Technology Sector

World’s most powerful laser to simulate conditions at centre of the Earth

Powerful LaserLondon, Jan 6 : Scientists at the National Ignition Facility in Livermore, US, are preparing to fire the most powerful laser in history at a tiny target on the ground, in order to understand what conditions are like at the centre of the Earth.

According to a report in the Telegraph, the laser, which is as powerful as 10 billion lightbulbs, would alter the composition of the soil sample, making it represent the conditions at the core of the planet.

Apple to unveil ''big screen'' iPod touch?

AppleLondon, Jan 6 : Rumours are abuzz that Apple may launch a ''big screen'' version of its popular iPod touch device to make it even easier to surf the Internet and watch movies.

A report from Michael Arrington of TechCrunch, a popular technology industry blog, says that Apple has developed an iPod touch device with a 7- or 9-inch display.

Sources have told that blog that prototypes of the device are already being shown to Apple's manufacturing partners in Asia, reports the Telegraph.

The gadget would enable users to listen to music, watch films and surf the Internet on a more comfortably sized screen than the 3.5in display currently used.

Holes make armour ultra-hard for protecting military vehicles

military-vehiclesLondon, Jan 6 : Scientists from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) have devised an ultra-hard vehicle armour with an array of holes to protect military personnel.

According to a report by BBC News, details of the steel armour, called Super Bainite, were outlined during a seminar at the University of Cambridge.

Professor Peter Brown from the MoD team claims that the array of holes has given the armour a protective advantage, as the perforations help deflect incoming projectiles.

Marine algae may be future of biofuel development

Marine algae may be future of biofuel developmentWashington, Jan 5 : Scientists have determined that biofuel development is shifting from soil to sea, specifically to marine algae.

Referred to as "green bullet", marine algae is considered as science and society''s best hope for a clean bioenergy source that will help loosen broad dependence on fossil fuel, counteract climate warming, and power the vehicles of the future.

Soon, stone cold robot soldiers that kill without remorse

Soon, stone cold robot soldiers that kill without remorseWashington, Jan 5: The face of war is all set to transform, with American armed robots predicted to patrol on the battle ground in a matter of few years, killing without any remorse.

According to a report in the Washington Post, this advancement in American military prowess is a fact that comes under Moore's law.

Gordon Moore, a co-founder of Intel, noticed nearly half a century ago that computing power seemed to be doubling about every two years.

Longstanding theory of how species evolve in the oceans challenged

London, Jan 3 : New evidence, uncovered by oceanographers, is all set to challenge one of the most long-standing theories about how species evolve in the oceans.

Most scientists believe that allopatric speciation, where different species arise from an ancestral species only after breeding populations have become physically isolated from each other, is the dominant mode of speciation both on land and in the sea.

The key to this theory is the existence of some kind of physical barrier that operates to restrict interbreeding (gene flow) between populations, so that, given enough time, such populations diverge until they are considered separate species.

Pages