It isn’t easy to diagnose wound infections before they’ve progressed into a nasty, purulent mess, and many doctors prefer to play it safe by doling out antibiotics early. But a clever new bandage that glows bright green at its first whiff of bad bacteria could help change that.
Led by chemistry professor Toby Jenkins at the University of Bath, the new “ … Read More → "This bandage glows green when you’re infected"
Two years ago Google and NASA went halfsies on a D-Wave quantum computer, mostly to find out whether there are actually any performance gains to be had when using quantum annealing instead of a conventional computer. Recently, Google and NASA received the latest D-Wave 2X quantum computer, which the company says has “over 1000 qubits.”
At an event yesterday at the NASA Ames Research Center, where the D-Wave computer is kept, Google and NASA announced their latest findings— … Read More → "Google and NASA have a quantum computer that’s 100 million times faster than a normal PC"
Back in June, Adidas revealed a shoe made almost entirely from recycled ocean waste. That product marked the beginning of a partnership between the sportswear firm and Parley, an organization trying to combat ocean pollution worldwide. Now, Adidas is taking this one step further: its new design features a 3D-printed midsole created out of recycled polyester and gillnets, a wall of netting typically used to catch fish. The shoe’s upper part was manufactured with ocean plastic … Read More → "Adidas uses plastic ocean waste to create a 3D-printed shoe"
Who was Ada Lovelace, and how are her life and contributions significant today? Lady Ada, the daughter of British poet Lord Byron, was a 19th century woman of many talents but with a particular leaning towards mathematics. She is commonly regarded as the world’s first programmer based on her work with Charles Babbage on his Analytical Engine. Her choice to study and specialize in the science, technology, engineering … Read More → "Celebrating Ada Lovelace, pioneer of programming"
In a world’s first, researchers from the US and UK have created an impression of a submerged human as recorded by a dolphin’s echolocation.
To do it, a team led by Jack Kassewitz of SpeakDolphin.com used an imaging system known as a Cymascope. The system, developed by John Stuart Reid (who also assisted with the project), made it possible to record and isolate … Read More → "Unprecedented image shows a dolphin’s echolocated impression of a submerged human"
Living Ink is a new algae-based ink that changes over time. Creators apply a layer of a “fast” ink, which goes on pink before fading. Then they apply the “slow” ink, which goes on blue. Once the drawing is placed into the special Living Ink greenhouse and put in the light, the algae in the ink begins to grow. The image drawn with the fast ink appears in about two days, with the … Read More → "Living Ink, an algae-based ink that slowly changes over time to reveal unique creations"
How many times have you made a cup of coffee or tea and it’s been too hot to drink, and then by the time you get to it, it’s become too cold? While very much a #firstworldproblem, [ToniTheAxe] decided to fix it — and enter a contest at the same time. He calls it the µCoaster, and essentially, it is a temperature sensing alarm clock.
The coaster uses a TMP006 infrared temperature sensor … Read More → "Smart coaster informs you when your drink is ready"
While Maillardet is most famous for his namesake automaton, he also created lesser-known—yet equally incredible—machines. In 1810, he designed a priceless moving silkworm. Fashioned from gold and enamel and encrusted with pearls, diamonds, and rubies, the 7-centimeter figurine wriggles and writhes like a real insect thanks to a nifty inner clockwork mechanism.
In 1811, Maillardet showcased the silkworm at a joint exhibition of automata … Read More → "This 200-year-old jeweled caterpillar crawls using clockwork"
LEGO enthusiast Jeremy Moody made a huge chart that, like a periodic table, features all the different colors LEGO has ever produced…
There are 182 different pieces. And no matter how the LEGO piece looks, if it has a unique color, it’s right there on the chart.
via Gizmodo
According to the organization Colour Blind Awareness, approximately 8% of men and 1 in 200 women are color blind, unable to fully see red, green or blue light.
A researcher in California may have accidentally created glasses to correct the problem:
The glasses were designed as protective eyewear for doctors during surgery. But one day he wore them with a curious friend who happened to be color … Read More → "California researcher accidentally discovered solution for color blindness"
