MESSENGER becomes first spacecraft to orbit Mercury

MESSENGER becomes first spacecraft to orbit Mercury: "NASA has reported that its MESSENGER spacecraft is now in orbit around the planet Mercury – the first ever mission to achieve this feat. More than 40 years on from the first moon landing in the age of the Mars rovers and space tourism, it's easy to overlook just what a remarkable a feat this is."

'First-ever' permanent anti-fog coating developed

'First-ever' permanent anti-fog coating developed: "Tired of your glasses fogging up on cold days, or of having to spit in your dive mask before putting it on? Those hassles may become a thing of the past, as researchers from Quebec City's Université Laval have developed what they claim is the world's first permanent anti-fog coating. Just one application is said to work indefinitely on eyeglasses, windshields, camera lenses, or any other transparent glass or plastic surface."

Researchers demonstrate self-repairing chip

Researchers demonstrate self-repairing chip: "As chips continue to get smaller, the technological possibilities just get larger. One of the trade-offs of miniaturization, however, is that smaller things are also often more fragile and less dependable."

U.S. Army trials tactical smartphones

U.S. Army trials tactical smartphones: "U.S. paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division recently took part in a field exercise at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in which they experimented with a tool not normally used by the armed forces – a smartphone. And no, they weren't playing Farmville."

The jukebox gets a 21st Century overhaul

The jukebox gets a 21st Century overhaul: "Perhaps I'm of a certain age, but when someone says the word 'Jukebox' I immediately think of a Wurlitzer 1015 bubbler, although I've only ever seen one actually working."

PepsiCo develops first PET plastic bottle made completely from plant-based material

PepsiCo develops first PET plastic bottle made completely from plant-based material: "Mountain Dew's green bottles could become even 'greener' with an announcement from PepsiCo claiming it has developed the world's first polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottle made entirely from plant-based, fully renewable resources including switch grass, pine bark and corn husks."

Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi gets a US release date

Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi gets a US release date: "As promised at this year's CES, Motorola has announced that the Wi-Fi version of its Xoom Android tablet will be available this month. The 10.1-inch device is the first tablet to benefit from all the widgets, multi-tasking, browsing, notifications and customization capabilities of Android 3.0 (Honeycomb), and is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor supported by a gigabyte of RAM."

CryoEnergy System uses liquid air to store energy

CryoEnergy System uses liquid air to store energy: "Balancing demand for energy with timely production is a juggling act that is particularly relevant to renewable sources such as wind and solar. Because the wind isn't always blowing and the sun isn't always shining, the energy produced by these systems needs to be stored efficiently so it can be used when it's needed."

Individual Gunshot Detectors to help give U.S. soldiers a bead on enemy fire

Individual Gunshot Detectors to help give U.S. soldiers a bead on enemy fire: "In the heat of battle I imagine things can get pretty hectic and pinpointing just where the shooting is coming from, as quickly as possible, could mean the difference between life and death. To give its soldiers an edge in this regard the U.S. Army will begin providing its forces in Afghanistan with the first of 13,000 gunshot detection systems later this month."

'The Pearl' dome house - passive solar design with a touch of high-tech

'The Pearl' dome house - passive solar design with a touch of high-tech: "Like its stablemate the Domespace house, David Fanchon's eco-friendly design is aimed at maximizing passive solar energy – though unlike the Domespace there's no rotating option."

New microscope captures 3D movies of living cells

New microscope captures 3D movies of living cells: "In some cases, looking at a living cell under a microscope can cause it damage or worse, can kill it. Now, a new kind of microscope has been invented by researchers from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute that is able to non-invasively take a three dimensional look inside living cells with stunning results."

Solar Soldier system to take the weight off infantry soldiers

Solar Soldier system to take the weight off infantry soldiers: "If you've ever removed the battery from a laptop, then you will know that it constitutes quite a large percentage of the total weight of the computer."

New material designed for hydrogen storage

New material designed for hydrogen storage: "Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have created a composite material that they claim can store hydrogen densely and safely, yet that also allows it to be easily accessed for creating electricity. Some materials that are currently used for hydrogen storage have a relatively small capacity, and need to be superheated or supercooled in order to work at peak efficiency. The new material, however, is said not to have either of these limitations."

H2O Power radio runs on water from the shower

H2O Power radio runs on water from the shower: "For all the people out there who like listening to the radio while they're in the shower, various companies offer waterproof battery-operated 'shower radios.' There's nothing particularly wrong with these radios, but ... why change or recharge the batteries if you don't have to? No, we're not suggesting running a power cord into the shower. Instead, you might be interested in getting an H2O Power water-powered radio."

Japan earthquake may have shortened length of days and shifted Earth’s axis

Japan earthquake may have shortened length of days and shifted Earth’s axis: "Using a complex model to perform a theoretical calculation based on a U.S. Geological Survey, Richard Gross of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has determined that by changing the distribution of the Earth's mass, the earthquake that devastated Japan last Friday should have sped up the Earth's rotation, resulting in a day that is about 1.8 microseconds (1.8 millionths of a second) shorter."

EvoMouse turns your digits digital

EvoMouse turns your digits digital

With the plethora of mouse alternatives available or in development you'd be forgiven for thinking the humble computer mouse was some kind of torturous device inflicted upon computer users. But despite challengers such as the trackball, theWOW-PEN Joy, the ErgoSlider Plus, the Orbita Mouse and the AirMouse – just to name a few – the mouse has maintained its dominance while remaining largely unchanged since its unveiling in 1968.

