The 79 A.D. eruption of Mount Vesuvius is most famous for burying Pompeii, spectacularly preserving many artifacts—and residents—in that once bustling town south of Naples. The tumbling clouds of ash also entombed the nearby resort of Herculaneum, which is filled with its own wonders. During excavations there in 1752, diggers found a villa containing bundles of rolled scrolls, carbonized by the intense heat of the pyroclastic flows … Read More → "Ancient scrolls blackened by Vesuvius are readable at last"

A team led by researchers at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom has developed a new, non-invasive test that’s able to detect cocaine use in a patient by analyzing a single fingerprint. Unlike existing tests, the new technique is able to determine whether the subject has ingested the drug, rather than just touched it.

Drug testing is a common practice in prisons, courts and numerous other law enforcement agencies, but existing methods have … Read More → "New test can detect cocaine use through a single fingerprint"

If NASA is going to put humans on Mars and other distant worlds, it’s going to need a place for explorers to stay — and it wants your help building those extraterrestrial homes. The agency has launched the 3D Printed Habitat Challenge, a competition to develop the best artificial housing for space exploration. The first phase of the challenge will award a $50,000 prize based on pure architectural merits, while a second … Read More → "NASA competition pays you to design a 3D-printed habitat"

In a video from 2014, a da Vinci surgical robot controlled by a surgeon carefully stitches skin back onto a grape. In 2011 the system was used to fold and launch a tiny paper airplane, and even lace a football. It can also perform delicate surgery, which is its primary function.
via Laughing Squid</ … Read More → "A da Vinci surgical robot delicately stitches skin back onto a grape"

Human activity almost killed this loggerhead sea turtle in Turkey, but a group of doctors and researchers are looking to right that wrong with a 3D-printed prosthetic. The turtle, which is marked as an endangered species, was struck by a boat propeller while swimming in its natural habitat. The accident shattered the animal’s upper and lower jaw, leaving the turtle unable to eat on its own. That’s … Read More → "Sea turtle given a 3D-printed jaw implant after boat accident"

A few weeks ago hacker Samy Kamkar showed the world how to easily crack a Master combination lock—the same kind used on thousands of school lockers—in eight tries or fewer. But who has the time for that? Thankfully, Samy has followed up with this wonderful 3D-printed contraption that does all the hard work for you, in about 30 seconds.

Samy encourages … Read More → "Crack a combination lock in 30 seconds with this 3D-printed contraption"

If you’re into handwriting, drawing, keeping diaries the old fashioned way and sipping wine, you may soon be able to merge all those activities into one. A new device created by Portland-based designer Jessica Chan adds a bohemian touch to the old fountain pen, by allowing it to be charged with any type of raw liquid with a staining property, including – you guessed it – wine. Called WINKpen, it also uses tea, beer, and anything else … Read More → "WINKpen: have your wine and write with it, too"

Metal is a commonly used material on boats, cars, and other similar structures because of its strength, but it brings with it downsides, one of the biggest being its weight. In the future this might not be a problem, in that work is being done now to retain (or even surpass) a metal’s strength while at the same time making the material considerably lighter. One researcher in particular, … Read More → "Researcher creates super-strong metal that can float"

Next time you’re about to toss a cigarette butt on the ground, consider this freaky fact: It takes less than a nanogram (or less than one billionth of the mass of a penny) of your dried saliva for scientists to construct a digital portrait that bears an uncanny resemblance to your very own face. For proof look to Hong Kong, where a recent … Read More → "Creepy ads use litterbugs’ DNA to shame them publicly"

Three years ago, we learned that a Dutch team had developed a biological concrete that could repair its own cracks. They said it might be two or three years before it found its way into the larger world—and now, we’re getting a look at its real-world applications.

via Gizmodo

Read More → "The first building that can heal its own cracks with biological cement"