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Power

Submission + - Natcore Builds World's First Black Silicon Solar Cell Using Scalable Production (inhabitat.com)

Submitted by MikeChino
MikeChino writes: Natcore Technology has created the world’s first commercially-viable absolute black silicon cell. The company claims that by using a scalable liquid phase disposition (LPD) process, the groundbreaking solar cell can make virtually 100% of received sunlight available for conversion into electricity.
China

Submission + - Device Turns Waste Paper Into Pencils (inhabitat.com)

Submitted by MikeChino
MikeChino writes: Chinese designers Chengzhu Ruan, Yuanyuan Liu, Xinwei Yuan and Chao Chen have devised an award-winning device that is capable of turning waste paper into pencils. Their P&P Office Waste Processor salvages paper from the waste basket and spits out fully formed pencils at the push of a button. The team made a clever connection between an office’s waste stream and supply needs with a satisfying design that produces something truly useful.
Idle

Submission + - Constrvct: An Online App That Lets You Turn Any Photo Into Custom Clothing (ecouterre.com)

Submitted by fangmcgee
fangmcgee writes: Wish you could turn a favorite photo into a piece of clothing for all the world to see? "Constrvct" is a new online tool that allows virtually anyone to create a made-to-order T-shirt or dress clad in an image of their choice. Don't mistake this for some cut-rate screen-print or iron-on transfer job, however. Constrvct uses U.S.-sourced double-knit organic cotton jersey and industrial digital textile inks to create its vibrant, photo-quality prints, which it then hands over to a garment facility in New York City for professional assembly.
Medicine

Submission + - Gene therapy could soon be approved in Europe (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by another random user
another random user writes: The European Medicines Agency has recommended a therapy for a rare genetic disease which leaves people unable to properly digest fats. The European Commission will now make the final decision.

They have considered the use of Glybera to treat lipoprotein lipase deficiency, which leads to fat building up in the blood, abdominal pain and life-threatening pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).

The therapy uses a virus to infect muscle cells with a working copy of the gene.
Power

Submission + - 16-Yr-Old Egyptian Scientist to Turn Plastic Waste Into $78 Million of Biofuel (inhabitat.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Sixteen-year-old Azza Abdel Hamid Faiad has found that an inexpensive catalyst could be used to create $78 million worth of biofuel in Egypt each year. Egypt’s plastic consumption is estimated to total one million tons per year, so Azza’s proposal could transform the country’s economy. What makes Azza stand out from the crowd is the catalyst that she is proposing — she suggests using a high-yield catalyst called aluminosilicate, which can break down plastic waste and also produce gaseous products like methane, propane and ethane, which can then be converted into ethanol.
Science

Submission + - German Scientists Claim To Have Created Worlds Lightest Material, Aerographite

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: A team of German scientists have claimed that their new material, aerographite, is the world's lightest material. Made from interwoven porous carbon tubes, aerographite weighs just 0.2 milligrams per cubic centimeter, and could be used in the construction of new, lighter lithium ion batteries.
Idle

Submission + - Medieval "Lingerie" From 15th Century Castle Could Rewrite Fashion History (ecouterre.com)

Submitted by fangmcgee
fangmcgee writes: Archaeologists have unearthed several 500-year-old bras that some experts say could rewrite fashion history. While they’ll hardly send pulses racing by today’s standards, the lace-and-linen underpinnings predate the invention of the modern brassiere by hundreds of years. Found hidden under the floorboards of Lengberg Castle in Austria’s East Tyrol, along with some 2,700 textile fragments and one completely preserved pair of (presumably male) linen underpants, the four intact bras and two fragmented specimens are thought to date to the 15th century, a hypothesis scientists later confirmed through carbon-dating.
China

Submission + - New Toilet Turns Waste to Electricity, Cuts Water Use 90% (ntu.edu.sg)

