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Latest by D. Furness

green

World’s ‘greenest green’ could make ultra high-definition displays even sharper

Chemical engineers at ETH Zurich have created the world’s greenest green, which may improve color quality in ultra high-definition displays.
slate 2 digitize drawings explorateurs mers web

Digitize your physical drawings in real time with the Slate 2+ from Iskn

French startup Iskn has announced the Slate 2+ at IFA 2017, a device that can digitize physical drawings in real time.
E-skin connected shirt

The ‘e-skin’ connected shirt promises to turn your body into a controller

With this connected shirt, researchers have turned the human body into a controller for virtual, augmented, and mixed reality experiences.
vr scanning technique hbr 3

State-of-the-art scanning technique digitizes humans, sticks them in VR

Scientists at Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute have developed a state-of-the-art scanning technique to digitize a person for VR.
Dodow sleep aid on night table in the dark.

Dodow helps you regulate your breathing to ease you into sleep

With Dodow, French company Livlab claims it can help people fall asleep faster, by tapping into one of the body's natural mechanisms.
DJI Spark best drones under $500

DJI offers hackers up to $30,000 to help find bugs in its drones

The company announced the DJI Threat Identification Reward in a blog post on Monday, with rewards that range from $100 to $30,000.
Forgot PIN Android

Clever illusion helps protect your PIN from 'shoulder surfers'

IllusionPIN helps protect your PIN by muddling the keyboard to appear normal from a distance but randomized when seen closer up.
lab grown meat investment mm5

Bill Gates and Richard Branson make a beefy investment in lab-grown meat

Memphis Meats announces $17 million investment in its lab-grown meat from business leaders like Bill Gates and Richard Branson.
photosynthesis

These cyborg bacteria take photosynthesis to the next level

Scientists have created cyborg bacteria coated in microscopic, ultra-efficient solar panels that turn them into photosynthetic organisms.
Stick-on patch monitors vitals, wirelessly transmits data to smartphone

Stick-on patch monitors vitals, wirelessly transmits data to smartphone

The stick-on patch could help doctors and patients wirelessly track biometrics, with results sent directly to a smartphone.
eclipse musical composition moon

Ambient music made with eclipse data is out of this world

Researchers devised a way to experience the eclipse with sound, using eclipse data to create a musical composition.
lab animals

Zooculus rift — lab animals get their own virtual reality system

FreemoVR monitors the movements of common lab animals like mice, zebrafish, and fruit flies, and projects environments onto a screen.
surveillance tool hacked smart devices wr 8 24 17 7

Hacked smart devices double as surveillance tools, new research finds

Hackers can turn smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs into surveillance tools by hacking the devices and accessing their microphones.
The International Space Station.

Part of a disembodied lung just arrived at the International Space Station

ISS astronauts will attempt to grow a lung, which researchers will use to study how lung tissue is affected by longterm spaceflight
counterfeit

Machine-learning scanner keeps counterfeit products off the shelves

A new machine learning system developed can distinguish genuine and counterfeit products by analyzing microscopic characteristics.
science jargon

New tool helps scientists cut the jargon, communicate more clearly

The free online tool helps scientists tone down their use of jargon to communicate science more clearly to the general public.
nasa

NASA enters virtual and augmented realities with new pilot projects

NASA is exploring ways to apply virtual and augmented realities for scientists and engineers, from designing spacecraft to interpreting data.
mutant ants

Genetically altered ants let scientists sniff out role of smell in the colony

Mutant ants have been engineered by scientists from two separate universities and luckily they’re not poised to take over the world.
microbot

Newly developed microbots can capture and transport individual cells

By converting magnetic energy from their environment into movement, these microbots can capture and transport single cells.
venus rover

NASA considers Strandbeest design for the next Venus rover

NASA is investigating ways to keep a Venus rover functioning in the planet's formidable atmosphere, one of which removes all electronics.
sun-like star

With exoplanet discovery, our nearest sun-like star just got more interesting

Four Earth-sized planets orbit our nearest Sun-like star, Tau Ceti, two of which are potentially habitable.
bioactive material

Scientists blend organs, add strong soap, and create new bioactive material

The bioactive material may be used in to more effectively heal wounds or boost hormone production in young cancer patients.
emojis

MIT algorithm learns to understand emotions and sarcasm through emojis

Researchers at MIT have developed an artificial intelligence system that understands emotion and sarcasm after being trained on emojis.
skin cells

Regenerative medicine method turns skin cells into any other cell type

A new device transforms skin cells into practically any other cell type, to repair and restore injured or aging tissue in the body.
faulty robots

Human prefer faulty robots to flawless ones — but why?

A new study suggests that people prefer faulty robots over flawless ones, even when they’re intended to be functional.
heliograf

Algorithms guide robot design toward telescope-like structures

The robot design algorithms take suggested shapes and convert them into complex shapes that can twist, turn, and pack into itself.
cicada wings

Water-repellent cicada wings inspire creation of next-gen materials

Engineers at the University of Illinois want to uncover the secrets of cicada wings to design water-proof surfaces.
smart underwear back pain smartunderwe

Can smart underwear could save you from debilitating back pain?

Engineers at Vanderbilt University have developed a pair of smart underwear, which they say can limit back pain and strain.
perfect selfie

Smartphone app promises to guide you to the perfect selfie

A team of computer scientists have created an algorithm and a smartphone app that guides users to the perfect selfie.
twitter

Cambridge study finds that celebrity Twitter accounts act like bots

A new study out of the University of Cambridge finds that celebrity Twitter display bot-like behavior, particularly in tweet volume.
proxima b atmosphere artists impression of the planet orbiting centauri 3 720x480 c

Aw, shucks! Promising exoplanet, Proxima b, can't keep an Earth-like atmosphere

The Proxima b planet probably wouldn’t be able to maintain an Earth-like atmosphere, and that means life as we know it would be impossible.
plastic girls korea screenshot 21

In South Korea, ‘Plastic Girls’ lure customers into convenience stores

The mannequins appear as innocent as inflatable air dancers but, as Plastic Girls progresses, their presence is made to appear less benign.
robocup 2017 robo

Japan's RoboCup 2017 sees soccer robots compete to beat humans in 2050

With the goal of developing humanoid robots to someday compete against actual humans, RoboCup 2017 in Japan has a long road ahead.
eclipse

Balloon release during eclipse will examine potential for life on Mars

By sending bacteria to the upper part of Earth's stratosphere, scientists will be able to test what a Mars-like environment does to life.