Technology

A Raman laser shining on the special chip, which traps gases and amplifies the laser signals, allowing for rapid analysis. Credit: NTU Singapore Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a device that can identify a wide range of airborne gases and chemicals instantly. The new prototype device is portable and suitable for rapid deployment by agencies to identify airborne hazards, such as from tiny gas molecules like sulfur dioxide. It can also identify larger compound molecules such as benzene, known to be harmful to human health. It can provide real-time monitoring of air quality such as during haze outbreaks, and assist in the detection of gas leaks and industrial air pollution. Developed by a research team led by Associate Professor Ling Xing Yi at the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, the new technology was reported last month in science journal  ACS Nano . Current methods of identifying...

Are video games good or bad for you? It could be both. Video games are dismissed by parents as a waste of time and, worse still, some education experts believe that these games damage the brain. Playing violent video games is easily due to the media and some experts as the reason why some young people become violent or show extreme anti-social behavior. But many scientists and psychologists believe that video games can actually have many advantages: the most important thing is to make children smart. Video games can even teach children the high-level thinking skills they will need in the future. "Video games made your brain," said University of Wisconsin C. Shawn Green psychologist. Playing video games changes the physical structure of the brain in the same way as learning to read, play the piano or navigate with a map. Just as exercise can create muscles, the powerful combination of concentration and gratifying fluctuations of neurotransmitters like dopamine strengthens t...