Pesticide exposure linked to lower IQ in children

Pesticide exposure linked to lower IQ in children: "The results of three recent studies have found that children exposed to organophosphates (OPs) in the womb have a lower IQ at seven years than those that have not. Indoor use of two OPs (chlorpyrifos and diazinon) known to be neurotoxicants have been phased out over the past decade because of health risks, however they are still approved for use in agricultural pesticides and are widely used on food crops. Increasingly scientists are finding that prenatal exposure to pesticides may lead to later health impacts."

Continental forward braking system to get stereo vision

Continental forward braking system to get stereo vision: "More and more, we're hearing about vehicle safety systems that use video cameras to identify hazards. Like us humans, automotive supplier Continental's recently announced ContiGuard forward-looking braking system has two eyes, in the form of two high-resolution CMOS cameras, and a suite of electronics that enables it to analyze the difference in perspective between the left and right views – similar to the parallax shift which our brains also use to create spatial vision when processing images."

Huey the Chameleon - a lamp that changes colors to match its surroundings

Huey the Chameleon - a lamp that changes colors to match its surroundings: "Suppose you just love the sage green color of your new desk blotter, and think 'If only I could instantly make my whole office this color.' Well, now you can ... sort of. The designers over at ThinkGeek have created a gizmo called Huey the Color Copying Chameleon Lamp, that automatically 'reads' any color that it's placed upon, then glows in that color."

Lizard-inspired robot can swim through granular material

Lizard-inspired robot can swim through granular material: "When the sandfish lizard wishes to escape predators, it can actually dive beneath the surface of the sand, and then swim through it. Inspired by the sandfish, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have created an undulating robot that can likewise swim through a granular medium. While that medium has so far consisted of quarter-inch plastic balls in a lab setting, the team hopes that their robot – or one of its descendants – could someday be used to tunnel through debris to rescue earthquake victims."

Lubricheck will let drivers know when their oil needs changing

Lubricheck will let drivers know when their oil needs changing: "Imagine if every time you bought a pair of socks, you automatically threw them out after six months, regardless of their condition. While you would certainly always have newer socks, you would also likely end up throwing away quite a few pairs that could have lasted a while longer."

Firebird intelligence gathering aircraft makes pilots an optional extra

Firebird intelligence gathering aircraft makes pilots an optional extra: "Although the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) such as Global Hawk and Raven for military information gathering has increased sharply in the last decade due to the maturation and miniaturization of enabling technologies, conventional piloted aircraft can still be a better option depending on the mission at hand."

Thin-film flexible 'Paperphone' created

Thin-film flexible 'Paperphone' created: "Researchers from the Human Media Lab at Canada's Queen's University have created a fully-functioning floppy E-Ink smartphone, which they also refer to as a paper computer."

TV in a Card brings video to brochures and greetings cards

TV in a Card brings video to brochures and greetings cards: "It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and a moving picture worth even more. Now a company in the UK is enticing businesses to go beyond the confines of eye-catching text, colorful graphics and product photos with TV in a Card."

Intel's 3-D transistors to keep pace with Moore's Law

Intel's 3-D transistors to keep pace with Moore's Law: "NASA, the double-helix model, Elvis ... there's a long list of things that emerged during the 1950s which still resonate strongly in 2011, but none more so than the humble silicon transistor."

Veltop turns regular 'open top' bikes into convertibles

Veltop turns regular 'open top' bikes into convertibles: "You have to admire the people who commute by bike – regardless of the weather – although riding in the rain seems to involve a choice between getting soaked, or wearing a lot of rain gear and still getting a wet face."

The Chip Scale Atomic Clock makes atomic time-keeping portable

The Chip Scale Atomic Clock makes atomic time-keeping portable: "Atomic clocks are one of those things that most of us have probably always thought of as being big, ultra-expensive, and therefore only obtainable by well-funded research institutes."

Jaguar teams with Williams F1 to produce US$1.5 million C-X75 Hybrid Supercar

Jaguar teams with Williams F1 to produce US$1.5 million C-X75 Hybrid Supercar: "Jaguar's stunningly beautiful C-X75 hybrid concept 
that wowed Salon L'automobile last October in Paris, 
is to be produced in a limited edition of 250 vehicles with prices beginning at GBP700,000 (US$1.15 million) and running to GBP900,000 (US$1.5 million)."