US Army-funded research results in self-propelled materials

Inspired by the way plants like Venus flytraps can snap closed and reset themselves, scientists have developed new materials that alter their shape in the blink of the eye as a way of propelling themselves forward, powered only by their own energy and … Continue reading US Army-funded research results in self-propelled materials

High-tech material used to create a thin, flat fisheye lens

Ultra wide-angle fisheye lenses are typically thick, bulbous contraptions, that can’t easily be incorporated into devices such as smartphones. That could be about to change, though, as engineers have now created one that’s completely flat.Continue Read… Continue reading High-tech material used to create a thin, flat fisheye lens

High-tech mask tracks sleeping wearers’ eye movements

When tracking a sleeping person’s eye movements, you typically have to stick hard-wired electrodes onto their face. Soon, however, an unobtrusive flexible mask could do the job – while also measuring their heart rate.Continue ReadingCategory: Health &a… Continue reading High-tech mask tracks sleeping wearers’ eye movements

Fire-retardant, insect-repelling fabric developed for US Army uniforms

The US Army has put the call out for new homegrown uniforms that are not only fire retardant but also insect repellent, and a team led by Dr. Ramaswamy Nagarajan at the University of Massachusetts Lowell Center for Advanced Material has answered with a… Continue reading Fire-retardant, insect-repelling fabric developed for US Army uniforms

Common food additive found to disrupt gut bacteria, cause inflammation

New research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst is adding weight to a growing body of evidence suggesting the food additive titanium dioxide, also known as E171, can disrupt the gut microbiome, leading to colonic inflammation.Continue Reading… Continue reading Common food additive found to disrupt gut bacteria, cause inflammation

Study shows nanoplastics can build up in plants and stunt their growth

Such is the magnitude of our plastic pollution problem that tiny particles of the stuff continue to turn up in all kinds of unexpected places, from snowfall in the Arctic to the sea ice in the Antarctic. That tiny fragments also exist in the soil is pe… Continue reading Study shows nanoplastics can build up in plants and stunt their growth

Escobar’s hippos and how introduced species could help rewild a lost world

Introduced species are generally seen as a negative for the ecological destruction they cause to native habitats, but could there be a silver lining in some cases? A new study suggest that in fact there could be, after a global analysis of introduced h… Continue reading Escobar’s hippos and how introduced species could help rewild a lost world

Air-gen tech harvests humidity to generate electricity

We’ve already heard about so-called “fog harps” that use thin wires to collect airborne water droplets, providing drinking water even in arid regions. Well, an experimental new device also uses wires to capture water vapor, although it proceeds to gene… Continue reading Air-gen tech harvests humidity to generate electricity

Melting icebergs could play significant role in slowing down warming

The melting of Antarctic ice sheets is one of the most visceral consequences of climate change, but the full extent of their impact on the cycle remains mostly unknown. Now, researchers from the US and South Korea have run climate simulations… Continue reading Melting icebergs could play significant role in slowing down warming