Bat Navigation
Bats have tiny hairs on their wings that help them maneuver in complete darkness.
Podcast for 8 July 2011
NOISE & NAVIGATION: Bats maneuver in the dark with the help of microscopic wing hairs, researchers expose a dolphin's secret sonar, killer whale ears inspire better microphones, and how a tiny bug with a big sound has eluded biologists for centuries. Also: Do humans have an internal compass?
Waste Heat Cooling
A prototype cooling system runs on waste heat from car exhaust.
Podcast for 3 June 2011 – Searching for Life in Outer Space
Astronomers are using new tools to look for life in outer space. And, the search for intelligent life in the universe is targeting the best candidate planets. Also: how tsunamis impact sealife.
Beetle Technology Roundup
Beetles are inspiring new design technologies.
Microscopic Roundup
Genetically engineered bacteria could help ferry drugs to where they’re needed most in the body.
Podcast for 8 April 2011
Football and family violence, rooting out insects, a question of taste, and a bird's eye view for danger.
Self-Aware Robots
A new generation of robots can learn from its experiences and form a self-image.
Podcast for 25 March 2011
A new generation of self-conscious robots, how sunshine affects drugs in the body, new research into the prevention of cleft lips, why it's hard to stay focused for long periods of time, and what sound recordings can tell us about the health of natural habitats.
Podcast for 18 March 2011
An early screening test for autism, a car controlled by thoughts, the safety of fruit seeds, blaming the hero, and testing an ancient Egyptian prosthetic.
Bioprinting
Modified dot-matrix printers could be used to print replacement tissues and organs.
Thought-Controlled Car
German scientists have engineered a car that can be driven by thinking.
Storing the Wind
The Department of Energy is developing new ways to store energy.
Podcast for 20 February 2011
ANNUAL MEETING SPECIAL: The new science of aeroecology, deconstructing taste preferences, new ways to store energy, and 3-D printers that could one day produce replacement organs.
Sea Urchin Teeth
The sea urchin's super-sharp could inspire new nano-materials.
Future Wheelchairs
Engineers are designing electric-powered wheelchairs that can identify and respond to the type of terrain they're on.
Podcast
NATURE OF INVENTION: Sea urchin teeth could inspire new nano-materials, and hornet stripes could lead to better solar technology. Also: automatic transmissions could revolutionize electric wheelchairs, and there's new research on the genetics of hair color and male pattern baldness.
E-Book Roundup
Electronic paper could bring video to newspapers and magazines.
Stonehenge Engineering
A new hypothesis explains how prehistoric people transported huge slabs of rock to Stonehenge.
Speedy Diodes
A new processor technology may potentially supplant the silicon chip.
Robot Gripper
Researchers have engineered a robotic gripper out of balloons and sand that is capable of picking up many kinds of objects.
Body Networks Roundup
Your body could one day act as a cell phone antenna.
Rail-Space Launcher
Giving spacecraft a running start on a long rail may significantly reduce launch costs.
Podcast
SPACE UPDATE: NASA prepares to launch a human-like robot into space, engineers are designing a more efficient system for launching payloads into orbit, why microwaves aren't as dangerous as some people think, and the physics behind the color of clouds.