The roots of perennial wheat

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Is this be the future of wheat?

This is not the best photo, but it is pretty damn mind-blowing. What you see here is Jerry Glover, National Geographic Emerging Explorer, holding the root system of a single perennial wheat plant. The photo was taken by Scientific American editor Mariette DiChristina at the Compass Summit in Palos Verdes, California.

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YuleaHoop – a revolutionary new way to decorate your Christmas tree

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Featured invention at the DaVinci Inventor Showcase 2011 

The YuleaHoop™ is a small round ring with gripping slots that slips over the top branch of your Christmas Tree. The YuleaHoop securely holds ribbons and/or bead garlands in place. Decorating is fast, easy and secure. It will hold string popcorn and cranberries too! YuleaHoop is a revolutionary new way to decorate your tree.

 

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iPod creators design the perfect thermostat that learns your habits

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A new view on temperature regulation.

Let’s face it, programmable thermostats can be complicated. They’re like any other device you have to program — they sound neat but actually using them can be annoying. And yet, the thermostat is one of the most important parts of a home for keeping the carbon footprint low. So how do we simplify something that can add up to a complex ordeal what with mornings, evenings, different rooms, different preferences, and so on? Well, the creator of the iPod — a marvelously simple but powerful device — has an idea…

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Quantum levitation in action (video)

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Quantum levitation

Researchers at the Tel Aviv University have created a track around which a superconductor can float, thanks to the phenomenon of “quantum levitation“.  Suspending a superconducting disc above or below a set of permanent magnets – the magnetic field is locked inside the superconductor ; a phenomenon called ‘Quantum Trapping’.

 

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11 charts that explain the financial inequality in America

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How rich are the superrich?

A huge share of the nation’s economic growth over the past 30 years has gone to the top one-hundredth of one percent, who now make an average of $27 million per household. The average income for the bottom 90 percent of us? $31,244.

 

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