NSF's public investment in science, engineering, education and technology helps to create knowledge and sustain prosperity. Read here about the Internet, microbursts, Web browsers, extrasolar planets, and more... a panoply of discoveries and innovations that began with NSF support.

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		New Fishing Hook Reduces Shark Catch SMART Hook™ combines two shark repellent technologies into standard fishing hooks in order to reduce the number of sharks caught from commercial fishing Released  June 7, 2011
		The Search Serpent: The Next Wave in Robotics Researchers are designing snake robots that can navigate a variety of terrains, surmount obstacles in their way and function in range of conditions Released  May 16, 2011
		The TeraGrid Community Steps Up to Help Japan in Crisis Advanced computation enabled by supercomputers enhances understanding of earthquake and tsunamis and their impacts Released  May 2, 2011
		Mapping Patterns in Crime With Geography and Math With support from NSF's SBIR program, Robert Cheetham, founder and president of Azavea, is developing software to sort through crime data and create maps that are useful for police departments Released  April 21, 2011
		Future Fuels for Everyone Powered by the Sun New scheme would use only sunlight, air and water to supply energy for cars, laptops, GPS systems Released  April 6, 2011
		Robots to the Rescue Researchers are exploring ways to make rescue robots less "creepy" and more user-friendly, incorporating lessons learned from studies of how humans interact with technology Released  March 11, 2011
		Robot Fish Can Trick the Real Thing NSF CAREER awardee studies the behavior of schooling fish and creates biologically inspired robots that may someday help preserve marine life Released  March 7, 2011
		Are Invisibility Cloaks Hiding Around the Corner? With NSF support, Elena Semouchkina and colleagues are experimenting with ways of using magnetic resonance to capture rays of visible light and route them around objects, rendering those objects invisible to the human eye Released  March 1, 2011
		New Cancer Treatments More Potent With Fewer Side Effects Scientists are investigating new combined therapies to deliver cancer treatments that target only the tumor without damaging normal tissue Released  November 19, 2010
		Electronics Breakthrough Could Revolutionize Memory Chips Rice University graduate student Jun Yao's research with silicon-oxide circuits could be a game-changer in nanoelectronics Released  October 8, 2010
		Bone-crushing Experiments Could Yield Better Protective Gear With NSF support, Nikhil Gupta and Paulo Coelho have pioneered research that reveals surprising insights about the effect of compression on bones, and about the limitations of the foams used for protection in helmets and armor Released  October 4, 2010
		Bringing Engineering to K-12 Classrooms With NSF support, engineers from Tufts University are bringing engineering to young students. Released  September 2, 2010
		Scientists Take Aim at Website Hackers With NSF support, a team of computer scientists is using a novel, two-pronged approach to protect websites from hackers Released  July 23, 2010
		Insects Inspire Robot Design With NSF support, Oregon State University professor John Schmitt and his colleagues look to nature’s running machines as locomotion models for future robots that can easily run over rough surfaces Released  June 18, 2010
		Scientists Grow Cells in 3-D Using Magnetic Fields The new technique yields 3-D cells that more closely resemble those inside the body and could led to improvements in early drug screenings Released  June 11, 2010
		Following in the Footsteps of Nature Researchers move one step closer to nature with the development of polymers and directional adhesion that follow the workings of a gecko's foot Released  February 9, 2010
		Getting a Better Grip on Gaming System originally developed for people with carpal tunnel syndrome is now used by thousands of gamers Released  January 6, 2010
		Wiring the Wilderness Working with a wide range of partners, NSF-supported HPWREN demonstrates the value of connecting remote science sites to a high-speed network Released  December 1, 2009
		Building Tsunami-resistant Cities Mary Beth Oshnack describes her undergraduate and graduate research to understand tsunami wave forces and improve building construction in hazard-prone coastal communities Released  October 20, 2009
		High School Student Develops Chemical-detecting Robot California senior describes how she developed a mobile, autonomous robot, spending time in the lab of an NSF-supported researcher, and she shares what it was like to win at the state science fair competition Released  October 6, 2009
		Engineering Students Build Underwater 'Bot Long Beach City College's Ian Jasper tells what it's like to be a member of a student team participating in an international remotely operated vehicle competition Released  September 16, 2009
		Microbe Metabolism Harnessed to Produce Fuel NSF-supported researchers use synthetic biology technology to engineer the next generation of biofuels Released  September 10, 2009
		Robotic Systems Help People With Disabilities Bioengineering and mechanical engineering professor Rory Cooper describes how rapid prototyping and robotics are providing promising solutions for those with severe manipulation and mobility challenges Released  August 21, 2009
		Video Game Technology and Science? Chemists use the computer technology behind today’s video games to rapidly calculate the structure of molecules Released  July 15, 2009
		Nanoparticles Explored for Preventing Cell Damage Engineers investigate using nanoparticles both as a preventative and a treatment for disease Released  July 14, 2009
		Plasma Waves Studied for New Electronics With NSF support, long-time electrical engineer William Stillman talks about his return to school and the focus of his research involving terahertz radiation Released  July 1, 2009
		Algae: A New Way to Make Biodiesel NSF small business grantee Ben Wen describes a new catalytic approach for algae biodiesel production that uses less work and energy, produces less waste, and makes a lot more fuel Released  June 24, 2009
		Libraries, Food Banks Benefit From Transportation Modeling NSF CAREER awardee Karen Smilowitz applies the art of operations research to find optimal solutions to problems in the nonprofit sector Released  June 10, 2009
		In Industrial Manufacturing, Efficiency Falls as Technology Advances A comprehensive study of old and new manufacturing processes, from machining metal to making carbon nanofibers, shows that the more advanced technologies are less efficient in their use of energy and materials per kilogram of output Released  May 1, 2009
		Improved Lithium Ion Battery Technology Could Fast-charge Electric Vehicles, Boost Acceleration "Beltway" coating on cathode eases ions' way into crystalline tunnels Released  April 22, 2009