Hearing loss detected in Clown Fish
Clownfish, the spectacular tropical species feted in the movie Finding Nemo, appear to lose their hearing in water slightly more acidic than normal.
At levels of acidity that may be common by the end of the century, the fish did not respond to the sounds of predators.
The oceans are becoming more acidic because they absorb much of the CO2 that humanity puts into the atmosphere…
Continue reading… “Acid Oceans Turn ‘Finding Nemo’ Fish Deaf”
Hacking an act of war?
The Wall Street Journal broke the news yesterday that the Pentagon has concluded that hacking and other forms of digital sabotage that originate from other countries can be considered an act of war. This means that for the first time, the U.S. is in the position of possibly responding to an online attack with offline “traditional military force.” Guns, troops, drones, bombs…
Continue reading… “Pentagon: Hacking Can Count As An Act Of War”
If you were around in the 80’s, you had a Rubik’s Cube puzzle. I hated those things and always resorted to pulling the stickers off to win in frustration. Some students from Swinburne University of Technology created a robot that can solve the puzzle in 10.69 seconds…
Continue reading… “Engineering Students Design Robot Rubik’s Cube Solver”
A sample of a co-continuous polymer composite material.
A team of researchers at MIT has found a way to make complex composite materials whose attributes can be fine-tuned to give various desirable combinations of properties such as stiffness, strength, resistance to impacts and energy dissipation.
The key feature of the new composites is a “co-continuous” structure of two different materials with very different properties, creating a material combining aspects of both. The co-continuous structure means that the two interleaved materials each form a kind of three-dimensional lattice whose pieces are fully connected to each other from side to side, front to back, and top to bottom…
Continue reading… “Complex Composite Materials to Order”
Futurist Thomas Frey: “Does being smarter make you happier?”
Continue reading… “Competing for Status”
Oxfam says era of permanent food crisis will hit poorest people hardest and spark social unrest.
In the next 20 years the average price of staple foods will more than double. This will lead to an unprecedented reversal in human development, Oxfam has warned.
Continue reading… “Food Prices Could Rise as Much as 180% by 2030”
Tobacco will kill 6 million people this year.
Nearly six million people, including 600,000 non-smokers, will die this this year from tobacco. Governments are not doing enough to persuade people to quit or protect others from second-hand smoke, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Continue reading… “Smoking Death Toll Could Reach 8 Million a Year by 2030”
A new view is coming to Twitter
Twitter has been completely emphatic about where developers should stake a claim, with Twitter Platform Lead Ryan Sarver warning the ecosystem to stay away from building “client apps that mimic or reproduce the mainstream Twitter consumer client experience.”
Well if Sarver stays true to his word the Twitpics and Yfrogs of the world can just give it up now. According to multiple sources, Twitter is on the verge on announcing its own built in Twitpic competitor…
Continue reading… “Twitter Is Launching Its Own Photosharing Service”
Anywhere can be a good place to steam.
We’ve seen prefab saunas, houseboat saunas and secret saunas, so what about mobile saunas? Czech design team H3T Architects put together this sweet little sweat-pod that can be towed anywhere you please by tandem bike. Enveloped in translucent panels, the Bike Sauna allows users to park it in various locales, transforming any spot into a relaxing haven. But don’t let its small appearance throw you off, apparently it can seat up to six people (granted, in probably somewhat close quarters). But inside there’s everything that makes it cozy, like a real wood-fired stove. Take a look…
Continue reading… “Get Your Steam On Anywhere: Portable Bike Sauna”
A room with a view.
This has got to be recycling at its best. Why throwout perfectly good billboards when you can reuse them as a living space? I don’t know about you, but how many billboards have you seen that would make a good one bedroom apartment? This may be the idea, but we shall see if it comes into practical use. Check out the images of billboard residences in different settings…
Continue reading… “Living in a Billboard”
Every piece of food has its own personality, so its best
not to select the high maintenance fruits and vegetables
“Marriage is like putting your hand into a bag of snakes in the hope of pulling out an eel.” – – Leonardo da Vinci
Continue reading… “Top 10 Photos of the Week”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.
