Japan’s Liberal Democratic party is planning to propose a few legal changes that would define bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as legal currencies. The proposed changes would bring bitcoin, dogecoin and other cryptocurrencies under definition of currency.

Continue reading… “Japan to consider making bitcoin a legal currency”

A device the size of a matchstick implanted in the brain may help a group of paralyzed people walk using only their thoughts and a robotic exoskeleton. In 2017, researchers will choose a select group of paralyzed people from Australia to receive the implant, called a stentrode. If the trial succeeds, the technology could potentially become commercially available as early as 2022.

Continue reading… “Thought-controlled exoskeleton will let paralyzed people walk”

How would you like to live 35 percent longer? It seems that the trick is removing worn-out “senescent’ cells that have a degenerative affect on your body.

Continue reading… “Lifespan of mice extended up to 35 percent”

Tesla Motors Model S electric sedan grew 76% in the fourth quarter. This reflects a huge shift in the auto industry: The Model S is now the top-selling luxury sedan in the U.S, beating out cars from established rivals like Audi, Mercedes, and Lexus.

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Shifting ice can suddenly close up a massive crevasse that is hundreds of feet deep into a glacier. The likelihood of safely exploring them is all but impossible – until now. Gimball is the world’s first collision-tolerant flying robot.

Continue reading… “Travel deep inside a glacier with Gimball”

It’s probably been a quite a long time since flying has amazed you. Air travel almost tends to feel like an inconvenience these days. This is somewhat due to security theater, market forces, and the fact that aircraft design itself hasn’t changed dramatically in decades.

Continue reading… “NASA’s plan to radically redesign how we fly”

It is predicted that the total cost of electric car ownership will dip below those with internal combustion engines by 2022. Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) analysts predict that the plummeting cost of batteries will be key in leading to the tipping point, which would kickstart a mass market for electric vehicles.

Continue reading… “By 2022 electric cars will be cheaper than conventional vehicles”

Beste Yuksel is about to put a lot of piano teachers out of work. Yuksel created BACh, a tool that helps students learn the skill faster and with more accuracy than with the help of a traditional teacher. The BACh system knows when to give a learner new information by measuring how hard the brain is working.

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Recent research is suggesting that within the near future, one of the most lowly, boring, and ubiquitous of home appliances – the electric water heater – could soon double as a battery. This would help the power grid and potentially save money on residential electricity bills.

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Julia Rozovsky, like most 25-year-olds, wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her life. She had once worked at a consulting firm, but found it not to be a good match. Later she became a researcher for Harvard professors. This too did not fit with the work-style she was looking to achieve. Thousands of people are continually searching for the best work place for collaboration, personal growth, and opportunities, so Google has set out to see what it takes to build the perfect environment for employees.

Continue reading… “Google’s quest to build the perfect team”

It’s bad enough that women earn severely less than men, however unpaid work—childcare, food purchasing and preparation, family paperwork—creates a larger divide in the already pay gap. The wife of Microsoft’s co-founder, Melinda Gates, calls this phenomenon “time poverty.”

Continue reading… “Melinda Gates: “Time Poverty” Is Where the Real Pay Gap Happens”