Producing biofuels with novel enzyme from wood-borer

By Maja Bosanac
19 June 2013

limnoria-punctataA group of researchers from the United Kingdom, the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and the University of Kentucky have found and structurally characterized a novel cellulose-degrading enzyme from the marine wood borer Limnoria quadripunctata, commonly known as the gribble. This biomass-degrading enzyme could one day be used to create a more competitive… »

The first photodynamic drug with anti-metastatic activities

By Maja Bosanac
18 June 2013

melanomatreathiresResearchers at the University of Zurich have devised and successfully tested the first potential anticancer drug which has excellent properties as a photodynamic therapy (PDT) agent as well as potential anti-metastatic activities in vivo. Namely, this new agent destroys melanoma skin cancer cells and blocks the spread of the cancer to other sites in the… »

Medang tree provides key to greener chemistry

By Damir Beciri
18 June 2013

kingianin-1Researchers at the Research School of Chemistry of the Australian National University (RSC – ANU), Canberra, discovered that a rare tree found in Malaysia and Borneo holds the secret to greener chemical production. They managed to create a ten-step method which employs a new, environmentally friendly approach to replicate kingianins molecules found in the Medang… »

SONTE Film – digital shade for your home and office

By Damir Beciri
17 June 2013

sonte-film-compareYou’ve seen it in sci-fi movies, as well as in some fancy offices and bars, but dimming windows with a flip of a switch has been kept away from most of us. SONTE Film is the first ever Wi-Fi enabled digital shade that instantly switches windows from opaque to clear in less than a second…. »

New metamaterial allows negative refraction index

By Damir Beciri
One Comment16 June 2013

dionne-invisibleAlthough metamaterials managed to revolutionize optics in the past decade, their performance so far has been inhibited by their inability to function over broad bandwidths of light. Stanford engineers have designed a broadband metamaterial that more than doubles the range of wavelengths of light that can be manipulated. With adjustments, the researchers believe it could… »

NanoTech Security KolourOptiks – butterly inspired anti-counterfiet technology

By Damir Beciri
One Comment16 June 2013

nanotech-security-1Using nature inspired technology to stop counterfeiting and enhance brand design has been around for the last five years, however, recent advancements and award given to Nanotech Security Corp. made us bring back this subject we covered back in 2010, when we wrote about Cambridge scientists that discovered a way to mimic the colors found… »

Control4 Wireless Music Bridge

By Damir Beciri
14 June 2013

contorl4-wireless-music-bridgeIf you wanted to enable music streaming inside your home or office, Control4 came up with a solution that might help you. Aside streaming, Control4 Wireless Music Bridge enables its users to instantly and wirelessly share the music on all smartphones, tablets or computers connected to a Control4 system, allowing everyone to enjoy their personal… »

Green architecture – Earthship Farmstead House, Virginia

By Damir Beciri
4 Comments12 June 2013

earthship-farmstead-virginia-1Nestled in the hillside of Virginia mountains, the Earthship Farmstead house received Passive House Certification in February 2013 and it is on track for LEED Platinum certification for homes. While it doesn’t represent a typical example of an earthship house, where people tend to use scrap material to build them, it is built on similar… »