Fluidic Energy, a spinoff firm from Arizona State University looks forward to come up with its new invention - a battery that would have an energy density 11 times greatest compared to the density of lithium-ion batteries; plus the new batteries will be about 60 percent cheaper than the lithium-ion ones.

US Department of Energy has given a $5.13 million research grant to Fluidic Energy so the latter could make its new invention come to life.

Together with a team of scientists Cody Friesen, a professor of materials science at Arizona State and founder of Fluidic Energy, is working on the creation of Metal-Air Ionic Liquid battery. The main aspect of the new battery is the ionic liquids that are used as the battery's electrolyte. These liquids will allow researchers overcome previous issues linked with earlier metal-air batteries.

It is worth mentioning that the advantage of ionic liquids, like the ones used in Fluidic Energy's new invention, is that they do not evaporate, which means that they are able to work for a much longer period time, reports TechnologyReview. Currently scientists look forward to achieve energy density from 900 to 1,600 watt-hours per kilogram. If successful, the new batteries will be able to help electric cars travel from 400 to 500 miles on a single charge.

Taipei 101 was expected to be the tallest building in the world until it was surpassed by Burj Dubai. But the Taiwanese engineers decided not to give up and turn the skyscraper into the tallest environmentally-friendly building in the world.

The new upgrades will save a lot of money and significantly cut the impact of the construction. Engineers hope that Taipei 101 will be officially named "World's Tallest Green Building." The energy-efficiency upgrades cost $1.8 million, but the annual income of the building is expected to reach $20 million in savings.

The major upgrades will be made over the following 18 months. To be able to complete the programmed upgrades, the owners of the skyscraper decide to team up with SL+A International Asia Inc., an Interior Design Consultancy company, Siemens and EcoTech International Inc.

Upgrades will be made in energy systems for heating, cooling as well as ventilation. The landscape will also have eco-friendly features. The food served in restaurants is going to be prepared to avoid waste. The current eco-systems of Taipei 101 include low-e glass, waste recycling and gray water system. More information is available here.

Galactic Suite Space Resort is going to be the world's first orbiting space hotel that is expected to open in 2012. If you want to spend three nights in the hotel you will need to complete a two-month training course first. The course will take place on a Caribbean island and for both training and spending time in the hotel will cost you $4.4 million. It is worth mentioning that over 40 people have already made their choice and at least 200 people expressed their interest.

As soon as tourists reach the space hotel, they will be able to witness the sunrise that will take place 16 times a day. In addition, they will circumnavigate the planet every 80 minutes. To surf around their pod rooms, visitors will need to wear special Velcro suits that will allow them to stick to the walls and thus make it possible for the guests to crawl.

Xavier Claramunt, who currently holds the position of chief executive of the Barcelona-based company Galactic Suite Ltd, is expecting that his orbiting space hotel will become the leader in the field, reports Reuters. He considers that space tourism has a great future and in just about 15 years it might become very popular.

At first the company will have one pod that would house four guests and two astronauts. It would orbit 450 kilometers (about 280 miles) above the earth and travel at a speed of 30,000 km/h (about 18,640 mph). It would take the space tourists a day and a half to get to the pod with the help of Russian-built rocket, which would take off on a Caribbean island. As soon as the rocket reaches the pod, it would dock with it for the whole stay. After three nights in outer space, passengers would return to the rocket to come back to Earth.

This amazing sculpture, called Living Light, installed in South Korea at the World Cup Stadium's Peace Park.

The outdoor pavilion along with glass covering projects latest information on the local air quality. The designers of this sculpture are Soo-in Yang and David Benjamin, representing The Living. Their creation has one interesting feature - its glass skin represents a huge redrawn map of 27 neighborhoods that can be found in Seoul.

The city's neighborhoods light up if the air quality is better than the same period last year. The quality of air is analyzed by the real-time sensors from the Korean Ministry of Environment. By sending text messages to the device, citizens will receive a response with information about air quality in specific neighborhoods.

According to the designers, the glass skins used on their device could be used on buildings, making them more attractive and creating informative public space.

An international group of scientists will gather a collection of DNA samples taken from more than 10,000 animal species. According to the researchers, their project, called "Genome 10K," will be able to provide important clues on the evolution of vertebrates.

Initially the idea to launch such a project was suggested in April 2009 at the University of California at Santa Cruz. The team of 70 researchers will collect DNA samples from animals kept in different zoos, museums and universities around the globe. The current list of all vertebrates species collected by the researchers can be found in an online database available here.

It is worth mentioning that launching a similar project was impossible a few years ago. Initially the cost of the project was estimated at $1 billion, but over the past ten years the price has considerably dropped, reports Discovery News. The list of animals selected by the team of researchers includes a wide range of mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians and fish. Most of the animal species are critically endangered and some event went extinct.

With the DNA sequences of each animal, the team will be able to get a better idea of the genetic heritage of each species. In addition, the collected information could help preserve threatened species, offering new clues regarding the reactions of different animals to various factors, including climate change and pollution. The most difficult part of the project is not the gathering of DNA samples, but raising enough money to execute the program.

One of the major problems in big cities is the continuously increasing number of cars that almost completely fill all parking spaces and often create huge traffic jams.

Taking into consideration the issue, Baita Bueno, a Brazilian designer, thought about creating a vertical parking system, which makes it possible to park your car at a 90-degrees angle. The system decreases the space required today to park a car by over 60 percent, which means that the space required to park one car today will be able to fit 3 vehicles thanks to the new system.

The project is entitled "90 degrees." The parking system will not only be able to offer secure parking space, but it will also take advantage of renewable energy with the help of solar panels, thus being able to fuel cars.

The vertical parking system features tire support and side clamps to provide a tight grip. In addition, it also has a built-in generator and fuel plug, which means that your car will always be charged.

London's Science Museum carried out a poll among its visitors who voted X-ray the most important invention among all contemporary innovations. People were offered a list of top 10 greatest inventions in science, engineering and technology and were asked to choose the one that they consider to be the most important.

It is worth mentioning that the list of top 10 greatest scientific inventions was developed by the museum's curators. A total of about 50,000 votes were collected from visitors of the museum's official website and those who paid a visit to the London galleries of the Science Museum. The poll is one of the events meant to celebrate the Science Museum's centenary year.

The results of the poll showed that the X-ray machine is considered to be the invention that had the greatest impact in the modern history of science. Number two in the list was penicillin and DNA double helix was third breakthrough. The list of the greatest inventions in science continued with the Apollo 10 capsule, the V2 rocket engine, Stephenson's Rocket, the Pilot ACE, the steam engine, the Model T Ford motor car, and the electric telegraph.

All top 10 most important inventions in science, engineering and technologies can be viewed as part of an exceptional Centenary Journey path through the museum galleries.