Technology Mic based on fly ear can pinpoint sounds IT MAY be inspired by a humble fly, but a sensor just a couple of centimetres in diameter could turn out to be the best microphone yet for pinpointing the source of a sound. The device could be added to hearing aids or mounted on autonomous robotic vehicles to locate cries for help during disaster … 51¶¯Âþ
Life Commentary: Between male and female TWO weeks ago in these pages Stephanie Pain told the extraordinary story of James Barry , the 19th-century "pint-sized, squeaky-voiced" British army surgeon who was discovered after death to be a woman – or so the charwoman who prepared the doctor's body for burial claimed (8 March, p 46). If the claim is true, Barry's … Opinion
Quantum randomness may not be random AT ITS deepest level, nature is random and unpredictable. That, most physicists would say, is the unavoidable lesson of quantum theory. Try to track the location of an electron and you'll find only a probability that it is here or there. Measure the spin of an atom and all you get is a 50:50 chance … Features
Behind the scenes of clinical research JUST around the corner from Euston Square tube station in London is an organisation called the CTU. While those initials would make most people think of Jack Bauer fighting bloodthirsty terrorists, what reality delivers here is the Medical Research Council's Clinical Trials Unit, the venue for a very unusual clinical trial which began this year. … Careers
Feedback Faithful bot A ROBOTIC dog could be a good companion for your dog-loving grandparent who is not able to care for a living pet, suggests a press release from Saint Louis University, Missouri. Researchers there compared how residents of three nursing homes interacted with Sparky, a living, medium-sized mutt, and AIBO, the robotic dog made … Regulars