I read a fascinating article on the discovery of the memristor by HP.  A memristor is a nanoscale component that can exhibit digital (0's and 1's) or analog (continuous range) values.  Due to its size and speed, it can be used as computer memory or storage.  However, its analog properties enable it to "memorize" a value much like the human brain and that memory can be enhanced or caused to fade with an electrical charge.  This can be pretty cool if HP can productize it.  You can read more about it here on the Popular Science web site.