World’s first 3D-printed school tackles classroom shortages in Africa

Through pioneering projects in Mexico, China, Texas and elsewhere, we’re starting to see how 3D printing can make building construction a whole lot more cost effective. An affordable housing venture in Africa named 14Trees has now leveraged the technol… Continue reading World’s first 3D-printed school tackles classroom shortages in Africa

Mixed up membrane desalinates water with 99.99 percent efficiency

That ancient mariner was onto something when he said “water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink” – the vast majority of water on Earth is undrinkable. Desalination could be a vital technology to meet the world’s drinking water needs, and now Korea… Continue reading Mixed up membrane desalinates water with 99.99 percent efficiency

Injured cancer cells eat their own membranes to survive and spread

Cancer uses all kinds of cunning trickery to thrive in the human body, and scientists in Denmark have just uncovered a new one that tells a familiar but interesting tale of survival. The researchers have found that cancer cells use a technique seen in … Continue reading Injured cancer cells eat their own membranes to survive and spread

Landmark study shows one dose of psilocybin induces new neural connections

An extraordinary new study from a team of scientists at Yale University is reporting the first direct cellular demonstration of a single psilocybin dose inducing neural plasticity in a mammalian brain. The researchers show how the psychedelic prompts r… Continue reading Landmark study shows one dose of psilocybin induces new neural connections

Magnetism, not cataclysm may be the cause of Mercury’s giant iron core

Mercury’s disproportionately massive core may be the result of the Sun’s powerful magnetic influence rather than the consequence of a cataclysmic collision with another body in the ancient past, according to the results of a new study.Continue ReadingC… Continue reading Magnetism, not cataclysm may be the cause of Mercury’s giant iron core

Grass could find use as a template for more appealing lab-grown meat

While lab-grown meat does show promise as a more ethical and sustainable alternative to its traditional counterpart, its texture currently isn’t very life-like and therefore not all that appetizing. There may be new hope on the horizon, though, in the … Continue reading Grass could find use as a template for more appealing lab-grown meat

“Hearing contact lens” claimed to outperform regular hearing aids

In most hearing aids, sounds emitted by a tiny speaker are directed down the ear canal. The “alpha” hearing aid is different, however – and reportedly better – in that its speaker actually sits directly against the wearer’s eardrum.Continue ReadingCate… Continue reading “Hearing contact lens” claimed to outperform regular hearing aids

Lithium strips take next-gen battery into record-breaking territory

One particularly promising architecture for next-generation batteries uses pure lithium-metal, a material with excellent energy density that could see electric vehicles travel many times farther on each charge. A research group in the US has taken a si… Continue reading Lithium strips take next-gen battery into record-breaking territory

New beetle species discovered perfectly preserved in fossilized feces

Amber is one of the best materials for preserving insects and small creatures, and it’s beautiful to boot. But now it might have some competition (in the preservation field, anyway) – fossilized feces. A hapless beetle has become the first species to h… Continue reading New beetle species discovered perfectly preserved in fossilized feces

Scientists create mouse embryo with a beating heart from stem cells

An extraordinary new study has detailed the development of a nearly complete mouse embryo – with muscles, blood vessels and a tiny beating heart – grown in a lab dish out of stem cells. The research presents the most sophisticated “embryo in a dish” cr… Continue reading Scientists create mouse embryo with a beating heart from stem cells