While printed electronics conjure up notions of being able to manufacture electronic devices far more simply and cheaply than traditional electronics, the reality is that the resulting devices are so delicate that they are prone to an early demise that all but snuffs out any savings that might have been gained.

Now, researchers at the University of … Read More → "Printable electronics that self heal before your eyes"

Last year, Adidas unveiled a concept sneaker made from 3D-printed recycled ocean waste. Now, it’s going on sale, with some 7,000 pairs to be made available in Adidas stores and from the company’s website in mid-November. Each pair will cost €200 ($220).

The sneakers are made in collaboration … Read More → "Adidas sneaker made from recycled ocean waste is going on sale this month"

A recent study suggested that the total number of unique species that call Earth home may be as mind-bogglingly high as 1 trillion. Granted, the vast majority of those are microscopic organisms, but still, that number makes the Digital Life project’s goal, to make 3D scans of every kind of living animal, sound ridiculously ambitious. Nevertheless, the team believes that digitally preserving the biodiversity of the planet is increasingly important.

Read More → "Digital Life aims to make a 3D scan of every animal species on Earth"

Anywhen is an immersive artwork by French avant-garde artist Philippe Parreno. Billed as an exhibition that challenges your perception of time and space, it’s essentially, as The New Scientist puts it, a “factory-sized [children’s] mobile.” It features an ever-changing mix of sound, light and shadow, augmented by fish-shaped balloons, a transforming array of suspended speakers and a cinema that seemingly appears at … Read More → "An artwork controlled by a colony of bacteria"

The 2016 Good Design Award results were announced recently with awards going to over 1000 entries in several different categories. But the coveted Grand Award of Japan’s most well-known design award, given to just 1 entry, was announced today. Last year the winner was a personal mobility chair and the year before that it was a robotic arm. This year, the grand prize went to a world map.
via Read More → "This map of the world just won Japan’s prestigious design award"

NASA wants ideas from private companies and the science community about instruments that can be used to explore and study the surface of the Moon. This morning, the space agency put out a formal Request for Information, asking for concepts of small science payloads that can be sent to the lunar surface relatively soon — between 2017 … Read More → "NASA is crowdsourcing ideas to study the surface of the Moon"

The good people at Discover have just highlighted an important breakthrough in the field of cat science. According to a study published this year in Developmental Psychobiology, kittens can distinguish the vocalizations of their mother from those of any other feline.
via Mental Floss</ … Read More → "Kittens can recognize mother’s voice, study finds"

Wicked Lasers is known for its handheld lasers and flashlights that redefine what it means to be bright. A few years ago it released a flashlight that was intense enough to start a fire, and now the company has managed to dramatically shrink its design so you can easily bring it the next … Read More → "A flashlight that can start fires and cook dinner is the best camping accessory"

Chronicle Cremation Designs in Santa Fe, New Mexico, bills itself as a business that will transform “your loved one’s ashes into remarkable ceramic design objects for your home.” Customers supply the ashes (about a cup, or 100 grams) via a collection kit, and in turn, CCD will mix the ashes into a glaze that covers the pottery. Design options include vases, candleholders, mugs, … Read More → "New Mexico company transforms human remains into ceramics"

They have a workplace pumpkin-carving contest every year, but this are no ordinary pumpkin art, because the workplace is NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Let’s take a look at what rocket scientists do with pumpkins.
via Neatorama

… Read More → "NASA’s hi-tech pumpkins 2016"