Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Solid Free Form Fabrication
Also known as rapid-prototyping fabrication processes, these technologies, in essence, convert a design, expressed in a suitable language, into an accurate, compact model of a structure by building it up layer by thin layer.
In one such 3D-printing process, a high-powered, computer-controlled laser fuses nylon dust in places where the designer wants solidity. The dust left in the voids can be vacuumed away later, leaving the model, in all its intricacy, intact.
For more information: http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20051224/mathtrek.asp
In one such 3D-printing process, a high-powered, computer-controlled laser fuses nylon dust in places where the designer wants solidity. The dust left in the voids can be vacuumed away later, leaving the model, in all its intricacy, intact.
For more information: http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20051224/mathtrek.asp
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
For more than 20 years, a fresco by the Italian artist Spinello Aretino (ca. 1330–1410) lay trapped in the confines of glue-slathered cloth. The glue had irreversibly hardened into a crosslinked mesh and refused to release the fresco.
Read more about it here: http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/feature_tea.html?id=c373e90833a27c168f6a17245d830100
Read more about it here: http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/feature_tea.html?id=c373e90833a27c168f6a17245d830100
Wooly Mammoth DNA
A team of experts in ancient DNA from McMaster University (Canada) and genome researchers from Penn State University (USA) have obtained the first genomic sequences from a woolly mammoth, a mammal that roamed grassy plains of the Northern Hemisphere until it became extinct about 10,000 years ago. The project also involved paleontologists from the American Museum of Natural History and researchers from Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.
Time for Jurassic Park to get started!
Time for Jurassic Park to get started!
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Automatic Door - Cool Invention!
This is way cool!
A door that fits like a glove? This one does. Fukuda's Automatic Door, designed in Japan, opens just enough to match the shape of the person or object passing through. The nifty motion-detecting portal saves energy by keeping a door from having to repeatedly open all the way. That helps maintain a stable temperature in a room and can prevent dirt and other materials from being swept inside. In addition to people, the new system can be used for small objects, like packages dropped off at a post office, or for larger things, like a car coming through a garage door.
A door that fits like a glove? This one does. Fukuda's Automatic Door, designed in Japan, opens just enough to match the shape of the person or object passing through. The nifty motion-detecting portal saves energy by keeping a door from having to repeatedly open all the way. That helps maintain a stable temperature in a room and can prevent dirt and other materials from being swept inside. In addition to people, the new system can be used for small objects, like packages dropped off at a post office, or for larger things, like a car coming through a garage door.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Self-healing Paint
Nissan Motor Company has developed a new type of automobile paint that "heals" itself. The paint, a high-elastic resin called Scratch Guard Coat, is a clear paint that self-repairs scratches and lasts three years.
With this new Scratch Guard Coat, a scratch on the vehicle's surface will no longer be noticeable after one day to a week, depending the depth of the scratch and the climate. It also has a resistance to scratches compared with conventional paint.
Now is this cool or what?
With this new Scratch Guard Coat, a scratch on the vehicle's surface will no longer be noticeable after one day to a week, depending the depth of the scratch and the climate. It also has a resistance to scratches compared with conventional paint.
Now is this cool or what?
Friday, December 09, 2005
Archaeopteryx
A new analysis of Archaeopteryx, the earliest known birdlike animal, shows it had feet like dinosaurs - a finding that adds weight to the belief that the birds frequenting backyard feeders today are descendants of mighty ancient carnivores. While not all scientists agree, many consider Archaeopteryx the first bird, since it had wings and was the first fossil found with feathers.
Only a few fossil specimens have been found so details are not abundant, but a new one that has been discovered is one of the most complete. However, it shows that the first toe was not reversed as in modern birds. This would make it difficult to perch in trees and indicates another similarity between dinosaurs and birds.
For more information, visit http://www.sciencemag.org
Only a few fossil specimens have been found so details are not abundant, but a new one that has been discovered is one of the most complete. However, it shows that the first toe was not reversed as in modern birds. This would make it difficult to perch in trees and indicates another similarity between dinosaurs and birds.
For more information, visit http://www.sciencemag.org
Thursday, December 08, 2005
New Carnivore Species in Borneo
I am sure that most people have heard about this by now but just in case you haven't...
The animal, which is slightly larger than a cat with red fur and a long bushy tail was twice photographed at night by a camera trap. If researchers confirm this, it would be the first time in more than a century that a new carnivore has been discovered on the island. The last species of carnivore discovered in Borneo was the Borneo ferret-badger in 1895.
WWF researchers have not yet established whether this is an entirely new species or a variant species of the civet cat. The animal looks like a cross between a fox and a cat with very small ears and large hind legs and researchers are hoping to confirm the identity by setting cage traps and catching a live specimen.
“We showed the photos of the animal to locals who know the wildlife of the area, but nobody had ever seen this creature before,” said Stephan Wulffraat, a biologist who is coordinating the research. ‘We also consulted several Bornean wildlife experts, some thought it looked like a lemur, but most were convinced it was a new species of carnivore.”
Pictures of the new species of carnivore in Borneo were first taken in 2003, but the WWF withheld publication the photos as research continued. The WWF decided to make the photos public to coincide with the publication of a book about Borneo.
www.wwf.org
The animal, which is slightly larger than a cat with red fur and a long bushy tail was twice photographed at night by a camera trap. If researchers confirm this, it would be the first time in more than a century that a new carnivore has been discovered on the island. The last species of carnivore discovered in Borneo was the Borneo ferret-badger in 1895.
WWF researchers have not yet established whether this is an entirely new species or a variant species of the civet cat. The animal looks like a cross between a fox and a cat with very small ears and large hind legs and researchers are hoping to confirm the identity by setting cage traps and catching a live specimen.
“We showed the photos of the animal to locals who know the wildlife of the area, but nobody had ever seen this creature before,” said Stephan Wulffraat, a biologist who is coordinating the research. ‘We also consulted several Bornean wildlife experts, some thought it looked like a lemur, but most were convinced it was a new species of carnivore.”
Pictures of the new species of carnivore in Borneo were first taken in 2003, but the WWF withheld publication the photos as research continued. The WWF decided to make the photos public to coincide with the publication of a book about Borneo.
www.wwf.org