Banana peels can be used to purify water

Banana peels can be used to purify water

The skin of a banana has been used to great comic effects in numerous slapstick routines for many years. It's also good for the skin and is a traditional cure for warts. You can polish shoes and silver with it. You can make wine with it and it's even been known to find itself being dried, wrapped in paper and smoked. Now, research published in the journal of the American Chemical Society claims that mashed up peel can remove heavy metals from river water.

Map provides near-real-time updates on Japan aftershocks

Map provides near-real-time updates on Japan aftershocks

Almost incomprehensible as the devastation from last Friday's earthquake and tsunami in Japan has been, scientists warn that more aftershocks are on their way. In order to get all the information on current seismic activity in one place, researchers at Texas Tech University's Center for Geospatial Technologies have developed an online, publicly-accessible world map that displays data on disturbances worldwide, almost as soon as they have occurred.

Fling - a joystick for your iPad

Fling - a joystick for your iPad

Although it's pretty impressive how the screen content of an iPad can be manipulated entirely by touchscreen, one need look no farther than the popularity of Bluetooth keypads to see that sometimes users want separate physical controls.

Stealth introduces rugged All-in-One panel PCs

Stealth introduces rugged All-in-One panel PCs

Stealth Computer has taken some of its rugged industrial PC know-how and developed an all-in-one solution for interactive kiosks, outdoor computing, or marine, aviation, security and industrial environments.

Researchers develop first molecular piston capable of self-assembly

Researchers develop first molecular piston capable of self-assembly

Just like a regular-sized device requires a regular-sized motor to operate, a nanodevice likewise requires a molecular-scale motor. In some cases, that motor takes the form of a piston, and building a piston that's just a few nanometers long ... well, it's pretty hard. It can and has been done, but it's an extremely fiddly process.

Human muscle tissue could be grown from sea creatures' whiskers

Human muscle tissue could be grown from sea creatures' whiskers: "Academics from the University of Manchester have developed a process of creating working human muscle tissue from sea squirts. The research holds promise for the engineering of muscles, ligaments and nerves from cellulose which is usually found in plants and is the main component of paper and plant based textiles such as cotton and linen."

U-2 reconnaissance aircraft to aid Japan in earthquake and tsunami relief efforts

U-2 reconnaissance aircraft to aid Japan in earthquake and tsunami relief efforts: "As Japan, and indeed the world, struggles to comprehend the devastation resulting from the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck on March 11, countries around the world have rushed to offer support in a number of ways."

Wearable scanner opens new pathways in the study of brain function

Wearable scanner opens new pathways in the study of brain function: "Scientists from the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a new miniature, wearable Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner which enables the simultaneous study of brain function and behavior in animals. PET scans are much like Computed Tomography (CT) scans and have helped uncover the molecular underpinnings of conditions like drug addiction, brain diseases such as dementia and they have been used in the medical imaging of cancers."

New form of computer memory uses 100 times less power

New form of computer memory uses 100 times less power: "Researchers from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of the University of Illinois have developed a new low-power digital memory which uses much less power and is faster than other solutions currently available."

Deliver-E Trike quietly takes on uneven ground

Deliver-E Trike quietly takes on uneven ground: "When those of us who live in urban areas picture letter carriers – or posties, or mailmen/women – we usually think of them as people who deliver the mail by foot. The fact is, however, letter carriers in much of the world use small motorcycles to make their deliveries."

BMW's 2011 bicycle range includes M division designed Carbon Racer

BMW's 2011 bicycle range includes M division designed Carbon Racer

While it might be better known for vehicles of the motorized variety, for over 60 years BMW has also been manufacturing a range of high-end bicycles. The company's new 2011 range provides something for everyone – or at least everyone with a well stocked wallet – with a Cruise Bike, Touring Bike and a couple of mountain bikes.

Ford’s electric Comuta Concept – 43 years after its debut

Ford’s electric Comuta Concept – 43 years after its debut

It's extraordinary what pops up in the in-box each week. Those with a keen eye for fashion will note that the picture is from the sixties – the Ford Comuta was a concept presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 1967. It was all-electric, had a top speed of 40 mph and a range of 40 miles, and that was 40 years ago.

Yikebike's ingenious range extender

Yikebike's ingenious range extender

The Yikebike is a miniature, electric penny farthing made of carbon fiber and now it's on sale, it is quickly gathering a cult early-adopter following thanks to its weight of 10.8 kilograms, that it folds so small it can fit in a backpack, and that it will run at 25km/h (15 mph). Until now, it has ticked all the boxes except one – its limited range of just 10 kilometers. Now it has released an extender battery pack so you can add additional 10 kilometer increments to the range of your YikeBike.

P-8A Poseidon production aircraft reaches final assembly

P-8A Poseidon production aircraft reaches final assembly

Final assembly of the first U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon production aircraft is underway. The Boeing 737-800 derivative which will replace the P-3 Orion as an anti-submarine and long-range surveillance aircraft has been undergoing airborne testing since 2009 and delivery of the production aircraft is set to begin in 2012.

Researchers use bacteria to produce potential gasoline replacement directly from cellulose

Researchers use bacteria to produce potential gasoline replacement directly from cellulose

With the situation in Libya causing a spike in fuel prices worldwide there's some good biofuel-related news out of the U.S. Department of Energy's BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) that could help to reduce many countries' dependence on oil imports