Harvesting the blood of horseshoe crabs.
The marvelous thing about horseshoe crab blood besides the baby blue color, is a chemical found only in the amoebocytes of its blood cells that can detect mere traces of bacterial presence and trap them in inescapable clots.
The digital design of the crown is transmitted to a CNC (computer numerical control) milling machine.
By Saul Kaplan: As a tech junkie and geek wannabe I’ve been paying attention to 3D printing and the exploding maker movement. When I say paying attention, I mean reading about it, watching hackers and hobbyists make stuff, and wondering if there is more to the technology than the brightly colored plastic tchotchkes cluttering my desk. 3D printing really hasn’t affected me yet. That is until I recently chipped a tooth and had no choice but to visit my family dentist. It was the dentist’s chair that more than any article or demo converted me to the potential of 3D printing. Sometimes disruption has to hit you right in the mouth before you pay attention.
Continue reading… “3D printed dental crowns while you wait”
Paul J. Zak: It is quiet and dark. The theater is hushed. James Bond skirts along the edge of a building as his enemy takes aim. Here in the audience, heart rates increase and palms sweat. I know this to be true because instead of enjoying the movie myself, I am measuring the brain activity of a dozen viewers. For me, excitement has a different source: I am watching an amazing neural ballet in which a story line changes the activity of people’s brains.
Continue reading… “Good storytelling – why your brain loves it”
“Over the past five years we’ve seen major disruptions to work, and the driver is technology.”
Several trends will profoundly reshape the context and practice of work in coming decades, according to Lynda Gratton, professor of management practice at the London Business School. These include the rebalancing of globalized markets for goods and labor; dramatically changing demographics; the widening of skills gaps; the demise of middle-skill work; and the rise in the importance of talent clusters. But one other stands out as having the most profound impact on the way work is done and, indeed, as underpinning all of these: IT-enabled hyperconnectivity.
Continue reading… “How digital forces are shaping the future of work”
Among the many concepts researchers have devised are theoretical tunnels known as wormholes.
Humans have long dreamed of traveling into deep space. That’s the major theme of the science fiction movie Interstellar, which will take Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway to the places we hope to one day reach ourselves. Except for that tiny hiccup called deep space travel.
Continue reading… “Will interstellar travel by wormhole ever be possible?”
A specialized fluid and pump has been developed that provide the heart with oxygen, reducing damage and preserving the tissue.
Two Australian patients have had hearts successfully transplanted that had been dead for over 20 minutes thanks to a new method of preservation. The ability to save hearts that have stopped beating will drastically widen the amount of organs available, possibly suiting the needs of 30% of those on the transplant wait list. The research was a joint effort between Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and Sydney’s St. Vincent’s Hospital, with Professor Bob Graham leading the team.
Continue reading… “Surgeons transplant ‘dead’ hearts into patients for the first time ever”
Digital currency may soon become an issue that could unite US politicians.
Recent US Congresses have been some of the least productive in the country’s history, and the 113th Congress has been no different. The sheer number of policy-related issues tabled since January 2013 has put the current Congress on pace to become the least productive in the nation’s history, rivaling the 112th Congress in how few laws it could ultimately pass.
Continue reading… “Will Bitcoin become a policy issue for the U.S. Congress?”
U.S. based executives see a larger share of their manufacturing capacity will be in the U.S. in 5 years.
The number of U.S. manufacturers moving home is growing. According to a new survey from The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), more U.S. companies are moving production back from China.
Continue reading… “More U.S. manufacturers are moving production back from China”
The ‘biospleen’ uses protein-equipped nanobeads and a magnet to cleanse blood of pathogens.
Researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering have developed a high-tech method to rid the body of infections — even those caused by unknown pathogens. A device inspired by the spleen can quickly clean blood of everything from Escherichia coli to Ebola, researchers report on 14 September in Nature Medicine.
Continue reading… “Researchers develop artificial spleen that cleans up blood infections”
Minnesota to launch solar highways.
Solar arrays could soon be seen along the public rights-of-way that line the state’s highway in Minnesota. The Minnesota Department of Transportation has released a request for proposal (RFP) accepting bids to build and manage solar arrays, which would provide the state’s grid a new and reliable source of clean energy for at least 20 years.
Continue reading… “Minnesota could soon see solar arrays lining its highways”
Environmental benefits are not the biggest attraction to electric cars.
People love to categorize things. Sometimes people categorize too quickly and too simply. Electric cars are linked to their environmental benefits and being green, but the electric cars’ performance and convenience benefits are the biggest electric car attractions for most consumers.
How well does nature reflect the pattern of real events around the world? It’s natural to assume that people living in a certain part of the world are more likely to read, see and hear about news from their own region. But what of the international news they get—how does that compare to the international news that people in other parts of the world receive?
Continue reading… “Data mining reveals how news coverage varies around the world”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.