Synthetic Genomics, Inc., a new company that will develop and commercialize synthetic biology, was launched today. The Company will engineer modular “cassette” based systems to execute specific functions using reprogrammed cells as bio-factories. Synthetic Genomics, Inc.’s initial focus will be on ethanol and hydrogen production.

Energy major BP and three partners are planning to build a plant in Scotland which would be the first in the world to generate “carbon free” electricity from hydrogen, the companies said on Thursday.

Scientists in Hong Kong have shed new light on why cell repair is less efficient in older people after a breakthrough discovery on premature aging, a rare genetic disease that affects one in four million babies.

Scientists have shown that stem cells can bring renewed youthful vigor to aged cows, and they hope the same will be true in humans.

Fujitsu Limited today announced the global launch of its contactless palm vein authentication device for biometric authentication security.

A Los Angeles family became the first in the United States to lease a hydrogen-powered car from Honda Motor Co. as the company introduces consumers to the zero-emission technology.
Honda, which already leases nonpolluting FCX fuel cell cars to several cities, said the initial consumer test was critical toward eventual commercial viability.

AeroVironment (AV), a world leader in the development of unmanned High-Altitude Long-Endurance (HALE) aircraft, has successfully completed the world’s first liquid hydrogen powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flight tests.

The theory that the mind works like a computer, in a series of distinct stages, was an important steppingstone in cognitive science, but it has outlived its usefulness, concludes a new Cornell University study.

Bloggers who built their Internet followings with anti-establishment prose are now lobbying the establishment to protect their livelihoods from federal regulations.

The cost of cleaning up storm damage will balloon unless the world takes urgent action to cut harmful emissions warming the globe, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) said on Wednesday.

A cancer pill noted for its effectiveness in stopping leukemia in some patients can also help delay the deadliest effects of a pox virus in mice — offering the prospect of using similar drugs to treat or prevent smallpox, scientists said on Monday.

It’s tempting to see the U.S. Supreme Court’s Grokster decision as technology’s loss and copyright’s gain, but that analysis misses the mark. In fact, despite having just been handed a powerful new tool to prop up a tottering business model, the entertainment industry could well wind up the biggest loser.

New York officials released the latest design for the signature building at the World Trade Center site Wednesday after revising it to make the tower more secure.

France won an international competition today to be the site of the world’s first nuclear fusion reactor, an estimated $12 billion project that many scientists see as essential to solving the world’s future energy needs.

Growing up in India until he was 7 years old and subsequently living in France and the United States put Romain Wacziarg face to face with issues of haves and have-nots. A burning question began for him in those early years that has fueled his entire career as an economist: Why are certain countries poor […]

An undersea cable carrying data between Pakistan and the outside world has developed a serious fault, virtually crippling data feeds, including the Internet, telecommunications officials said.

Almost half of U.S. patients surveyed in a Gallup poll said they never seek a second doctor’s opinion when drugs, surgery or treatment is prescribed.

In 2001, when Peter Detkin was assistant general counsel for Intel, he coined the term “patent troll” to describe companies that game the system by snapping up critical bits of technology, then shopping for settlements from companies that might be infringing on the patents. Now Congress is working to get trolls off the streets, but […]

Japanese electronics companies are hard at work on a new generation for the home and office that can do anything from babysitting to sending e-mail. Great photos.

Turnover in India’s software services industry runs at about 15 percent a year on average, and can exceed 30 percent at some companies.

Birds prefer to launch their droppings at white cars, according to a scientific study.

The word “hypnosis” tends to conjure up images of subjects partaking in silly activities they might not otherwise agree to. But over the past few decades, scientific study of hypnosis has begun to identify how the approach can work to alter processes such as memory and pain perception.

Some 23 percent of all the calories consumed by the world’s population come from rice, making it one of the most important foodstuffs on the planet.

A burst of high-frequency sound waves is enough to turn a range of oily liquid mixtures to jelly.

Today, most sets sold still receive only analog broadcasts, missing out on the visual and sonic excellence of high-def TV.