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News articles on Technology

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Mongabay.com news articles on technology in blog format. Updated regularly.

Global warming causing stronger hurricanes
(3/16/2006) The link between warmer ocean temperatures and increasing intensity of hurricanes has been confirmed by scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Last year, two studies published in the journals Nature and Science found a strong correlation between rising tropical sea surface temperatures and an increase in the strength of hurricanes.


Pollution from smog linked to climate warming in the Arctic
(3/15/2006) In a global assessment of the impact of ozone on climate warming, scientists at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies evaluated how ozone in the lowest part of the atmosphere changed surface temperatures over the past 100 years. Using the best available estimates of global emissions of the various gases that produce tropospheric ozone, the GISS computer model study reveals how much this single air pollutant and greenhouse gas has contributed to warming in specific regions of the world.


Bill Gates says laptop for the poor is a joke
(3/15/2006) Microsoft's Bill Gates mocked a $100 laptop computer for developing countries being developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).


Next sunspot cycle stronger, may be more damaging to satellites and communication networks
(3/6/2006) The next sunspot cycle will be 30 to 50 percent stronger than the last one, and begin as much as a year late, according to a breakthrough forecast using a computer model of solar dynamics developed by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo.


Sustainable farm practices improve Third World food production
(1/23/2006) Crop yields on farms in developing countries that used sustainable agriculture rose nearly 80 percent in four years, according to a study scheduled for publication in the Feb. 15 issue of the American Chemical Society journal Environmental Science and Technology.


Using biomimicry to fight computer viruses via "immunity software"
(12/6/2005) Biomimicry is being used to fight computer viruses. The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of Arizona (UA) received $1 million to fund research and development of security software that mimics biological immune systems. The software will screen a computer network for abnormalities, isolating infectious computer viruses, worms and other attack agents while developing software "antibodies" to fight them. UA received the grant from the Army Research Office.


Biosensor Could Help People with Parkinson's, Alzheimer's Disease
(12/1/2005) An engineering researcher at the University of Arkansas has developed a wireless, implantable biosensor that may one day help physicians treat patients with neurological brain disorders such as Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease and epilepsy. Made of carbon nanotubes, the sensor monitors and controls chemicals in the brain and communicates with other sensors to control tremors or direct the movement of prosthetic limbs.


Disposable solar panels developed using nanotechnology
(11/20/2005) Scientists at the University of Cape Town are exploiting the nano-scale properties of silicon to develop a super-thin disposable solar panel poster which they hope could offer rural dwellers a cheap, alternative source of power.


5-10 million fuel cell vehicles possible by 2020
(11/18/2005) An international conference on hydrogen fuel cells, their application in the transport sector, and the implications for developing countries met last week at the United Nations University Institute for New Technologies (UNU-INTECH) in Maastricht, The Netherlands.


$100 computer for children unveiled by UN
(11/17/2005) As the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) continued in Tunis last night, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan unveiled a prototype of a cheap and rugged $100 laptop for children, as part of the Summit's goal of giving poor communities access to the benefits of information technologies and networks.


Solar projects in California desert could help state's energy problems
(11/17/2005) Two large solar projects in the desert of California could boost industrial-scale development of solar technology according to an article in today's edition of The Wall Street Journal.


Photovoltaic solar energy conversion can be cost-competitive by 2030
(11/16/2005) Professor Andrew Blakers from The Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems at the Australian National University will today report to the Greenhouse 2000 Conference in Melbourne that photovoltaic (PV) solar energy conversion can be cost-competitive with any low-emission electricity generation technology by 2030.


Renewable energy supplier becomes first to win EPA and DOE awards
(10/31/2005) Using innovation to drive market demand for renewable energy, 3 Phases Energy proved its leadership in the renewable energy industry at the 10th National Green Power Marketing Conference in Austin, TX held October 24-26. The Industry recognized 3 Phases Energy with two awards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy: Renewable Energy Technology Supplier of the Year for general excellence supplying renewable energy, and Green Power Beacon, for the company's ability to originate business sector interest in renewable energy. In the history of the awards, no single renewable energy supplier has been recognized with two awards in the same year.


25% probability of 7.0 earthquake hitting San Francisco by 2025
(10/10/2005) There's at least a 25% chance of a magnitude 7.0 or greater quake occurring during the next 20 years in the San Francisco Bay Area according to a new computer simulation by researchers at the University of California, Davis. The research is presented in this week's edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.


Google, MIT support $100 laptop for the world's poorest children
(10/6/2005) Google, AMD, Brightstar, News Corporation, and Red Hat have signed on to MIT's low-cost laptop initiative which aims to deliver a fully functional $100 machine to the developing world.


New battery lasts 12 years, helps stimulate nerves
(10/4/2005) With the help of new silicon-based compounds, scientists - and patients - are getting a significant new charge out of the tiny lithium batteries used in implantable devices to help treat nervous system and other disorders.


