Researchers at HGST, a major manufacturer of hard disk drives, have shown that an emerging fabrication technology called nano-imprinting could be used to double the data storage capacity of today’s hard disks. They say the patent-pending work, done in collaboration with a company called Molecular Imprints, could lead to a cost-effective manufacturing process by the end of the decade.

Hard … Read More → "A nanofabrication technique doubles hard drive capacity"

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When scientists Phillipe Horvath and Rodolphe Barrangou set out to find a better way to make yogurt, they didn’t expect to stumble across one of the future’s most promising discoveries: a super protein that can accurately cut DNA—and could perhaps revolutionize genetic engineering.

The protein, called Cas9, can be exploited to snip strands of DNA in exactly the place researchers want. It doesn’t make genetic engineering easy, but does make it … Read More → "The super protein that can cut DNA and revolutionize genetic engineering"

The University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom has unveiled a virtual “talking head” that is capable of expressing a range of human emotions. The lifelike face called Zoe, which the team believes is the most expressive controllable avatar ever created, could in the future be used as a digital personal assistant.
via Gizmag

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Steve Jobs

For his “Injections” series, artist Bradley Hart injects paint into bubble wrap to create photo realistic pictures. Hart works from photo references, using each bubble like a pixel, which gives images a curious pixelated look. As part of the process, Hart is left with excess paint which creates a second, smeared version of the bubble wrap work… Hart’s work is currently the subject of a … Read More → "Photo realistic pictures made of bubble wrap injected with paint"

… Read More → "A 76-second time-lapse of building the world’s largest ship"

Scientists have often taken inspiration from the animal world in robotic designs, with bots modeled after fish, sandfish lizards, and even sea turtles. Such biomimicry makes sense – if you want a robot to move a certain way, why not look to creatures that already can? With the Salamandra robotica II, researchers have tried to replicate the movement of a salamander in designing a robot that can walk or crawl on land … Read More → "Salamandra robotica II moves swiftly on both land and water"

In news that’s sure to send real estate prices on Antarctica skyrocketing, scientists have confirmed that spiders that prey on bats have been found on every continent except the icy giant… 

The researchers write that bat-catching spiders were reported from “virtually every continent,” with the exception of Antarctica. About 80% of the reported “bat catches” were performed by web-building spiders and 12% to hunting spiders (i.e. spiders that forage … Read More → "Creepy! Bat-eating spiders found on every continent except Antarctica"

Swallows that nest on roadsides appear to have evolved shorter wings to help them maneuver better and avoid cars, claim a team of scientists from the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma.

The researchers have been studying cliff swallows that live near roads, and observed that the number of vehicle-killed birds has declined over the past three decades—despite the fact that the overall population has increased. The researchers then compared the wings … Read More → "Swallows seem to be evolving to avoid cars"

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