Science & Tech News

Making Solar Power Competitive with Coal

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:06 GMT

A study identifies early-stage technologies that could be combined to cut the cost of solar panels in half.

By the end of the decade, manufacturers in the United States could make solar panels that are less than half as expensive as the ones they make now. That would be cheap enough for solar power to compete with electricity from fossil fuels, according to a new study in Energy & Environmental Science. The cost reductions will come via technology that&os;s already being demonstrated in research labs at startups, universities, and major solar manufacturers, and could involve silicon, the material most solar panels are made from today.

Faster way to catch cells: New microfluidic device could be used to diagnose and monitor cancer and other diseases

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:31 GMT

Separating complex mixtures of cells, such as those found in a blood sample, can offer valuable information for diagnosing and treating disease. However, it may be necessary to search through billions of other cells to collect rare cells such as tumor cells, stem cells or fetal cells. Researchers have now demonstrated a new microfluidic device that can isolate target cells much faster than existing devices. Such technology could be used in applications such as point-of-care diagnostics and personalized medicine.

Fake drug sales are increasing on the Internet and turning up in legitimate supply chains, review finds

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 03:35 GMT

Criminal gangs are increasingly using the internet to market life-threatening counterfeit medicines and some have even turned up in legitimate outlets such as pharmacies, according to a newly published review.

The Emerging Science of Connected Networks

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:10 GMT

Complexity scientists have made great strides in understanding the behaviour of single networks. Now they want to know what happens when networks become connected to each other

New nanotechnology converts heat into power when it's needed most

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:00 GMT

Never get stranded with a dead cell phone again. A promising new technology called Power Felt, a thermoelectric device that converts body heat into an electrical current, soon could create enough juice to make another call simply by touching it.