Smart Takes

Archive: 05-2011

• Hara lands funding from energy heavy hitters, Ray Lane as chairman

  Hara, which provides environmental and energy management software, landed $25 million in Series C venture funding. Ray Lane, managing partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, will become...

  May 18, 2011, 9:08 AM PDT | By Larry Dignan

• 3M invests in nanomaterial pollution control company GoNano

  GoNano, based in Moscow, Idaho, uses its silica-based Nanospring technology in catalytic converters, carbon dioxide capture and recycling as well as flow reactors.

  May 17, 2011, 1:42 PM PDT | By Larry Dignan

• Flexible solar sheet can capture more than 90 percent available light

  A University of Missouri engineer has developed a flexible solar sheet that captures more than 90 percent of available light. The move could be big gain for solar panel efficiency. Today’s...

  May 17, 2011, 1:00 AM PDT | By Larry Dignan

• Telemedicine can help ICU care

  Intensive care units that used telemedicine—including offsite electronic monitoring—had lower hospital and ICU mortality, fewer complications and shorter stays, according to a study.

  May 16, 2011, 1:00 PM PDT | By Larry Dignan

• Researchers discover DNA region linked to depression

  Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and King’s College in London have independently zeroed in on a chromosome 3 DNA region related to depression.

  May 15, 2011, 6:36 PM PDT | By Larry Dignan

• Can cloud computing make robots smarter?

  Cloud computing could give robots the ability to process more data, analyze situations and form groups while preserving battery life, according to Google project managers.

  May 13, 2011, 5:46 AM PDT | By Larry Dignan

• AIDS study: HIV transmission prevented with antiretroviral drugs

  A study by a unit of the National Institutes of Health found that men and woman with HIV reduced the risk of transmitting the virus to sexual partners if they were taking antiretroviral drugs and...

  May 12, 2011, 10:50 AM PDT | By Larry Dignan

• Oil price volatility boosting alternative energy investments

  Shale oil and gas, solar and wind power are big investment winners should oil prices remain elevated.

  May 12, 2011, 10:29 AM PDT | By Larry Dignan

• 3M unveils integrated optical films, eyes revamping LCD backlights

  3M launched a new integrated optical film that aims to improve LCD screen backlighting, make the supply chain more efficient and cut down on carbon usage.

  May 12, 2011, 9:46 AM PDT | By Larry Dignan

• The language of sperm whales: Dialects and accents abound

  Sperm whales have dialects and accents, according to a study published in the journal Animal Behaviour.

  May 12, 2011, 9:26 AM PDT | By Larry Dignan