computer
USC lab releases smartphone app that measures particulate air pollution
University of Southern California computer scientists have found a way to combine smartphone resources with a novel application that allows the phones’ users to help monitor air quality.
The application, provisionally titled “Visibility,” is a…
How safe is your swipe?
Used in a variety of products from credit cards to satellite televisions, secure chips are designed to keep encoded data safe. But hackers continue to develop methods to crack the chips’ security codes and access the information within.
Thi…
Engineers make artificial skin out of nanowires
Berkeley — Engineers at the University of California, Berkeley, have developed a pressure-sensitive electronic material from semiconductor nanowires that could one day give new meaning to the term “thin-skinned.”
“The idea is to have a materi…
GOCE gravity mission back in action
ESA’s GOCE gravity mission has recovered from a glitch that prevented the satellite from sending its flow of scientific data to the ground. News of the recovery comes earlier than expected, thanks to the fervent efforts of a team of experts.
The r…
Rutgers-Camden professor engineers E. coli to produce biodiesel
CAMDEN — One mention of E. coli conjures images of sickness and food poisoning, but the malevolent bacteria may also be the key to the future of renewable energy.
Desmond Lun, an associate professor of computer science at Rutgers University — …
China’s monopoly on 17 key elements sets stage for supply crisis
China’s monopoly on the global supply of elements critical for production of computer hard disc drives, hybrid-electric cars, military weapons, and other key products — and its increasingly strict limits on exports — is setting the stage for a…
Limiting ocean acidification under global change
Emissions of carbon dioxide are causing ocean acidification as well as global warming. Scientists have previously used computer simulations to quantify how curbing of carbon dioxide emissions would mitigate climate impacts. New computer simulation…
Surfing for earthquakes
A better understanding of the ground beneath our feet will result from research by seismologists and Rapid — a group of computer scientists at the University of Edinburgh. The Earth’s structure controls how earthquakes travel and the damage they ca…
New computer model advances climate change research
Scientists can now study climate change in far more detail with powerful new computer software released by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo.
The Community Earth System Model will be one of the primary clim…
New computer model advances climate change research
BOULDER–Scientists can now study climate change in far more detail with powerful new computer software released by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).
The Community Earth System Model (CESM) will be one of the primary climate…
New way to make realistic shadows in computer images
Scientists and computer gamers alike could benefit from a new method for creating soft, realistic shadows in computer-generated images. Engineers at Ohio State University have created computer algorithms that model how light passes through translucent three-dimensional objects or fluids such as water, clouds, fire, and smoke. The result: shadows that begin to approach the realism of Hollywood animation, but don’t require as much computer memory to create.
