Ionic cooling system melts and freezes material to cycle temperature

Heating and cooling systems are among the biggest guzzlers of energy, contributing to a vicious cycle of climate change that then drives higher use of heating and cooling. Now engineers at Berkeley Lab have developed a new technology that heats and coo… Continue reading Ionic cooling system melts and freezes material to cycle temperature

“Protonic” artificial synapse runs a million times faster than human ones

Engineers at MIT have developed a new type of artificial synapse that’s extremely energy efficient and ultra-fast, processing data a million times faster than synapses in the human brain. The key is an analog design that shuttles protons around instead… Continue reading “Protonic” artificial synapse runs a million times faster than human ones

Water from Earth’s atmosphere may be raining onto the Moon

The Moon may look like a big dry ball, but there’s more water up there than you might expect. In a new study, scientists have shown that at least some of it could have been showered onto the lunar surface from the Earth’s atmosphere.Continue ReadingCat… Continue reading Water from Earth’s atmosphere may be raining onto the Moon

New wireless tech lets implants transmit data through ions in tissue

Transmitting data from medical implants in the body can be tricky, but researchers at Columbia University have now developed a new technique that essentially writes data to ions in human tissue, where it can then be read from a receiver outside the bod… Continue reading New wireless tech lets implants transmit data through ions in tissue

Artificial neurons connect to biological ones to control living plants

Nature is a never-ending source of inspiration for scientists, but our artificial devices usually don’t communicate well with the real thing. Now, researchers at Linköping University have created artificial organic neurons and synapses that can integra… Continue reading Artificial neurons connect to biological ones to control living plants

New antimatter trap could help explain why cosmos didn’t self-destruct

Antimatter is a tricky substance to study, not least because it will annihilate any container you try to put it in. But now, physicists at CERN have developed a new antimatter trap that can cool down samples in seconds, rather than hours. This advance … Continue reading New antimatter trap could help explain why cosmos didn’t self-destruct

2D quantum crystal sensor could hunt for dark matter particles

Dark matter should be all around us, but the stuff is frustratingly elusive. Now physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new sensor that could help us detect certain hypothetical dark matter particles, u… Continue reading 2D quantum crystal sensor could hunt for dark matter particles

“Ionic wind” tech could revolutionize the fruit-drying industry

When you think of processes that could benefit from a high-tech makeover, the drying of fruit may not be the first one that comes to mind. It turns out, however, that the use of “ionic wind” for fruit-dehydration both saves energy and preserves nutrien… Continue reading “Ionic wind” tech could revolutionize the fruit-drying industry

Fail Of The Week: Toilets And High Voltage Do Not Mix

Imagine if you will that you are enthroned upon the porcelain, minding your own business while doing your business. You’re catching up on Hackaday on your phone – c’mon, admit it – when a whir and a buzz comes from behind you. You sit up in alarm, whereupon your lower …read more

Continue reading Fail Of The Week: Toilets And High Voltage Do Not Mix