Technology
Here we bring you all the latest technological news both here on Earth and in space.
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Not So Secure: Drones Can Now Listen to Underwater Messages
By Princeton University – SciTechDaily
Cross-medium eavesdropping technology challenges long-held assumptions about the security of underwater communications.
Researchers from Princeton and MIT have developed a method to intercept underwater communications from the air, challenging long-standing beliefs about the security of underwater transmissions.
The team created a device that uses radar to eavesdrop on underwater acoustic signals, or sonar, by decoding the tiny vibrations those signals produce on the water’s surface. In principle, the technique could also roughly identify the location of an underwater transmitter, the researchers said.
In a paper presented at ACM MobiCom on November 20, the team described the technology and proposed strategies to defend against the new type of eavesdropping it enables. They successfully demonstrated the system on Lake Carnegie, a small man-made lake in Princeton. Read more here.
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DNA Microscopy Creates 3D Maps of Life From the Inside Out
University of Chicago Medical Center / SciTechDaily
What if you could take a picture of every gene inside a living organism—not with light, but with DNA itself?
Scientists at the University of Chicago have pioneered a revolutionary imaging technique called volumetric DNA microscopy. It builds intricate 3D maps of genetic material by tagging and tracking molecular interactions, creating never-before-seen views inside organisms like zebrafish embryos.
New Window into Genetics… Traditional genetic sequencing can reveal a lot about the genetic material in a sample, such as a piece of tissue or a drop of blood, but it doesn’t show where specific genetic sequences are located within that sample, or how they relate to nearby genes and molecules.
To address this, researchers at the University of Chicago are developing a new technology that captures both the identity and location of genetic material. The method works by tagging individual DNA or RNA molecules and tracking how neighboring tags interact. These interactions are used to build a molecular network that reflects the spatial arrangement of genes, effectively creating a three-dimensional map…Read more here.
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Scientists Develop “Super Sapphire” That Resists Scratches, Glare, Fog, and More
By University of Texas at Austin – SciTechDaily
New sapphire nanostructures created at UT Austin repel dust, glare, and fog while staying durable. Inspired by nature, these surfaces could be used in electronics, optics, space, and defense, and are being developed for real-world applications.
Imagine a phone screen that stays flawless no matter how many times you drop it, glasses that eliminate glare, or a windshield that doesn’t get dusty. These could soon become a reality, thanks to a new method for producing sapphire.
Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have developed innovative techniques to bestow superpowers upon sapphire, a material often seen as just a gemstone but valued in industries ranging from defense to consumer electronics. Its exceptional hardness makes it nearly impossible to scratch, making it ideal for high-performance applications.
“Sapphire is a high-value material because of its hardness and many other beneficial properties,” said Chih-Hao Chang, associate professor in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering…Read more here.
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Unbreakable Quantum Link Beams Across Nearly 13,000 km From China to South Africa
Stellenbosch University / SciTechDaily
A major scientific leap has been made with the creation of the longest ultra-secure quantum satellite link between China and South Africa, spanning nearly 13,000 km.
This unprecedented achievement, marking the first quantum satellite link in the Southern Hemisphere, relied on real-time quantum key distribution to transmit encrypted images between continents.
World’s Longest Quantum Satellite Link Established… Scientists from South Africa and China have successfully created the world’s longest intercontinental quantum satellite link, spanning 12,900 kilometers (~8,000 miles). This ultra-secure connection was made possible using China’s Jinan-1 quantum microsatellite, which orbits in low Earth orbit. The achievement also marks a historic first: the establishment of a quantum satellite communication link in the Southern Hemisphere.
In the demonstration, researchers used Quantum Key Distribution…Read more and see video here.
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