There’s a more efficient way to harvest energy from the backyard than by wiring up hapless critters . Researchers at the University of Georgia have proof: they’ve discovered a way to generate electricity from plants through hijacking the photosynthesis process. By altering the proteins inside a plant cell’s thylakoids, which store solar energy, scientists can intercept electrons through a carbon nanotube backing that draws them away before they’re used to make sugar . While the resulting power isn’t phenomenal, it’s still two orders of magnitude better than previous methods, according to the university. The protein modification method may have a rosier future, as well: the team believes that it could eventually compete with solar cells, producing green energy in a very literal sense. Filed under: Science , Alt Comments Via: Gizmag Source: RSC Publishing , University of Georgia
Originally posted here:
University of Georgia stops plant photosynthesis to generate solar power
hypnosec writes “World of Warcarft, the gaming industry’s most popular franchise and one of Blizzard’s cash cows, is bleeding subscribers with 1.3 million defecting from the game in the first quarter of 2013 alone. Blizzard revealed a subscriber decline of over 14%, the total now standing at 8.3 million in their earnings call press release (PDF).” Read more of this story at Slashdot. 
German start-up Nanoscribe is commercialized a 3D “micro printer” that uses a near-infrared laser to print tiny structures with features as small as 30 nanometers. (A human hair is roughly 50,000 – 100,000 nanometers wide.) The device uses an infra-red laser beam moving in three dimensions to solidify a light-sensitive material into the desired shape. The additive manufacturing system, much faster than existing technology, could be used to “print” the components of medical devices, electromechanical systems, and, er, robot models that would fit on the head of a pin. ” Micro 3-D Printer Creates Tiny Structures in Seconds ” (Technology Review, thanks Anthony Townsend !) 
Good news, spacefans: the image up top is real. Virgin Galactic’s rocket plane made history this morning, igniting its engines for the first time and hitting supersonic speeds. The achievement brings would-be passengers one step closer to a trip to the edge of space. Read more… 