Science

This isn't exactly at gadget you'd want to purchase for your home (we hope), but trust us--you'll want to know when it's available. The University of Buffalo is leading research into dental work that can be done without drilling or anesthesia, based on a device that uses ozone to repair cavities.

The bacteria-killing ozone machine, which is being used in Europe, "fits over a tooth and forms an airtight seal in arresting tooth decay," according to Medgadget. Researchers say the technology is being tested now in the United States and, if approved, could be … Read more

Ford Motor will deliver 20 demonstration models of its Escape Hybrid E85 SUV to six states, the company announced in a statement Tuesday. Ford says the hybrid is the world's cleanest and most fuel-efficient small SUV, producing about 25 percent less carbon dioxide than its gas-fueled cousin, the Escape Hybrid SUV, which it showed off at the LA Auto Show in November.

The new E85 SUV will be on display at the 2007 Washington Auto Show, which starts Wednesday in Washington, D.C. Ford says the car can run on fuel blends with up to 85 percent ethanol. Deliveries … Read more

Another high school reunion is just around the corner. After the last one, you vowed to do whatever it takes to rid your body of the scourge of modern physiology: cellulite. Desperate times call for desperate measures--so enter the "CelluBike."

We honestly have no idea what to make of this monstrosity. It looks like some kind of futuristic flight simulator or MRI chamber. As we understand it, you peddle the bicycle while a "certified technician" points a bunch of infrared lights at your "problem areas." Then, according to its Web site, thermal energy "… Read more

Turns out that the microwave can clean your sink sponges while it nukes leftover pizza.

Scientists have found that in just two minutes, the microwave can kill 99 percent of living pathogens, according to research reported by Livescience.

It takes 4 minutes to zap bacteria spores known as Bacillus cereus, which are especially hard to kill with heat or radiation, according to the study, which was detailed in the December issue of the Journal of Environmental Health.

One note: the microwave should be on high heat.

Here's a thought for parents of young children: forget skiing lessons. Teach your kids to swim. The newest predictions on Europe's Alpine glaciers tell us they'll soon be much reduced. And there well may be serious flooding down at the bottom.

The World Glacier Monitoring Service in Zurich now says most Alpine glaciers could melt by 2037. One expert said, "The future looks rather liquid." He then said mountains less than fourteen thousand feet tall would lose all glaciers.

The thirty-one tallest European Alps could thus retain some permanent snow and ice. That includes the … Read more

About a month ago, we wrote about the HomeStar Pro Planetarium, which uses LEDs to project the night sky on your ceiling. Here's another one for the astronomy buffs: Laser Stars, a projector that beams star and cloud formations onto your wall or ceiling of choice with laser technology and holographics. For those of us who live in brightly lit cities where we can't really see any real stars at night, it's a cool idea.

The Laser Stars projector looks to be less for nuts-and-bolts astronomy buffs than for people who just like to look at a … Read more

There's a newly discovered piece of land in Greenland, according to The New York Times. It's one of the new islands being found around the Arctic as shoreline glaciers melt away. This new island in Greenland was first noticed in 2005. Old maps show it as part of an ice-covered peninsula. No longer.

Cartographers can't keep up. Several new islands in Greenland have been recently uncovered, literally. And there's at least one new island in Norway's Svalbard archipelago.

Greenland alone has more than 27,000 miles of coastline. More islands could be appearing soon. If … Read more

European history was altered by a bacterial infection in someone's stomach, according to a report from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

The stomach in question belonged to Napoleon, and the infection led to ulcers, which likely caused the French dictator to get cancer and die. Even if Napoleon had managed to escape from house arrest on the island of St. Helena, where the British stuck him after the 1815 battle of Waterloo, he would have been too weak to mount a comeback, the researchers added.

The study also cast doubt on the theory that Napoleon was poisoned … Read more

If global warming wasn't bad enough, scientists have more unsettling news.

According to a study released Monday by the National Research Council, scientists won't be able to predict events like hurricanes unless the United States upgrades its satellite system that monitors the Earth's environment and climate. The study, according to Reuters, said that the United States must invest $3 billion annually from 2010 to 2020 to maintain the current observation system. It includes 29 Earth "missions"--meaning a single satellite or cluster of satellites--run by NASA and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration.

If left … Read more