Analysis, Breakthrough Thinking, DIY, Historical Perspectives, People Making a Difference, Science & Technology News

Vote for Google Science Fair Semi-Finalists

The Google Science Fair has reached the semi-finals stage. Now is your chance to vote!

I’m really excited about the way this particular science fair is set up. It’s open to teenagers all over the world, and happens online so that “open to teenagers all over the world” really does mean just that. And entries could come from a wide range of scientific disciplines—everything from math to food science. Most of the finalists are still kids from the USA, but there’s also some representation from the UK, New Zealand, India, Singapore, and South Africa…

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Breakthrough Thinking, Globalism, Great New Product, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Hot Issues, Latest News, Science & Technology News

App for Detecting Land Mines

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What a great app!

Engineering students at Harvard University have developed a cell phone app that, when paired with an ordinary metal detector, can be used effectively to detect land mines. Instead of just beeping when it passes over a metal object, these enhanced metal detectors present the shape of the object found below ground…

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Analysis, Big Problems, Breakthrough Thinking, Global Warming, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Hot Issues, Latest News, New Discoveries

New Study Traces Flammable Drinking Water to Fracking

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Fracking linked to flaming.

Who likes their tap water nice and fiery? I know I do — I simply won’t drink any water that doesn’t catch fire when held over an open flame. That’s why I drink all my water from underground aquifers that have been contaminated by hydro-fracking operations. Yes, a scientific study, the first of its kind, has discovered a link between flammable drinking water documented in communities around the nation, and everyone’s favorite method of extracting natural gas from the ground…

Continue reading… “New Study Traces Flammable Drinking Water to Fracking”

Breakthrough Thinking, Historical Perspectives, New Discoveries, Science & Technology News

New Mineral Discovered: One of Earliest Minerals Formed in Solar System

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Got Krotite?

In the May-June issue of the journal American Mineralogist, a team of scientists announced the discovery of the new mineral krotite, one of the earliest minerals formed in our solar system. It is the main component of an unusual inclusion embedded in a meteorite (NWA 1934), found in northwest Africa. These objects, known as refractory inclusions, are thought to be the first planetary materials formed in our solar system, dating back to before the formation of Earth and the other planets…

Continue reading… “New Mineral Discovered: One of Earliest Minerals Formed in Solar System”

Crazy Stuff, Great Videos, Photo Perspectives, Science & Technology News

Fluffy Cat Ears That Wiggle with Your Every Emotion

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Neurowear has developed a set of ears that apparently respond to the wearer’s emotions via a sensor.

Some people spend their lives wearing their hearts on their sleeves.  Thanks to a Japanese company, you can show off exhibit your innermost feelings somewhere else – a pair of fluffy ears on your head. (Pics and video)

 

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Nanotechnology, Science & Technology News

Mobile Phones Could be Charged by the Sound of Your Voice

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Engineers have developed a new technique for turning sound into electricity, allowing a mobile to be powered up while its user holds a conversation

 A dead battery or a lost charger are among the frustrations of modern life for cellphone users.  There is now new research that promises a way to recharge phones using nothing but the power of the human voice.

Great New Product, Science & Technology News

Smartphone App Finds Empty Parking Spaces for Drivers

parking app

A smartphone app gives information about open parking spots.

The most agonizing everyday experience the urban driver must face?  The search for an empty parking place.

It is part sleuthing and part blood sport. Circling, narrowly missing a spot, outmaneuvering other motorists to finally ease into a space only to discover that it is off limits during working hours.

 

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Breakthrough Thinking, Crazy Stuff, Current Events, Entertainment, Green Friendly, Historical Perspectives, Latest News, New Viewpoints

For The High-Tech Naturalist: LeafSnap Identifies Leaves Using Your iPhone’s Camera

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Leaf identification in a snap!

This is just plain fantastic. The LeafSnapapp for iPhone identifies any leaf you take a picture of, as long as it’s in their library. Right now it’s limited to trees native to the Northeastern US, but they’re working on expanding that. The best part is it’s free! Hopefully this will get me to finally learn the names of the trees around here. All I know is “pine” if it has pine cones and “not pine” if it doesn’t.

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Food, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Hot Issues

Sugar Sues High Fructose Corn Syrup

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Sugar and High Fructose Corn Syrup The Same Thing? No? It’s about the lesser of two evils, isn’t it?
But when push comes to shove, how different is sugar from high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)?

The Western Sugar Cooperative is claiming that the two are in fact very different. It recently filed suit against sugar refiners for misleading consumers in calling HFCS corn sugar, according to the Des Moines Register and as discussed on Food Politics. “The lawsuit names as defendants Archer Daniels Midland Co., Cargill Inc., and other major corn syrup processors as well as the Corn Refiners Association.”

So, is it fair to call HFCS sugar? Not according to the Western Sugar Cooperative…

Continue reading… “Sugar Sues High Fructose Corn Syrup”