Very long lasers made of optical fibers offer a promising route to highly secure communications. Nothing beats quantum communication for absolute security, but the new method, which relies on classical rather than quantum physics, provides faster communication over long distances. It would also be feasible with existing hardware, in contrast to quantum communication that will require development of new, and probably expensive, components.
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A new technique to identify objects of art will be foolproof, according to a University of Southampton researcher. FING-ART-PRINT, a 2.5-year project funded by the European Commission, undertaken by a consortium of European partners, aims to provide a means of uniquely identifying art and cultural objects and will protect against illegal trafficking of cultural heritage.
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An Aussie computer programmer downloads Neil Armstrong’s historic “one small step for man” declaration from his 1969 moonwalk. Sound-editing software shows Armstrong got it right in the transmission from the moon — he did say “a man.”
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The National Science Board urges the feds to bolster efforts to understand hurricanes. Despite huge storm-related losses, NOAA staffing is down 30 percent and the focus is on short-term forecasting, according to the report.
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Maybe your mom didn’t think to tell you to use your manners when you participate in an adult chat room. But she shouldn’t have to. In Sex Drive Daily.
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Some European automakers and energy companies say Berlin is the best place to establish a network of hydrogen filling stations within the next few years. In Autopia.
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A Florida Republican congressman resigns after a series of raunchy e-mails and instant messages to high-school-age congressional pages was made public. Rep. Mark Foley is the author of legislation to protect children from predatory adults on the internet.
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Parasitic plants do not haphazardly flail about looking for a host but sense volatile chemicals produced by other plants and identify potential hosts by their emissions, according to a team of Penn State chemical ecologists.
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The potent cancer drug Gleevec, used to combat leukemia and some gastrointestinal cancers, may be useful in treating rheumatoid arthritis, according to a team of researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
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Mars is ready for its close-up. The highest-resolution camera ever to orbit Mars is returning low-altitude images to Earth from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Rocks and surface features as small as armchairs are revealed in the first image from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter since the spacecraft maneuvered into its final, low-altitude orbital path. The imaging of the red planet at this resolution heralds a new era in Mars exploration.
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