it’s through the high-resolution glow of flat-screen televisions or light bulbs that last for years. The high efficiency and versatility of LEDs make them increasingly popular, but their full potential remains limited, in part because of remaining mysteries about the exact light-emission mechanism in the semiconducting materials.One significant controversy surround...
Mobile Tower System delivers life-saving upgrades
May 24, 2013 12:00 am | by U.S. Army | CommentsThe Army is replacing the 1960's era air traffic control system with the Mobile Tower System, which provides an effective and reliable solution that can be deployed anywhere in the world, in any weather condition and will support both military and civilian air operations....
Salesforce's 1Q loss widens, outlook disappoints
May 23, 2013 5:55 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsSalesforce.com Inc.'s losses widened during its latest quarter as the company spent more money to expand its online software service in an effort to maintain the rapid growth that has propelled its stock. The results announced Thursday largely fell in line with analyst estimates, as did...
Pandora posts in-line 1Q loss, upbeat sales
May 23, 2013 5:43 pm | by RYAN NAKASHIMA - AP Business Writer - Associated Press | CommentsInternet radio company Pandora Media Inc. reported higher-than-expected revenue in the latest quarter, with losses in line with analysts' forecasts, as the number of subscribers who pay for ad-free listening more than doubled to exceed 2.5 million. Pandora predicted that it may break even in the...
GHLI Fellows to aid in improving health care abroad this summer
May 23, 2013 3:57 pm | by Yale UniversityYale University | CommentsFour Yale students have been selected as Global Health Leadership Institute (GHLI) Fellows, and will work with country delegations attending the GHLI Conference, to be held June 9–14 at the University....
Cradle turns smartphone into handheld biosensor
May 23, 2013 3:26 pm | by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | CommentsResearchers and physicians in the field could soon run on-the-spot tests for environmental toxins, medical diagnostics, food safety and more with their smartphones. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers have developed a cradle and app for the iPhone that uses the phone’s built-in camera and processing power as a biosensor...
ESO's Very Large Telescope celebrates 15 years of success
May 23, 2013 2:48 pm | by EurekAlert! | CommentsWith this new view of a spectacular stellar nursery ESO is celebrating 15 years of the Very Large Telescope — the world's most advanced optical instrument. This picture reveals thick clumps of dust silhouetted against the pink glowing gas cloud known to astronomers as IC 2944.
Researchers reveal model of Sun's magnetic field
May 23, 2013 2:41 pm | by EurekAlert! | CommentsResearchers at the Universities of Leeds and Chicago have uncovered an important mechanism behind the generation of astrophysical magnetic fields such as that of the Sun. Scientists have known since the 18th Century that the Sun regularly oscillates between periods of high and low solar activity in an 11-year cycle, but have been unable to fully explain how this cycle is generated.
UBC engineer helps pioneer flat spray-on optical lens
May 23, 2013 2:29 pm | by EurekAlert! | CommentsA University of British Columbia engineer and a team of U.S. researchers have made a breakthrough utilizing spray-on technology that could revolutionize the way optical lenses are made and used. Kenneth Chau, an assistant professor in the School of Engineering at UBC's Okanagan campus, is a key investigator among colleagues at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Maryland.
The world's favorite fruit only better-tasting and longer-lasting
May 23, 2013 2:04 pm | by EurekAlert! | CommentsTomatoes, said to be the world's most popular fruit, can be made both better-tasting and longer-lasting thanks to UK research with purple GM varieties. "Working with GM tomatoes that are different to normal fruit only by the addition of a specific compound, allows us to pinpoint exactly how to breed in valuable traits," said Professor Cathie Martin from the John Innes Centre.
Doctors save Ohio boy by 'printing' an airway tube
May 23, 2013 2:01 pm | by MARILYNN MARCHIONE, AP Chief Medical Writer | CommentsIn a medical first, doctors used plastic particles and a 3-D laser printer to create an airway splint to save the life of a baby boy who used to stop breathing nearly every day. It's the latest advance from the booming field of regenerative medicine, making body parts in the lab.
