lasers

(Newser) - What to do about all that space junk floating around Earth? A team of NASA scientists has a novel way to at least help manage the mess, reports Wired : Use lasers to push pieces on collision courses away from one another. The idea is to prevent smash-ups that create even...

(Newser) - Several partygoers at a Russian rave lost part of their sight to damage from a laser light show, Reuters reports. Dozens have appeared at Moscow hospitals for treatment of retinal burns. Loss of vision is as high as 80% and "regaining it is impossible," according to one ophthalmologist....

(Newser) - Sun Microsystems is moving toward connecting computer chips using lasers instead of wires, a move that could make computers 1,000 times faster. The company snagged a $44 million Pentagon contract to continue work that could also mean smaller, more energy-efficient machines. It won’t be easy, though: A Sun...

(Newser) - Laser pulses tuned to the right frequency can be used to zap viruses, researchers have found, the way a soprano can shatter a wine glass, LiveScience reports. Scientists have developed computer models to determine a virus's lowest resonant frequency, and then destroy it with a laser pulse. "Like pushing...