Wireless Networking Using Light Instead Of Radio Waves – “Your next wireless network could use light instead of radio waves. Researchers funded by a National Science Foundation grant expect to piggyback data communications capabilities on low-power light emitting diodes, or LEDs, to create “Smart Lighting” that would be faster and more secure than current network technology…”

One Way Up: U.S. Space Plan Relies on Russia – “The gap is coming: from 2010, when the National Aeronautics and Space Administration shuts down the space shuttle program, to 2015, when the next generation of American spacecraft is scheduled to arrive, NASA expects to have no human flight capacity and will depend on Russia to get to the $100 billion station, buying seats on Soyuz craft as space tourists do…”

The Mystery of the Damascus Sword – “Damascus swords were prized for their strength and sharpness. They were famous for being so sharp that they could cut a silk scarf in half as it fell to the ground, something European swords couldn’t do. They were also known for their beauty. The surface of a Damascus blade has a wavy pattern on it that looks a little like wood grain. Sometimes the wavy pattern would form lines across the sword that looked like the rungs of a ladder; this was called Mohammed’s ladder. Sometimes the waves formed circular swirls called roses. And unless you had the wavy pattern on your blade, you didn’t have a true Damascus sword…”

The Man Who Stuck His Head Inside a Particle Accelerator – “So with all the recent news about the Large Hadron Collider, many of you may have this nagging question: what, exactly, would happen if you stick your head in the particle accelerator?”

Elite Officer Recalls Bin Laden Hunt – “Shortly after 9/11, the Pentagon ordered a top secret team of American commandos into Afghanistan with a single, simple order: kill Osama bin Laden. It was America’s best chance to eliminate the leader of al Qaeda. The inside story of exactly what happened in that mission, and how close it came to its objective has never been told until now…”

New Solar Cells Can Be Rolled Up Like a Carpet – “Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Northwestern University have developed a new type of silicon solar cell that is flexible enough to be used on a curved surface or fabric. Currently, most solar cells are rigid due to the use of plastic in their production.”

See a Pattern on Wall Street? – “The researchers found that when people were primed to feel out of control, they were more likely to see patterns where none exist…”

Apple ‘brick’ is a manufacturing process – “Now we can all speculate what this new Apple manufacturing means. Has Apple simply outsourced a rapid prototyping facility in Asia or is Steve Jobs fulfilling an 18 year old dream to move up the value chain in the production of computers?”

When trees grew in Antarctica – “Trees that grew in Antarctica millions of years ago had a growth pattern much different than modern trees, according to a new fossil study reported during the Geological Society of America meeting…”

The party’s over for Iceland, the island that tried to buy the world – “Almost overnight, its population became the wealthiest on Earth. Tracy McVeigh in Reykjavik finds that the credit crunch is making the cash disappear…”

10 power-saving myths debunked – “Companies are finding themselves embroiled in a power crisis as they struggle to find ways to rein in soaring energy costs — as well as do their part to address global climate change. However, how can you be certain that the power-saving strategies your company has adopted are, in fact, the best ones? After all, there are plenty of myths out there about saving energy that are patently false. In this report, we examine 10 such myths and bring the truth to light…”

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