Scientists complete the first successful transplant of lab-grown lungs
For the first time ever, lab-grown lungs have been successfully transplanted into pigs, allowing them to breathe normally with no medical complications. The achievement opens up the possibility of using similarly bioengineered lungs for humans in need of a lung transplant.
How self-driving car tech could help forensic scientists find murder victims
Using lidar, the tech which helps self-driving cars figure out the world around them, could also be used to find bodies buried in unmarked graves. Sound like something out of an episode of CSI? It's actually a new piece of real research from Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Mammoth undertaking: Company to 3D print a full-size skeleton of elephant ancestor
A Belgian 3D-printing company, Materialise, is putting its additive manufacturing skills to the test by helping to create a life-size replica of a mammoth skeleton for public display later this year. Here's how they carried out their, err, mammoth feat. No pun intended.
You know that brain-training app you downloaded? It’s probably worthless
The idea of brain-training apps which improve your mental abilities by making you play games sounds almost too good to be true. Sadly, according to a recent study by neuroscientists at Canada’s Western University, it is. Here's what their recent experiment demonstrated.
Futuristic chopsticks simulate flavor by zapping your tongue with electrodes
Do you want to cut down on salt in your diet? This prototype pair of chopsticks and Miso soup bowl is able add flavor to your food through the use of tongue-zapping electrodes. It's just the latest in a long line of crazy culinary experiments for their innovative creator.
No, terraforming Mars isn’t going to be possible in your lifetime
Colonizing Mars would certainly be a whole lot easier if the planet’s atmosphere was somehow made more like Earth’s. Sadly, the idea of terraforming the Red Planet is going to remain next to impossible for the foreseeable future, as a new research paper argues. Here's why.
Judgmental A.I. mirror rates how trustworthy you are based on your looks
Would you be freaked out if a facial recognition mirror started making judgments about your age, gender, race, attractiveness, and even trustworthiness? Get ready to meet the Biometric Mirror, a project created by researchers to show the dangers of biased artificial intelligence.
Oddball is the innovative, sensor-filled drum machine you can bounce
Newly launched on Kickstarter, Oddball is essentially a throwable drum machine. A sensor-filled ball which uses pressure sensors and accelerometers to work out when it hits a surface, it can use these impacts to trigger sounds of your choosing. Talk about a unique way to build beats!
Move over, Shakespeare: This sonnet-writing A.I. is the poet we need
'Shall I compare thee to the Singularity?' Researchers at IBM Research Australia have created an artificial intelligence that's capable of generating new Shakespearean sonnets. Trained on around 2,600 real sonnets, it could even threaten to put the Bard out of business.
This tale ends happily, with a new 3D-printed tail for a 7-foot-long alligator
Researchers from Midwestern University in Arizona recently helped dramatically improve the life of an injured alligator -- by using cutting-edge 3D scanning and 3D printing technology to create a new tail prosthesis for him. They believe his original was probably lost in a fight.
Move over, Spider-Man! Spider silk can be used to build armor and repair nerves
Picture the kind of next-gen materials that get scientists excited, and chances are that spider silk isn’t near the top of the list. In fact, the unusual mechanical qualities of spider silk makes it extremely versatile. Here are the most interesting research projects it's being used in.
Brain-controlled third arm lets you take your multitasking to the next level
Researchers from the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute in Kyoto, Japan have created a brain-computer interface that lets users control a robotic third arm in order to take their multitasking to the next level. You can call it the ultimate productivity hack!
This myth-inspired, karate-chopping centaur robot could save your life one day
Taking inspiration from the half horse, half man centaur of Greek mythology, Centauro is a robot that boasts an anthropomorphic upper body and a four-legged base. It may sound and look unusual, but this innovative robot could very well one day save your life. Here's how.
Facial recognition can help would-be moms find an egg donor who looks like them
When would-be parents consider an egg donor, one of the common questions they ask is, 'Will my child look like me?' A pioneering egg bank in Spain has a high-tech answer to the conundrum -- and it involves using facial recognition to match up patients to similar-looking donors.
Amazing future transports promise to supercharge our commutes
You can keep your Teslas, your McLarens, and your Aston Martins. Here in 2018, the ambition, scale, and adrenalin-pumping excitement of the most cutting-edge transport options put most contemporary tech to shame. Here are six of the amazing modes of transportation we have to look forward to.
6 amazing examples of game-changing technology for the blind community
In the United States there are roughly 8.4 million people who are either blind or have some other visual impairment. In the entire world, that figure increases to 253 million. Here are six amazing examples of pieces of potentially game-changing technology that is designed to help them.
Tuberculosis is a killer, but scientists are fighting back with nanobots
Researchers at Brock University in Ontario, Canada have developed microscopic nanobots capable of determining whether a blood sample contains the mutated bacteria for deadly, drug-resistant tuberculosis. Here's why it could prove to be a game-changer in the developing world.
