News
Latest bionic leaf now 10 times more efficient than natural photosynthesis
Researchers at Harvard have developed a more efficient version of the bionic leaf, which can turn sunlight and water into electricity and liquid fuels. Over the last few years, great strides have been made in creating artificial leaves that mimic the … Continued
San Francisco Becomes First Major City to Require Solar Panels on New Buildings
an Francisco is one step closer to its goal of transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy after the city’s Board of Supervisors unanimously voted on Tuesday to mandate solar installations on new buildings. According to the San Francisco Examiner, starting Jan. 1 of next year, … Continued
Researchers generate clean energy using bacteria-powered solar panel
For the first time ever, researchers connected nine biological-solar (bio-solar) cells into a bio-solar panel. Then they continuously produced electricity from the panel and generated the most wattage of any existing small-scale bio-solar cells – 5.59 microwatts. “Once a functional … Continued
Electric rain? Solar panel turns raindrops into power
Scientists in China have developed an innovative solar panel technology that could turn raindrops into electric power. The new solar cell design, which can be “triggered” by both rain and sun, is described in a paper published in the Angewandte Chemie journal. … Continued
Modeled After Ants, Teams of Tiny Robots Can Move 2-Ton Car
Archimedes pointed out that with a lever he could move the world. He most likely would have been surprised to learn that a team of six microrobots, weighing just 3.5 ounces in total, could pull a car weighing 3,900 pounds. … Continued
Business card with built-in ECG is perfect for cardiologists
Some people can make business cards that stand out and show off their skills. Take for example, that one engineer who created a card that lights up and that programmer who designed one that can play Tetris. But what if you’re a medical professional, specifically a … Continued
Check out a human library, where you borrow people instead of books.
There are libraries popping up around the world where you can see the books breathe. You can watch the books blink, cry, laugh, and think. You can ask them any sort of question and get a real answer. It’s what the books … Continued
ili Is First Wearable Translator In The World
The entire world is a global village now in the knowledge economy, and you can be sure that while command of the English language as a medium of communication in the business world remains vital, this does not mean that … Continued
Tesla cars can now self-park at your command
f your parking skills leave something to be desired, you may welcome Tesla’s latest software update with open arms. The electric car maker, based in Palo Alto, California, issued an Autopilot update over the weekend that lets drivers use a new command … Continued
Say Hello to the First Highway-Ready 3D-Printed Car
Earlier this year, Local Motors hosted a challenge to create the first 3D-printed car that can drive on the highway. For the competition, contestants were asked to “create the first highway-ready vehicle using large-scale 3D printing and the full extent of … Continued
Volvo: We will be responsible for accidents caused by our driverless cars
Volvo has become one of the first car companies to confirm that it will accept full responsibility for any accidents caused by its future driverless cars. The carmaker’s stance is an effort to speed up regulations which currently fail to … Continued
First almost fully-formed human brain grown in lab, researchers claim
An almost fully-formed human brain has been grown in a lab for the first time, claim scientists from Ohio State University. The team behind the feat hope the brain could transform our understanding of neurological disease. Though not conscious the … Continued
Low Skilled Humans Need Not Apply: Exponential Job Disruption
I wish to emphasise before I begin that robots taking jobs is not the problem, the issue is the current government policies that are not ready to handle this disruption. I am not against automation, far from it, I want as much … Continued
Newly Discovered Fungus Could Rid Landfills of Plastics!
Few think twice about what to do with their disposable water bottle after they’ve drunk its contents, but environmentalists are aware that it is the entire eco-system which has to pay the price for misguided actions in the present. Currently, Americans discard … Continued
“In Motion” Levitation Is Possible And No Longer Just a Myth
Levitation and the defiance of gravity is possible. If until now levitation was just a magic act or circus “reality” or, tractor beam technology existed just in sci-fi movies, recently, a team of Japanese researchers have demonstrated the first technology that … Continued
The world’s first ocean cleaning system will be deployed in 2016
There are five gigantic patches of swirling plastic throughout the Earth’s oceans, known as gyres. Because of ocean currents, a great majority of the plastic that ends up in the oceans finds its way into these garbage patches, poisoning marine … Continued
Winners of Dutch competition to design futuristic living spaces announced
A vision for a skyscraper containing swamps, mountains, glaciers and a jungle has been named the winner in a competition to come up with futuristic ideas for high-rise living. Named Essence Skyscraper, the proposal by Polish architectural designers Ewa Odyjas, Agnieszka Morga, … Continued
More electric car charging points in Japan than gas stations
Green-car sceptics take note: Japan now has more electric vehicle charging spots than gas stations. The country’s number-two automaker Nissan says there are now 40,000 charging units—including those inside private homes—across the nation, compared with 34,000 petrol stations. While gas stations have … Continued
Britain’s Oldest Surviving Human Brain Was Preserved In Mud For 2,600 Years
A 2,600-year-old human skull from the Iron Age was unearthed in a muddy pit back in late 2008. Upon closer examination, the soil-caked cranium contained an unusual yellow substance that turned out to be Britain’s oldest surviving human brain. Now, researchers … Continued
The first ever photograph of light as both a particle and wave
Light behaves both as a particle and as a wave. Since the days of Einstein, scientists have been trying to directly observe both of these aspects of light at the same time. Now, scientists at EPFL have succeeded in capturing … Continued