In 2014, no less an authority than NASA proclaimed in peer-reviewed papers that it was getting mysterious thrust from the EmDrive, a strange, brassy trumpet of a thing that its creators claimed could produce thrust with no propellant. NASA's findings replicated 2009 experiments i … | Continue reading
A striking new study testing a number of over-the-counter weight loss and sports supplements has found they contain many combinations of stimulants that have either previously been prohibited by the FDA or never approved for human consumption. | Continue reading
In a move that would please the fictional Star Trek engineer Mr. Scott, CERN is working on ways to store and transport antimatter. Sorry, this isn't to power any starships secretly under construction, but as a way to better study antiprotons to learn more about them and the natur … | Continue reading
By investigating the genetic underpinnings behind tooth formation in early human development, a team of scientists in Japan has uncovered clues about how they might be regenerated in adults suffering from congenital conditions. The discovery hinges on a new understanding of the w … | Continue reading
A team from Georgia Tech has just announced a world-first: a 3D-printed rectifying antenna the size of a playing card that can harvest electromagnetic energy from 5G signals and use it to power devices, turning 5G networks into wireless power grids. | Continue reading
It's a sad fact that many of the people who most need water filters are those who are least able to afford them. A newly demonstrated MIT technology could help, in that it uses locally sourced wood to inexpensively purify contaminated water. | Continue reading
A new study led by researchers from Carnegie Mellon University is challenging the common assumption that video conferencing is better than audio-only communication for collaborative group activities. The findings suggest video cues may in fact lower a group’s collective intellige … | Continue reading
From electric planes that can only fly for so long to electric cars that need to pull over for a recharge every few hundred miles, heavy, bulky batteries are a huge, limiting factor in how far these types of vehicles can travel. Scientists at Chalmers University of Technology hav … | Continue reading
An advanced tire technology developed by NASA for use on planetary rovers could be coming to a bike lane near you, with startup the Smart Tire Company leveraging the technology to introduce an airless alloy tire to the world of cycling. With the elasticity of rubber and the stren … | Continue reading
Driven by advances in artificial intelligence, doctored video content known as deepfakes present a serious and growing danger when it comes to the spread of misinformation. As these altered clips become more and more convincing, there is a pressing need for tools that can help di … | Continue reading
Several effective COVID-19 vaccines have been developed in rapid time, but that may have been the easy part. Are intellectual property protections and for-profit pharmaceutical companies now getting in the way of vaccinating the world's population? | Continue reading
It has been known for some time that dragonfly wings possess antimicrobial properties, but attempts to gain a greater insight into the mechanism responsible for this have been hampered by the fragility of the wings, which can be easily damaged under the light of a powerful micros … | Continue reading
Faster-than-light (FTL) travel is a staple of sci-fi, hand-waving away multi-millennia journeys between stars. Such a technology would of course be incredibly handy to us in the real world, and while these “warp drives” have been considered theoretically possible, they usually in … | Continue reading
New research from an international team of scientists has demonstrated how odors evoke memories in the brain, in ways stronger than other senses. Using neuroimaging and intracranial electrophysiology, the research shows how olfactory pathways communicate directly with the hippoca … | Continue reading
Wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, wave energy ... Renewable sources are a crucial pillar of any plan to decarbonize the world's energy generation industries and eliminate fossil fuel use. But for many reasons – intermittency, location dependency, land requirements, and others – the … | Continue reading
Although certain celebrities are widely considered to be nice-looking, beauty does still ultimately lie in the eye of the beholder. A new AI-based system is able to ascertain which features are found most attractive by individual people, and then create faces combining those qual … | Continue reading
The Earth has an expiry date – in about five billion years, the Sun will expand and swallow up our home world. But it turns out life on Earth could have a much earlier end point. A new study has found that in about a billion years’ time, the atmosphere will lose most of its oxyge … | Continue reading
A new study from Stanford University communications expert Jeremy Bailenson is investigating the very modern phenomenon of "Zoom Fatigue." Bailenson suggests there are four key factors that make videoconferencing so uniquely tiring, and he recommends some simple solutions to redu … | Continue reading
Hoo boy, you just know Hunter S. Thompson would have loved this. A Russian tinkerer going by the name of morskoiboy has created a typewriter (?) that squirts a different type of syrup or liqueur into a glass with every keystroke. That same liquid is used in a big single-character … | Continue reading
A typewriter that paints? Artist Tyree Callahan modified this 1937 Underwood Standard typewriter to do just that, replacing each key with a different hue that can paint on paper. A chromatic typewriter isn't by any means practical (the keys have to be manually reloaded with paint … | Continue reading
Wearing a big, heavy backpack can get pretty tiring. That's why scientists have developed a pack that's not only claimed to lighten the load on the wearer, but that also uses the motion of that load to generate electricity. | Continue reading
Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology have added another hybrid supercapacitor design to the mix, promising the near-instant charge and discharge of a supercap with vastly improved energy storage on par with NiMH batteries. | Continue reading
Inspired by the way plants like Venus flytraps can snap closed and reset themselves, scientists have developed new materials that alter their shape in the blink of the eye as a way of propelling themselves forward, powered only by their own energy and their interactions with the … | Continue reading
Exactly one hundred years ago, a play premiered that introduced a significant new word to the world – robot. When the first production of Karel Čapek's R.U.R. opened on January 25, 1921, at the National Theater in what is now the Czech Republic, it not only gave a name to the cyb … | Continue reading