Biomimicry Employed by MIT Nanotechnology Researchers
(9/21/2005) The ocean is a perilous environment for a soft-bodied creature like a sea snail, so nature gives it an advanced nanostructured armor system that is stiff and strong yet lightweight. It's called a shell.


Danish researchers develop hydrogen tablet that stores hydrogen in inexpensive and safe material
(9/21/2005) Scientists at the Technical University of Denmark have invented a technology which may be an important step towards the hydrogen economy: a hydrogen tablet that effectively stores hydrogen in an inexpensive and safe material. With the new hydrogen tablet, it becomes much simpler to use the environmentally-friendly energy of hydrogen. Hydrogen is a non-polluting fuel, but since it is a light gas it occupies too much volume, and it is flammable. Consequently, effective and safe storage of hydrogen has challenged researchers world-wide for almost three decades. At the Technical University of Denmark, DTU, an interdisciplinary team has developed a hydrogen tablet which enables storage and transport of hydrogen in solid form.


Number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes has nearly doubled over past 35 years
(9/16/2005) The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes worldwide has nearly doubled over the past 35 years, even though the total number of hurricanes has dropped since the 1990s, according to a study by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The shift occurred as global sea surface temperatures have increased over the same period. The research appears in the September 16 issue of Science.


NASA Satellite Data Used to Assess Amazon Deforestation
(9/15/2005) The Amazon, a vast tropical forest stretching across South America, is so large that is virtually impossible to study the evolving landscapes within the basin without the use of satellites. Scientists have used satellite imagery of the Amazon for more than 30 years to seek answers about this diverse ecosystem and the patterns and processes of land cover change. This technology continues to advance and a new study shows that NASA satellite images can allow scientists to more quickly and accurately assess deforestation in the Amazon.


Non-invasive therapy for cancer may be possible with future nanotechnology
(8/30/2005) Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have created highly magnetized nanoparticles based on metallic iron that could one day be used in a non-invasive therapy for cancer in which treatment would begin at the time of detection.


Bioengineered forests coming soon?
(8/20/2005) Research and applications of biotechnology in forestry are advancing rapidly says FAO.


Modifying clouds to fight global warming
(8/15/2005) An article in The Sunday Times reports that a scientist is working a cloud manufacturing technique to counter global warming.


Americans sending more text messages via cell phone -- WSJ
(8/11/2005) According to CTIA-The Wireless Association, 4.7 billion text messages were sent in the U.S. last December, the latest figures available, compared with 2.1 billion a year earlier and 253 million in December 2001.


In Fiji locals grow "live rock" for aquarium trade with university help
(7/26/2005) In a unique project that combines environmental conservation, economic development and drug discovery research, scientists and policy experts led by the Georgia Institute of Technology are collaborating with the villagers of Tagaqe and the University of the South Pacific to explore, protect and generate income for islanders from their shallow fringing coral reef.


Microchip implant saves endangered turtle from the cooking pot
(7/18/2005) An extremely rare "royal" turtle narrowly escaped a trip to a Chinese soup-pot, thanks to a tiny microchip implanted in its skin, according to experts from the New York-based Wildlife conservation Society (WCS), who rediscovered the species four years ago in Cambodia.


Biomimetics, technology that mimcs nature
(7/11/2005) Engineers, scientists, and business people alike are increasingly turning toward nature for design inspiration. The field of biomimetics, the application of methods and systems found in nature to engineering and technology, has spawned a number of innovations far superior to anything the human mind alone could have devised. The reason is simple. Nature, through billions of years of trial and error, has produced effective solutions to innumerable complicated real-world problems. The rigorous competition of natural selection means waste and efficiency is not tolerated in natural systems, unlike many of the technologies devised by humans.


Design of new Mercedes-Benz bionic car inspired by fish body shape
(7/10/2005) DaimlerChrysler is using a new concept vehicle to examine the great potential of bionics for automobile development, and has achieved outstanding results for fuel consumption and emissions with a combination of pioneering diesel engine technology and innovative emission control methods. The Mercedes-Benz bionic car study will have its world premiere at this year's DaimlerChrysler Innovation Symposium in Washington.


Cultured meat grown in lab petri dish could help solve world food problems
(7/9/2005) Experiments for NASA space missions have shown that small amounts of edible meat can be created in a lab. But the technology that could grow chicken nuggets without the chicken, on a large scale, may not be just a science fiction fantasy.


T3Ci signs RFID analytics pact with Procter & Gamble
(5/23/2005) T3Ci, the leading RFID analytics and applications company, and The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) today announced a multi-year, non-exclusive joint development agreement to collaboratively identify and build high value RFID applications designed to leverage the EPCglobal RFID standards.


Using nanotechnology to fight cancer
(5/10/2005) Last fall, The National Cancer Institute (NCI) announced a new $144.3 million, five-year initiative to develop and apply nanotechnology to the fight against cancer. Through this initiative, NCI hopes to further enable the early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.


Making nanotechnology waste environmentally friendly
(4/11/2005) Making nanotechnology waste environmentally friendly



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