Alta's new military charger designs give a picture of how that world may look: according to the Army Research Laboratory, a soldier's load can weigh 100 pounds, over a third of which are batteries.

ENGADGET: Alta Devices claims world's lightest, most efficient military solar chargers

That's exactly what the whiz-kids from the City College of New York, Rice University and the US Army Research Laboratory have done with a new lithium-ion battery powered by red dye extracted from madder roots.

ENGADGET: Scientists develop eco battery powered by root-extracted dye

In a statement late Tuesday, the U.S. Capitol Police said further tests would be conducted at the Army's biomedical research laboratory at Fort Detrick, Maryland.

CNN: Ricin scare rattles Washington