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The efficiency of a tooth-on-tooth geared transmission, with the smoothly variable gear ratios of a CVT – minus the belt friction and capable of going all the way down to a zero ratio without needing a clutch. That's a 'holy grail' level promise! Italian company Alter Ego, led by mechanical and automation engineer Edyson Pavilcu and assisted by kinematic studies undertaken at the Milan Technical University, says it's prototyped a beautifully complex new mechanism – the world's first geared CVT – that's 10% more efficient than a regular belted CVT. Indeed, the efficiency is on par with some manual transmissions,...

Gears with teeth are a thing of the pastResearchers Develop a Magnetic Levitating Gear 01-DEC-2014 01:19 PMResumen: Researchers from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) are developing a new transmission mechanism with no touching parts, based on magnetic forces which prevent friction and wear and make lubrication unnecessary. It can be applied in space travel and exploration but has also been adapted for use in other areas, such as the railroad and aircraft industries. This research is being carried out under the auspices of MAGDRIVE, a European research project coordinated by Professor José Luis Pérez Díaz, from the UC3M Instituto Pedro...

'Living Gears' Might Have Evolutionists Hopping Mad by Brian Thomas, M.S. * When planthoppers hop, they really do pop. These tiny creatures fling themselves with such fury that, frankly, things would go awry if their jumping mechanisms were not properly tuned. For example, if one leg hopped a bit sooner or with slightly greater force than the other, the insect would just fling itself sideways. Good thing tiny gears synchronize their hind legs. Well, technically the planthopper in question is a youngster—a nymph planthopper. But sure enough, Bristol biologist Greg Sutton found two minute rows of interlocking teeth at the...

A plant-hopping insect found in gardens across Europe - has hind-leg joints with curved cog-like strips of opposing 'teeth' that intermesh, rotating like mechanical gears to synchronise the animal's legs when it launches into a jump. This image shows cog wheels connecting the hind legs of the plant hopper, Issus. Credit: Burrows/Sutton Photograph of an Issus nymph. Credit: Malcolm Burrows The finding demonstrates that gear mechanisms previously thought to be solely man-made have an evolutionary precedent. Scientists say this is the "first observation of mechanical gearing in a biological structure". Through a combination of anatomical analysis and high-speed video capture...

Shedding Light on the Protein Big Bang Theory March 13, 2009 — The precise three-dimensional structure of a typical protein molecule is so complex, its origin would seem hopeless by chance. What if evolutionary biologists were to discover a whole host of proteins literally exploded into existence at the beginning of complex life? We can find out what they would think by looking at an article on the “protein big bang” found on Astrobiology Magazine...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Excitement is swelling across the United States and the world as Barack Obama prepares to be sworn in Tuesday as the nation's first black president witnessed by the largest inauguration crowd in history. Obama is "a man whose history reflects the enduring promise of our land," outgoing President George W. Bush said Thursday as he bade farewell to the nation in a televised address. "This is a moment of hope and pride for our whole nation. And I join all Americans in offering best wishes to president-elect Obama, his wife Michelle, and their two beautiful girls." Washington...

WASHINGTON, August 4, 2006 -- Eighteen cities and counties in Virginia’s Hampton Roads region are planning Freedom Walks to commemorate victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and show support for veterans past and present. Inspired by the 2005 America Supports You Freedom Walk, in Washington, D.C., Hampton Roads and several other cities nationwide are planning their own Freedom Walks, marking the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11. Each Freedom Walk will conclude with a ceremony, featuring speeches from local officials and patriotic music. Organizers of the walks say they anticipate 500 to 1,000 people will participate in each...

Older but Mellower: Aging brain shifts gears to emotional advantage Bruce Bower Given all the bad news that science has delivered about brain cells withering and memory waning as the years mount, older people have a right to be cranky. But, instead, the over-50 crowd handles life's rotten realities and finds life's bright side more effectively than whippersnappers do. In no small part, that's because the aging brain makes critical emotional adjustments, a new study indicates. NEURAL FEEL. As people age, from 12 to 79 years old, they respond to fear with greater and greater boosts in medial prefrontal activity...