While many research groups investigate toughness of spider silk by investigating the material itself, researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Politecnico di Torino in Italy combined experimental observations of spider webs with complex computer simulations to discover that web durability relies on the overall web design which compensates for potential stress of… »

Inspired by massive Arapaima fish which lives in is Brazil’s Amazon waters, a group of researchers from UC San Diego are developing new materials suitable for armor and panels. Biomimicry of Arapaima’s complex scales could lead to new ceramics that are both tough and flexible, making them ideal for use in soldier’s body armor, fuel… »

Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, are envisioned as replacement for incandescent light bulbs, which are being phased out by the EU. Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a new technique that could lead to production of more affordable LED light bulbs. Aside making them more affordable, the researchers claim their discovery could have a… »

After observing humpback whales, a group of researchers at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) in Göttingen have discovered and flight-tested a way to increase maneuverability and speed of helicopters. The findings could also improve the passenger comfort by lowering the resulting vibration caused by the main rotor. Although helicopters… »

Although micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) could be very useful in search and rescue, exploration and environmental monitoring missions, due to their small size they still lack maneuverability. Johns Hopkins University (JHU) engineers are using high-speed video cameras to figure out how butterflies manage to fly with amazing grace and agility in order to improve maneuvering… »

Since almost all of the body’s own regeneration mechanisms in the heart have become deactivated, a heart attack or other heart damage is serious for patients since the dead cardiac cells are irretrievably lost and scar tissue grows in place of the damaged muscle cells. Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad… »

Arizona State University researchers are using their automation, sensors, biotechnology, and systems expertise to develop Sensorbots – spherical robots equipped with biogeochemical sensors that are affordable enough to be deployed by the hundreds. Sensorbots will be used to monitor the ocean in the National Science Foundation’s Ocean Observatories Initiative named Regional Scale Nodes (RSN) project…. »

In order to check their glucose levels, diabetics usually have to draw blood. In order to eliminate the need for this invasive way of glucose level control, engineers at Brown University have designed a biological device that can measure glucose concentrations in human saliva. The technique takes advantage of a convergence of nanotechnology and surface… »