Solar Roadway panels
Sandpoint, Idaho could be the first city in the nation with solar roadways thanks to an Idaho inventor. However, the inventor behind the revolutionary idea needs help from the public. (Video)
Continue reading… “Solar Roadways offer an asphalt alternative”
Mirrors in orbit would reflect sunlight onto huge solar panels.
What if you could imagine looking at Tokyo Bay from high above and seeing a man-made island in the harbor, 3 kilometers long. There is a massive net stretched over the island and studded with 5 billion tiny rectifying antennas, which convert microwave energy into DC electricity. Also on the island is a substation that sends that electricity coursing through a submarine cable to Tokyo, to help keep the factories of the Keihin industrial zone humming and the neon lights of Shibuya shining bright.
Continue reading… “The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency plans to build an orbiting solar farm”
Science fiction can be used to help scientists think about the uses and ethics of their inventions.
The Smithsonian Magazine May issue has an essay on the relationship between science, science fiction, and the future by Boing Boing buddy Eileen Gunn. She writes, “What’s science fiction good for? Major writers — Ursula K. Le Guin, William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, Samuel R. Delany, Kim Stanley Robinson, Cory Doctorow and others — talk about why science fiction likes to think about the future and how science fiction can be used to help scientists think about the uses and ethics of their inventions. The rest of the issue covers science and ethical issues of the near future.”
Continue reading… “Science fiction influences our thinking about the future”
Multimaterial 3-D printing – a complex lattice using different inks.
3D printing capabilities are rather limited despite the excitement that 3-D printing has generated. It can be used to make complex shapes, but most commonly only out of plastics. Even manufacturers using an advanced version of the technology known as additive manufacturing typically have expanded the material palette only to a few types of metal alloys. But what if 3-D printers could use a wide assortment of different materials, from living cells to semiconductors, mixing and matching the “inks” with precision?
Continue reading… “A 3D printing breakthrough: 3D printed biological tissue”
E-Learning carries with it the promise of an educational revolution.
E-Learning has the potential to revolutionize education. It can provide for a truly personalized learning experience, and take each student down the path that is uniquely theirs.
America’s largest metro areas are currently gaining population at impressive rates. This trend is driving much of the population growth across the nation. But that growth is the result of two very different migrations – one coming from the location choices of Americans themselves, the other shaped by where new immigrants from outside the United States are heading.
Continue reading… “Two different types of migrations are driving population growth in U.S. cities”
Superhydrophobic Engineered Cementitious Composite
A new advanced water-repellant concrete impregnated with tiny super strong fibers promises to leave roads and bridges free of major cracks for up to 120 years. (Video)
Continue reading… “New water-repellant concrete could last more than 100 years without maintenance”
It’s not exactly E=mc². But for would-be job hunters, it’s probably a lot more useful.
Continue reading… “Google’s incredibly simple formula for killer résumés”
In recent decades, many Western nations have experienced significant declines in crime, but could the removal of lead from gasoline explain that?
Continue reading… “Did removing lead from gasoline spark a decline in crime rates?”
It might soon be possible to grow human body parts in a lab, even from older adults’ stem cells.
For the first time ever human cloning has been used to create stem cells for adults in a breakthrough which could lead to tissue and organs being regrown. Scientists have turned the skin cells of a 75-year-ol man into stem cells, which can grow into any type of tissue in the body.
Ark Hotel
Some cities are starting to consider building farther from the water’s edge as sea levels rise and coastal cities try to figure out how to deal with the threat of flooding,. Other cities might not want to retreat. The other approach: Constructing buildings tough enough to handle any storm. (Pics)
Continue reading… “Ark Hotel floats away when sea levels rise”
The Mi.Mu Glove
Imogen Heap’s state-of-the-art wearable tech lets you control sounds with your hands. The Mi.Mu Glove for Music will change the way we make music. (Videos)