Science

This certainly beats trying to copy your face on a Xerox machine.

"FaceSCAN III" is a 1.4-megapixel scanning system that uses a halogen lamp to create 3D facial renderings for "online games, avatars and everything narcissistic," as Red Ferret says. Its manufacturer, Germany-based Breuckmann, says FaceSCAN "offers maximum cost-effectiveness"--though the last version reportedly cost nearly $60,000. Everything's relative.

There's just one feature that struck us as somewhat odd: The device is "capable of capturing up to three persons simultenously." Is there some new trend we're missing?… Read more

Japan may have robots that can clean and tend to hospital patients, but German scientists are working on a model that can do both.

In addition to mopping floors, the "Nursebot" can reportedly take a patient's temperature with laser beams and thermal camera imaging. And, as Technie Diva says, "this means no more rectal temperature-taking treatment for you."

The Nursebot is scheduled for 2010, but we're looking for ways to donate contributions to speed its release.

We at Crave aren't just about shiny, superficial gadgets--we care about superficial issues of personal appearance as well. Recently, for example, we highlighted a zit-zapping treatment for some of the younger readers of this blog. Now, for the other end of the age spectrum, we offer another public service announcement for the "HairMax LaserComb."

This device, which looks sort of like a curling iron for an Anakin princess, is designed to regenerate and thicken your hair using laser energy. Don't laugh: Medgadget says it's even gotten FDA approval.

This is scientific stuff, people. HairMax … Read more

Grid computing is shaping what a lot of scientists get out of their research nowadays--a message that was echoed by scientists and professors from various sciences in one of the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) sessions during the annual meeting in San Francisco on Friday.

Some of those projects include simulating the impacts of earthquakes, fighting diseases like malaria and AIDS, discovering previously unknown material of the universe and predicting climate change. The grid has not only aids scientific research, it is also having an impact on the commercial and financial world. The large amount of data … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--Did you know you can help to fight disease and study climate change by sharing your computer? This practice, called distributed computing, refers to using computers' spare processing power to tackle programming jobs.

One newer example of distributed computing is BOINC (Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing). David P. Anderson, a scientist at the Space Science Laboratory at U.C. Berkeley who pioneered the project, spoke at AAAS's (American Association for the Advancement of Science) annual meeting here.

Before BOINC, of course, was SETI@home, also initiated by Anderson. The program is downloaded by more than 5 million … Read more

Expect several intriguing space research findings at the ongoing American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting in San Francisco.

My favorite's a birth happening right now in deep space, over in the Eagle Nebula, you know, a little to the left of that bright star. NASA and University of Colorado astronomers say it's a new little star being born. It might someday be like our own sun. What have they named this little baby? E42, and there's even a picture.

Then there's one report that has me throwing out my ancient physics textbook. All … Read more

A collection of new scientific findings being presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science 2007 meeting in San Francisco could be headed, "Don't be afraid, be aware."

A University of Victoria scientist is tracking back through fossil history, tracing the ups and downs of dinoflagellates. These small creatures in the Pacific Ocean's plankton are at the base of the maritime food chain. Two dino-species are poisonous, and research may help predict when these species will rapidly increase as the climate changes, thus killing fish and other plankton-feeding animals.

Oregon State scientists, meanwhile, are … Read more

As pet robots go, we can't exactly say this one is the cutest or cuddliest. In fact, we can't even say what it looks like at all, except for maybe a giant shark tooth.

But to hear the Taiwanese Industrial Technology Research Institute tell it, this is actually a robotic fish with the unlikely name of "POPO," according to I4U News. POPO can reportedly swim on its own for 24 hours on its rechargeable batteries without bumping into things because of its ultrasound system.

That's all well and good, but we think they could have … Read more

Carbon nanotubes are stronger and lighter than steel. You're not. But you and nanotubes have something else in common, according to researchers at Rice Unviersity. You and the little guys are self-healing. Carbon nanotubes can regrow their own molecular skin. Now that you may be intrigued, check out CNET News.com's special report on nanotubes.

You may like being similar to a nanotube, but a rat? English research shows rats' whiskers are similar to your fingertips. Whisker sensing makes rat sense.

And at U.C. Berkeley they use organic molecules and metal nanoparticles to create heat. So what? … Read more