March 2004

More Signs Of Water On Ancient Mars

by Haitham Sabbah March 12, 2004

Opportunity rover finds further evidence of wet martian past. NASA’s Mars lander Opportunity has found minerals and rock formations that help to prove that the planet was once very wet. “Liquid water once drenched the surface of Meridiani Planum,” says Ed Weiler, NASA’s associate administrator for space science. “It would have been habitable for some [...]

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Turning Sewage Into Electricity

by Haitham Sabbah March 12, 2004

Plugging into the power of sewage. The waste you flush down the toilet could one day power the lights in your home. So say researchers at Pennsylvania State University who last week revealed they have developed an electricity generator fuelled by sewage. Even better, the device breaks down the harmful organic matter as it generates [...]

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Biochip Makes Droplet Test Tubes

by Haitham Sabbah March 11, 2004

Pioneering scientists in the UK have decoded a record-breaking two billion letters of DNA, it has been revealed. Researchers who are developing biochips are taking two distinct approaches in devising ways to shunt tiny amounts of liquids around. One focuses on finding ways to form microscopic channels and tiny mechanical pumps. The other is aimed [...]

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Our Brains Cheat During Learning

by Haitham Sabbah March 11, 2004

Brain Can Switch to “Automatic Pilot” During Learning New studies suggest that humans might prefer to switch their brains to automatic pilot whenever possible to conserve their cogitating resources. For example, when learning skills such as arithmetic, the brain doesn’t necessarily reach back into its basic calculating skills for each problem, suggested the researchers who [...]

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Plan For Ads In Space

by Haitham Sabbah March 11, 2004

A device for putting advertising into space that would be seen from Earth. The Big Dipper and Andromeda could be joined in the heavens by ads for soft drinks and cigarettes if a Russian inventor’s device catches on. Alexander Lavrynov, a spacecraft designer, said he has patented a device for putting advertising into space that [...]

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Locally-Built Robot Set To Become Hong Kong’s Latest Cop

by Haitham Sabbah March 11, 2004

New Robotcop III Set to Fight Crime in Hong Kong. There is a new cop patrolling the streets of Hong Kong and teaching children how to prevent crime. But it’s a robot, named Robotcop III, designed and built in Hong Kong, tells us Channel Newsasia. Robotcop III can walk, dance, move in any direction, display [...]

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