MIT to publish free plans online for a cheap emergency ventilator
Imagine a class project from over a decade ago ended up holding the solution to a global issue? Well that's the case for a class of students from MIT, who are drawing from an old project to solve one of the most pressing shortages facing hospitals today: the lack of ventilators. These machines can Read More...
Algae-based alternatives to plastic are becoming hard to ignore
Biobased materials, particularly in the thorny realm of bioplastics, are a polarizing subject. But for as many systemic kinks that their management lays bare, the slew of potential long-term benefits to swapping out petroleum-based products for plant-based alternatives is hard to ignore. While Read More...
How 3D printing food into certain shapes tricks people into eating less
Armed with a 3D printer filled with some sort of nondescript food paste, a team of MIT engineers is revealing how the shape and arrangement of foods can trick our brains into feeling more or less satisfied after a meal. For instance, your brain may perceive two different arrangements of the same Read More...
Wales will ban single-use plastics starting next year
Amidst the maelstrom of news these past weeks, a few positive stories have slipped under the radar. One such story comes to us from Wales, where the Welsh government unveiled plans to ban single-use plastics in 2021. Under the plans, straws, cotton buds, stirrers, balloon sticks, plates and Read More...
Parents! These 5 free resources will help make homeschooling better
As a parent of a young child, the outbreak of the coronavirus can make life particularly challenging. With schools closed, parents now have kids on their hands round the clock—with an added responsibility of guiding them through virtual school. If this situation sounds familiar and you’re new Read More...
These expert tips will you perfect the art of brainstorming remotely
The beauty of brainstorming is that you can feed off each other’s energy and ideas to spark creativity. But now that many of us are working from home, brainstorming is moving to the virtual realms. And while that may not seem as exciting, there are tips and tools you can use to make virtual Read More...
Agrivoltaics: The mission to combine agriculture with solar farming
Are fields of open, often fertile land better used for producing renewable energy or food? The United States already hosts more than 2 million solar installations, and photovoltaic capacity is projected to more than double over the next five years. Meanwhile, our growing global population means Read More...
Scientists studying COVID-19 say a single vaccine could wipe out virus
The sudden arrival of the coronavirus had scientists scrambling to study and understand the virus as quickly as possible. The good news is their research tells us that when a vaccine for the virus does arrive, it will likely be wiped out for good. That’s because the novel virus, also known as Read More...
Study: A bath a day might keep the heart disease away
If you feel guilty about taking baths on a daily basis, we have some news for you that we’ll change your mind about that. According to a new study, taking regular hot soaks may lower the risk of death from cardiovascular death. For the study, researchers tracked and evaluated a total of 30,076 Read More...
The case for building things out of actual living materials
If we want to build a sustainable future, we may have to revisit what it is we’re actually building things out of. And though the science around the idea is just beginning to emerge, one prime candidate may be using actual living materials like fungus. Or concrete churned out by tiny microbial Read More...