News
Researchers at Purdue University, Indiana are designing genetically modified plants to produce oil that can be used to run cars. Plant oils, like petrol and diesel, consist of chains of carbon and hydrogen atoms - hence the name hydrocarbons. Plant oils usually consist of ...
On the subject of alternative energy, an aeroplane powered by nothing more than a rubber band had its first trial at Van Nuys airport in California recently. Called rubber bandit and capable of carrying a passenger 1 mile at an altitude of 100 ft the aeroplane is driven by...
Australian designers have built the world's first solar-powered ferry. THe 110 seater Solar-Sailor, which cost 780,000 pounds to build, was launched in June and is currently taking passengers on cruises around Sydney harbour. It has become a hit because it is silent, smoot...
A computer scientist in the US has come up with a way of making things happen merely by thinking them ! The invention, which could help thousands of disabled people, works by monitoring brain-waves. Volunteers were able to turn on lights, the stereo, television and answer ...
Stress at work is as bad for your health as smoking, according to a new study of 21,000 nurses, carried out by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health in the US. THe study also found that the commonest complaints related to job-strain were symptoms of excessive tire...
We talked a few weeks ago about the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (aliens!) and discussed a computer programme that allows you to help in the search too. Scientists at the Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico are scanning the skies for signals from space to see if a...
The supermarket chain Sainsbury's have set up a new system to check their melons before they go on sale ! A laser is shone into the fruit and a machine analyses the amount of light passing through which changes depending upon how ripe the fruit is. The first machines will ...
