- Gigapixel Holographic Microscope Made From A4 Paper Scanner
The A4 digital scanner gathering dust under your desk could find new life as a gigapixel holographic microscope, say Japanese engineers who have constructed one at minimal cost
- Grasping for Ways to Capture Carbon Dioxide on the Cheap
Wind and solar get all the attention, but a key path to lowering emissions involves finding a less expensive way to do carbon capture.
Last week, the new U.S. secretary of energy, Ernest Moniz, pledged to continue his predecessor’s work in making the Department of Energy a “center of innovation,” while also highlighting projects he thought deserved more attention. Near the top of his list is a renewed emphasis on carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS), a technology that could prove vital to combating climate change, but is developing far too slowly, according to the International Energy Agency.
- The Latest Artificial Heart: Part Cow, Part Machine
A French company is preparing to test a complex artificial heart that combines biology with machinery.
A new kind of artificial heart that combines synthetic and biological materials as well as sensors and software to detect a patient’s level of exertion and adjust output accordingly is to be tested in patients at four cardiac surgery centers in Europe and the Middle East. If the “bioprosthetic” device, made by the Paris-based Carmat, proves to be safe and effective, it could be given to patients waiting for a heart transplant. Currently, only one fully artificial heart, made by Tucson, Arizona-based SynCardia, has U.S., Canadian, and European regulatory approval for use in patients.
- Life and Death of Tweets Not so Random After All
Researchers have created a model to quickly predict how many times a tweet will be retweeted.
For many people that use Twitter–myself included–it’s impossible to tell which carefully crafted tweets will be endlessly retweeted, and which ones will fade after their original posting. As it turns out, though, you can predict how popular a tweet will be, and this knowledge could be pretty useful.
- Internet’s Annual Report Card Shows China’s Rise
The latest version of venture capitalist Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends report arrived this morning, and some of the most interesting of her 117 slides are about the scale and growth of Internet use and businesses in China.
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