New crime-predicting algorithm borrows from Apollo space mission tech
Researchers from Georgia Tech and the U.K. have developed a new predictive policing algorithm -- and it owes a debt of gratitude to technology that’s been previously used in weather forecasting and even the Apollo space missions. Here's how it could help crack down on crime.
Astrobiologists think the moon might have hosted simple life-forms long ago
Colonization of the Moon has been a long-time dream of science fiction writers but, if it ever actually happens, we may not be the first life-forms to live there. At least, that’s the theory laid out by researchers from Washington State University and the University of London.
This DIY wearable lets you see the world like a dolphin does
As one of its most notable applications, Lidar technology is most commonly associated with self-driving cars. Engineer Andrew Thaler had a different use-case in mind, however: Creating a Lidar-powered wearable device that lets you experience life the way a dolphin would.
Gene editing can reverse balding and wrinkling in mice — and maybe humans, too
Scientists from the University of Alabama at Birmingham have found a way to reverse wrinkled skin and hair loss in a mouse. The research could one day be used to halt some of the signs of aging in human beings -- or to restore the hair of people undergoing chemotherapy.
Zapping your brain while you sleep could actually improve your memory
Scientists with the Society for Neuroscience have demonstrated a noninvasive overnight brain stimulation technique that could turn out to enhance people's memories to improve their performance at certain tasks. Best of all? It won't even disturb your sleep! Here's how it works.
You can now buy a real-life Iron Man-style jetsuit … for the price of a house
Ever wanted to soar through the air in an Iron Man-style suit like a real-life superhero? Do you have the financial resources of a real-life Tony Stark to go along with it? If so, you might want to get your life savings together to buy one of this British inventor's amazing jet-suits.
Remember the Y2K scare? Japan is facing a similar date-related tech crisis
Remember the Y2K bug which scared us all witless in the buildup to the year 2000? Jump forward 18 years, and Japan has its own impending Millenium bug-style problem -- and it’s threatening to hit systems in April next year when the current emperor of Japan departs the post.
Feast your eyes on the world’s most detailed image of a fruit fly brain
Using a technique known as high-speed electron microscopy, scientists from Howard Hughes Medical Institute have carried out the most detailed fruit fly brain imaging in history -- and the results are both impressive and pretty darn fascinating. Here's what it taught them.
NASA’s invention of the year award goes to … space lube?
NASA handed out its award for the 2018 Government and Commercial Invention of the Year, and the winner is … space lube. While that might sound like a small fry for a company which once put mankind on the moon, it's actually pretty darn impressive stuff. Here's why.
A new discovery could make next-gen deodorants way more effective
Wish that deodorant was a bit more effective, if only to protect your nostrils during rush hour? Scientists in two universities in the U.K have taken an important step in eradicating body odor by isolating the species of bacteria which causes the most foul-smelling compounds.
New study suggests CRISPR gene editing might have unforeseen side effects
CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing sounds almost too good to be true. According to researchers from the U.K.'s Wellcome Sanger Institute, it may turn out to be exactly that. With the potential risk of genetic typos as a result of gene editing, here is what they're concerned about.
Meet the gigantic machine that eats land mines for breakfast
Developed under the watch of anti-landmine group the HALO Trust, this mine-munching tank of a machine weighs 30 tons and is capable of chewing through landmine-infested soil at an unimaginable rate. Thanks to this machine, we could have a landmine free world within decades.
From robot insects to human-sniffing sensors, this rescue tech could save lives
Technology like inflatable vine robots and skin-sniffing smart sensors sound interesting, but could they actually save a person's life in a potential disaster zone? That's the hope of their creators, who believe this technology could play a valuable role in future search and rescue missions.
DARPA’s latest endeavor is a tiny robotics challenge called the SHRIMP Olympics
DARPA is seeking proposals for tiny robots, weighing less than a gram and smaller than one cubic centimeter, to compete against one another in a 'series of Olympic-themed competitions.' The hope is to develop new robots which can be used in emergency search and rescue missions.
Prototype ‘smart bandage’ can detect infections and auto-apply antibiotics
Researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have developed a new, sensor-equipped smart bandage that's not just capable of checking whether a wound is infected, but also proactively treating it with antibiotics if it deems this to be the case. Here's how it works.
Prisons are fighting back against contraband-dropping drones. Here’s how
The threat of people smuggling contraband into prisons via drone is a genuine threat here in 2018. To defend against this misuse of unmanned aerial vehicles, prison technologies company Securus Technologies has created a new smart drone detection system, called AirWarden.
Geologists discover a quadrillion tons of diamonds that are impossible to reach
A journey below Earth's crust. A global team of scientists. And a bounty of a quadrillion ton of diamonds, which are darn near impossible to reach. No, it’s not Dwayne Johnson’s next summer blockbuster, but a real geology discovery by researchers at MIT and other universities.