Tests for toxins or pathogens generally rely on chemical reactions. But a team of researchers at Cornell University have created a sensor that detects the presence of chemicals based on the mechanical disruption of a nanoscale system. The device can instantly detect as little as a single molecule of a substance.

The nanomachine takes the general shape of a diving board, a form called a cantilever. At one end of the cantilever sits a nanoelectromechanical oscillator; at the other end, a laser. When the laser strikes the oscillator, the whole cantilever vibrates at a specific frequency. If a particle lands on the cantilever, the frequency changes in a predictable way, revealing the identity of the particle. Read more »

This week, we heard 24 cadets at the Air Force Academy received the first wings awarded in the institution's history for pilots specializing in unmanned aerial systems and other remotely piloted aircraft. Seeing as how this year the Pentagon will buy more unmanned aircraft than manned, we thought it quite significant that the first class of undergrads had hit this milestone, but-geeks that we are-what really piqued our interests were the unique wings themselves. Read more »

Nintendo's Mario has long been beloved by geeks and scientists everywhere, as evidenced by a fluorescent bacterial version (seizure warning!) and a Mario "multiverse" that acts as a better guide to parallel universes than "Lost." Now a Carnegie Mellon University student has concocted a playable pixel tribute on an 8x8 LED matrix. Read more »

DARPA envisions a future in which U.S. Special Forces or spooks have to assault underground bases. And the Pentagon agency wants to give those warriors an underground navigation system that works on lightning bolts, The Register reports.

The Global Positioning System (GPS) has transformed how both the military and civilians get around, courtesy of a satellite network that can triangulate a person's position on an interactive navigation map. But such a system only works on the Earth's surface, and so it's useless for military or intelligence operatives who need to infiltrate underground lairs.

That dilemma prompted DARPA to launch its "Sferics-Based Underground Geolocation" project, known more colloquially as S-BUG. The idea involves harnessing low-frequency radio signals or pulses created naturally by lightning strikes, because such signals can penetrate deep underground. Read more »

China's new moon rocket design is in the class of the old Saturn V that once launched U.S. Apollo astronauts to the moon. The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology says that the proposed rocket would have a thrust of 3,000 metric tons, just shy of the 3,470 metric tons of thrust generated by the Saturn V's first stage, Aviation Week reports. Read more »