Plasma for the common cold?
Would you snort a plasma lamp to fight the common cold? Don’t laugh – plasma balls may be trippy to you but they’re downright deadly to viruses.
According to scientists, cold plasma (basically a stream of ionized gas) can actually prevent viruses from replicating…
Continue reading… “Plasma can kill off viruses”
Behold the AutoTram.
German researchers are testing a unique form of public transportation that borrows the best from busses, electric cars, trains and trams without contributing emissions. The vehicle, named AutoTram, is fully electric, but instead of running on a single charge, it charges when it stops, gaining enough power in 30 seconds to move another mile.
The project comes from the Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems IVI in Dresden and aims to offer the convenience, routing flexibility and affordability of a bus, minus the noise and exhaust. It also addresses the problem of lengthy battery charging cycles. While most cars are only in use for a few hours per day, public transportation vehicles can be in action around the clock, offering nearly no battery charging opportunities…
Continue reading… “Bus/Tram combo charges battery as it picks up passengers”
An elderly woman suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
An injection that could transform millions of lives by tackling Alzheimer’s in its earliest stages is being tested on British patients.
Continue reading… “New drug could halt Alzheimer’s before it can destroy lives”
interdependence of quantum states between particles not in physical contact
needs some props to explain the concept more clearly.
A pair of diamond crystals, large enough to be seen by the naked eye, have been linked together by quantum entanglement. The diamonds are entangled such that manipulating one affects the other, even though they are physically separated. In this case, the crystals were 3 millimeters wide and 15 centimeters apart. (One of the diamond wafers is pictured below.) Indeed, Einstein called this phenomenon “spooky action at a distance,” and scientists still don’t understand how it’s possible. The University of Oxford physicists published their work today in the journal Science…
Continue reading… “Quantum entanglement demonstrated in macroscopic objects”
This project at Washington State University is incredibly nifty. Researchers use a 3-D printer to make a bone-like material that can temporarily do the job of bone, while serving as a scaffold for new bone to grow on. Over time, it dissolves safely…
Continue reading… “3-D printer makes scaffolding for growing bones”
A new record tower.
If you’re afraid of heights, this may be a story you want to skip. The Guinness Book of World Records recently certified that the tallest tower in the world is indeed the Sky Tree which stands in Tokyo, Japan. A work in progress since 2006, the Sky Tree was constructed to be a radio and television tower while at the same time helping to revitalize tourism after the earthquakes and tsunami the country experienced. Sporting two observation decks, at 1,148 feet and 1,476 feet, tourists are guaranteed to get a spectacular view of the city.
Measuring in at 2,080 feet, the tower cost $440 million to construct. It has thirteen elevators, a restaurant, and shopping. What is interesting is that because it has less than 50% usable floor space, it fell into a different category with Guinness than the Burj Khalifa building in Dubai. It’s because the Sky Tree is technically not a building but a tower, it captured it’s own world record…
Continue reading… “Japan hopes world’s tallest tower will boost tourism”
A former park ranger from America found the heaviest ever recorded giant weta on New Zealand’s Little Barrier Island.
Mark Moffett, a former park ranger, has revealed how he spent two days tracking down a giant insect on a remote New Zealand island – and got it to eat a carrot out of his hand.
Continue reading… “World’s heaviest insect weighs 3 times more than a mouse”
The photosystem in green bacteria consists of a light-harvesting antenna called a chlorosome and a reaction center. The energy of the light the pigments absorb is transferred to the reaction center (red) through a protein-pigment antenna complex called the baseplate (gold). The antenna (green) is made of rod-shaped aggregates of pigment molecules.
Sometimes when people talk about solar energy, they tacitly assume that we’re stuck with some version of the silicon solar cell and its technical and cost limitations. Not so…
Continue reading… “Biomimetic Antenna for gathering sunlight could transform solar-powered devices”
Do these look like they are for earth vehicles?
Featuring an intricate resin spoke system, Bridgestone’s new airless tire provides the same level of shock absorption as an inflated tire without you having to worry about monitoring air pressure or changing a flat ever again.
The idea is similar to Michelin’s Tweel which first appeared back in 2006, and even the wheels used on the Lunar Rover that NASA developed during the Apollo era…
Continue reading… “Bridgestone’s puncture-proof tires”
Anyone who has dealt with collapsing and reopening a baby stroller knows it can be a real pain. And when you’re a parent trying to juggle kids, bags of baby gear and your shopping, the last thing you want to do is monkey around with a stroller that just won’t collapse properly.
The 4Moms company has created the solution to this problem: a stroller that collapses and reopens itself with the touch of a button…
Continue reading… “The amazing origami automatic stroller”
Pee n Play.
This urinal video game allows you to control a slalom skier via *ahem* your stream, as you try to reach the finish line before you’re finished emptying your bladder. And while this might sound like fun after lifting a few pints, I can’t imagine it’s going to last long in the typical men’s bathroom, what with all the graffiti artists and *ahem* wetness everywhere…
Continue reading… “Urinal video games are a ridiculous reality”
Ferdinand Pecora
The economy was tanking. Millions lost their jobs. Stocks were down. And since bankers seemed to be riding out the bad times better than anyone, the government appointed a commission to look into who was to blame for the crash. But this was 1933, and Ferdinand Pecora was chief counsel to the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Banking and Currency…
Continue reading… “The man who busted the ‘Banksters’”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.