by Rachel KaufmanPublished in National Geographic News2009-11-20 If Dr. Horrible really did have a “freeze ray,” he might stop the world by zapping it with ultraviolet light, new research suggests. After feeding a light-sensitive chemical to transparent, microscopic worms called nematodes, scientists at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia were able to paralyze the tiny [...]
If it looks like a fish and swims like a fish, it could be a robot–such as the University of Bath’s Gymnobot, inspired by an Amazonian knifefish.
Researchers worldwide are developing robots that look and act like aquatic creatures. That’s because biomimetic gadgets–bots that take inspiration from nature–are often more efficient than their clunkier counterparts.
by Rachel KaufmanPublished in National Geographic News2009-08-17 Contrary to a recent TV cell phone ad, Dunkin’ Donuts isn’t likely to set up shop in space any time soon. But if it did, the donut chain might like to build next to WASP-17b, a newfound planet that’s puffed up to be roughly as dense as a [...]
by Rachel KaufmanPublished in National Geographic News2009-08-03 Denture wearers take note: Science is one step closer to growing replacement teeth “from seed.” Researchers at the Tokyo University of Science created a “tooth germ” from mouse stem cells, implanted the 500-micrometer (0.02-inch) germ inside a mouse’s tooth socket, and waited. A month later, a new tooth [...]
by Rachel KaufmanPublished in National Geographic News2009-07-28 Do you want your peas fresh, frozen, canned, or spurting out stars at ten times the rate of the Milky Way? Volunteers sifting through an online image bank called Galaxy Zoo have helped astronomers discover a new, rare class of galaxy dubbed the Green Pea. The spotters—calling themselves [...]