Forget bricks and mortar. Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are making a building out of water. Although it has a solid roof, the Digital Water Pavilion at Expo Zaragoza 2008 in Spain will use 6000 valves spurting water to make "walls" that expand as people fill a room and shrink as they leave. It will not have traditional doors: instead, it will use sensors to part the waters as people approach.

Pandas should prepare themselves for competition for their favourite food. Researchers at the PSG College of Technology in Coimbatore, India, have manufactured surgical gowns from bamboo fibre to cut the risk of bacterial infection during surgery. Bamboo contains a natural bactericide. The porous structure of the fibre makes it highly absorbent, and it retains its antibacterial properties even after repeated washing.