Technology
There has been no era like ours for the rapid development of technology. Stay updated on the hottest trends and advancements from all over the world.
Aerial firefighting at night is now possible with new high-altitude drop system
Since 1953, firefighters have been battling flames by flying planes low to the ground and dropping liquids or foams that can suppress fires. When we say low, we mean at between 100 and 120 ft (30 and 36 m). Such basement floor flying is extremely dangerous, but it's necessary because if the liquid Read More...
Amsterdam has a clever solution for reducing plastic in its canals: air bubbles
The canals which intersect Amsterdam are a famous addition to the city, but they also collect a lot of trash. When it comes to keeping these waterways clean, one solution is incredibly simple: air bubbles. Westerdok canal in Amsterdam is piloting new technology dubbed the Great Bubble Barrier. Read More...
Google just published the largest ever high-res map of brain connectivity
For all the incredible discoveries that humans have made about our world, we still know relatively little about the way brains work. But thanks to new digital technologies, we’re getting closer to understanding how the brain really functions. In that light, Google made a big announcement this Read More...
Could your fitness tracker predict flu outbreaks? New research says yes.
Modern day fitness trackers, popularized by FitBit and AppleWatch, can track workouts, sleep habits, heart rate, and even calories burned during a workout. Now, researchers are saying they could even be used to predict flu outbreaks. A new study published in the Lancet looked at data from Read More...
How AI technology is being used to crack down on illegal online drug sales
In the age of the internet, online drug sales are a major factor in the opioid crisis which kills 130 Americans every day. Now, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is using artificial intelligence to crack down on online drug trafficking. As you can imagine, this system is more complex Read More...
Rooftop ‘hydropanels’ generate clean drinking water out of thin air
Globally, around 2.1 billion people don’t have clean drinking water at home, either because water infrastructure doesn’t exist or because the water flowing through pipes is contaminated. Enter Zero Mass Water, an Arizona-based startup aiming to become part of the solution of tackling the Read More...
This startup is restoring charred forests using tree-planting drones
Forest fires can occur naturally, cleaning away excess undergrowth and making way for new trees to take root. But circumstances like climate change and forest monocultures are exacerbating the problem. And while "acres burned" makes headlines, "acres replanted" struggles to keep up. The arduous Read More...
Deaf people can now summon on-demand ASL interpreters thanks to this app
For someone who is deaf, communicating with a clerk at a retail store or non-ASL-speaking friend over dinner often involves laboriously writing notes. An app called Jeenie offers an alternative: Push a button, and a live ASL interpreter appears in a video call. The app previously offered live Read More...
A 4-person family could save 20,000 gallons of water annually with this recycler
With concerns over water scarcity on the rise, companies are increasingly looking to give people ways to reduce their water consumption. For Hydraloop founder and CEO Arthur Valkieser, the answer was clear: Build a device that gives homeowners and building developers a way to sterilize and reuse Read More...
IBM has developed a sustainable successor to the dirty lithium-ion battery
Yesterday we published a story (emissary section) about a new lithium-sulfur battery that has a capacity five times higher than that of lithium-ion batteries, which means it can keep a phone charged for five days. Today, we bring you another major advancement in batteries: a battery-free of cobalt, Read More...