Communication is a fundamental building block for living creatures to form connections within their communities, and some of that communication is obvious: dogs bark, birds chirp, lions roar, and humans speak. Some animals, however, including turtles, have long been assumed to be silent — until now. A recent study authored by Gabriel Jorgewich-Cohen at the […]
From burdock burrs and Velcro to shark skin and airplane coatings, nature has inspired some of the world’s most interesting innovations. Now, an industrial designer has created a 3D-printed clay humidifier that absorbs and evaporates water without electricity, just like trees. Jiaming Liu crafted the eco-friendly Print Clay Humidifier as his master’s graduation project at
This 3D-Printed Clay Humidifier Works Without Electricity: Inside the Design Continue Reading »
Many people don’t think about their clothing being anything more than a fashion statement, uniform, or necessity — but the clothes you put on could one day power up some popular handheld products. Researchers at Nottingham Trent University have created a new type of fabric that can charge simple electronic devices via solar energy: an
Tiny Solar Panels Embedded in Clothing Can Charge a Phone or Smartwatch  Continue Reading »
Listening to the chirps and trills of birds can decrease anxiety and paranoia, according to a new study out of Germany. The study, published October 13, tested the effects of traffic noise and birdsong on 295 randomly selected participants, who listened to a few minutes of typical city traffic noise and bird choruses at low
Chirps and Trills: Birdsong Can Help Reduce Anxiety and Paranoia, Study Shows Continue Reading »
A team at Yale University took inspiration from turtles and tortoises to develop an innovative amphibious robot that can walk on land and swim — and could potentially help researchers monitor ocean ecosystems. Called ART, or Amphibious Robotic Turtle, it’s a shape-shifting robot with legs that can morph into flippers once introduced to water, a
Meet ART: The Amphibious Robotic Turtle With Limbs That Morph Into Flippers Continue Reading »
Berlin, Germany, is transforming a disused airport into an über-modern, green metropolis. After the Tegel international airport saw its final plane take off in 2020, the 1,235-acre site sat unoccupied, and air traffic transferred over to the newer and nearby Berlin Brandenburg Airport. But the space wouldn’t be abandoned for long. By 2021, plans for
Eggs have been a healthy breakfast staple for thousands of years. Even the Aztec emperor Montezuma is said to have eaten them with his morning summer meals, according to the BBC — though his weren’t from a chicken, but an insect, the Axayácatl fly. Ahuautle, also known as “Mexican caviar,” was considered a food of
How Mexico’s Locals Are Trying to Save Its Historic “Mexican Caviar” Continue Reading »
Scientists estimate there are at least 14 million metric tons of microplastics on the ocean floor, but these pollutants are everywhere — from the snow on Mount Everest to the bodies of honeybees. Due to their minuscule size, microplastics can also easily infiltrate the human body, and traces have been found in breast milk, blood,
Nonprofit Makes Whirlpools to Remove Microplastics From Water Supply Continue Reading »
Using the wind as a means of harnessing energy is not a newfound concept — turbines have been cropping up for decades now, and wind generates nearly 10% of U.S. electricity. But scientists at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University have developed an innovative new technology that can harness energy from the gentlest of breezes. At just
Laurent Ballesta has been exploring and documenting the underwater world for decades. Born and based in France, he’s the author of 13 books, a marine biologist, and a filmmaker, to name just a few of his titles. This week, he took home the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year portfolio prize for a
