Scientists from two-dozen research organizations led by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have decoded genomes of two algal strains, highlighting the genes enabling them to capture carbon and maintain its delicate balance in the oceans.

Artificial heart pacemakers have saved and extended the lives of thousands of people, but they have their shortcomings –  such as a fixed pulse rate and a limited life. Could a permanent biological solution be possible?

Lack of an adequate amount of the mineral phosphate can turn a common bacterium into a killer, according to research to be published in the April 14, 2009, issue of the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science. The findings could lead to new drugs that would disarm the increasingly antibiotic-resistant pathogen rather than attempting [...]

Engineers at Oregon State University have discovered a way to use an ancient life form to create one of the newest technologies for solar energy, in systems that may be surprisingly simple to build compared to existing silicon-based solar cells.

The construction of complex man-made objects–a car, for example, or even a pizza–almost invariably entails what are known as “top-down” processes, in which the structure and order of the thing being built is imposed from the outside (say, by an automobile assembly line, or the hands of the pizza maker).

 
 
China has 32 million more young men than young women – a gender gap that could lead to increasing crime – because parents facing strict birth limits abort female fetuses to have a son, a study released Friday said.

‘FIELD’ 
You are looking at 1301 fluorescent bulbs planted in an English farm, powered entirely by electrical fields generated by the power lines that float in curves over the top of this field. (PIcs)

2009 Honda Element Pet Friendly Vehicle 
We’re all suckers for our dogs and Honda’s no fool. Honda’s new concept for the Element, unveiled at the New York Auto Show today, upgrades the safety features and accoutrements for pets to the level of premier class. Just look at this luxury statement… for the dog, if not for [...]

Mobile Mini House 
From French designer Stephanie Bellanger comes the Mobile Mini House, a compact trailer design that opens up into an abode not unlike a railroad apartment like you’d find in New York. (Pics)

Here’s a sweet video of an early walkman ancestor, the Mikiphone pocket phonograph, a superb gadget that unpacks and assembles in seconds, quickly filling the room with the dulcet tones of your be-bop combo.

Racing towards a new future!

Finally a Motorcycle Race Without the Fumes
The very first Isle of Man TT motorcycle race took place in 1907. This year, on June 12th, the TTXGP will show us just how much things have changed since then; all kinds of ZEV motorcycles will compete, and that’s the whole point. Maybe the [...]

The Mondrian Hotel in South Beach, Miami, has installed a vending machine in the lobby for hotel guests who’ve forgotten something.
Customers can purchase items priced from $10 to $1.2 million, including a Jean Paul Gaultier dress, a 1965 Corvette, a 2000 Bentley Azure convertible or a penthouse condo.
Although the machine is large, it doesn’t actually [...]