Aug

31

Two Nanotechnology Breakthroughs from IBM: Single-Atom Data Storage and Molecular Computers

August 31, 2007 | Leave a Comment

IBM Unveils Two Major Nanotechnology Breakthroughs as Building Blocks for Atomic Structures and Devices - Magnetic Atom Milestone Brings Single-Atom Data Storage Closer to Reality; Single-Molecule Switching Could Lead to Molecular Computers. ‘IBM announced two major scientific achievements in the field of nanotechnology that could one day lead to new kinds of devices and structures [...]

Aug

31

Nanofluids: No “Magic” Cooling Capabilities

August 31, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Not so super-cool after all: MIT researchers knock down theory about nanofluids. ‘MIT engineers have shown that nanofluids, which once held promise as a super-coolant, do not have the theoretical cooling capabilities many scientists believed they had.
Nanofluids are suspensions of tiny particles on the nanometer, or billionth of a meter, scale. When nanofluids were first [...]

Aug

22

SciVee: YouTube for Scientists

August 22, 2007 | 1 Comment

The Chronicle of Higher Education: Scientists Get a YouTube of Their Own. ‘The National Science Foundation, the Public Library of Science, and the San Diego Supercomputing Center are hoping that their new Web site — billed as a YouTube for scientists — will help demystify important research papers.
The site, called SciVee, will allow scientists to [...]

Aug

22

OAIster: Opening the Archives

August 22, 2007 | Leave a Comment

OAIster. ‘OAIster is a union catalog of digital resources. We provide access to these digital resources by “harvesting” their descriptive metadata (records) using OAI-PMH (the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting). The Open Archives Initiative is not the same thing as the Open Access movement. Digital resources can range from an old-time advertisement of [...]

Aug

21

HHMI’s BioInteractive - Free Resources for Science Teachers and Students

August 21, 2007 | Leave a Comment

HHMI’s BioInteractive. ‘BioInteractive is a web-based collection of biology-focused teaching materials created and administered by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Many of the resources are also available on DVD and CD-ROM. These resources include Videos, Animations, Lectures, Virtual Museums and Virtual Laboratories.

Aug

19

CTWatch Quarterly: Web 2.0 in Science

August 19, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Web 2.0 in Science, Timo Hannay, CTWatch Quarterly, Vol. 3, 2007. Excerpt: Perhaps the only thing on which everyone can agree about Web 2.0 is that it has become a potent buzzword. It provokes enthusiasm and cynicism in roughly equal measures, but as a label for an idea whose time has come, no one can [...]

Aug

19

For the Weekend - OodleBoxTV: Do-It-Yourself

August 19, 2007 | Leave a Comment

OodleBoxTV. ‘OodleBoxTV is a digital community of do-it-yourselfers organized around video channels of how-to knowledge, techniques, tips and resources to add oodles of style and grace to your lifestyle, home, or garden.
OodleBoxTV how-to video clips feature resident experts Jackie Taylor of DIY Channel’s “Grounds for Improvement,” Michael Glassman of Discovery Home’s “Garden Police,” and Roger [...]

Aug

19

Call for Public Comments: Prioritization of Environmental, Health, and Safety Research Needs for Engineered Nanoscale Materials

August 19, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Prioritization of Environmental, Health, and Safety Research Needs for Engineered Nanoscale Materials (PDF). The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO), on behalf of the Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee of the Committee on Technology, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), is requesting public comments on the newly released document Prioritization of Environmental, Health, and [...]

Aug

18

Super Crystals in Organic Semiconductors

August 18, 2007 | Leave a Comment

UA Physicists Discover ‘Super Crystals’ in a Semiconductor. ‘University of Arizona physicists have discovered that “super crystals” - crystals which are hundreds to thousands times larger than conventional crystals - exist in certain organic semiconducting solids.
Pure super-crystalline organic semiconductors will conduct electricity much differently than conventional solids. Super-crystalline semiconductors, for example, could create splashes of [...]

Aug

16

Article: Hollywood Blockbusters - Unlimited Fun but Limited Science Literacy

August 16, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Hollywood Blockbusters: Unlimited Fun but Limited Science Literacy, C.J. Efthimiou and R.A. Llewellyn, arXiv:0707.1167v1. Abstract: In this article, we examine specific scenes from popular action and sci-fi movies and show how they blatantly break the laws of physics, all in the name of entertainment, but coincidentally contributing to science illiteracy. [via EETimes]
Excerpt: Hollywood directors and [...]

Aug

16

How to Quantify the Uncertainty of “Instantaneously”

August 16, 2007 | Leave a Comment

‘We have broken speed of light’. ‘A pair of German physicists claim to have broken the speed of light - an achievement that would undermine our entire understanding of space and time. According to Einstein’s special theory of relativity, it would require an infinite amount of energy to propel an object at more than 186,000 [...]

Aug

16

Very Long Distance Learning

August 16, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Crew Holds Class in Space, Prepares for Possible Repair Work. ‘The STS-118 and Expedition 15 crews are preparing for a possible spacewalk to repair damage on Space Shuttle Endeavour’s thermal protection system. During the first half of the day, the crew held class in space for students on Earth.
Mission Specialists Barbara Morgan and Alvin Drew [...]

keep looking »