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| LOW DOSES OF X-RAYS MAY BE DAMAGING TO GENES |
| Even low doses of radiation may cause damage to genes, German researchers have discovered, questioning the safety of routine X-rays and current models of risk assessment. |
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| HEAT SENSITIVE MATERIALS CHANGE COLOR WHEN HOT |
| Imagine a fire door that changes color when hot, football jerseys that can tell when a player is overheating, road signs that change color indicating icy road conditions, and food packaging stamps that disappear when products have been kept at room temperature for too long. At the University of Rhode Island, chemists Brett Lucht and Bill Euler and chemical engineer Otto Gregory are working to make these products a reality. |
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| AUSSIE BIO-CEMENT TO SAVE DUTCH DYKES |
| An Australian researcher is using bacteria to develop a biological cement that may help patch up failing Dutch dykes, essential in protecting the land from rising sea levels.
Vicky Whiffin of Murdoch University has been experimenting with bacteria which convert sand into sandstone, as part of her PhD research. |
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| BUILT IN BRAKES FOR SKIS AND SNOWBOARDS |
| Sheer terror. Blind panic. Whatever you call it, it's that gut-wrenching feeling known to all newcomers to skiing and snowboarding as they hurtle helplessly downhill. But help is at hand for beginners to the pistes. A new generation of skis or snowboards will be fitted with built-in electronic brakes that slow them down before things get too scary. |
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Technologies of maintenance safety
