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newscientist.com: by Anil Ananthaswamy

Champions of free will, take heart. A landmark 1980s experiment that purported to show free will doesn’t exist is being challenged.

In 1983, neuroscientist Benjamin Libet asked volunteers wearing scalp electrodes to flex a finger or wrist. When they did, the movements were preceded by a dip in the signals being recorded, called the “readiness potential”. Libet interpreted this RP as the brain preparing for movement. [ more ]

sciam.com: By Matthew L. Wald

The need to tackle global climate change and energy security makes developing alternatives to fossil fuels crucial.

Renewable energy, such as from photovoltaic electricity and ethanol, today supplies less than 7 percent of U.S. consumption. If we leave aside hydroelectric power, it is under 4.5 percent. Globally, renewables provide only about 3.5 percent of electricity and even less of transportation fuels.

But increasing that fraction for the U.S.—as seems necessary for managing greenhouse gases, trade deficits and dependence on foreign suppliers—has at least three tricky components. The obvious one is how to capture the energy of wind, sun and crops economically. After that, the energy has to be moved from where it is easily gathered, such as the sunny American Southwest or the windy High Plains, to the places it can be used. And the third is to convert it into convenient forms. Most prominently in the last category, electricity for transportation has to be loaded into cars and trucks, either through batteries or perhaps as hydrogen. [ read more ]

sciam.com: By Mark Fischetti

Tracking packages and food sources would lead to faster recalls and lessen contamination risks

If a natural pathogen, or a perpetrator, contaminates food, lives will be saved if the tainted product can be quickly detected, then traced back to its point of origin so the rest of the batch can be tracked down or recalled. The following technologies, in development, could help:

Microfluidic Detectors—Botulinum bacteria produce the most poisonous toxin known. They and similar agents, such as tetanus, could be detected during food processing by microfluidic chips—self-contained diagnostic labs the size of a finger. The University of Wisconsin–Madison is crafting such a chip, lined with antibodies held in place by magnetic beads, that could detect botulism during milk production. The chip could sample milk before or after it was piped into tanker trucks that leave the dairy and before or after it was pasteurized at a production plant. Other chips could detect other toxins at various fluid-processing plants, such as those that produce apple juice, soup or baby formula. [ read more ]

wired.com: By Ben Mack

Swiss auto tuner Rinspeed is rolling into the Geneva Motor Show with a wild shape-shifting, iPhone-controlled electric concept car that adapts to suit the number of passengers.

At the touch of an iPhone app, the streamlined rear end of the one-seater pops up to make room for two more people. The adjustable rear end conserves energy by maximizing aerodynamics. The idea, company founder Frank Rinderknecht says, is to create lightweight, streamlined and efficient zero-emissions “individual mobility” that can adapt to suit the driver’s needs. The iPhone controls everything from the canopy – there are no doors – to the ignition. [ read more ]

wired.com: By Alexis Madrigal

When geologists wanted a better look at a Yosemite rock face in years past, they only had one option: climb the cliff.
But now, thanks to super-high resolution gigapixel images created by a team of 70 photographers using GigaPan robotic imagers and a laser-mapping airplane, park geologist Greg Stock now has unprecedented access to the geological features of one of the world’s most famous parks. And all from the comfort of his laptop.

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cnn.com: By Mike Steere

Space travel, security threats and increasing passenger numbers are forcing major changes in the way airports are designed.
Elegant space: the interior of the proposed Virgin Galactic spaceport in New Mexico

In fact, when discussing the future of the airport it is now appropriate to consider both conventional air travel hubs we are familiar with, as well as the imminent ’spaceports’. [ read more ]

cnn.com: By Mike Steere

Picture this: you’re sat down for the Football World Cup final, or a long-awaited sequel to the “Sex and the City” movie and you’re watching all the action unfold in 3-D on your coffee table.

It sounds a lot like a wacky dream, but don’t be surprised if within our lifetime you find yourself discarding your plasma and LCD sets in exchange for a holographic 3-D television that can put Cristiano Ronaldo in your living room or bring you face-to-face with life-sized versions of your gaming heroes.

The reason for renewed optimism in three-dimensional technology is a breakthrough in rewritable and erasable holographic systems made earlier this year by researchers at the University of Arizona. [ read more ]

technologyreview.com: By Brittany Sauser

Scientists have developed a better way to identify fingerprints on bullets and fragments of explosives.

Fingerprints are crucial evidence in many criminal investigations because they can tie a suspect to the scene of a crime with almost indisputable accuracy. Now crime-scene investigators have a new technique for finding fingerprints left on metals, like the cartridge from a spent bullet or fragments of an improvised explosive device, even if the perpetrator tries to wash the evidence clean. [ read more ]

newscientist.com: by Justin Mullins

Although security services the world over have used lie detectors to lock many people up over the years, they are not very reliable. However, a new way of scanning brain activity may change that.

The long-established polygraph test measures a person’s respiration rate, heart rate, and perspiration. The idea is to detecting anxiety associated with guilt or lying.

But simply being anxious – about, say, being interrogated – can produce similar signals, and some people may be able to learn to beat the test. By some accounts, the results from such tests are no more accurate than guesswork. [ read more ]