WEIRD SCIENCE
By Michael Irving – The metal organic framework coating (luminescent green) protects lillyturf cuttings from damage by UV light. (Credit: Joseph Richardson). Plants are naturally amazing little machines – so giving them a bionic leg-up could unlock a whole new range of …
If the Sahara were a country, it’d be the fifth largest in the world. By Amin Al-Habaibeh – Whenever I visit the Sahara I am struck by how sunny and hot it is, and how clear the sky can be. Aside from …
By Michael Irving – – A computer simulation of a spiral galaxy, like the Milky Way, forming. These simulations suggest that the outer halo is made up of stars from other galaxies. (Credit: Takayuki Saito/Takaaki Takeda/Sorahiko Nukatani/4D2U Project, NAOJ). Astronomers have discovered a …
By David Szondy – The Manicouagan impact crater in Quebec, Canada, is one of many reminders that asteroids have impacted Earth. Although large impacts are rare, it’s important to be prepared. (Credit: NASA). NASA and its international partners are thinking the unthinkable. A …
By Michael Irving – The XENON1T experiment may not have found dark matter, but it has now revealed the element with the longest half-life ever recorded. (Credit: The Xenon Collaboration). Although the many experiments searching for evidence of dark matter have yet to …
By Michael Irving – – The new Stuntronics robot from Disney Research can perform autonomous acrobatics in midair before sticking the landing. (Credit: Disney). Disney’s animatronics are coming a long way from drunken pirates waving flagons of ale or hippos that wiggle their ears. …
By Danny Paez – Neuroengineers have created a new system that can translate simple thoughts into recognizable speech, using artificial intelligence and a speech synthesizer, according to a study published recently. A team of New York-based researchers was able to reconstruct words …
By Darren Quick – Wing has been granted Air Carrier Certification by the FAA. (Credit: Wing Inc.). A month after Wing was given the green light to deliver various goods via drone in Australia’s capital, Canberra, the Alphabet subsidiary has become the first …
By David Szondy – The VEM extinguisher is designed for use on spacecraft and other special environments. (Credit: Valeev/Depositphotos). The Department of Mechanical Engineering at Toyohashi University of Technology has developed an inside-out fire extinguisher for use inside spacecraft. Instead of spraying out …
When the body’s clocks go out of sync, a well-timed fast might set them back on track. By Emma Betuel – Each of the trillions of cells in our bodies has a tiny internal clock. When all of those clocks are synchronized, …
