So I think I’ve found the next car I’d like to buy for commuting purposes. The MDI Air Car runs completely on compressed air, and can be driven up to 200-300 KM’s on a single tank of air. It has no pollution, and in fact uses some of the air from the exhaust for air conditioning in the cab. (the exhaust is quite cold)

The coolest part is that you can either refill in a couple minutes at a modified gas station, or just plug in at home at night, and the onboard air compressor will refill the tanks for you!

You can read more about it by visiting their website.

The University of Alberta is working to develop what they hope will be a cheap and simple cure for cancer. Apparently, a simple molecule called dichloroacetate or DCA (pictured above) is currently being tested as a treatment to shrink cancerous tumours. According to research done by a 1930 biochemist named Otto Warburg, cancerous cells use a process called glycolysis to supply energy to themselves. DCA prevents this process, while leaving other bodily cells undamaged.

DCA is a drug that “boosts” the function of mitochondria. Mitochondria are the energy-producing units within cells and they regulate the energy production in the body (i.e. the metabolism). Cancer somehow suppresses the function of mitochondria and by achieving this it gains “eternal life”. We believe that cancer cells die when the mitochondria are “normalized” or boosted by DCA. Because these effects in mitochondria occur only in cancer and not normal cells, we believe that DCA will not have the significant side effects (hair loss, nausea, heart failure etc) that many standard chemotherapies have. – Taken from the DCA FAQ

Unfortunately, the fact that DCA has been around for a while is both a blessing and a curse. Due to it’s age, DCA cannot be patented, and as such is not worth the money that it would take to put the drug through the necessary clinical trials. Drug companies who put it through clinical trials would not be able to prevent rivals from making the drug themselves, and as such would not be able to charge exorbitant fees for it in order to remain competitive.

It seems ridiculous that such a huge discovery would be blocked by greed. It makes me wonder how well the concept of “open-source” would apply to the medical world. Just a thought…

For more information on what the University of Alberta and the Alberta Cancer Board are doing about this, please visit their website.

Originally found on: New Scientist Short Sharp Science blog: A cheap and simple cure for cancer?

Scientists at Duke University in North Carolina have just unveiled the worlds first real cloaking device. Right now the cloak only works with microwave light, but will actually distort the light around the object to be cloaked, that when the cloaking device is turned on the object would almost completely disappear. Ulf Leonhardt is a physicist at the University of St Andrews in Scotland and had the following to say about the project:

“It’s not perfect … If you could see in the microwave region of the spectrum, the copper ring would not quite disappear. You’d see perhaps a shadow and some slight distortion where the copper ring ought to be.”

The device makes use of “metamaterials”, created by the scientists on the nanometer scale, which exhibit peculiar electromagnetic properties not normally found in nature.

Originally found on: New Scientist Tech

Sony appears to be researching and developing a way to make electronic items with selectively flexible joints so that you can fold up the cell phone or PDA when not in use in order to take less space. When you want to use the item, a current passed through the gel inside causes it to harden and become solid enough to use.
Originally found on: New Scientist Invention blog

For many years now cars have recharged their batteries using alternators. One day soon this may change, as researchers at MIT are developing an alternate method of converting energy to electricity.

Researchers at MIT are developing new technology for converting heat into light and then into electricity that could eventually save fuel in vehicles by replacing less-efficient alternators and allowing electrical systems to run without the engine idling. – Technology Review

via Gizmowatch

Hey, this is cool… Toshiba is coming out with a prototype fuel-cell powered laptop.  Just give it a squirt of methanol from a cartridge and you’re all powered up.  Apparently it’ll run the laptop for about 10 hours, and according to the article on BBC News, after two hours of use, the battery was mearly lukewarm to the touch.

Found on: Hacked Gadgets

Wired News: Military Seeks Invisibility Cloak