What are the cars of the future, and what impact could they have on public health? Drivers around Silicon Valley have glanced out their car window to see the vehicle cruising alongside them has no one in the driver’s seat. Tech companies in California have been testing their new self-driving vehicles, and similar experiments are […]
technology
Poorer People Get Little Benefit from Digital Activity Trackers
Devices that nudge the rich and middle class to exercise don’t offer same boost to those with lower incomes. Technologies like smartwatches, mobile apps and websites have been touted as an accessible and effective way for people to monitor and increase their physical activity and improve their health. But a new analysis has found that […]
Refrigeration Research Seeks to Ditch Toxic, Polluting Gases
So-called plastic crystals could open new avenues in the quest to make refrigerators with only solid components. Refrigeration has been around for about 100 years, but hasn’t changed much in that time. A time traveller from the early 1900s would still recognize the big box full of chilled food in your kitchen. But soon, researchers […]
The microscope makers
A small community of scientists has taken a do-it-yourself approach to microscopy: when the right tool for the job doesn’t exist, make it. While pursuing a bioengineering PhD at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Wesley Legant ran into a frustrating roadblock: he had ideas, but the equipment to carry them out didn’t yet exist. […]
How Space Technology Will Produce the Best Weed Ever
Mike Dixon wants to send plants to Mars. Growing crops in space is the best way to provide proper nutrition to the crew on a long-duration mission, this University of Guelph researcher believes—but because there’s no manned mission to Mars scheduled at the moment, it’s hard to get funding for this type of research. In […]
Fitbit for Cows
Wearable tech could help cowboys spot sick animals sooner. Wearable fitness monitors are all the rage among humans right now, but they are also spreading among farm animals. Researchers hope the devices can help keep herds of beef cows healthy. Karin Orsel, a veterinary epidemiologist at the University of Calgary in Canada is testing how […]
Development Of Airplanes Is Like Biological Evolution, Engineer Says
Airplanes and birds may have followed similar pattern to increase efficiency. The development of passenger aircraft over the past century mirrors the evolution of flying animals, and shows that evolution is not just a biological phenomenon, according to a paper published today in the Journal of Applied Physics. Adrian Bejan, a mechanical engineer at Duke University […]