It’s impressive stuff, DNA – after all, it manages to build one of the most complex machine systems there is (us) from nothing but a set of instructions and some basic raw materials. But there is interest in using DNA to build electronic and mechanical nano-devices as well, by exploiting the plug-and-play functions of the proteins to assemble non-biological structures, like transistors or miniature geartrains. It’s early days yet, but the field is growing, so we can expect more developments to come down the pipeline soon.

Neural networks made from actual brain cells (rather than simulations of them) could have all sorts of uses. But they’ve always been a bit tricky to make, so a team at Tel Aviv University in Israel have been using nanotubes on a quartz substrate to coax rat neurons into regular interconnected lattices of cell clusters. These networks survive much longer than unordered ones, so we’re inching towards biosensor technology.

There’s a problem with Hubble – one of its major instruments, the Advanced Camera for Surveys, has stopped working. It’s thought that it’s a glitch produced by a cosmic ray hitting a chip and scrambling it, or a small power supply component popping before its redundancy date – a reboot should unearth the issue.

The Cassini probe has definitely been supplying some great data, for both scientists and the space-obsessed layman. Thanks to the benificence of NASA, you can see pictures and video clips of Saturn’s moons moving on their orbital paths around the ringed gas giant.

Barely a day goes by without someone somewhere touting a new use for nanotechnology that’s going to revolutionise some aspect of modern life, and change our world for the better. So what have InvoSense decided to use their new nanogyroscopes for? Steadying cameraphone lenses. In their defense, there’s a guaranteed market for it, but how prosaic can you get?