Engineering, features and articles | Educational Science

Feb 28, 2014

In Images: Vertical-Flight Military Planes Take Off

Vertical-Lift (Image credit: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation)The U.S. military is investing in manned and unmanned aircraft that can take off, hover and land vertically. These so-called vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) vehicles could one day transport troops, weapons or cargo to and from the battlefields. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency...

Dec 31, 2013

US Navy's Huge Triton Drone Will Provide 360-Degree Surveillance

The U.S. Navy's next-generation surveillance drone is a whopper, with an incredible wingspan that stretches 130 feet (40 meters), about the same as a Boeing 757 airliner. The drone, dubbed Triton, recently completed its ninth flight test earlier this month. The unmanned surveillance vehicle, built by defense giant Northrop Grumman...

Dec 31, 2013

Turkey-Inspired Sensors Could Detect Toxins

Sarah Yang is a public information officer at the University of California, Berkeley. This article was adapted from a piece on the Berkeley website. She contributed this article to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Some may think of turkeys as good for just lunch meat and holiday meals, but...

Mar 31, 2016

DARPA Space Plane Could Make Daily Satellite Launches Possible

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is now entering the second and third phases of its ambitious Experimental Spaceplane (XS-1) program, which aims to make launching satellites a daily occurrence. I can tell you officially now that we have been funded by the [Obama] Administration for the next...

Nov 28, 2016

Sweat Detectors? Tiny Sensors Use Perspiration to Track Health

Imagine if taking a snapshot of your health were as easy as slapping a sticker on your skin. A new study finds that a tiny adhesive sensor can read what's going on in your body based on your sweat, and relay information about your well-being wirelessly to a smartphone. This...

Dec 6, 2016

This Tiny Electronic Chip Is Just 3 Atoms Thick

A tiny electronic chip just three atoms thick could yield advanced circuits that are powerful, flexible and transparent, researchers said in a new study. The scientists said the chip demonstrates a new way to mass-produce atomically thin materials and electronics. These materials could be used to develop electronic displays on...

Dec 15, 2016

Who Invented the Traffic Light?

Traffic lights, or traffic signals, are located on most major corners in cities and towns around the world. The red, yellow and green lights let us know when it is safe to drive through the intersection and when to walk across the street as well as when to stop and...

Dec 16, 2016

How to Build a Death Star

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. I'm very excited about seeing Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which tells the tale summarized in the original Star Wars' opening crawl. This is the story of how...

Jan 3, 2017

Build Your Own Death Star: How to 3D Print a Real-Life 'Tractor Beam'

Ever wanted to be Darth Vader? Good news: You can now bring Star Wars to life with an actual tractor beam to move small objects using sound waves, in the comfort of your own home — at least if you own a 3D printer. A team of physicists, led by...

Jan 5, 2017

Who Invented the Microwave Oven?

A microwave oven is a kitchen appliance that is in nearly every U.S. home — 90 percent of households have one, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. With the touch of a couple of buttons, this ubiquitous device can boil water, reheat leftovers, pop popcorn or defrost frozen...

Jan 10, 2017

Ancient Toy Inspires Low-Cost Medical Diagnostic Tool

Modern medicine often feels like magic: A technician pricks your skin, draws a drop of blood and whisks it away into another room. Oftentimes, this gives the doctor enough information to make a diagnosis and prescribe a treatment. But for people in developing countries, these kinds of diagnostics can be...

Jan 11, 2017

In Images: Amazing Artificial Spider Silk

Unassuming creatures (Image credit: Julie Larsen Maher ©WCS)Though spider silk may seem unremarkable, it is one of the toughest materials in the world. Recent research has shown how to mass produce this remarkable fiber in the lab. Incredibly tough (Image credit: Hellen Grig , Shutterstock)Spider silk can withstand high tension...

Jan 11, 2017

Strong, Flexible Spider Silk Created in Lab

We've built skyscrapers, planes that travel faster than sound and particle colliders a mile below the Earth's surface. Yet in some ways, the humble little house spider has got humans beat: The silken threads spiders use to ensnare prey are amazing feats of natural engineering. Pound-for-pound, inch-for-inch, spider silk can...

Jan 11, 2017

US Army Wants Biodegradable Bullets That Sprout Plants

Not only are bullets a physical hazard, but they're an environmental hazard, too. At US Armytraining facilities around the world, hundreds of thousands of spent shells litter proving grounds. Because there is no efficient way to clean up the shells, they're left where they fall. But that's a problem. The...

Jan 30, 2017

Help Me, Obi-Wan! New Hologram Technology Mimics 'Star Wars'

Princess Leia's holographic plea in the classic film Star Wars inspired researchers to work toward a device that could project real-life sci-fi holograms. Now, the futuristic 3D imaging may be one step closer to reality. A team of physicists at the Australian National University (ANU) invented a tiny device that...