by Harumi OZAWA Agence France-Presse JAPAN (AFP) — Most people look for a place to hide when a typhoon is on the horizon, but Atsushi Shimizu hopes that the fury of nature may one day help resource-poor Japan tackle its energy woes. As thousands of Australians seek shelter from a “monster” cyclone battering the country’s northern coast, the Tokyo-based engineer believes that his bladeless wind turbine can not only stand up to the raw force […]
Tag: technology
Weaning off oil, Scottish islands eye renewable future
Strong winds and stormy seas have helped turn the Shetland Islands in the North Atlantic into a European renewable energy giant. https://youtu.be/YHexh3FdMqY
Oil-soaking sponge could help clean up serious spills
(Reuters) — The Oleo Sponge can soak up oil in water super quick. It could one day help clean up major spills like the one at Deepwater Horizon seven years ago. Developed at Argonne National Laboratory, it’s made of a polyurethane foam like that used in mattresses. The foam’s interior surfaces are covered with oleophilic, or oil-attracted, molecules that draw oil from the water. The material can be wrung out in order to be reused. […]
Desert X exhibition reflects earth, sky, state of world
by Veronique DUPONT LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — A house clad in mirrors pops out of the California desert. It blends into the landscape, reflecting a kaleidoscope of the urban grid and arid valley of Palm Springs — to the delight of photographers and selfie-seekers. This is Doug Aitken’s “Mirage,” one of the showstoppers of Desert X, an exhibition of 16 site-specific monumental works by international artists that spans southern California’s Coachella Valley. The […]
Duterte in Thailand: Bilateral agreements on agriculture, science and technology and tourism signed
The Philippines and Thailand have agreed to strengthen their collaboration in several fields including agriculture, science and technology, and tourism. President Rodrigo Duterte and Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-O-Cha witnessed the signing of documents between their two countries at the Santi Maitri Building, Government House in Bangkok on Tuesday, March 21. The signing ceremony is for the following documents: Agreement between the DOST of the republic of the Philippines and Kingdom of Thailand for cooperation in the […]
Scientists spin artificial spider silk
(Reuters) — A team of Swedish researchers from the University of Agricultural Sciences and the Karolinska Institute has discovered a way to artificially create one of the strongest, most tensile natural substances known to man – spider silk. Stronger than steel, weight for weight, spider silk also possesses properties which make it ideal for a wide variety of medical uses, but previous attempts to use captive spiders or to make it artificially have not produced […]
Take a look! The digital age and the effects of digital devices on the brain
Today’s teens are digital natives— a generation of children that has grown up with video games, computers, touch-screen tablets, mobile phones and virtual reality. Even if their brains have adapted to this ultra-high-tech environment, they might still find it harder to resist impulsive behavior and to engage in free and independent thinking because of these digital devices. https://youtu.be/hgYbQJm9dSM
Common gene explains why some people’s brains age faster
MIAMI, United States (AFP) — A common gene variant has been discovered in about one-third of the population that may explain why some people’s brains age faster than others, United States researchers said Wednesday. The gene, known as TMEM106B, accelerates normal brain aging in older people by up to 12 years, said the report in the journal Cell Systems. The gene generally starts to affect people around 65, particularly in the frontal cortex, which is responsible for higher […]
Chimney mounted anti-pollution device for Poles
GLIWICE, Poland (Reuters) — Engineers from the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice are testing a cost-effective electrostatic precipitator for households which use coal or other polluting fuels for heating. The system developed by the scientists can be mounted directly onto the chimney of a house or apartment building and uses electrostatic charges to stop dust particles. Dust carrying pollutants are deposited on the precipitator walls and does not escape alongside the smoke into the […]
Renewable energy storage gets boost from Namibian meteorite
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND (Reuters) — Prehistoric meteorite fragments found in Namibia could be the ideal natural catalyst to store energy from renewable sources, according to a team of Swiss scientists. Pieces of the Gibeon meteorite are found over 20,000 square kilometres (7722 square miles) in the southern African nation and have a total mass of more than 21 tonnes. Scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) found that it is the composition […]
VW chief seeks to regain trust after ‘Dieselgate’
by Estelle PEARD Agence France-Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Volkswagen is on track for dealing with the recall of cars involved in the “Dieselgate” emissions scandal but, longer-term, needs to regain the trust of its customers, its chief executive Matthias Mueller said Tuesday. His comments came as the EU and European consumer protection agencies hiked pressure on VW to fully compensate European clients over the affair. The Dieselgate scandal erupted in September 2015 when VW […]
Pendant device turns your voice into text
LVIV, Ukraine (Reuters) — A new Kickstarter funded jewellery-based device makes it possible to convert your ideas into text. Senstone was devised by a team of programmers in the Ukrainian cities of Lviv and Kiev and transforms the user’s voice into notes stored on their phone or tablet. A small pendant with a diameter of 3 centimetres, the Senstone records the user’s voice and modifies it into printed texts sorted by topics created by the […]





