• South Korean researchers turn science fiction into fact

    The state-financed Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) was set up in 1971; its new leaders wants it to lead the nation in innovation and education; among the center’s projects: a computer screen that folds up like a pocket handkerchief, a harbor that goes out to a ship, and a road which recharges electric vehicles

  • Israel successfully tests anti-ship missile defense

    During the summer 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, the Shi’ia organization almost sank an Israeli ship with an advanced Iran-made anti-ship missile; Israel has now successfully tested a sophisticated defense against anti-ship missile — a defensive system which should be of interest to U.S. Navy ships on patrol at the Persian Gulf

  • Vcom3D's iPod translator device is a valuable tool for U.S. soldiers

    Florida-based Vcom3D developed software which was used in conjunction with Apple’s iPod to teach sign language to hearing-impaired students; now, the U.S. military and UN peacekeepers use the device as an instant translator in war-torn regions

  • Sandia researchers develop new water purification method

    Researchers substitute an atom of gallium for an aluminum atom in the center of an aluminum oxide cluster, creating a more effective process for removing bacterial, viral, and other organic and inorganic contaminants from river water destined for human consumption, and from wastewater treatment plants prior to returning water to the environment

  • Aurora shows new, more lethal hovering killer drone

    Innovative UAV company shows a new drone capable of carrying four Hellfire missiles at speeds of up to 400 knots (the Predator carries just two Hellfires and cruises at just 70 knots)

  • U.K. looking for ways to deal with IEDs

    Eighteen U.K. troops have been killed in Afghanistan in July, raising the overall toll in the conflict to 187 British deaths; many of these soldiers were killed by IEDs; the government is looking for a solution

  • U.S. gives $47 million for smart grid trials

    The Department of Energy is directing $47 million of the stimulus package to speed up work on several smart grid technology test sites

  • New distance record for quantum encryption

    Quantum encryption (or quantum key distribution [QKD]) holds the promise of unbreakable communication encryption; the technology has a weakness, though: the short distance of key distribution; researchers break distribution distance record by distributing keys over a distance of 250 kilometers (it may not look like much, but back in 1992 the record was 32 centimeters)

  • Breakthrough: Radiation protection drug developed

    American and Israeli researchers developed a drug which offers protection from radioactive radiation; the drug uses proteins produced in bacteria found in the intestines to protect cells against radiation; the FDA is expected to approve the drug within a year or two

  • Hair examination can help in tracing terrorists

    U.K. researchers devise a test which uses laser to determine the recent whereabouts of an individual by analyzing hair strands

  • U.S. military considered developing "gay-bomb" and "'who me?' bomb"

    Fifteen years ago the U.S. military planned to use stink bombs, chemicals that cause bad breath, and a so-called “gay-bomb” that would make enemy soldiers irresistible to one another — all as part of a range of non-lethal, but disruptive and morale-damaging weapons

  • Middle East peace may be closer as Israel successfully tests Iron Dome

    Peace between Israel and the Palestinians depends on Israel feeling secure enough to make deep territorial concessions to the Palestinians in the West Bank; Israel has been reluctant to make such concessions because of the security risks they entail; the successful tests of Iron Dome, a defensive system against short-range rockets, may ease Israel’s security concerns, making concessions more likely

  • Glass fibers can make a building sturdier

    Conventional means to reinforce concrete involve the use of steel bars; the use of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) is emerging as a valuable option, owing to its natural resistance to corrosion, its high strength, light weight, transparency to electrical and magnetic fields and ease of manufacturing and installment

  • Scientists work on creating robot-insects

    Researchers in the field of insect-machine hybrids believe the day is not far when police could release a swarm of robot-moths to sniff out a distant drug stash, and rescue robot-bees would dodge through earthquake rubble to find survivors

  • USAF wants to use dye used by purple bacteria to power UAVs

    Purple bacteria use pigment that can convert solar energy to electricity; the USAF wants to use a synthetic version of the pigment to keep UAVs in the air for longer periods