Futurehead.com

LED-studded skirt makes a bright fashion statement

You'll light up the room in a skirt coated with LEDs that illuminate as you move

Edible crystals could store hydrogen fuel

Molecular cages for storing hydrogen fuel have been made from cheap, natural ingredients – and they taste like crackers

Computer games may be spawning reckless drivers

Young drivers who played car-based computer games in their mid-teens are more likely to say they drive fast and dangerously in the real world

Nano-engineered cotton promises to wipe out water bugs

Cotton impregnated with silver nanowires and carbon nanotubes could provide a cheap and effective method of purifying water in remote locations

Physicists divided over life extension for US collider

A panel of physicists recommends keeping Fermilab's Tevatron collider alive for an extra three years, but others worry about collateral damage

Ancient bacteria could improve anti-ageing cosmetics

Cyanobacteria survived strong UV exposure for a billion years – the secret to their success could be key to new sunscreens and "anti-ageing" products

Space ribbon deployed to surf Earth's magnetic field

Future spacecraft could change their orbits simply by unfurling electrically conducting tethers – Japan has now tested one in a suborbital mission

Smart USB speakers pump up the volume from laptops

By storing power for when it's needed most, speakers that plug into a USB port can produce high-quality sound without the need for mains power

Craigslist ends adult service ads

Online marketplace Craigslist closes its US adult services listing following pressure from attorneys general and advocacy groups.

Power play

Turning 16 games consoles into a number-crunching supercomputer

Making music from children's old toys

The Modified Toy Orchestra is a band made up of five musicians - and 48 tweaked toy instruments.

What does the future hold for television?

Rory Cellan-Jones tries out 3D video equipment and looks at the latest ultra thin and bright OLED TVs.

PS3 hack escapes court challenge

Sony has won a permanent ban in Australia of a hack for its PS3, but the code behind it has been released for free on the web.

Data dilema: Privacy or personalisation?

Ian Hardy discovers how top researchers and companies are using today's devices and data to make the world a more interesting place

Remote control

How the tech savvy help victims cope in a crisis via the web

New gadgets unveiled at IFA fair

Samsung's Galaxy Tab and Toshiba's Folio 100 are amongst the gadgets showcased at the world's largest consumer electronics fair in Berlin.

Author Simon Singh Puts Up a Fight in the War on Science

Wired speaks to author Simon Singh, who has become a hero to those challenging the pseudoscience surrounding everything from global warming to evolution.

Report: Teens Using Digital Drugs to Get High

Teens are getting high on special MP3s, and the authorities are taking a hard look at the so-called "digital drugs," fearing they will lead to harder stuff.

Genetic Secrets of Living to 100

A massive genetic study of people who lived for more than 100 years has found dozens of new clues to the biology of aging.

Storyboard Podcast: Sergey Brin's Search for Parkinson's Cure

The billionaire Google exec wants to speed up scientific research into the neurodegenerative disease — for very personal reasons. Here's a behind-the-scenes look at "Sergey's Search," Wired's July cover story.

Secret of AA: After 75 Years, We Don't Know How It Works

Despite all that contemporary medicine knows about psychology, neurology and human behavior, it has yet to devise anything that works better than Alcoholics Anonymous to help drunks stay sober.

Sergey Brin's Search for a Parkinson's Cure

Google's cofounder has a 50 percent chance of developing Parkinson's. It's coded in his DNA. So he's pushing for a new kind of science to find a cure before the disease finds him.

EPA Reverses Controversial 'Human Guinea Pig' Rule

Reversing a 2006 decision, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it will no longer accept toxicity studies that use human subjects to test the effects of pesticides and other toxic chemicals.

U.S. Leading Charge on Synthetic Biology Funding

Synthetic biology receives about $430 million in U.S. government funding over a five-year period, far outpacing European governments. Euro funding for synthetic biologists is $160 million over the same period from 2005 through 2010.

Computer technique could help partially sighted 'see' better

Thousands of people who are partially sighted following stroke or brain injury could gain greater independence from a simple, cheap and accessible training course which could eventually be delivered from their mobile phones or hand-held games consoles, according to a new study.

Microsoft Excel-based algorithm predicts cancer prognosis

Using readily available computer programs, researchers have developed a system to identify genes that will be useful in the classification of breast cancer. The algorithm will enable researchers to quickly generate valuable gene signatures without specialized software or extensive bioinformatics training.

Computer scientists leverage dark silicon to improve smartphone battery life

A new smartphone chip prototype under development will improve smartphone efficiency by making use of "dark silicon" -- the underused transistors in modern microprocessors.

Human unconscious is transferred to virtual characters

Virtual characters can behave according to actions carried out unconsciously by humans. Researchers have created a system which measures human physiological parameters, such as respiration or heart rate, and introduces them into computer designed characters in real time.

