Study: Productivity and focus soar when working from home
When a Stanford researcher set out to study how productive people could be when working from home, he expected the positives and negatives to offset each other. But he was wrong. Instead, the nearly two-year study showed that workers benefit from an astounding productivity boost when working from Read More...
Why app developers are trying to fix addiction rehab through technology
The US has an opioid crisis, and it’s not going to get any better with the current way we treat opioid addiction. One of the main ideas that rehab is based upon is that unmooring a person from their life is the only way to curb addiction, but there’s little evidence to actually back this claim. Read More...
Brainstorming is flawed. Instead, try this
While brainstorming sounds like a logical way of coming up with new ideas, this method is actually rife with problems, like “social loafing,” coasting on others’ contributions, and social anxiety about having your ideas judged. That can hinder original thinking and stifle introverted team Read More...
How organic wine finally caught on
If you cannot remember the last time you had a glass of organic wine, you are hardly alone. Overall, less than 5 percent of the world’s vineyards are organic. In the United States, the world’s largest consumer of wine, only 1 percent of wine sold by volume was organic. The paltry market for Read More...
Water purification breakthrough can even clean water from the Dead Sea
Despite all our advances, access to clean water is still a major problem – not just for developing nations, but here in the US, where water shortages during natural disasters can cost lives. Scientists have created a cost-effective technology that addresses this problem using hydrogels. Using Read More...
Mobile money is the key to growing Africa’s banking sector
Africa is a global leader in mobile money, with telecom operators embracing innovative practices that allow customers to not only pay bills but also access services including loans, insurance, and Read More...
5 ways to hold on to optimism — and reap health benefits
In these turbulent times, it may be a struggle to maintain a glass half full view of life. A poll just released by the Associated Press on New Year’s Day indicated that most Americans came out of 2016 feeling pretty discouraged. Only 18 percent feel things for the country got better, 33 percent Read More...
The next big thing in marijuana won't get you high
Recently, at the end of a surf trip with several friends, my pal Tim passed me a pipe packed with sticky green buds. I’m not much of a social smoker (more of a one-hitter-before-chores type) so politely declined. Then, he made an odd promise, for a guy brandishing a glass pipe and a lighter: Read More...
You might start seeing mushroom-beef burgers on menus in the near future
Not everyone is so keen on switching from all-beef burgers to a non-meat alternative, such as soy. That’s why there’s a growing movement backed by chefs, scientists, and environmental advocates to replace 100 percent ground beef in some foods with a blend that contains up to half mushrooms. The Read More...
UPS is showing us that mass integration of plug-in electric vehicles is possible
While it’s good news that UPS is switching to an all-electric fleet in London, a switch like that can still provide major headaches for utility companies. Fortunately, UPS is using on-site batteries and smart-grid software to time the recharging of its 170 electric trucks so that it occurs when Read More...