A technique for making curved batteries and a heat sink made with one-atom-thick graphene provide clues to tiny applications ahead for the gadget maker
It’s time to start mining the moon
The precious resources we need to develop solutions to our energy problems are too costly on Earth, says entrepreneur Naveen Jain
Skylab: The trailblazing outpost in space
Forty years on from Skylab’s launch, we look back at how the space station taught us much about how humans perform in orbit and how to design future craft
Personal clouds let you take control of your own data
A startup that lets you have your own cloud servers at home is part of a movement that is turning its back on conventional cloud computing
Tingly projections make beamed gadgets come alive
Imagine having an illuminated keypad projected onto your hand which stays in place even as you move, and tingles gently when you press a “button”
Smile, hydrogen atom, you’re on quantum camera
A quantum microscope has imaged the hydrogen atom’s wave function – the mathematical entity that governs its properties – for the first time
Robot arm wrapped in sensitive skin has gentle touch
A robot arm wrapped in a sensor-laden skin has shown it can work closely with humans on delicate tasks
To green the deserts, just add… seawater?
Can desert be turned into fertile oases using nothing but seawater and sunshine? Yes, discovers Fred Pearce on a trip to Qatar – but at a price
    
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Smart map tracks people through camera networks
A “Marauder’s Map” system uses security cameras to map people’s locations in real time – it could find intruders or guide people around malls
Ancient Egyptian jewellery carved from a meteorite
The raw material for a 5300-year-old iron necklace bead found in an Egyptian tomb has revealed itself to have fallen to Earth in a meteorite