Submitted by MikeChino
MikeChino writes: Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have invented a new toilet system that turns human waste into electricity and fertilizers while reducing the amount of water needed for flushing by up to 90%.The system is known as the No-Mix Vacuum Toilet due to its vacuum suction technology, which is similar to the tech used by aircraft toilets. The toilet system works by using two chambers to separate liquid and solid wastes so that only 0.2 liters (.05 gallons) of water are required for flushing instead of the usual 1-1.5 gallons. If this system is installed in your average public restroom, it is estimated that is would save about 42,267 gallons per year.
Transportation

Submission + - Green Cars Dominate 2012 Detroit Auto Show (inhabitat.com)

Submitted by
MikeChino
MikeChino writes: "Inhabitat reported live from the 2012 Detroit Auto Show today, where green cars dominated the floor — practically every major auto manufacturer had a plug-in, hybrid, or electric vehicle on display, and many revealed next-gen concept cars exploring fuel-efficient technologies that will likely trickle down to consumer vehicles. From Lexus' sporty (and purely conceptual) LF-LC hybrid to the Ford Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid (which will be hitting the market soon), the volume of green vehicles on display signaled a sea change in the field of personal transportation."
China

Submission + - Russia Building World's Largest Li-Ion Battery Pla (inhabitat.com)

Submitted by MikeChino
MikeChino writes: Russia and China are gearing up to dominate the lithium battery battery industry by launching the world’s largest Li-ion plant. Planned for Novobirsk, Russia, the facility will be a joint venture between Chinese firm Thunder Sky and RUSNANO (a Russian state-run corporation) and it will be able to produce up to 500,000 batteries (of all sizes) per year.
Idle

Submission + - For the 1%: Neckties Woven From 24-Karat Gold (ecouterre.com)

Submitted by fangmcgee
fangmcgee writes: Need a gift for the man who has everything? Give him a tie woven from pure gold! Scientists from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, also known as EMPA, have developed a way to coat polyester fibers with a nanometer-thin layer of the precious metal, making it supple enough to weave. It’s an endeavor 10 years in the making, marking the first time anyone’s managed to keep the shiny stuff permanently bonded to fabric.
Science

Submission + - Waterproof Textile Repairs Its Own Rips, Tears

Submitted by
fangmcgee
fangmcgee writes: "No need to throw away an old raincoat because a tiny rip or hole. Scandinavian researchers are fabricating a textile coating that automatically seals tears on the surface of waterproof workwear. Developed for EU project Safe@Sea, which is conceiving a new generation of “intelligent” clothing to protect professional fishermen, the technology shows promise even in its early stages. “We have shown that the principle works,” says Susie Jahren, a senior research scientist at SINTEF. “Holes and tears we have made in test pieces in the lab close up all on their own.""
Medicine

Submission + - High-Tech T-Shirt Monitors Patients' Vitals (ecouterre.com)

Submitted by fangmcgee
fangmcgee writes: Hospitals may soon have a new, noninvasive way to track the health and movements of their patients. Researchers from la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid have developed an "intelligent T-shirt" that not only monitors vital signs in real time, but also locates individuals on hospital grounds within a 2-yard margin of error.

Dubbed LOBIN, the washable garment comprises a GPS unit, a thermometer, and an accelerometer that determine a patient's temperature, relative position, and level of physical activity. The shirt also includes electrodes to measure and record bioelectric signals such as electrocardiograms.
Idle

Submission + - LucasFilm Unveils 'Sandcrawler' Singapore Office (inhabitat.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The massive, slow moving Sandcrawlers from George Lucas' Star Wars films inspired the form of LucasFilm's new regional headquarters in Singapore. Designed by Aedas, the Sandcrawler Building will house a 100 seat theatre, LucasFilm Singapore offices, a public podium and other employee spaces. Neither rusty nor slow moving in this case, the glassy and streamlined building will combine a high performance facade with lush gardens and foliage that spills over terraces, resulting in a highly efficient commercial space. With construction already underway, we can look forward to this real life Star Wars manifestation sometime in 2012.

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