Science

These days we hear a lot about the sun and, more specifically, global warming. But how much do we really know about the sun? NASA plans to find out more about the sun by launching a $180 million probe into the giant star. It could help researchers ... learn more about the sun's power and its impact on our environment. NASA, which is calling the spacecraft Solar Probe Plus, plans to send the device through the sun's corona sometime between now and 2018. Its goal: to collect data regarding the sun's heat (specifically the corona), and how and why the corona generates solar winds. Solar Probe Must ... (view more)

A new invention threatens to completely redefine the modern traffic commute. Terrafugia, the Massachusetts producer of the flying car, says it has plans to launch its contraption -- dubbed the 'Transition' -- by the end of 2011. A recent thumbs-up ... from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) means the idea of an air commute might not be so sci-fi after all. The Next 'Wow' Vehicle "It's the next 'wow' vehicle," said Richard Gersh, Terrafugia's vice president. "Anybody can buy a Ferrari, but as we say, Ferraris don't fly." (Source: google.com) The Transition works by activating wings that ... (view more)

A Californian company says it has developed a revolutionary new way of capturing digital images. It could mean cellphone cameras take shots four times more detailed than current models, putting professional quality capabilities in everyone's pocket. ... At the moment, digital cameras work by capturing light on a sensor chip, a layer of silicon effectively broken up into millions of points. The information from each of these points is converted into digital format, with each point's information being one pixel in the captured image -- hence the term 'megapixel' which is used to describe how many ... (view more)

With the recession dominating headlines across the U.S. and around the world for the past year and a half, some of the media buzz about global warming has, sadly, been disregarded by the wider public. However, a new report from NASA may change that. ... The research is courtesy of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, or GISS. According to the U.S. government space agency, 2009 was the second warmest year on record -- second only to 2005. However, 2009 does share a statistical tie with the years 1998, 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2007. Some may take this to mean 2009 wasn't all that hot after all, ... (view more)

As was demonstrated at a recent entertainment expo this past week in Las Vegas, the future attraction of "companionship" dolls is set to be a little less carnal and a lot more intellectual. A New Jersey-based company is claiming to have developed ... the world's first companion robot. However, it's not your average robot: instead, the life-sized figure is capable of engaging its owner in conversation rather than just an attractive frame. Touch Sensors with Response Dark-haired mechanical "Roxxxy" is programmed to say a plethora of different responses based on touch and pre-defined ... (view more)

Ever wonder why the glow of your computer monitor makes that late-day headache even worse? Or how the piercing sunset on the drive home makes you want to drill into the side of your skull in some vain attempt to relieve the pressure? Then take note ... of a recent study by Boston-based researchers who say they can now verify that light affects migraine headaches. In a report published Sunday through Nature Neuroscience, Boston researchers have found that certain cells in the brain, referred to as the thalamus, can sometimes act as a sort-of battleground for information based on the brain's visual ... (view more)

With email messages favored over hand-written letters and online news sources being read as opposed to the daily newspaper, those individuals working in pulp and paper mills have good reason to be fearful of the longevity of their employment. ... However, these people now have a glimmer of hope for the continued existence of their industry, thanks to modern research that looks to transform ordinary paper into a lightweight battery . At Stanford University in California, scientists announced the successful creation of the first line of "paper batteries" in existence. 10x The Power of Lithium-Ion ... (view more)

As part of the Japanese Science and Technology Agency's "Erato" project, students at Keio University have created a robot designed to alleviate the burden of performing one specific household chore: folding the laundry. Visitors at the Digital ... Contents Expo in Tokyo were greeted with a plethora of new tech-based innovations this year. The exhibitors demonstrated ideas that were necessary, practical and futuristic. Foldy the Robot Folder For example, "Foldy" the robot works with a camera mounted above a flat surface, like an ironing board. A person comes along and places an article of clothing ... (view more)

Scientists in Israel have reportedly demonstrated that it is possible to fabricate DNA evidence and undermine the credibility of what was once considered the gold standard of proof in criminal cases. The scientists were able to fabricate blood and ... saliva samples containing DNA from a person other than the donor. They also showed that if they had access to a DNA profile in a database, they could easily construct a sample to match that profile without having to obtain any tissue from that person. Crime Scenes Can be Easily Engineered According to Dan Frumkin, lead author of the study, any ... (view more)

How smart is your pooch? Many of us have often wondered how Rover, Rex, or Cocoa interpreted and understood the wider world around them. Now, a recent psychological study has pinpointed just how smart our dogs are, and the results are surprising. ... The report was part of a presentation called "How Dogs Think," staged in front of a Toronto crowd this past weekend. The presenter: University of British Columbia emeritus professor of psychology Stanley Coren, perhaps the leading expert in the examination of dog intelligence. Canines Think Like Toddlers Coren's finding: that the best way to study ... (view more)