Current science and technology events

May 12, 2005

• Microsoft has officially unveiled the Xbox 360 video game console system to the public. (CNet)
• A new version of the Firefox web browser is released, fixing the flaws announced two days ago. (Wikinews)

May 11, 2005

• The first MARSIS antenna boom of the Mars Express Orbiter was deployed successfully after some initial difficulty. Using the Sun's heat to expand parts of the antenna, all segments are now locked into place. This deployment had been delayed due to concerns that the boom might damage parts of the spacecraft during its unfolding. (ESA)

May 10, 2005

• Two "critical security flaws" are found in the open-source Firefox web browser. The announcement initiates intensive work by volunteers to fix these problems. (Wikinews) (BBC)

May 8, 2005

• Motorola has created a carbon nanotube prototype panel of 4.7 inches that can be a part of a HDTV with a 1,280 x 720 resolution. The nanotube emitting displays (NED) are less expensive, bright, fast response time, wide viewing angle, and color almost as good as CRT's. NED's can be in production in two years if adopted quickly by industry. (CNET)

May 5, 2005

• The Mars Global Surveyor probe currently in orbit around Mars finds the landing site of the Viking 2 mars lander and possibly also the landing site of the failed Mars Polar Lander mission. (Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS))
• India's space agency ISRO, using its PSLV-C6 rocket, successfully launches two satellites into orbit from the Sriharikota launch site: the 1560 kg CARTOSAT-1 stereoscopic IRS series Earth observation satellite, and the 42.5 kg HAMSAT amateur radio communications satellite. (SpaceDaily)

May 4, 2005

• Norwegian-American engineer and philanthropist Fred Kavli has created three million-dollar prizes in nanotechnology, neuroscience and astrophysics. The Kavli Prizes will be awarded every two years from 2008 onwards. (Nature)
• Twelve new moons of Saturn are discovered. All but one are circling the planet in the opposite direction to its large moons. (Wikinews) (BBC)
• A new Therizinosauridae dinosaur named Falcarius utahensis is found in Utah. The fossil reveals that the species was omnivorous, which is unusual for the group of predatory dinosaurs that it belongs to. (Nature)

May 3, 2005

• Philanthropist Fred Kavli intends to sponsor three new prizes for scientific achievements, starting in 2008. They will be awarded for the fields of Astrophysics, Neuroscience, and Nanotechnology. (LA Times)

May 1, 2005

• Astronomers have directly confirmed the existence of an extrasolar planet orbiting the brown dwarf numbered 2M1207a. The team says that this is the first-ever infrared view of an exoplanet. (Seattle Times) (ESO) (CP)
• Students from Brown University have invented a device that monitors brain functions in order to wake up its owner only when he has emerged from deep sleep. The clock, called SleepSmart, measures the sleep cycle and waits until its owner is in his lightest phase of sleep before rousing him. (Independent Online) (New Scientist)

Past science and technology events by month

2005 in science: January February March April
2004 in science: December

(For earlier science and technology events, see November 2004 and preceding months)

News collections and sources

See: Wikipedia:Current science and technology events sources.

See also

• Science and technology at Wikinews