Nano-brick packaging allows foods to last longer

Nano-brick packaging allows foods to last longer: "We've already heard about new types of packaging that use things such as sorbic acid and silver nanoparticles to keep food fresh for longer, but this week scientists from Texas A&M University announced the development of a 'nano-brick' film that utilizes yet another substance to achieve the same purpose. That substance is montmorillonite clay, which is one of the ingredients used to make bricks. The film is about 70 percent clay (with the rest of it made from various polymer materials) and when its structure is viewed through an electron microscope, it actually even looks like bricks and mortar."

Kansas City is first city chosen for Google's fiber-to-the-home rollout

Kansas City is first city chosen for Google's fiber-to-the-home rollout: "Last year Google announced plans to build and test ultra high-speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations across the U.S. that will deliver Internet speeds of one gigabit per second (1 Gbps) via a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) service. After receiving submissions from nearly 1,100 cities, the Internet giant has now revealed it will build its first ultra high-speed network in Kansas City, Kansas"

QinetiQ provides unmanned robotic systems to aid in Japan's recovery efforts

QinetiQ provides unmanned robotic systems to aid in Japan's recovery efforts: "In the aftermath of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastated Japan on March 11, 2011, the country faces a massive cleanup and rebuilding effort that will take years."

New Porsche Panamera Turbo S packs 550 hp and 800 Nm of torque

New Porsche Panamera Turbo S packs 550 hp and 800 Nm of torque: "Porsche has unveiled the top dog in its Gran Turismo line. The new Panamera Turbo S raises the four-door sports car bar with a 4.8 liter, V8 biturbo charged engine that delivers 550 hp (410 kW) , which is 50 hp (37 kW) more than the engine found in the Panamera Turbo."

Student-designed Solarball creates drinkable water

Student-designed Solarball creates drinkable water: "When he set out on a trip to Cambodia in 2008, Industrial Design student Jonathan Liow had no idea it was going to be a life-changing experience. Upon seeing the poverty and poor living conditions in that country, however, he decided that he wanted to build things that could help people."

StrongArm helps load boats onto cars

StrongArm helps load boats onto cars: "Sea kayaks are quite possibly one of the finest things ever created by mankind, but they can be rather difficult to load onto the top of one's car – this is particularly true for people who are trying to do the job single-handed, or who have a tall vehicle. Australia's Steve Scott identified this problem as an opportunity, and invented the StrongArm Kayak Loader."

Partially-biodegradable plastic made from waste bone meal

Partially-biodegradable plastic made from waste bone meal: "Creepy as it may sound, for decades one of the key ingredients in cattle feed was meat and bone meal (MBM), made from by-products of – you guessed it – slaughtered cattle. Sheep, farmed deer, elk and bison were also unknowingly eating their own kind. With the onset of the Mad Cow Disease scare in 1997, the U.S. and other countries banned the use of MBM-containing feeds, as it was believed that the disease could spread via the ingestion of infected animals' body parts."

PreVue would offer parents a live 4D baby watch window during pregnancy

PreVue would offer parents a live 4D baby watch window during pregnancy: "Checking the health of a baby inside the womb using ultrasound has been going on for a good many years and can be a useful tool for detecting problems early."

Wysips technology can turn any surface into a PV power plant

Wysips technology can turn any surface into a PV power plant: "Mobile phones sporting photovoltaic panels are nothing new but thanks to some lens wizardry, a French company recently showed off a prototype phone where the touchscreen display itself housed the solar-soaking cells."

Microwaves utilized to convert used motor oil into fuel

Microwaves utilized to convert used motor oil into fuel: "It has been estimated that over 8 billion US gallons (30.3 billion liters) of used motor oil are produced every year by the world's cars and trucks. While some of that is re-refined into new oil or burned in furnaces for heat, neither of those processes are entirely environmentally-innocuous."

MESSENGER sends back historic first image of Mercury from orbit

MESSENGER sends back historic first image of Mercury from orbit: "After reaching orbit around Mercury on March 17, NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft has sent back its first image of our solar system's innermost planet. The historic image, which was captured at 5:20 am EDT (U.S.), is the first ever captured from a spacecraft in orbit and is dominated by the rayed crater named Debussy."

HondaJet achieves maximum speed in flight testing

HondaJet achieves maximum speed in flight testing: "Honda's first light business jet has exceeded its projected top speed just three months on from its maiden flight. Michimasa Fujino first sketched the HondaJet with its distinctive over-the-wing engine-mount design in 1997."