Jay Leno’s 3D Printer Replaces Rusty Old Parts – ” Jay Leno has a lot of old cars with a lot of obsolete parts. When he needs to replace these parts, he skips the error-prone machinist and goes to his rapid prototyping 3D printer. Simply scan, print and repeat…”

“The DNA Code” – New Research Shows Life Hardwired in the Universe – “A recent mathematical analysis says that life as we know it is written into the laws of reality. DNA is built from a set of twenty amino acids – the first ten of those can create simple prebiotic life, and now it seems that those ten are thermodynamically destined to occur wherever they can…”

Scientists, public differ in outlooks – “Scientists and the public don’t see eye-to-eye on animal research, evolution or moneymaking, finds a poll out Thursday, but both agree on one thing…”

Space weather satellite:

How Large Is a Petabyte? – “13.3 years of HDTV content. That’s approximately 58,292 movies, which means an equal number of large pizzas. So one petabyte equals 52 tonnes of pepperoni pizza. Yes, my head has assploded. For other equivalents, click and zoom in…”

Google to Challenge Microsoft With Operating System – “Google Inc., owner of the most- visited Internet search engine, is developing a computer operating system based on its Chrome Web browser, taking aim at Microsoft Corp.’s biggest stronghold…”

Bing, the Imitator, Often Goes Google One Better – “The name, presumably, is supposed to evoke the sound of a winning game-show bell. The cynics online, however, joke that Bing is an acronym for “But It’s Not Google.” Here’s the shocker, though: in many ways, Bing is better…”

Brain Surgery Frees Runner, but Raises Barriers – “In the middle of the night, Diane Van Deren will leave her house against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. She will cut west through the dark canyons with her running shoes and a headlamp, but without a kiwi-sized part of her right temporal lobe…”

T-Mobile launches iPhone challenger – “T-Mobile USA is betting big on its second Android smartphone, the MyTouch 3G, as it officially launches the device making it its flagship smartphone to compete against Apple’s iPhone on AT&T…”

Canadian scientists breeding cows that burp less – “Canadian scientists are breeding a special type of cow designed to burp less, a breakthrough that could reduce a big source of greenhouse gases responsible for global warming…”

Robotic Hummingbird ‘Nano Air Vehicle’ – “Military-backed researchers have built a tiny drone that looks and flies like a hummingbird, flapping its little robotic wings to stay in the air. So far, the mock bird, built for Pentagon mad-science division Darpa, has only stayed aloft for 20 seconds at a time. But that short flight was enough to show the potential of a whole new class of miniature spies, inspired by nature…”

Paul Romer: A Theory of History, with an Application

New wonder material, one-atom thick, has scientists abuzz – “Imagine a carbon sheet that’s only one atom thick but is stronger than diamond and conducts electricity 100 times faster than the silicon in computer chips. That’s graphene, the latest wonder material coming out of science laboratories around the world. It’s creating tremendous buzz among physicists, chemists and electronic engineers…”

Mysterious tremors detected on San Andreas Fault – “Scientists have detected a spike in underground rumblings on a section of California’s San Andreas Fault that produced a magnitude-7.8 earthquake in 1857…”

How nanopayments finally came of age – “How do you get people to pay for something they’re used to getting for free? It’s a question that bedevils the music and film industries, and it’s no less of a challenge for anyone trying to monetise an app for Facebook, MySpace or Bebo…”

Smooth, Segway – “In the eight years since the upright, self-balancing “personal transporter” first debuted, this question has become a perennial during speculative-future parlor games, on par with queries like “When will soccer finally supplant football in the hearts of Americans?”"

[[[Jump to IR #310]]]