BBC Knowledge Asia Edition

Computers in your roses and Wi-Fi

antennae in your trees are just two of

the long-term possibilities presented

by organic electronics. At Sweden’s

Linköping University, scientists embedded

a polymer into a rose to

form a working transistor. It is part of a

plan to combine electronic circuits with

plants’ natural signalling mechanisms in

the hope of tapping into energy generated

by photosynthesis as well as reading and

regulating a plant’s growth functions.

Electronic

plants

Malaria-blocking

mosquitoes

Robot

learners

Gecko

glue

Scientists at MIT have been studying

slow-motion film of sneezes

Sneezes

studied

High-speed video has shed new light on sneezes. MIT scientists discovered

that sheets of phlegm break up into ‘ligaments’ and then droplets, which can

reach ventilation ducts at ceiling height in minutes and continue spreading.

The research will reveal differences in the ways we sneeze and suggest

procedures to prevent diseases spreading.

Scientists at China’s N
University have seque
genome and found th g
help it form the fine to
needs to climb walls. Th d
may lead to new adhe
other breakthroughs r l i g h
gecko’s ability to rege i il.

Robots that learn from their experiences,

just like human infants, are on the horizon.

At the University of Washington, computer

scientists and psychologists built robots

that learn new skills by watching how

humans perform tasks. The robots then

try various methods to work out how to

achieve the same goal.

A beautiful flower or

the next-generation

of Pentium processor?

MosquitoEs that pass on malaria-

blocking genes to their offspring have

been created at the University of

California. The malaria-blocking gene

spreads to almost all the mosquitoes

in a population, all but preventing the

disease being passed to humans.

The new robots learn the same

way babies do – by watching

blocking

Nantong

enced a gecko

e genes that t

oe hairs it

The study

esives and

relating to the

enerate its tail.