First Synthetic Cell:
Creating life in the lab? It wasn't such a stretch for J. Craig Venter, managed to reconstruct the genome of a bacterium that successfully "booted up," dividing and replicating just like any other bug. Such synthetic life, he hopes, will make it possible to, among other things, generate new forms of man-made biofuel and speed up vaccine production by making it easier to create large amounts of whichever strains of influenza are circulating in a particular season.
The Malaria-Proof, Mosquito Laser:
It's been a bad year to be a mosquito, Nathan Myhrvold, working with the Intellectual Ventures Laboratory, is developing a laser that can zap mosquitoes without harming other insects or humans. The laser targets the mosquitoes' size and signature wing beat and sends the bugs down in a burst of flame, making their deaths good for public health well, kind of cool.
Food
Frankenfish:
Faster-Growing Salmon Aqua Bounty's solution, splice in a gene from Chinook salmon with DNA from an eel like creature called an ocean pout. Aqu Advantage Atlantic salmon can grow twice as fast, making them easier to farm. Environmentalists wary of the first edible genetically engineeredanimal aren't so sure, however, and have dubbed the creation Frankenfish.
Cloth
BioCouture:
The fabric, which has a vaguely skinlike texture, can be molded and sewn into shirts and coats. It's not perfect yet; trying to devise a more water-repellent culture to grow the bacteria in. But it's a lotkinder to the planet than polyester.
Transportation
Google's Driverless Car:
Whatever you call it, Google's new Prius - tricked out with radar sensors, video cameras and a laser range finder - has driven itself 140,000 miles without an unscheduled meeting with a light pole.
But only Google can rev the petabyte-sucking mapping technology that guides its car along busy streets and highways. The goal is safety.
Technology
iPad and iphone:
ipad,Apple is the first company that designed finger-friendly hardware and software from scratch rather than stuffing a PC into a keyboardless case. When it calls the results "magical" and "revolutionary," it's distorting reality only slightly.
iphone, People have been dreaming about video calling for decades. iPhone 4 makes it a reality. With just a tap, you can wave hello to your kids, share a smile from across the globe.
Square:
Enter Square, a payment platform created by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, With the aid of a tiny magnetic card reader that attaches to a smart phone, Square lets anyone process credit cards and Square sends a copy straight to e-mail.
Enter Square, a payment platform created by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, With the aid of a tiny magnetic card reader that attaches to a smart phone, Square lets anyone process credit cards and Square sends a copy straight to e-mail.
Waterless Washing Machine:
Good news for conservation and your monthly water bill, British firm Xeros Ltd, is developing a machine that draws cleaning power from reusable, stain-absorbing nylon beads, requiring much less water — as much as 90% less — than a normal washing machine.
Kids
Wishbone Bike:
Wishbone ditched the pedals, and instead kids brake with their feet and focus on learning to steer and balance. The bike adjusts to fit walking kids ages 1 to 5. It starts with three wheels, then converts into a two-wheeled, size-adjustable running bike.
Link to the Top 10 Everything of 2009:
