Nano-technology is allowing for increasingly sophisticated integrated laboratory-quality testing and monitoring solutions; one new development in this particular field comes out of Israel, where a group of scientists have developed a “lab on a chip” that’s essentially a microscopic workbench intended to measure water quality in sophisticated detail and in real time.

A group of researchers at Tel Aviv University is responsible for the breakthrough development, which promises to replace the current standard of using animals to detect and monitor water purity levels over time. Says Professor Yosi Schacham-Diamond, head of the research team, “We’ve developed a platform - essentially a micro-sized, quarter-inch square ’lab’ - employing genetically engineered bacteria that…

A team of researchers at Pennsylvania State University has developed a device that utilizes an array of nanotubes to convert a mixture of carbon dioxide and water vapor into natural gas at speeds heretofore unseen. Utilizing this technology, machines soon may be able to receive carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, process it, and produce fuel and other chemical compounds – all while cutting the effects of fossil fuel emissions.

Given that other research groups already have discovered methods to convert carbon dioxide into organic compounds by utilizing ultraviolet light, the real breakthrough in the PSU device is its ability to work with a wider range of frequencies found in sunlight, greatly…