DNA Jewelry

Diamonds may be forever, but what's more unique and rare than even the most precious stones on Earth? The code of life, said Swiss chemist Robert Grass, the mastermind behind Identity Inside, a project that aims to create ultrapersonalized jewelry embedded with a loved one's DNA.
The inspiration behind the custom-made baubles came from Grass' professional work to develop technology to stabilize and store DNA. First, the purchaser needs to collect saliva samples (with a cotton swab on the inside of his or her cheek). This is then sent to Grass' lab in Switzerland, where the sample is processed and DNA is extracted and purified. The scientists add chemicals to the liquid solution containing the DNA to promote the growth of glass that "fossilizes" and encapsulates the DNA at room temperature.

New type of Carbon

Scientists have designed a new type of carbon that is harder and brighter than naturally formed diamonds. For those who want to wear a one-of-a-kind sparkler on their fingers, the new material, called Q-carbon, also gives off a soft glow.For instance, the material can act as either a metal or a semiconductor, and is magnetic at room temperature.

 

The magnetic Q-carbon (Q stands for quenching) would make a perfect material for biological implants that sense magnetic fields. The tight fit between carbon atoms also means electrons are bursting to get out of the carbon atoms, so the slightest voltage can spur carbon atoms to release electrons, creating a soft glow. That makes it perfect for creating screen displays that use less power, Narayan said.And its incredible hardness makes it the perfect material for deep-sea drilling.

Lightest metal ever

The material, known as a "microlattice," was developed by scientists at HRL Laboratories in Malibu, California, which is co-owned by Boeing and General Motors. The new microlattice is made up of a network of tiny hollow tubes and is roughly 100 times lighter than Styrofoam.
In an effort to save fuel, aerospace and automotive companies constantly strive to make their materials as lightweight as possible without sacrificing structural integrity. The process used to build the new microlattices holds huge promise, the researchers say, because the materials created are not only incredibly light, but also very strong.



The microlattice’s network of interconnected hollow tubes mimics the structure of bridge supports, the researchers said. But in this case, the walls of the tubes are just 100 nanometers thick — 1,000 times thinner than the width of a human hair — meaning that the material is 99.99 percent air.
The structure is built using an innovative additive manufacturing process, similar to 3D printing. But while 3D printing builds up structures layer by layer, the solution developed by HRL Labs uses special polymers that react to light to form the entire structure in one go.

Laser-armed cameras

With the help of lasers, cameras can track moving objects hidden around corners, scientists say. The finding could one day help vehicles see around blind corners to avoid collisions, researchers added.
Laser scanners are now regularly used to capture 3D images of items. The scanners bounce pulses of light off targets, and because light travels at a constant speed, the devices can measure the amount of time it takes for the pulses to return. This measurement reveals how far the light pulses have traveled, which can be used to recreate what the objects look like in three dimensions.Prior research suggested that lasers could help locate items hidden around corners by firing light pulses at surfaces near the objects. These surfaces can act like mirrors, scattering the light onto any obscured targets. By analyzing the light that is reflected off the objects and other surfaces back to the scanner, researchers can reconstruct the shapes of the items.

Virtual reality tech

That glorious moment when the entire family was laughing over dinner. The epiphany you had when you reached the peak of your favorite mountain. If only you could travel back and experience those instances again.
A group of engineers is hoping to do just that with a virtual reality (VR) system that lets you take 3D videos with your phone and an accompanying virtual reality headset that lets you experience those memories again, whenever you want. Called Teleport, the new system includes an aluminum 3D camera with two lenses, each of which acts like one of your eyes to capture the images from a slightly different perspective. Like your brain, the camera then combines these two views into a 3D picture.

Energy of atom

For the first time, scientists have accomplished a feat long thought impossible — they have measured the energy of incredibly short-lived arrangements of atoms that occur as chemical reactions are happening. This finding could help shed light on the precise inner workings of chemical reactions too complex to understand by other methods, the researchers said. Now, for the first time, scientists have measured the amount of energy required to reach a transition state.The researchers investigated a kind of chemical reaction known as an isomerization, in which a molecule undergoes a change of structure. Future research can analyze more complex reactions, such as ones where two molecules come together or one molecule breaks into two, the scientists said.

Wearable keyboards

The Apple Watch and Google Glass are some of the most widely known wearable devices, but the ways users can interact with these "smart" gadgets are limited. For instance, it would be pretty difficult to type a message out on the face of a watch. And forget even trying with a pair of smart glasses. But now, researchers have developed wearable keyboards made of electronics knitted together like fabric that could lead to a new kind of human-machine interface.
Right now, the key way that people interact with computers is by using the keyboard, researchers say. However, creating wearable keyboards for wearable electronics is a challenging task — such keyboards have to be large to fit enough keys to be useful, and must be flexible and stretchable to follow the movements of the human body.