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Robots that walk, robots that talk, robots that suck and, yes, robots that blow. We've got them all in this week's roundup: (Okay, we lied about the robots that talk bit...but some of them do, you know?) Loch, Singapore's Android Singapore's Nanyang Technological University has been working on its nation's most complex full-scale android yet--Loch, the Low Cost Humanoid--for a few years, but he's been largely overlooked. This is a shame, because though he's from a nation you wouldn't normally associate with advanced robotics, he can walk, manage stairs, and resist being pushed off course.

A 1 degree Celsius rise in average global temperature could cause the number of acres burned annually in the U.S. West to rise by as much as 400, 500 or even 600 percent in certain regions, according to calculations made by the University of Washington and the U.S. Forest Service.

(PhysOrg.com) -- In an amazing display of lights and sounds, the Open Spark Project and the Tesla Orchestra, formed from researchers at Case Western Reserve University, have taken Tesla coils to a whole new level. Their new Tesla Orchestra uses Tesla coils to covert music into an amazing display of lightning and sound.

(PhysOrg.com) -- What causes a magnet to be a magnet, and how can we control a magnet's behavior? These are the questions that University at Buffalo researcher Igor Zutic, a theoretical physicist, has been exploring over many years.

If we run out of phosphate fertilizer, it will mean bad things for our future eating. But giving our crops a fungus can help us stretch our supply. The human race has a food problem

Hands on surgical training (HoST) actually helps move the hands of surgeons in training to help them experience what it's like to make the cut. But are they actually learning? A teaching method that allows novice med students to instantly move with the same dexterity as the world's most seasoned surgeons sounds like the kind of science fiction quackery that'd get patients killed.

(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of physicists at the University of Innsbruck, led by Philipp Schindler and Rainer Blatt, has been the first to demonstrate a crucial element for a future functioning quantum computer: repetitive error correction. This allows scientists to correct errors occurring in a quantum computer efficiently. The researchers have published their findings in the scientific journal Science.

Name: Shawn Brixey Title: Arts Chair, Center for Digital Arts and Experimental Media, University of Washington [More]

Vanderbilt University engineers have created a "spongy" silicon biosensor that shows promise not only for medical diagnostics, but also for the detection of dangerous toxins and other tiny molecules in the environment. This innovation was originally designed to detect the presence of particular DNA sequences, which can be extremely helpful in identifying whether or not a person is predisposed to heart disease or certain kinds of cancer. The new sensor is described in the Optical Society's open access journal, Optics Express.

LONDON (Reuters) - The world would not have to dig so much metal out of the ground if it strongly embraced recycling, which could be higher, the United Nations Environment Programme said on Thursday. Smarter product designs and support for developing country waste management schemes would encourage recycling, said Thomas Graedel, a professor at Yale University and one of the authors of a report on metals recycling rates at a briefing. [More]

It sounds like a reality show pitch: The legendary Facebook investor, PayPal founder, and thorn in the side of college deans everywhere announces what happens when 24 people, picked to live among mentors and innovation experts, stop going to school and start getting real--in business. One climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.

QD Laser, Fujitsu Laboratories, and the Institute for Nano Quantum Information Electronics, the University of Tokyo today announced the world's first successful operation of a 1.3

Editor's Note: The following blog post first appeared May 19 on the World Science Festival's Web site. Most people look for the key to postponing old age in mega-antioxidant-loaded juices, extreme exercise regimens, or expensive skin creams

(PhysOrg.com) -- Imagine sitting down for your early morning coffee when your nice little suburban morning is disrupted by the sound of highway traffic from a quarter mile away. When you purchased your home far from the freeway, the last thing you expected to hear was the roar of traffic, but according to a new study presented at a meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, Nick Ovenden from University College London says that is exactly what can happen when the right temperatures and wind conditions are present.

Blood spatters are telltale marks of violent crimes, and have captured the public imagination in shows like Dexter, CSI, and Bones--shows whose cool tech may be less based in reality than special effect. For instance, it's only just now been worked out how to determine the height from which blood droplets fell.