I suppose that microscopic worms could do a better job of detecting explosives than X-ray machines, metal detectors or bomb sniffing dogs. The tiny nematodes, known as Caenorhabditis elegans, have little scent organs on the sides of their mouths. Why not extract the receptors from the amphids and incorporate them into a device (so called bomb sniffing machine).

The DNA of E.coli bacteria was found to be a great data storage. Data compressed into chunks can be placed in different cells and easily located later. This new method enables one gram of E. coli to store the same amount of data as 450 two-terabyte hard drives, and can even be used to store images, music, and videos.

The idea is to create artificial red blood cells capable of transporting oxygen. The blood cells will be made using human stem cells. They will be natural and manufactured safely in large numbers. The artificial blood could eliminate the need to transport and store blood supplies, and could lower the chances of the transmission of blood borne diseases.

Broken bones can be a real disaster. For example, a broken hip usually requires a surgery. It will be great to develop a nanomaterial that quickly solidifies at body temperature into a bone-like substance and speeds the recovery. By the way, the material can be made to match the mechanical properties of the tissue it is injected into so as to be used while wounds, burns, etc. treating.

Why not create bomb sniffing plants? They will be able to screen the air and provide a warning system for dangerous substances such as explosives. Plant proteins will react to airborne pollutants or trace chemicals from explosives with visible responses, such as blanching white.

It was found that transplanting a mother's stem cells into her fetus could be a treatment for genetic blood diseases before birth. Stem cell transplants could prepare the fetus for a bone-marrow transplant from a tissue matched donor after birth. Standard bone-marrow transplants usually require the recipient to take immunosuppressive drugs for the rest of their life, but a dose of maternal tissue matched donor cells could prime the developing fetus's immature immune system for...

Why not use the single celled algae to experiment with extracting lipids from it and using the lipids to make biodiesel. Because algae grows very quickly and does not require much land, it can provide a more continuous source of material at a lesser cost than conventional plants.

The idea is to launch floating islands in lakes in an effort to improve water conditions and restore natural habitats. The islands will be made up of non-toxic recycled plastics injected with an inert polyurethane foam for buoyancy, and will act as floating treatment wetlands. The islands will mimic a concentrated wetland, eliminating algae blooms and problematic nutrients while encouraging bird and insect populations.

The Wave Glider robot smartphone app will let armchair divers check on the location of the nearest Great White Shark from the safety of their living room. The wave- and solar-powered Wave Glider is an autonomous robot with exceptional endurance, able to find and follow tagged sharks, as well as other sea life. It is developed to track tagged fish and animals through a Wi-Fi network. The current methods used to track marine life--tagging and catching or satellite relays--both lack...

The idea is to develop a new microfluidic device able to quickly perform a blood screening for up to fifty biomarkers at once. The chip will be larger and will have more channels than conventional microfluidic devices. Still small enough to be carried in a pocket, the V-chip (volumetric bar-chart chip) will consist of a pair of thin sheets of glass sandwiching wells for: hydrogen peroxide; up to 50 different antibodies to specific proteins, DNA or RNA fragments, or lipids of...