Gregory Mone

If inhaled, certain kinds of carbon nanotubes - the tiny technology used in a wide variety of applications - could increase an individual's risk of cancer, according to scientists. Researchers injected mice with nanotubes, and found that the super-strong fibers created the same sort of problems as asbestos.

Blown Away: Heavy elements in the star’s core are ejected in all directions. Not even a black hole is left after the explosion.  Medi-Mation

Meet pair-instability supernova SN2006GY, the most extraordinary explosion in the cosmos. Unlike its smaller, regular supernova cousins, which blast off the outer layers of a star and pack what remains into a neutron core or a black hole, the pair-instability supernova is a much more violent celestial finale. These events happen only in stars that are at least 150 times as large as our sun and result in total annihilation of the star. Astrophysicists contend that this type of eruption helped seed the cosmos with heavy metals like iron, a process that ultimately allowed planets to form.

A company called Tengion announced recently that its full-size, neo-bladder replacements performed well in large animal models. Tengion's technology - the commercialized version of the work of Anthony Atala - is based around the idea that it's better to use the patient's own cells to try to grow replacement organs and tissues, since transplants from donors often lead to rejection.

No, it's not free, but for Netflix fans, the new Roku set-top box should be a big hit. Netflix announced that it will begin selling a $99, hardcover-book-sized device from the California startup Roku that allows people to watch more than 10,000 titles on-demand, without waiting for those mail-order DVDs. That's about ten percent of the total Netflix library - way more than you'll get from Verizon or Comcast. The selection isn't fantastic, but there are plenty of good older movies on the list. The quasi-catch is that you must have an active Netflix account to maintain access to that library.

For years, some scientists contended that black holes swallow everything, including the information associated with the particles they suck up, and that this information can never be recovered. The problem with this idea - the chief proponent of which was the legendary Stephen Hawking - is that it violated a law of quantum mechanics.

Laser radar systems now being developed at Rochester Institute of Technology and MIT's famed Lincoln Lab could eventually generate ultra-detailed, three-dimensional maps of planets, comets, asteroids and moons. The scientists are developing a LIDAR (light detection and ranging) technology that operates both in the optical and ultraviolet, and could deliver detailed information about atmospheric composition, plus air temperature and pressure, wind speed, and precise topological features of a planet or planetary body.

Astronomers using the Arecibo telescope have discovered a fast-rotating pulsar that doesn't fit the accepted notions of how those exotic, lighthouse-like stellar objects form. Pulsars get their name from the brief beams of light they shoot our way every few milliseconds or more.

Sure, you can sign up for a little piece of property on the Moon, but the little certificate you get in return won't mean anything. Now that the space tourism industry is starting to heat up, though, a few space lovers are calling for a plan to truly open up the lunar real estate business.

Terahertz radiation, or T-rays, can see through clothing, paper, cardboard and numerous other materials, so scientists have been touting their potential for years. A T-ray-based imager could spot concealed weapons hidden under a person's clothes or even identify tumors without inducing any bad side effects.

Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have created a robot-like avatar in the virtual world Second Life that isn't controlled by a person at a keyboard, but an artificial intelligence program.

ESA's Venus Express spacecraft has picked up evidence that the molecule hydroxyl is lurking in the dense atmosphere of the hot planet.

The molecule is considered to be a crucial component of any planetary atmosphere because it is highly reactive - scientists say it combats pollutants in Earth's atmosphere, and may prevent carbon dioxide from transforming into carbon monoxide above Mars.

Officials in Los Angeles said today that they're going to reconsider a water conservation proposal that won't just ask residents to change their habits, but calls for recycling wastewater, too.

The plan would place restrictions on watering lawns and washing cars, and it would encourage residents to switch to less thirsty washing machines. But the most controversial part of the initiative would involve recycling water - refilling underground drinking supplies with treated wastewater. Los Angeles has tried this before, but critics forced officials to drop it.

Now, though, city officials say improvements in recycling technology make it a viable option.

Speaking at yesterday's CEO Summit in Redmond, Washington, Bill Gates - that guy from Microsoft - demonstrated the TouchWall, a four foot by six foot touch-screen computer prototype. TouchWall uses infrared and laser technology to register your manual input, and turn it into action. One writer described it as a giant version of Microsoft's Surface technology oriented vertically.

Just because NASA has two robots on the surface right now doesn't mean the landing of the Phoenix probe is a sure thing. At a news conference yesterday, NASA officials stressed that landing a spacecraft on Mars isn't easy: 55 percent of all attempts to do so have failed. Not to mention that the technique Phoenix will use to do so hasn't been employed in a while.

At 4 PM on April 19, 1984, a team of air traffic controllers at an airport in the east of England reportedly watched a strange, bright, circular vehicle touch down, then blast off again at a tremendous speed and with a near vertical trajectory. Although they didn't want their names to be included in the report covering the event, they believed it was a UFO. And they were sober.