Today, when we think of the dangers of the battlefield, we think of wounds caused by bullets, bombs, and other weapons. But as late as the Spanish American war of 1898, the number of soldiers who died from infectious diseases as opposed to directly from combat injuries was seven to one. Thanks to the discovery of penicillin and other antibiotics, that ratio has swung dramatically the other way, but it’s still a major problem, … Read More → "DARPA working on portable and ruggedized artificial “biospleen” to fight sepsis"

Chances are, you’ve spent more time thinking about the specs on your smartphone than about the gadgets that you use to put food in your mouth. But the shape and material properties of forks, spoons, and knives turn out to matter—a lot. Changes in the design of cutlery have not only affected how and what we eat, but also what our food tastes like. There’s even … Read More → "The design of spoons and knives can change the way we taste food"

Be careful what you tweet, because your feelings could be immortalized in a piece of public art. At least that’s what happened in Oslo when Syver Lauritzsen and Eirik Haugen Murvold publicly displayed a sculpture called MONOLITT.

MONOLITT is an interactive installation that quite literally paints the mood of the city, using social media feeds as an input. The installation takes electronic signals and lets them manifest themselves … Read More → "Interactive sculpture dispenses paint according to the mood of local social media"

All together now: MICE…IN…SPAAAAAAACE!

Last night, SpaceX successfully launched its unmanned Dragon cargo ship, which will rendezvous with the ISS on Tuesday. A third of Dragon’s 2.5 tons of cargo was made up of food, sundries, and care packages for the astronauts. The rest was comprised of scientific gear that will help the crew complete over 255 experiments. Among these was the ISS’ first 3D printer, which will … Read More → "The International Space Station gets a 3D printer and a crew of mousetronauts"

The Kormoran from the Austrian company of the same name can speed on (and above) the water as a catamaran, trimaran, monohull and hydrofoil, making it one of the most versatile vessels to ever hit the high seas. A pair of hydraulically actuated hulls allows it to transform before your eyes, even while in motion.
via Gizmag

< … Read More → "High-tech watercraft transforms from monohull, to catamaran, to trimaran, to hydrofoil"

Something amazing is happening here. In the video below, nesting swallows become trapped in a building when they add doors. The birds soon learn, though, that they can get the doors to automatically open by triggering the motion sensors. This is a story, obviously, of how smart birds are, but here’s what struck me: We often think about human technology as for humans. In this case, however, birds adapted the technology for their own very similar needs (to get in and out).

… Read More → "When technology advances to the point where we’re undermining our evolutionary advantages"

NASA employees could soon cross paths with an unusual sight — self-driving robot cars without any human drivers or even steering wheels. Google plans to test a new self-driving car by using NASA’s 2000-acre Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, California in late 2014 or early 2015.

The planned tests would mark the first time that Google has tested … Read More → "Google works with NASA to test cars without backup drivers"

Used in laboratories to administer small amounts of liquid for drug delivery or chemistry research, syringe pumps can cost research labs hundreds or even thousands of dollars. But researchers from Michigan Technological University have now created an open-source library of 3D-printable designs, enabling anyone in need of the commonly used scientific tool to produce their own at a fraction of the cost.

The team of Michigan Tech students, … Read More → "3D-printed syringe pumps could cut the cost of scientific research"

[Eswar] is not an ordinary 16 years old boy. He figured out a noninvasive way to measure breathing in hospitals for less than $50. He is using a theremin to measure the rise and fall of a patient’s chest. For our curious readers, this touch-less instrument was invented back in 1929 by the Russian inventor [Leon Theremin]. It uses the heterodyne principle and two oscillators to generate an audio signal. One … Read More → "Using a theremin for medical applications"

Cryptozoology is the study of creatures whose existence has yet to be—or else cannot entirely be—proved or disproved by science. These creatures, known collectively as cryptids, include examples like the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, and the Himalayan Yeti, yet these famous cases are by no means the only ones on record. In fact, practically every country and corner of the globe has its own legendary monster or mystery creature that … Read More → "16 cryptids that might (or might not) exist"