Monthly Archive for May, 2006

Nanotubes used as nanotools

Published on May 29, 2006 in Latest, Researches, Science and Technology. 0 Comments

Experiments on nanoubes have revealed they could be used as tools to squeeze extremely hard materials such as iron and iron carbide. Such discovery will allow scientists to perform high pressures operations as the nanotubes “withstood pressures as high as 40 gigapascals, just an order of magnitude below the roughly 350 gigapascals of pressure at the center of the Earth.” Nanotubes tool

Bombarding a carbon nanotube with electrons causes it to collapse with such incredible force that it can squeeze out even the hardest of materials, much like a tube of toothpaste, according to an international team of scientists. Reporting in the May 26 issue of the journal Science, the researchers suggest that carbon nanotubes can act as minuscule metalworking tools, offering the ability to process materials as in a nanoscale jig or extruder.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com

Growing Glowing Nanowires

Published on May 26, 2006 in Researches, Science and Technology. 0 Comments

Nanotechnology is getting closer to reality. Scientists have now developed nanowires which are able to emit light like lightbulbs. Don’t think those nanowire light like lightbulbs though, they emit light roughly 100 nm in diameter. Those wires have a diameter varying from 30 to 500 nanometers and can be 12 micrometers long. Using a laser or electric current to excite this nanocomponent will make it emit an intese glow which can ultraviolet or visible light.

The nano world is getting brighter. Nanowires made of semiconductor materials are being used to make prototype lasers and light-emitting diodes with emission apertures roughly 100 nm in diameter–about 50 times narrower than conventional counterparts. Nanolight sources may have many applications, including “lab on a chip” devices for identifying chemicals and biological agents, scanning-probe microscope tips for imaging objects smaller than is currently possible, or ultra-precise tools for laser surgery and electronics manufacturing.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com

12-qubits reached!

Published on May 8, 2006 in Latest, Physics, Researches, Science and Technology. 0 Comments

In the drive to understand and harness quantum effects as they relate to information processing, scientists in Waterloo and Massachusetts have benchmarked quantum control methods on a 12-Qubit system. Their research was performed on the largest quantum information processor to date.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/

As quantum computing develops, we (computer users) will be able to solve complex problems and equations a computer cannot answer to this date. The technique scientists and computer engineers have found to store and transmit information is about to change because of the new implication this technology as. Faster (instantly) calcuations, calculations which are still unsolvable to this date might be what’s coming next. Could we possibly run computers with no lag and have instant download? Quite likely.

Cloaking theorically demonstrated

Published on May 3, 2006 in Science and Technology. 0 Comments

Thanks to the "anomalous localised resonance" effect.

By using a material called superlens, Nicolae Nicorovici and Graeme Milton could make objects appear to vanish.

So far, they have been able to make disappear small objects, small as dust.

The technique is based on light wave resonance instead of sound wave resonance (used to detect ship with radars). The superlens material would absorb the light from a certain range of frenquencies, which would sometimes make the object partially disappear.

However, the authors have so far only done the maths to verify that the concept could work. Building such a device would undoubtedly pose a significant challenge.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/

Unsecure memory stick

Published on May 2, 2006 in Technology. 0 Comments

Memory stick are known to be able to hold data from 32 MB to 4 GB in storage space. Being used by many people especially with the rise of mp3s, those devices now have multiple usages.

A UK government-backed security survey revealed that only over half of companies do not take any step to secure their data. Security firms are now working on ways to give the companies better control over the protection of the confidential data which their stick might hold.

It as also been found that 33% of the companies tell their staff to not use such device and they rarely configure their PCs to restrict the usage of such device.

USB sticks are used more and more for personal AND professional usage. The survey shows that 3 USB stick out of 5 has business information on it. Is your private information safe?