The top of this week's stories featured two developments that sounded more like science fiction than science news. Implanted electrodes created the world's first photovoltaic retinal implant, translating incoming light to nerve impulses. And a second implant translated nerve impulses from paralyzed patients into the control of a robotic arm, allowing one woman to use the arm to take a drink of coffee.
- Paralyzed woman controls robotic arm, sips coffee
Electrodes implanted in the brain were used to control mechanical motion.
- Wireless, photovoltaic retinal implants could recharge sight
Laser goggles would also be used to stimulate the implant.
- American consumers prepared to pay more for clean energy
Republicans, unaffiliated voters are less inclined to pay extra for green power.
- East coast wind grid gets a go ahead
The wind is always blowing somewhere.
- Sheets of virus generate electricity when squished
The biomaterial could one day power electronics using our body movements.
- Cambrian shutter of doom becomes sucker of worms
The mouth of this segmented invertebrate has been a puzzle for many researchers.
- It's (just barely, sort of) alive!
Below the ocean floor, microbes are surviving on 100,000 oxygen molecules a day.
- The state of particle physics—a report from Pheno 2012
The Standard Model isn't perfect, but the alternatives now look worse.
- Cosmic forensics: signs of a Tunguska meteorite?
A group of researchers thinks a small Siberian lake may be an impact crater.
- Record-setting 2012 warmth largely confined to North America, western Europe
Most of the rest of the world has seen little change from 2011.