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Unexpected finding: Light can twist ribbons of nanoparticlesUnexpected finding: Light can twist ribbons of nanoparticles

In findings that took the experimenters three years to believe, Univ. of Michigan engineers and their collaborators have demonstrated that light itself can twist ribbons of nanoparticles.

Researcher solves 37-year old lunar mystery

Researcher solves 37-year old lunar mystery

The 35-kilometer lunar trek by the Soviet Union’s Lunokhod 2 still holds the record for distance by a robotic rover on a celestial body. Using his own lunar atlas and NASA images, Phil Stooke, a researcher in Canada, has found the rover and its tracks. Recent images and data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter confirmed the location.

Solving hydrogen storage issues with layered graphene sheets

Solving hydrogen storage issues with layered graphene sheets

Graphene—carbon formed into sheets a single atom thick—now appears to be a promising base material for capturing hydrogen, according to recent research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Univ. of Pennsylvania. The findings suggest stacks of graphene layers could potentially store hydrogen safely for use in fuel cells and other applications.

Photovoltaics generated $38 billion in 2009

Worldwide solar photovoltaic (PV) installations reached a record high of 6.43 gigawatt (GW) in 2009-a 6% Y/Y growth, according to the latest Marketbuzz 2010 Report from Solarbuzz, an international solar energy market research and consulting company, and a division of The NPD Group.

Wastewater sludge to be turned into 600 kW a day

Wastewater sludge to be turned into 600 kW a day

The project hasn’t reached full-scale yet, but the renewable energy research project that started out in a Nevada lab has reached demonstration stage at a water reclamation facility. The process dries sludge that is normally trucked away for disposal, converting it to solid fuel that can be gasified to produce electricity.

P2i showcases liquid repellent nano-coating for hearing aids

P2i showcases liquid repellent nano-coating for hearing aids

At the AudiologyNOW! 2010 show in San Diego next month, UK-based coatings company P2i will display their relatively new Aridion liquid-repellant nano-coating. Designed for exposure to humidity or sweat, the polymer layer is applied by a pulsed ion gas process that lower’s the hearing aid’s surface energy, coaxing water away from delicate components.

Nano-based RFID tags could replace bar codes

Nano-based RFID tags could replace bar codes

A carbon-nanotube-infused ink for ink-jet printers first developed in the Rice Univ. lab of James Tour has been used to make thin-film transistors in radio-frequency identification tags that can be printed on paper or plastic. The transmitter can be invisibly embedded in packaging, instantly sharing far more information than a bar code.

Weak lasers set nanoparticles on fire, suggesting blasting caps for cancer

Engineers in Florida have ignited certain small particles with low-power lasers, a finding that could have ramifications in medicine. With as little as 500 mW, researchers were able to release the energy stored in functionalized fullerenes, which are biologically safe molecules that can be directed to cancerous tumors.

First look inside Jupiter's Great Red Spot

First look inside Jupiter's Great Red Spot

The biggest storm in the Solar System has attracted a lot of attention over the years, but the extreme complexity of the storm system has only just recently come to light through intense study by the Very Large Telescope in Chile and the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii. They show that despite continuous upheaval the Spot is remarkably stable.

Bacteria could put lock on uranium that threatens groundwater

Bacteria could put lock on uranium that threatens groundwater

Scientists already know that some types of bacteria can alter uranium (VI)—a radioactive, toxic, and water-soluble relic of the Cold War era—into uranium (IV)—insoluble, stationary, and less harmful. Argonne Lab studies are beginning to unlock this pathway, but because bacteria interact with so many other elements, harnessing their abilities will prove difficult.

Our defensive chemical sensors are almost as ancient as vision

 The detection of tissue-damaging pungent chemicals like those found in wasabi, tear gas and cigarette smoke is called chemical nociception. It’s different than either taste or smell, and according to recent phylogenetics research, this defensive sensor has been conserved across 500 million years of evolution.

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