News
Do-it-yourself invisibility with 3-D printing
May 6, 2013 12:18 pm | by EurekAlert! | CommentsSeven years ago, Duke University engineers demonstrated the first working invisibility cloak in complex laboratory experiments. Now it appears creating a simple cloak has become a lot simpler. "I would argue that essentially anyone who can spend a couple thousand dollars on a non-industry grade 3-D printer can literally make a plastic cloak overnight
Portable device provides rapid, accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis, other bacterial infections
May 6, 2013 12:11 pm | by EurekAlert! | CommentsA handheld diagnostic device that investigators first developed to diagnose cancer has been adapted to rapidly diagnose tuberculosis and other important infectious bacteria. The portable devices combine microfluidic technology with nuclear magnetic resonance to not only diagnose but also determine the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains.
Bulldogs Racing places first in major hybrid racecar contest
May 6, 2013 11:41 am | by Yale UniversityYale University | CommentsThe race car was a hybrid, but the win was all Yale. Bulldogs Racing, a student group, placed first in the 2013 Formula Hybrid International at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on May 2. The annual contest, open to universities around the world, challenges teams of student engineers to design and build open-wheel, single-seat electric or plug-in hybrid race cars, then race them in a series of contests. Yale placed first in several categories, includi...
Improving materials that convert heat to electricity and vice-versa
May 6, 2013 11:20 am | by EurekAlert! | CommentsThermoelectric materials can be used to turn waste heat into electricity or to provide refrigeration without any liquid coolants, and a research team from the University of Michigan has found a way to nearly double the efficiency of a particular class of them that's made with organic semiconductors.
Dell buys cloud software firm Enstratius
May 6, 2013 11:13 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsDell Inc. on Monday said that it has acquired Enstratius, a provider of software and consulting services for companies that want to use "cloud" computing. The terms of the acquisition were not announced. Enstratius is based in Minneapolis and provides tools that help customers manage computing...
Nintendo turns to smartphone apps for its consoles
May 6, 2013 11:13 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsNintendo Co. is trying to enable users of its game consoles to enjoy popular smartphone applications on their devices in a bid to boost sales and return to profitability on an operating basis in the current business year, company sources said Saturday.
Are you a tax cheat if you shop online tax-free?
May 6, 2013 11:11 am | by STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press | CommentsBuy anything on the Internet lately without paying sales tax? In all but a few states, you're probably a tax cheat. That's right, even if Internet retailers don't collect sales tax at the time of the purchase, you're required by law to pay it in 45 states and the District of Columbia.
Taiwan's MediaTek profit up 51 percent in 1Q
May 6, 2013 11:10 am | by ANNIE HUANG, Associated Press | CommentsMediaTek Inc., Asia's largest chipset designer, said Monday its first quarter profit grew 51 percent from a year earlier, boosted by China's flourishing smartphone market. The Taiwanese company's net profit totaled 3.7 billion New Taiwan dollars ($125 million) in the January-March period on revenue of NT$24 billion.
New efforts to curb cellphone theft
May 6, 2013 11:01 am | by TERRY COLLINS, Associated Press | CommentsIn San Francisco, where half the robberies were phone-related last year, District Attorney George Gascon is calling on major companies to create new technology such as a "kill switch" to permanently and quickly disable stolen smart phones, making them worthless to thieves.
The fluorescent future of solar cells
May 6, 2013 10:56 am | by Yale UniversityYale University | CommentsFor some solar cells, the future may be fluorescent. Scientists at Yale have improved the ability of a promising type of solar cell to absorb light and convert it into electrical power by adding a fluorescent organic dye to the cell layer. This squaraine dye boosts light absorption and recycles electrons, improving the conversion of light into energy....
Solar plane lands in Ariz., 1st leg of major trip
May 6, 2013 10:55 am | by BOB SEAVEY & SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN, Associated Press | CommentsAlone in the single-seat cockpit and high above the American Southwest, pilot Bertrand Piccard could hear only his plane's gear box and the quiet whine of four electric motors. No noisy jet engines. He's flying Solar Impulse, considered the world's most advanced sun-powered plane.
Experimental Air Force aircraft goes hypersonic
May 6, 2013 10:43 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsAn experimental, unmanned aircraft developed for the U.S. Air Force went hypersonic during a test off the Southern California coast, traveling at more than 3,000 mph, the Air Force said Friday. The X-51A WaveRider flew for more than three minutes under power from its exotic scramjet engine and hit a speed of Mach 5.1, or more than five times the speed of sound.
Pentagon clears use of Samsung's devices
May 6, 2013 10:41 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsSamsung Electronics Co. says the U.S. Department of Defense has approved using Samsung smartphones for its networks. The South Korean company said Friday the Galaxy S4 smartphone has become the first Android device to meet the security requirements set out by the U.S. government...
Alan Alda wants scientists to cut out the jargon
May 6, 2013 10:28 am | by FRANK ELTMAN, Associated Press | CommentsAmong the procedures Army surgeon Hawkeye Pierce performed on "M.A.S.H." was an end-to-end anastomosis. Most of the viewers, actor Alan Alda concedes, had no idea he was talking about removing a damaged piece of intestine and reconnecting the healthy pieces.
New technology propels 'old energy' boom
May 6, 2013 10:16 am | by JONATHAN FAHEY, AP Energy Writer | CommentsTechnology created an energy revolution over the past decade - just not the one we expected. By now, cars were supposed to be running on fuel made from plant waste or algae - or powered by hydrogen or cheap batteries that burned nothing at all.
