Scientists have identified a never-before-seen type of meteorite from Mars that has 10 times more water and far more oxygen in it than any previous Martian sample.

The meteorite was found in the Sahara Desert in 2011 and has the official name of Northwest Africa 7034. It is a small basaltic rock — nicknamed “Black Beauty” – which means it formed from rapidly cooling lava. The meteorite is about 2.1 billion years old, from a … Read More → "New Mars meteorite contains 10 times more water than previous finds"

Green energy solutions range from the outlandishly impractical to the simple and effective. But the best ideas for new green energy solutions will likely come in the form of passive technologies that don’t require the public to drastically change their lifestyles. An inventor from the U.K. is working with just such an idea.

Developed by Laurence Kemball-Cook, the Pavegen system converts kinetic energy from footsteps into usable electrical … Read More → "Kinetic footpath uses pedestrian power to generate electricity"

Dick: You forgot to add “…and you kids get off my lawn!!!”

In the fascinating short film “Overview,” five astronauts describe the mind-altering experience of seeing the earth from space—a phenomenon known as the Overview Effect. The film was directed by Guy Reid and produced by Planetary Collective.
via Laughing Squid 

… Read More → "Overview, short film about the mind-altering experience of seeing Earth from space"

One of 2012′s oddest and most interesting ideas in space exploration may be getting a renewed lease on life in 2013. According to New Scientist, NASA is “mulling over” a proposal by researchers at the Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS) to give the moon a moon of its own. The idea, which would see NASA snag an asteroid from deeper in space and tow it back to the moon, where it … Read More → "NASA reportedly considering proposal to give the moon a smaller moon of its own"

Tired of long walks from terminal to terminal? Make your next trip more manageable by packing your stuff inside a piece of Micro Scooter Luggage (£250; roughly $400). Developed in collaboration with Samsonite, this unique suitcase features hard-side construction, a 26L capacity that makes it ideal for short trips, and built-in kickboard that folds out to turn the entire thing into … Read More → "Micro Scooter luggage. Want!"

Polaroid is “liberating” your photos from the “confines of their digital devices” by opening 10 retail stores in 2013 called FotoBars where you can edit and print your images.

It’s painful to hear an old photography company that is attempting to revitalize itself call photo printing stores “cool and hip,” but the premise actually sounds both cool and hip. You’ll be able … Read More → "Polaroid ‘Fotobars’ let you print Instagram pics on metal, wood, and other materials"

Every year, pundits planetwide dust off their search engines and pull together lists of The Best and The Worst of the preceding trip around the sun. I feel that in the rush to name the best videogames and the worst political scandals, something gets lost in the shuffle: things that aren’t that bad, aren’t that good, and frankly aren’t that interesting anymore.

So, for the second year … Read More → "10 things nobody cared about in 2012"

When we tried out a prototype of Tobii’s eye controller this time last year, it made us believe in technology again. Unlike many prototypes, though, it’s now a real thing.

Tobii has announced the launch of REX: a USB-connected device that allows computers to be controlled using Gaze UI. That software lets users navigate, zoom, select and scroll using their eyes alone—and it worked a dream with … Read More → "Eye-controlled computers are now a real thing"

Robot hedgehogs on the moons of Mars may sound like the title of a B-grade sci-fi movie, but that is what Stanford University is working on. Marco Pavone, an assistant professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and his team are developing spherical robots called “hedgehogs” that are about half a meter (1.6 ft) wide and covered in spikes to better cope with rolling and hopping across the surface of the Martian moon Phobos … Read More → "Stanford team developing spiky robot “hedgehogs” to explore Phobos"