New research published in the journal Nature is describing the discovery of a novel subset of brain cell with the capacity to prevent neuroinflammation. This anti-inflammatory activity is modulated by molecules induced by gut bacteria, revealing an exciting new gut-brain pathway … | Continue reading
How often do you clear out old photos on your phone or tidy up your email inbox? You just may be a digital hoarder, and researchers from Northumbria University have identified four distinct types. | Continue reading
It looks a bit like it's a Twizy family member, but Poland's Triggo EV has a few neat tricks that Renault's city roller doesn't. It leans into the corners, at higher speeds its front wheels are spread out for stability, but slow down and they can be pulled in for easier parking, … | Continue reading
To get off the grid with home solar, you need to be able to generate energy when the Sun's out, and store it for when it's not. Normally, people do this with lithium battery systems – Tesla's Powerwall 2 is an example. But Australian company Lavo has built a rather spunky (if chu … | Continue reading
Australian scientists have developed and validated a world-first test that is claimed to accurately measure levels of a brain protein known to be associated with depression and bipolar disorder. The new research suggests this test could offer doctors an objective diagnostic tool … | Continue reading
Last month we reported that a huge vertical farming operation near Copenhagen in Denmark recently completed its first harvest. That setup uses hydroponics, but the veggies grown in Vertical Field urban farming pods take root in real soil. | Continue reading
A team of Australian scientists has demonstrated a novel microencapsulation method designed to improve the absorption and bioavailability of cannabidiol (CBD). Animal tests suggest the new method increases peak concentrations of CBD in the brain by 300 percent compared to CBD oil … | Continue reading
In a new study, German scientists have restored the ability to walk in mice that had been paralyzed after a complete spinal cord injury. The team created a “designer” signaling protein and injected it into the animals’ brains, stimulating their nerve cells to regenerate and share … | Continue reading
To celebrate the new year, here is a hand-picked selection of the most impressive photographs of 2020. This gallery gathers our favorite images from the top photography competitions of the last 12 months, including subway fighting mice, head-spinning wildlife snaps, and some spec … | Continue reading
Scientists working in the West African country of Guinea have discovered a new orange-furred species of bat. The rare discovery came while conducting field surveys in the isolated Nimba Mountain range. | Continue reading
Gaming brand Razer looks to the future of face masks with its CES 2021 announcement of Project Hazel, a reusable transparent mask with detachable filters, a built-in mic and amplifier, and Chroma RGB LED lights for those keen on embracing some cyberpunk techno flair. | Continue reading
In the largest and longest follow-up study conducted to date investigating the lingering effects of COVID-19, researchers have found more than two-thirds of hospitalized patients report at least one ongoing symptom six months after contracting the disease. | Continue reading
A new study, the largest of its kind ever conducted in humans, has affirmed the link between the presence of brown fat and improved cardiac or metabolic health. The research validates the relatively new hypothesis suggesting the type of adipose tissue commonly referred to as brow … | Continue reading
Mundane as it may seem, glass is a surprisingly mysterious material. Now scientists at the University of Konstanz have identified a new state of matter called liquid glass, which has some unusual properties. | Continue reading
Fossilized tree resin, commonly known as amber, has offered paleontologists extraordinary insights into ancient ecosystems. The latest golden time capsule discovery comes from Oregon State University researchers who have identified a completely new, previously unknown genus and s … | Continue reading
Despite the challenges posed worldwide by the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 has been a bumper year when it comes to space exploration, marked by some incredible firsts and some sad farewells. It was a year of remarkable emerging technologies, a line up of ambitious new interplanetary m … | Continue reading
DEET may be an effective mosquito repellent, but it's toxic, and has to be reapplied every few hours. Scientists are working on a more innocuous, longer-laster alternative, that involves introducing genetically engineered bacteria to people's skin. | Continue reading
While harnessing the power of the Sun has progressed in leaps and bounds in recent years, harnessing the process that powers the Sun is proving a tough nut to crack. However, progress continues to be made on the various approaches to practical nuclear fusion being pursued, of whi … | Continue reading
The US Department of Energy (DOE) is backing five projects to develop advanced nuclear reactor designs to be built in the United States by private industry. Under the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP), the DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy's US$30 million initial funding … | Continue reading
Almost three years after revealing its autonomous delivery vehicle, robotics startup Nuro has been given the green light for commercial operations in California. Initially, service needs will be met by fully autonomous Prius vehicles, but the R2 delivery pods won't be far behind. | Continue reading
Interactive 3D images that appear to float in the air, above a table that a group of people can stand around without needing any special headsets or glasses: that's what South Australian company Voxon Photonics has built with its US$10,000 VX1 table. | Continue reading
Continuous monitoring of changes in patients' blood would be a profoundly transformative advance for doctors and a team of Stanford bioengineers has brought us one step closer to that reality. New research in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering describes a novel device with … | Continue reading
Raytheon is recruiting glowing microbes to help search for buried explosives. Being developed under a DARPA contract, the company is working with Worcester Polytechnic Institute to use synthetic biology techniques to produce two new strains of bacteria – one to seek out hidden ex … | Continue reading
Killing cancer cells isn’t particularly hard – the tricky part is doing so without harming healthy cells. Researchers at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) have developed nanoparticles that selectively release drugs inside tumors, while keeping them safely locked away w … | Continue reading