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2030: A Manned Mars Odyssey December 07, 2012 
Buoyed by the recent success of its Mars rover Curiosity, NASA announced plans to launch a new robotic science rover in 2020. It's also eyeing the possibility of a manned expedition just a decade later. "The Obama administration is committed to a robust Mars exploration program," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said.
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NASA Shares Earth's Nighttime Glamour Shots December 06, 2012 
In 1972, we marveled at the beauty of our planet in a photo taken by the crew of Apollo 17 on its way to the moon. Dubbed the "Blue Marble," the iconic image depicted a blue-and-white globe floating in the blackness of space. On Thursday, we were treated to a different view of Island Earth, one with the undeniable stamp of humanity on it.
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MIT's Milli-Motein: Things Just Got a Lot More Interesting December 04, 2012 
Researchers at MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms have created milli-motein -- a manifestation of raw digital data that could create transformable robots. However, instead of pop-culture robots that can transform into giant cars or airplanes, these could result in material changes that might one day transform the world.
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Bringing Healthcare Home From the Hospital December 01, 2012 
As the dust settles on the 2012 election, one conclusion remains as inevitable now as before: The healthcare industry is in line for major changes, especially over the next two years. Industry and consumer factors are pushing the transformation to a patient-centered approach in care delivery, which will open new opportunities in connected-home technologies.
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Basis Watches Every Move You Make November 29, 2012 
The Basis wearable fitness monitor -- announced back in January at the 2012 International CES -- has finally shipped. Already sold out for the holidays, according to the website, the Basis can be reserved for $199. The device enters a market with notable competition from Jawbone, LarkLife and Nike.
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Nuclear Power Could Blast Humans Into Deep Space November 28, 2012 
A team of researchers, including engineers from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, this week reported their successful demonstration of a new concept that could provide reliable nuclear power for space exploration. The technology is still years away from the warp drive of Star Trek, but it could provide a means of propulsion for space travel beyond the moon.
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Asteroid Belts May Show Us the Way to E.T. November 16, 2012 
Of all the space objects humans have come across so far, asteroids are surely among the more anxiety-producing examples, thanks to their recurring habit of barreling past our planet at terrifying speeds and uncomfortably close proximity. However, it just may be that asteroids are our friends, a new paper suggests.
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A Luke Skywalker-Type Arm's Just the Start for Revolutionary Polymer November 15, 2012 
Researchers at Stanford University have created a new flexible skin-like material that has the ability to heal itself, which could pave the way for a new generation of prosthetics. Further development could also lead to regeneration of organs and limitless other possibilities. Led by Zhenan Bao, Ph.D., the research team created a self-healing polymer that is touch-sensitive and self-healing.
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Cloaking Device Produces True Invisibility November 13, 2012 
An invisibility cloak under development at Duke University is a new and improved version of one announced in 2006 by the same researchers. This latest version, developed by scientists at Duke's Pratt School of Engineering, solves some of the problems the earlier one had with reflections of light.
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Interplanetary Internet: Small Step for Lego Robot, Giant Leap for Space Exploration November 09, 2012 
NASA and the European Space Agency have tested a prototype system that could truly give new meaning to long-distance calling. It could help enable Internet-like communications between Earth and other planets. To demonstrate very long-distance remote control, ISS Commander Sunita Williams last month conducted an experiment that used NASA's DTN protocol to drive a Lego robot located on Earth.
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Implant Runs on the Batteries in Your Ears November 09, 2012 
Implanted electronic devices can be powered by a biological battery that exists in the ear, researchers at MIT, the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, and the Harvard-IT Division of Health Sciences and Technology have demonstrated for the first time. Team member Konstantina Stankovich implanted electrodes into the biological batteries in guinea pigs' ears.
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FCC Draws mHealth Road Map, Part 2 November 02, 2012 
The U.S. government's efforts to advance health technology include work taking place at two obvious agencies: the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. However, an unlikely player in the healthcare arena has emerged -- the Federal Communications Commission, which finds itself at the center of the mobile health, or mHealth, sector.
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FCC Draws mHealth Road Map, Part 1 October 30, 2012 
Smartphones can perform all kinds of neat tasks, such as instantly directing owners to the nearest sushi bar, or providing inning-by-inning updates of the World Series. Beyond these eye-catching consumer conveniences, the potential for more substantive uses for mobile telecom is enormous. One such area is healthcare, including a wide range of services.
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Scorched 'Earth' Spotted in Star System Next Door October 26, 2012 
Astronomers have wondered for centuries about the possibility of Earth-like planets in the neighboring Alpha Centauri star system, but only recently did their ongoing search bear fruit. European astronomers have discovered a planet with about the mass of Earth orbiting a star in Alpha Centauri. Observations made over more than four years have revealed "a tiny, but real, signal."
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NASA's X1 Robosuit Designed to Live Dual Lives October 16, 2012 
NASA and the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition have jointly developed a new robotic exoskeleton, dubbed the "XI," that could help astronauts in space stay in better physical shape, while also helping humans on Earth walk. The 57-pound wearable device is in essence a robot that fits over a human body to either assist or inhibit movement in leg joints.
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Blown SpaceX Engine May Have Been Best of Bad Things October 09, 2012 
One of the nine Merlin engines of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket suffered what the company called "an anomaly" after the vessel's launch on Sunday. The "anomaly" looks a lot like one of the rocket's nine engines failing in mid-launch, as can be seen in the video below Initial data suggest that Engine 1 lost pressure suddenly and an engine shutdown command was issued.
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Sunday's SpaceX Launch: High Stakes for Commercial Spaceflight October 06, 2012 
The first resupply mission to the International Space Station conducted by a private firm is set to launch Sunday evening. A Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon capsule made by SpaceX are scheduled to take off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral in Florida at 8:35 p.m. Eastern time. Ahead of the launch, NASA set up a Google+ Hangout session on Friday with NASA administrator Charles Bolden and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
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Baxter the Robot Works for $22k, No Bathroom Breaks Required September 21, 2012 
A company by the name of Rethink Robotics appears to be one step closer to fulfilling a long-held dream of people in the robotics industry -- it has unveiled an apparently easy-to-use robot that can learn and adapt to new circumstances. The robot, Baxter, has the usual oversized robot arms, but its "head" is a screen with a placid face. Think of a much nicer version of Cain, the bad-guy-made-robot in Robocop 2.
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Scientists Turn Big Honking Camera Loose on Dark Energy Quest September 19, 2012 
An international group of scientists from universities in various parts of the world known as the Dark Energy Survey had a Dark Energy Camera built in order to find out what dark energy is. Dark energy has been posited to be the reason for the universe's expanding faster and faster. DECam took its first pictures of the southern sky recently.
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Skywatchers Treated to Spectacular Fiery Show on Jupiter September 15, 2012 
Astronomers have long suspected that Jupiter undergoes more frequent collisions with space objects than we know, but this past Monday one apparently occurred that was so dramatic as to even be visible with amateur telescopes here on Earth.
Wisconsin-based amateur astronomer Dan Peterson first reported the event, having viewed it as it happened.
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