Weblog : News From the Web

Space hotel taking bookings for 2012 opening

Space hotel taking bookings for 2012 opening

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Nov 05, 2009 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (21) | comments 11

(PhysOrg.com) -- The first orbiting space hotel is on track to open for its first customers in 2012, but hurry, as bookings are filling fast.


Solar power generation around the clock

Solar power generation around the clock

Technology / Energy

created Nov 05, 2009 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (29) | comments 15

(PhysOrg.com) -- A Californian company, SolarReserve, is developing a solar power system that can store seven hours' worth of solar energy by focusing mirrors onto millions of gallons of molten salt, allowing ...


Spacesuits with artificial intelligence may look for life on Mars

Spacesuits with artificial intelligence may look for life on Mars

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

created Nov 04, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (7) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Astronauts may in future be wearing spacesuits equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) and digital eyes, turning them into what the researchers call cyborg astrobiologists.


Google Chrome

Chrome 4.0 beta web browser launched

Technology / Software

created Nov 04, 2009 | popularity 3.5 / 5 (10) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Google has released its latest beta version of its Chrome browser for Windows, which promises faster browsing, bookmark synchronization and more.


airpod

Car That Runs on Compressed Air Questioned by Critics (w/ Video)

Technology / Energy

created Nov 03, 2009 | popularity 3.8 / 5 (21) | comments 38

(PhysOrg.com) -- As electric cars begin breaking into the short-distance vehicle market, one French company thinks that it has an alternative to the electric vehicle: a car that runs on compressed air. Motor ...


wood frog

Frog embryos associate the smell of predators with danger

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Nov 03, 2009 | popularity 3 / 5 (1) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study in the US and Canada has found that frogs can learn to associate the smell of predators with danger, even as embryos.


Customs

'Fear detector' being developed

Technology / Hi Tech

created Nov 03, 2009 | popularity 2.8 / 5 (6) | comments 11

(PhysOrg.com) -- British scientists are aiming to develop a device that can detect the smell of fear, and that could one day identify terrorists, drug smugglers, and other criminals.


MIT MAV

Flying MAV Navigates Without GPS (w/ Video)

Technology / Engineering

created Nov 02, 2009 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (13) | comments 2

(PhysOrg.com) -- During the last several years, researchers have been building micro air vehicles (MAVs) that can autonomously fly through different environments by relying on GPS for navigation. Recently, ...


A spider in amber

Oldest known spider's web found in amber

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Nov 02, 2009 | popularity 4.1 / 5 (7) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Pieces of amber containing parts of a spider's web have been found in East Sussex and dated back to the Cretaceous period 140 million years ago, which makes it the oldest spider's web known.


Scene from Minority Report

Microsoft Researchers Developing Muscle-Based PC Interface (w/ Video)

Technology / Computer Sciences

created Oct 30, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (10) | comments 2

(PhysOrg.com) -- Microsoft researches have teamed up with the University of Washington and the University of Toronto to develop a muscle-controlled interface that allows for hands-free, gesture-driven interaction ...


NEC's "Tele Scouter"

Two Retinal Imaging Display Devices at Prototype Stage

Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets

created Oct 30, 2009 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (28) | comments 9

(PhysOrg.com) -- NEC and Brother are both developing wearable prototype devices that use Retinal Imaging Display (RID) technology to project images directly on the wearer's retina. NEC's gadget is designed ...


Software That's Resilient Against Hacker Attack

Software That's Resilient Against Hacker Attack

Technology / Computer Sciences

created Oct 29, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (6) | comments 7

(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of researchers headed by Martin Rinard, a professor of computer science at MIT, have developed new software that automatically patches errors in deployed software in a matter of minutes.


3D Glasses

3D TV -- Without the Glasses (w/ Video)

Technology / Hi Tech

created Oct 29, 2009 | popularity 3.8 / 5 (12) | comments 11

(PhysOrg.com) -- Even with "active shutter" 3D technology for television sets, the wearing of special glasses is still required in order to get the proper experience. They aren't those red and blue or red and ...


New rechargeable zinc-air batteries coming soon

New rechargeable zinc-air batteries coming soon

Technology / Energy

created Oct 29, 2009 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (45) | comments 15

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new breed of rechargeable zinc-air batteries is soon to be available, and may replace lithium-ion batteries in cell phones, laptops and other consumer items. Lithium-ion batteries store ...


Ubuntu

Ubuntu 9.10 just released

Technology / Software

created Oct 29, 2009 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (24) | comments 4

(PhysOrg.com) -- Canonical is releasing Ubuntu 9.10, the Karmic Koala, the latest version of its open-source operating system, and it aims to attract business and enterprise users to join the growing numbers ...