Discovery News

Marine pest may be key to biofuels

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A marine crustacean pest that digests wood by using enzymes in its stomach may hold the key to the mass production of liquid biofuels in the future, according to scientists.

Gribbles are tiny woodlice-like creatures which have long been notorious for destroying ships, piers and planks by eating their way through wood.

Scientists have now discovered that unlike other known creatures that snack on wood, gribbles do not need symbiotic microbes to digest their food.

Domestic fuel cell system unveiled

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Bloom Energy has unveiled its new domestic fuel cell system - called the Bloom Box.

The firm claims the system is simple and cheap to run, with the domestic model costing just $3,000 (£1,918).

The catalytic plates of the Bloom Box are made of a stack of ceramic plates coated with a 'cheap metal alloy', making it less expensive than other similar cells that require metals such as platinum.

Experts report fusion breakthrough

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US scientists may be edging closer to their dream of creating a self-sustaining nuclear fusion reaction which could revolutionise the way we source energy.

Fusion, the combining of similarly-charged atomic nuclei to form a heavier particle, is the process that powers stars. It releases enormous amounts of energy and can trigger a chain reaction among more nuclei resulting in a sustained fusion that promises unlimited amounts of clean power.

But sustained nuclear fusion requires pressures and temperatures higher than the Sun's core, of around 100 million centigrade.

Scientists create knots of light

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British physicists have successfully "tied light beams in knots", in a breakthrough that could take laser technology to the next level.

With their remarkable achievement, the researchers from the universities of Bristol, Glasgow and Southampton, have also demonstrated the practical applicability of an abstract branch of mathematics.

The knot theory, a mathematical study inspired by the twists seen in shoelaces and rope, was applied to devise special holograms that controlled the flow of light and create the knots in optical vortices.

Firms to work on wave power project

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An Edinburgh firm has joined forces with one of Europe's biggest energy companies to develop the first wave power project in the waters around  the Shetland Islands.

Pelamis Wave Power is partnering Sweden's Vattenfall to tap wave power off the coast of the Shetland, hoping to produce around 20 megawatts of electricity from the scheme .

Dubbed Aegir, the joint venture will begin looking for a suitable site to install Pelamis' second generation wave-energy converter, with the first phase of the project expected to be in place by 2014.

Bionic fingers lend a helping hand

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Scientists in Scotland have developed a motor-powered hand which they hope will transform the lives of people with missing digits.

The ProDigits allow people who have missing digits, either from birth or through injury or medical complications, to bend, touch, pick up and point, using existing muscles from the residual finger or palm to control the device.

The bionic device has been developed by Livingston-based Touch Bionics for the partial hand population, which is estimated at around 52,000 in the EU and 1.2 million worldwide.

Sleep may improve memory abilities

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Research has suggested that sleeping could help people trying to learn a new skill.

In an experiment, sounds associated with 50 images with random locations on a computer screen were taught to 12 volunteers. Each image was paired with a corresponding sound, for example a picture of a shattering wine glass with a tinkling sound.

They learnt to drag the images to their assigned places following a number of repeated trials.

'Fear detector' to trace terrorists

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Scientists are developing a "fear detector" that could help trace anxious terrorists at security check points.

The prototype of the device, which depends upon recognising a pheromone - or scent signal - produced in the sweat of a nervous person, is expected to be developed in the next two to three years.

Scientists at City University London hope the security sensor system will help identify terrorists, drug smugglers or criminals on the run with the smell of their body secretions, even if they succeed in feigning a calm appearance.

Pioneering skull ops through nose

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Using a pioneering technique, surgeons are conducting cutting-edge brain operations through the nose.

Known as endonasal endoscopic skull base surgery, the operation removes tumours by using an endoscope that transmits images onto a high-definition TV screen in the operating theatre.

The procedure, which removes tumours located at the base of the skull and at the top of the spine, has been developed by Indian consultant skull base neurosurgeon Nijaguna Mathad and ENT surgeon Salil Nair at Southampton General Hospital's Wessex Neurological Centre.

Tornado Camera Helps Fight Taliban

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A new RAF Tornado GR4 camera which can be used to zoom in on Taliban hideouts and snipers has been hailed as a breakthrough for fighter pilots in Afghanistan.

The Raptor is fixed beneath the jets, enabling pilots overhead to see precise detail from several miles high. It measures just under two metres in length and uses infrared technology.

The images can be transmitted via a live data-link to analysts at a ground station, displayed in the cockpit during flight and recorded for post-flight analysis.