Silicon oxide circuits break barrier: Nanocrystal conductors could lead to massive, robust 3-D storage

Scientists have created the first two-terminal memory chips that use only silicon, one of the most common substances on the planet, in a way that should be easily adaptable to nanoelectronic manufacturing techniques and promises to extend the limits of miniaturization subject to Moore's Law.

Super ALICE ushers in a new wonderland of green computing

ALICE, the University of Leicester’s new ‘green’ supercomputer, has been put into operation. The University is aiming to make the £2.2 million facility the most energy efficient in the sector.

New view of tectonic plates: Computer modeling of Earth's mantle flow, plate motions, and fault zones

Computational scientists and geophysicists have developed new computer algorithms that for the first time allow for the simultaneous modeling of Earth's mantle flow, large-scale tectonic plate motions, and the behavior of individual fault zones, to produce an unprecedented view of plate tectonics and the forces that drive it.

Half-a-loaf method can improve magnetic memories

Scientists have shown that magnetic memory, logic and sensor cells can be made faster and more energy efficient by using an electric, not magnetic, field to flip the magnetization of the sensing layer only about halfway, rather than completely to the opposite direction.

DIY EMP, Putin and Sunlight

Ian Woolf speaks to Leigh Russell at Dorkbot. Leigh explodes a hydrogen filled condom to cause an Electromagnetic pulse that reboots a computer. He moves beads with sound and brings non-Newtonian fluids to life.
Listener question: Is sunlight behind glass just as good as outside? answered by Ian Woolf
News
- President Putin's views on the science of whaling and climate change by Lachlan Whatmore
- How Grapefruit could make you pregnant by Ian Woolf
Presented by Lachlan Whatmore,
Produced by Ian Woolf

Photic sneezing and a naked scientist

Victoria Bond and Ian Woolf cover this week's news.
Marc West spoke to Dr. Louis Ptacek for even more about photic sneezing.
Lachlan Whatmore gets down to the bottom of what a breed is, exactly.
Bonnie Yu interviews Chris "The Naked Scientist" Smith about climate
change and its impact on Australia.
Hosted, paneled and produced by Victoria Bond.

2010 Science Festival special

The Diffusion Science Week special, coming to you from the Ultimo Science Festival. We tackle the questions you have asked us over the last few weeks.
Why do I sneeze at the Sun?
What would something look like if it was travelling at the speed of light?
Why do sportsmen train at altitude?
Why do previously overweight people have trouble keeping the weight off?
We ask the experts to get the real answers to these questions and more!
Questions answered by Victoria Bond and Ian Woolf
Produced and hosted by Marc West

Brown science, Solar cells, horse tale

Aaron Cook presents this week's juicy news.
Lachlan Whatmore finishes off his trilogy tribute to horse evolution.
Marc West grills Senator Bob Brown, leader of the Green Party, about his party's stand on science in the upcoming election,
Brigid Mullane interviews Rod Seares about the cost effectiveness of solar pannels in Australia.
Panneled, presented and produced by Victoria Bond

Power tool orchestra, self-attraction?

Ian Woolf speaks to Fred Rodrigues with his power tools orchestra at Dorkbot Sydney,
Lachlan Whatmore brings us part 2 of the evolution of the horse,
News by Victoria Bond
- Dogs can't help imitating people
- Social networks help you live longer
- are people most attracted to those that look like themselves?
Presented by Lachlan Whatmore,
Produced by Ian Woolf with technical support from Victoria Bond

Rare Earth, Horses, Nano-wires

Brigid Mullane interviews Dr Matthew James about rare earth minerals from mines to mobiles,
Lachlan Whatmore begins part 1 of the evolution of the horse,
Ian Woolf interviews Professor Matthew Phillips about nano-wires and LEDs
Presented and panelled by Marc West,
Produced by Ian Woolf

Female physicists and belly button dynamics

Victoria Bond spoke to Aileen Woo about gender equity at the University of NSW's physics department,
Lachlan Whatmore explores the underwater Hudson Canyon,
Victoria Bond spoke to Robert Booy about the importance of vaccine
compliance, and the downfall of the AVN.
News by Ian Woolf, Marc West, and Victoria Bond
Produced, panelled and presented by Victoria Bond

Beauty and the Geek, and Homeopathy

Victoria Bond and Lachlan Whatmore speak to the Australian Beauty and the Geek reality TV show,
Victoria Bond and Ian Woolf discuss the UK de-funding of Homeopathic hospitals,
News By Victoria Bond
- bird brains are like ours
- cold, cold antimatter
- addictive romantic rejection
Presented by Ian Woolf
Produced by Lachlan Whatmore and Ian Woolf
Panelled by Marc West