Technology

Just when you thought that innovations could not get any more compact, a new report out of Rice University is claiming that scientists have been able to construct a working battery that is six times thinner in size than a bacterium. The microscopic ... battery measures 150 nanometers in width, meaning that it is literally hundreds of times thinner than a human hair follicle, and more than 60,000 times smaller than a regular AAA battery. Battery / Supercapacitor Hybrid The diminutive power pack is manufactured by the thousands in dense arrays. It is actually a cross between a battery and a ... (view more)

Social networking has been blamed for helping promote rioting and looting in the United Kingdom. But the culprit is not, as some have assumed, Twitter. Riots broke out in the Tottenham area of London this past Saturday after a protest about the ... shooting of a local man by police two days earlier. The initial riot has been followed by numerous outbreaks of violence and looting in other areas of the city. Twitter Users Ahead of Media in Reporting Violence The events have been discussed extensively on Twitter, with local residents reporting on incidents before they are covered by mainstream media ... (view more)

A new study suggests that computer data centers might not be using as much power as previously estimated. It appears that power use is still rising, but at a slower pace than in the past. The report comes from Jonathon Koomey, a Stanford University ... professor that works at the Lawrence Berkeley National laboratory. He's put together figures on the growth of data centre electricity use around the world between 2005 and 2010, which follows on from a previous report he produced for the period from 2000 to 2005. A data center is a facility that houses special computers known as servers. Rather ... (view more)

According to a new report, the world's population will reach nine billion in just 39 years. The finding is raising new questions about our ability to handle that kind of growth, particularly in regions where population expansion is expected to rise ... fastest. The study comes from Professor David Bloom and can be found in a recent publication from the Harvard School of Public Health. Right now our global population is just under seven billion people. Bloom predicts that the number will increase to nine billion by 2050, and ten billion by the end of the century. (Source: secaucusnewjersey.org ) ... (view more)

Microsoft has released test editions of its next update to the Windows Phone operating system (OS). It should mean some of the changes will be hitting new and existing phones relatively soon. The update has been codenamed 'Mango' and is the largest ... set of changes to the Windows Phone 7 OS yet, though the company hasn't yet decided to officially dub it version 2.0. There are two slightly different versions of the update in circulation at the moment. One has gone to phone manufacturers and is designed to allow them to test it on both existing and forthcoming handsets to spot any potential ... (view more)

Maintaining an active lifestyle remains an ongoing struggle for many people. But a new, hi-tech wristband is looking to keep people motivated to stay fit and make health-conscious decisions throughout the day. Jawbone, a company known for ... manufacturing Bluetooth headsets, has expanded their production to include a lightweight bracelet that monitors an individual's daily physical activity through the use of built-in motion and vibration sensors. Smartphone Pics Reveal Eating Patterns Called "Up," the wrist wear accompanies a smartphone app that enables users to record their eating habits ... (view more)

For years, volunteer doctors and missionaries have worked to test and treat malaria cases in developing countries. The infectious disease continues to run rampant throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and parts of the Americas. Now, a doctoral student ... at the University of California is building an efficient testing and treatment system that will feature Windows Phone 7. In parts of Africa, where 90 per cent of malaria death occurs, health workers test patients with a diagnostic assessment tool that works in a similar manner to that of a home pregnancy test (a blood sample on a small plastic ... (view more)

A coalition of mechanical engineers in Iran are reporting that sometime in the near future, dental patients will actually be able to print off their own custom tooth prosthetics, thanks in large part to the innovations made in three-dimensional ... printing. The current dental prosthetic procedure usually takes a few weeks for a dentist to take x-rays of the jaw and later, make the necessary cast for dental implants or replacement crowns that are unique to the patient's mouth. 3D Printing Drastically Cuts Waiting Time The new innovation is currently in the testing phase of development and is said ... (view more)

From Family Matters to The Simpsons and, of course, Back to the Future, the idea of time travel has become a common theme in American pop culture. There's no doubt, then, that many will be disappointed to hear of a new report from a group of Hong ... Kong scientists which suggests that traveling through time is simply impossible. The report comes from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, where researchers under the direction of Professor Shengwang Du have concluded that single photons (the absolute smallest particle of light) simply can't travel faster than light. The finding is ... (view more)

A few years ago it was hard not to think of the BlackBerry when someone mentioned the word "smartphone" -- and with that came recognition of the firm responsible for developing and marketing the device, Research in Motion (or "RIM"). Flash forward a ... few years, and now the term 'smartphone' is much more commonplace, thanks to the introduction of Apple's iPhone and various Google Android devices. So popular are these rival products that the BlackBerry's market share has started to dwindle. For RIM, it's a troubling and frustrating trend that on Monday culminated in Monday's ... (view more)