Alan Stern unleashed his science officers with new images and new science, and the first to drop were the highest resolution color pics of Pluto and Charon yet.

Each shows some pretty cool stuff. For Pluto, the biggest revelation is that the big heart is actually two different colors. Those colors (exaggerated for contrast) indicate different geologic, tectonic, or morphologic origins. And the rest of the visible world is a mosaic of patina. & … Read More → "NASA releases stunning color images of Pluto and Charon"

In yet another first for graphene, physicists from the University of California, Berkeley, have employed this versatile material to create ultra-thin, lightweight ultrasonic microphones and speakers that enable high-quality, two-way communication in the audio range normally used by the likes of bats and dolphins.

The graphene diaphragms created especially for these new devices are just one atom thick, and combine the stiffness, suppleness, and low inertia that give them the capability to respond at an enormous range … Read More → "Graphene-based audio devices allow communication at bat frequencies"

A blast of ultrasound can help stubborn chronic wounds heal more quickly, a study suggests.

Tests on animals, published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, showed healing times could be cut by nearly a third.

Experts said the early results were “quite impressive” but needed to be tested on people…

A team from the Universities of Sheffield and Bristol tried the technology on mice with chronic wounds, … Read More → "Ultrasound may heal chronic wounds, suggests study"

Psychologists compared data about differences in street tree coverage across Toronto with how healthy people felt, according to a survey called the Ontario Health Study. The long-term study included self-reported data from more than 30,000 individuals, which the researchers used to determine how people perceived their health. 

People who lived in neighborhoods with a higher density of street trees (not just parks) reported feeling healthier than people who lived in areas with … Read More → "Seeing trees can make you feel healthier"

Yesterday, Denmark’s wind farms produced 116% of national electricity demands, allowing the country to export power to Norway, German, and Sweden. According to The Guardian, that figure had risen to 140% by early Friday morning.

“It shows that a world powered 100% by renewable energy is no fantasy,” the European Wind Energy … Read More → "Denmark’s wind energy output just exceeded national demand"

So far, astronauts haven’t suffered medical problems much worse than a bad cold, but what about when the inevitable happens and someone needs surgery millions of miles from the nearest hospital? To seek answers, a surgical team recently carried out a simulated operation aboard a Canadian research jet designed to create weightless conditions…

The operation was conducted on June 26 about a Canadian National research Council Falcon 20 jet from Ottawa/Macdonald– … Read More → "Surgical team simulates zero-gravity surgery"

At IROS last year, we met a curious looking fleshy-appendaged explosive jumping robot from the Harvard Microrobotics Laboratory. When we asked the researchers about their plans for the future, they talked about “an entirely different design, and capable of either self-righting or reliably landing upright, enabling multiple successive jumps.” Now the Harvard team, in collaboration with UCSD researchers, has completed that redesign, creating a robot that can jump and … Read More → "3D-printed explosive jumping robot combines firm and squishy parts"

This is a video of some diver who straps a Go-Pro to a hammerhead shark’s fin to capture a first person point of view from the shark’s back. How do you attach a Go-Pro to the back of a hammerhead shark?
via Geekologie

… Read More → "First person POV video from back of hammerhead shark"

“This is a truly exotic star system. In principle there’s no reason why it couldn’t have planets in orbit around each of the pairs of stars. Any inhabitants would have a sky that would put the makers of Star Wars to shame,” Dr Lohr said. “There could sometimes be no fewer than five Suns of different brightnesses lighting up the landscape.”
via Boing Boing</ … Read More → "Awesome 5-star solar system with two contacting pairs found"

Just announced: The Flying Robot International Film Festival, an open competitive film festival showcasing films made using drones. They will be opening for submissions soon, so sign up via their website, follow on Twitter and join their Facebook group.</ … Read More → "The Flying Robot International Film Festival, an open competitive film Festival featuring films created with drones"