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 5/10 Good --- weblogs.baltimoresun.com http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/sciencematters/blog/index.xml
| Baltimore Sun reporters discuss all things science ... |
Tuesday, May 20, 2008 --- 92 days ago http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/sciencematters/blog/2008/05/university_of_u
 Credit: University of Utah It's fascinating when scientists find a solution to a technological problem in nature. It hasn't happened yet with beetles and computers, but it might. The scales of certain beetles, known for their iridescent colors, may hold the key to faster computers. The scales have properties that make them ideal models for photonic crystals, which can manipulate light in unique ways. The goal of scientists, all over the world, is coming up with computers that can store, retrieve and transmit information using bits of light, instead of electricity. The theory is that they will be much faster and more powerful than anything on the market today. So developing photonic crystals that can manipulate light, in ways that could be used by this next generation of quantum computers, is a major goal these days. Researchers in Utah have found that that photonic crystals found in the scales of an inch-long weevil, Lamprocyphus augustus , pictured above, make an ideal model and they're using them as a mold to make the crystals from a transparent semiconductor. Any practical applications are still years away. But it makes for interesting reading. There's more on the story here. ... |
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