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Scientists in UK have found a way to join buckyballs together so that they form stable buckywires. The wires form when buckyballs are dissolved in an aromatic hydrocarbon called 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene. The solvent links the balls together to make wires shaped like a string of pearls, which then precipitate out. This relatively simple procedure opens the door to industrial-scale (and cheaper) manufacture.

The new material may find applications in photovoltaics and molecular circuit boards. But perhaps the area of greatest interest is drug delivery. The researchers suggest that buckywires ought to be safer than carbon nanotubes because the production method is entirely metal-free.

via Technology Review: Blogs: arXiv blog: Buckyballs Polymerized to Form Buckywires.

In the science fiction ‘Dune,’ Frank Herbert envisioned the Fremen collecting water from the air via moisture traps and dew collectors. Science Daily reprints a press release from the Fraunhofer Institute in Stuttgart, where scientists working with colleagues from Logos Innovationen have developed a closed-loop and self-sustaining method, no external power required, for teasing the humidity out of desert air and into potable water.

Source: Science Daily – Drinking Water From Air Humidity

When cancer patients get a heavy dose of chemotherapy and radiation, it can destroy their bone marrow. Umbilical cords contain stem cells that can regenerate the immune systems of young patients, but usually there are not enough of them to heal an adult.

A doctor at Children’s Hospital in Boston surmised that there must be a chemical that can make the cord blood stem cells divide, so that there will be enough of them to treat adult patients. He tested 2,500 chemicals and found one that does the trick. In the early 80’s the chemical had been given to patients who have high stomach acid, and it actually worked and had a good safety profile. The compound never made it to market because more effective treatments got there first. Now doctors are testing it on cord blood units that will be given to leukemia patients.”

Source: Wired Science – Forgotten Drug Helps Stem Cells Repair Bone Marrow

Last year California spent $350m on textbooks. Facing a state budget shortfall of $24.3 billion, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has unveiled a plan to save money by phasing out ‘antiquated, heavy, expensive textbooks’ in favor of internet aids. Schwarzenegger believes internet activities such as Facebook, Twitter and downloading to iPods show that young people are the first to adopt new online technologies and that the internet is the best way to learn in classrooms. So from the beginning of the school year in August, math and science students in California’s high schools will have access to online texts that have passed an academic standards review.

It’s nonsensical — and expensive — to look to traditional hard-bound books when information today is so readily available in electronic form.

As the music and newspaper industries will attest, those who adapt quickly to changing consumer and business demands will thrive in the increasingly digital society and worldwide economy. Digital textbooks can help us achieve those goals and ensure that California’s students continue to thrive in the global marketplace.

BBC News : Online push in California school

Mercury News : Digital textbooks can save money, improve learning, an article by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California.

Maybe local schools, vocational institutes and polytechnics should consider a similar move, not just to help students’ family save money, but to accelerate the acceptance and adoption of digital skills and technologies, and to ensure that the next generation of business leaders and workforce stay in the forefront of the global trents.

The FDA has advised consumers to stop using Matrixx Initiatives’ Zicam Cold Remedy nasal gel available in US (not marketed locally in Singapore/Malaysia) over-the-counter as a cold remedy because it is associated with the loss of sense of smell (anosmia) that may be long-lasting or permanent.

The FDA says about 130 consumers have reported a loss of smell after using the homeopathic cure containing zinc, an ingredient scientists say may damage nerves in the nose needed for smell and health officials say they have asked Matrixx executives to turn over more than 800 consumer complaints concerning lost smell that the company has on file. (more…)

The head of Ho Chi Minh City’s Health Department has revealed that many passengers infected with the H1N1 influenza who flew to Ho Chi Minh City took fever reducing medication (antipyretics such as paracetamol and aspirin) prior to or during their flight to fool temperature scanners at the airport. The government has confirmed 23 cases of infected air travelers. Clinical investigations of these infected cases revealed they had taken fever reducers. The discovery of these scanner cheaters led to the detection of 3 more infected cases later.

Source: Reuters – Passengers cheat flu scan with fever reducers

I am not sure if ALL of them set out to deliberately ‘cheat’. Some may have felt slightly unwell and self-medicated and had not thought to allert the Health Department at the airport. Whichever’s the case, VC Nguyen is one stressed-out official doing an extremely difficult job. 

Shoe-maker, Aetrex Worldwide, and GTX Corp, a company that makes miniaturized Global Positioning Satellite tracking and location-transmitting devices, are teaming up to make shoes for people suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease.

The technology will provide the location of the individual wearing the shoes within 9m (30 feet), anywhere on the planet.

Sixty per cent of individuals afflicted with Alzheimer’s Disease will be involved in a ‘critical wandering incident’ at least once during the progression of the disease — many more than once … Not only will this technology allow a caretaker to find a loved one with a click of a mouse, but the shoes are more humanizing than a bell hung around the neck.

via GPS shoes for Alzheimer’s patients | News | News.com.au.

There is a new movement fuelled by emotions ranging from indignation to revulsion to rage coursing through the conduit of the internet. It’s a 21st century update to the old school lynch mobs. It started in China in 2006 and is spreading fast throughout the cyber-world.  Thousands have joined in and believe it’s an efficient way to make wrong-doers answer to the netizens. With billion of Internet users, attempts to hide will only add to the thrill of the hunt. With all eyes fixed to computer screens, people all over the world watch in fascination as this force continues to define itself. It is called 人肉搜搜 (human flesh hunting or human flesh search engine). It simply means an Internet search that is being powered by people with retribution and mass justice on their minds. (more…)

The race for a hyper-fuel-efficient car is on in a big way. Now, Riversimple has tried to leverage the knowledge of the masses to bring its vision to reality soon with a car that gives the equivalent of 300 miles to the gallon. The company plans to unveil its first car in London later this month, a small two-seater that weighs roughly 700 pounds.

If you agree to lease one for 20 years, Riversimple will throw in the cost of fuel for the lifetime of the lease.

The team decided to release the car’s designs under an open source license in order to speed up the time it takes to develop the vehicle while also driving down the cost of its components.

Source: OSTATIC – Riversimple to Unveil Open Source Car in London This Month.

An engineer from Nokia’s UK research labs says that the company is developing technology that can harvest ambient electromagnetic radiation to keep a cellphone going. The device works on the same principles as a crystal radio set or radio frequency identification (RFID) tag: by converting electromagnetic waves into an electrical signal.  TThe group is working towards a prototype that could harvest up to 50 milliwatts of power–enough to slowly recharge a phone that is switched off. He says current prototypes can harvest 3 to 5 milliwatts.

Other researchers have developed devices that can harvest more modest power from select frequencies. A team from Intel previously developed a compact sensor capable of drawing 6 microwatts from a 1.0-megawatt TV antenna 4.1 kilometers away.

I would say it is possible to put this into a product within three to four years. Ultimately Nokia plans to use the technology in conjunction with other energy-harvesting approaches, such as solar cells embedded into the outer casing of the handset.

Source :Technology Review – Wireless Power Harvesting for Cell Phones