A round-up of the latest technology news from around the globe.
PLANE STRAIN: Unlike birds, aircraft have no way to detect changes in their body while flying - sensors would add too much weight. A new plastic polymer mesh contains gold sensors to monitor temperature along the entire body of the aircraft, or map air pressure flowing around a wing. The almost invisible mesh can expand to more than 265 times its original size. Nice air net, that. More at DiscoveryNews.
EYE DOWN: Underwater would be the last place I'd look for a telescope. But the Russian Neutrino Telescope lies 1km below Lake Baikal. What's more it points towards the centre of the Earth, rather than out into space. It can only be serviced in winter when a metre of ice allows scientists to haul the device to the surface. Anchors aweigh;
neutrinos ahoy. More at the BBC.
75 TONNE TV: The world's largest high-definition video board is 61 metres wide, 24 metres tall, weighs 75,000 Kilos and uses more than 9 million LEDs. It's being installed at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where NASCAR events are held. There will be some power bill supporting that. More at MarketWatch.
FLAP AND FLY: The University of Toronto's human-powered aircraft with flapping wings is called The Snowbird. It recently flew 145 metres at 25Kph for almost 20 seconds. At 32 metres, its wingspan is comparable to a Boeing 737. Don't dream it, fly it. More at Engineering and video on YouTube.
A YOUNG FACE: Einstein's Theory of Relativity says gravity causes time to pass more slowly the closer you get to the ground. The National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado set up extremely accurate clocks in which an aluminum ion switches energy states over a quadrillion times per second. Tests showed a clear time difference between two clocks separated by only 50cm of height. So, your feet are slower than your brain. More at iO9.
- Miraz Jordan knowit.co.nz
