Harvester pulls 1.5 gallons of drinking water from arid air per day

It’s an unfortunate irony that while many regions struggle to find enough water, there’s trillions of liters of the stuff floating around in the air everywhere. A new water harvester design from MIT can pull enough fresh water out of the air to meet th… Continue reading Harvester pulls 1.5 gallons of drinking water from arid air per day

Tough new pineapple leather is 60X stronger than other materials

In a breakthrough for bio-based materials, scientists have made leather from the fibers of discarded pineapple leaves that’s comparable to the real thing and also outperforms other existing plant products. The strong and sustainable material, which com… Continue reading Tough new pineapple leather is 60X stronger than other materials

Lego-like bricks make house construction child’s play

If you ever played with interlocking brick toys as a kid, or even as an adult, you’re instantly qualified to build a house with Plaex blocks, according to the team behind a strong, recycled construction material that appears to have a lot of people rat… Continue reading Lego-like bricks make house construction child’s play

Strong shape-memory adhesive could put Spider-Man to shame

You can stop skulking around labs trying to get bitten by radioactive spiders – a new breakthrough could make it easier than ever to get Spider-Man’s wall-crawling powers. Scientists in Singapore have created a strong and reusable adhesive out of a sha… Continue reading Strong shape-memory adhesive could put Spider-Man to shame

In a world-first, wooden items get 3D-printed out of wood-only ingredients

Scientists have developed a new “ink” that allows objects to be 3D-printed out of wood. The material could reduce the amount of wood that gets wasted in the manufacturing of various products, plus it could utilize existing wood waste that would otherwi… Continue reading In a world-first, wooden items get 3D-printed out of wood-only ingredients

Common bug’s tiny, complex balls bestow UV-blocking superpowers

We humans like to think we’re so clever, but in many cases nature has beaten us to the punch with a better version. The newest example comes from a humble insect that’s probably in your own backyard, which makes nanoscale soccer balls that hide it from… Continue reading Common bug’s tiny, complex balls bestow UV-blocking superpowers

3D-printed titanium lattice is 50% stronger than WE54 aerospace alloy

A new type of 3D-printed lattice structure has surprised researchers with its strength and light weight. It uses two different lattice structures merged together to eliminate the weak points normally found in these complex shapes.Continue ReadingCatego… Continue reading 3D-printed titanium lattice is 50% stronger than WE54 aerospace alloy

Ultrathin, wireless, light-operated pacemaker cuts invasive surgery

Scientists at the University of Chicago have developed a new pacemaker that’s thinner than a human hair, wireless and operated entirely by light from an optic fiber. The non-invasive device could help regulate heart activity or even stimulate neurons i… Continue reading Ultrathin, wireless, light-operated pacemaker cuts invasive surgery

Nuclear SMR welding breakthrough: A year’s work now takes a day

Small Modular Reactor (SMR) construction shifts into high gear, as UK company Sheffield Forgemasters welds a full-size nuclear reactor vessel in under 24 hours instead of the usual 12 months. The rollout of this game-changing tech could be massive.Cont… Continue reading Nuclear SMR welding breakthrough: A year’s work now takes a day