Electron Microscope Noise Barrier

Researchers working with advancing electron microscopy have encountered a noise source from thermal vibrations in the atomic structure of materials that generates an interfering magnetic field for the incident electrons, possibly introducing a physical limit to the resolution possible with the technology.

Optical Lattice Atomic Clock

Scientists have developed a new method of timekeeping called an optical lattice atomic clock that is three times more accurate than current atomic clocks, measuring oscillations from strontium atoms excited by a laser rather than microwave-based cesium fountains with an accuracy of losing only one second every 300 million years.

Lost Cambodian City Revealed

Using LIDAR technology on board a helicopter, archaeologists have revealed the lost city of Mahendraparvata in Cambodia, a planned urban network of roadways and canals linking the 1200-year-old temples of the Angkor Wat complex hidden under dense vegetation.

Elastic, Self-Healing Wires

Researchers have developed a wire composed of a microfluidic channel with a liquid-metal alloy of indium and gallium surrounded by a commercially available self-healing polymer, resulting in a conductive elastic wire suitable for high-stress applications that reconnects at the molecular level even if severed.

Room-Temperature Maser

Researchers have developed a maser (microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation) using a simple crystal called doped p-terphenyl, the first practical design to work at room temperature instead of requiring strong magnetic fields that depend upon complex cooling equipment.

Crustacean Inspires Body Armor

Analysis of the club-like arm of the mantis shrimp, a specialized claw that survives impact as it closes faster than a .22-caliber bullet, reveals a highly complex three-tiered structure that could be adapted for new designs of personal body armor and vehicle shielding.

Motion Cameras Detect Autism

Researchers are using the motion-detection camera from Microsoft's commercial gaming system Kinect to observe young children at play and detect early signs of autism spectrum disorder, tracking each child's motion and activity level as an aid to professional diagnosis.

Printable, Flexible Electronics

The application of a nanoscale conducting polymer as a stable functioning electrode has advanced the technology of flexible and printable electronics, allowing the technology to be mass-produced and avoiding the chemical oxidation used in conventional thin-film electronics.

Smart Paint for Structural Safety

A low-cost "smart paint" consisting of recycled semiconducting materials and carbon nanotubes could provide detection of microstructural faults and permit continuous and wireless monitoring of structures such as bridges, mines or wind turbines.

Wearable Cotton Transistors

Researchers have combined gold nanoparticles with a conductive polymer to make cotton thread conductive enough to be used in constructing transistors and simple fabric-based wearable sensors.

Robotic Evolution of Flight

Experiments with adding powered wings to a robotic bug have demonstrated that although the addition aided the robot's mobility it did not provide enough for powered flight from the ground, lending support to the idea that full flight evolved instead from gliding tree-dwellers.

Self-Cleaning Cotton

Scientists have developed a self-cleaning cotton fabric bonded with 2-anthraquinone carboxylic acid (2-AQC) that kills bacteria and breaks down toxic compounds when exposed to light.

Power from Human Gait

Engineers have developed energy-harvesting technology called "reverse electrowetting" to capture the natural energy of human motion and use that power to charge and run personal electronic devices.

Electronic "Tattoos"

Researchers have developed "epidermal electronics," a method of applying thinly layered microelectronics in the same method as rub-on temporary tattoos that can be used to monitor patient's vital signs and transmit that data remotely for a short time before wearing off.

Optical Diode

Engineers have developed a silicon waveguide only 200 nm thick and 800 nm wide that transmits light in only one direction -- a precursor to an optical diode, a key component for the development of optical computing.

First "Printed" Aircraft

Engineers have assembled and flown the first aircraft produced by a nylon laser sintering process that fabricates plastic or metal objects by "printing" layers of materials to build up three-dimensional pieces, including wings, control surfaces and access panels.

Chaos Radar Sees Through Walls

By adding a "chaotic oscillator" to generate a signal, researchers have sharpened the reception of ultra-wideband (UWB) radar, allowing the use of this radar in complex structures such as practical automotive applications and survivor location tools for disaster areas.

Capturing Ambient Energy

Engineers have developed technology to collect energy from ambient electromagnetic broadcasts such as radio and television, wireless communication networks and satellite transmissions and use that energy to power small electronic devices.

Echo Mapping Caves' Interior

Using technology developed searching for al Qaeda in the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan, a new portable system quickly produces a map of a caves' interior using dual microphones and software to decode the acoustic signals of echoes produced from a few gunshots.

Roman Fish Tanks

A Roman commerce ship dating back to the second century A.D. discovered off the coast of Grado in northeastern Italy included a mysterious lead pipe piercing its hull that archaeologists now believe was part of a pumping system to keep and transport live fish to markets across the Mediterranean Sea.