You Find It

On The Boil: New Nano Technique Significantly Boosts Boiling Efficiency

00:49 27-06-2008; source: www.sciencedaily.com

A new study shows that by adding an invisible layer of the nanomaterials to the bottom of a metal vessel, an order of magnitude less energy is required to bring water to boil. This increase in efficiency could have a big impact on cooling computer chips, improving heat transfer systems, and reducing costs for industrial boiling applications.

Customized 'Wimpy' Polioviruses Designed: A New Path To Vaccines?

21:49 26-06-2008; source: www.sciencedaily.com

A team of molecular biologists and computer scientists at Stony Brook University has designed and synthesized a new class of weakened polioviruses. They used their synthesizing method with computer software to systematically re-code the poliovirus genome. In doing so, the team is the first to demonstrate that a synthetic weakened virus can immunize an animal. These results show promise in the creation of new attenuated ('live virus') anti-viral vaccines and are reported in the journal Science.

NVIDIA Releases Beta PhysX Drivers

18:51 26-06-2008; source: www.topix.com

You'll recall last week NVIDIA announced that its 177.39 drivers would provide PhysX support on the GeForce 9800 GTX, 9800 GTX+, and GTX 260/280 cards. You'll also probably recall the big dust-up over whether or not NVIDIA was cheating in terms of optimizations for various benchmarks. Whether or not you believe that, and likely AMD / ATI will, and NVIDIA won't (and doesn't), for end users, the real question is: "where are the drivers? I want to try them."

Scientists Discover How An Injured Embryo Can Regenerate Itself

18:49 26-06-2008; source: www.sciencedaily.com

Scientists have developed a mathematical model to describe interactions that occur within genetic networks of an embryo, answering the age-old question of how half embryos are able to maintain their tissues and organs in the correct proportions despite being smaller than a normal sized embryo. Understanding the processes that govern embryonic cell development, may lead, in the future, to scientists being able to repair injured tissues.

Microsoft Posts Reliability Update for Windows Vista SP1

06:51 26-06-2008; source: www.topix.com

Comforting to know Windows Vista SP1 still isn't reliable, eh? On Tuesday Microsoft posted a reliability / performance update. You'll recall that prior to the release of SP1, Microsoft also released reliability updates. Guess it's still not reliable enough.

Microsoft's BFF, Intel, to Skip Windows Vista

06:51 26-06-2008; source: www.topix.com

Earlier I speculated that some companies may choose to skip Windows Vista in favor of Windows 7, given Microsoft's statement regarding a January 2010 launch of Windows 7 and continued support for Windows XP until 2014. And it seems like Intel, Microsoft's BFF, is making that choice.