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Latest by Luke Dormehl

archaeology scanpyramid mission

Today’s archaeologists are putting down shovels and turning to tech

Archaeology may be focused on the past, but that doesn't mean it can't look to the future as well. Here's how archaeologists are using tech.
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With CRISPR, geneticists have a powerful new weapon in the battle against ALS

Researchers have been able to disable the defective gene that triggers ALS in mice. Could human treatment be next?
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Real-time electricity map shows the sources of the energy you use

Wonder where your electricity comes from, and how much CO2 is emitted in order to get it to your plug? This real-time map will help.
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Bad habits? This tech predicts impulsive behavior, zaps your brain to stop it

Impulsive behavior? Researchers at Stanford have come up with a solution -- and it's a jolt of targeted electricity to the brain.
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Pitta is a palm-sized drone that moonlights as an action cam and security system

Is it a camera drone? Is it a GoPro-style action cam? Thanks to a clever modular design, the Pitta manages to be both -- and a bit more.
Graphene body armor

Graphene’s next trick? Creating foil-thin body armor that’s harder than diamonds

Researchers have demonstrated that graphene could be used to create lightweight body armor that is as light as foil, but strong as diamonds.
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Innovative robotic harness helps Parkinson’s patients battle mobility issues

Researchers at Columbia have developed a smart robotic harness that can help train people with Parkinson's disease to improve their balance.
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Hijacked sperm in magnetic harnesses could be the next weapon in war on cancer

An unorthodox cancer treatment involves hijacking sperm with magnets, and then using them as guided drug-delivery vehicles. Yes, really!
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New 3D printer will combine all your medications in one personalized pill

AutoCompounder 3D printer can print custom pharmaceutical pills in a third of the time it would take a pharmacist to fill a capsule by hand.
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‘Star Wars’ fan’s crazy RC version of Kylo Ren’s TIE Silencer takes to the skies

This engineer just created an awesome tribute to Star Wars: The Last Jedi in the form of a drone version of Kylo Ren’s new TIE Silencer.
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Eat our dust, Elon Musk. Virgin’s Hyperloop One sets crazy new speed record

Virgin’s Hyperloop One has set a new speed record for its high-speed hyperloop system, achieving speeds of 240 miles per hour.
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Zach Braff reprises his ‘Scrubs’ character to read a script written by an A.I.

What would it take to get actor Zach Braff to revive his lovable Scrubs character J.D.? The perfect script … written by an A.I., apparently.
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Ingenious wound-scanning tool makes infectious bacteria glow in the dark

The MolecuLight i:X is a handheld imaging tool which can help spot harmful bacteria in wounds by causing it to glow in the dark.
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Japanese startup lands $90 million to put a billboard on the moon

Japanese space startup iSpace just received $90 million of venture funding to help it pursue its goal of creating a billboard on the moon.
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New microscope uses A.I. smarts to diagnose deadly blood infections

Researchers have developed a microscope that uses machine learning to diagnose potentially deadly blood infections, potentially saving lives.
worlds tiniest cellphone kickstarter zanco tiny t1

No, those aren’t giant hands — the Tiny T1 is the world’s smallest mobile phone

Remember when we all used to carry around unnecessarily tiny mobile phones? A brand-new tiny phone will help you relive those days.
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Eat your heart out, ‘Avatar’ fans: MIT just figured out how to make plants glow

By embedding nanoparticles into the leaves of a watercress plant, MIT scientists have managed to make a plant glow in the dark.
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A creepy robot head completes university course in the philosophy of love

Philosophy students at Notre Dame de Namur University recently shared their classroom with learning robot Bina48. Here's what happened.
Radius - wide field mosquito repeller

Radius is a smart device that acts like a force field for mosquitoes

Radius is a new Kickstarter smart device that promises to act like a force field against mosquitoes. No bug spray necessary!
phone security photo sensor smartphone authentication

Like a bullet to a gun, scientists can match a photo to the phone that took it

Like a bullet to a gun, scientists can match a photo to the phone that took it. It could lead to a new way to enhance security.
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Tick fossil found. Dinosaur traces inside. Theme park doubtful

Scientists have proven that ticks once fed on dinosaur blood, thanks to a 99-million-year-old piece of fossilized amber. No dino DNA, though.
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Hate needles? Poke-free injector blasts drugs into your body at Mach 0.7

No one liked injections. A spinoff startup from MIT is here to help -- via smart injection technology able to inject drugs minus the needles.
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A.I. reads the Harry Potter series, then writes some absurd fan fiction

A new predictive text generation artificial intelligence took a go at writing a new Harry Potter story. Here's how it worked.
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Want a lightsaber? Just roll up a piece of paper and InstaSaber will do the rest

Who didn't used to wave around folded cones of paper and pretend they were using a lightsaber? InstaSaber takes that dream to the next level.
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Scientists want to explore the Great Pyramid of Giza with … a micro-blimp?

Having used muon imaging to discover a hidden chamber inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, researchers now want to explore it using this robot.
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Record-breaking Rubik’s Cube isn’t a puzzle — it’s practically a torture device

In contrast to your boring old 9 x 9 x 9 Rubik’s Cube, this 3D-printed record holder is an awesome 33 x 33 x 33 of twisting cubiness.
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Experimental 3D printer uses laser holograms to crank out objects quickly

3D printing as we know it could be about to change! A new technique uses laser beams to fabricate 3D-printed structures in just seconds.
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What would disaster look like in your city? ‘Deep Empathy’ uses A.I. to show you

An MIT project simulates your city following a disaster in an attempt to digitally augment our empathy levels. Can it really work?
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Man plays piano with a bionic hand better than Skywalker slays with a lightsaber

Researchers at Georgia Tech have developed an impressive new bionic hand, driven by ultrasound, which allows amputees to play the piano.
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Good news: ‘Super Mario 64’ could help save your brain from Alzheimer’s

Researchers may have found a way to help fight Alzheimer's in old age. That secret? Nintendo's classic 3D platformer 'Super Mario 64.'
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This sweat-powered, stretchable battery could revolutionize wearables

Scientists at Binghamton University have developed a stretchy, bacteria-powered bio-battery which could one day power wearable devices.
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No overtime for you! Music-blasting drone deters workers from staying late

A new drone promises to help fight overtime culture in Japan by patrolling office buildings at closing time and blasting people with music.
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Would you trade your privacy for a car? You might have that choice in the future

We all get 'free' services in exchange for our data. Could that same trade be applied to other things, too? Welcome to the zero-dollar future.
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Don’t put glue in your eyes — unless it’s this superglue for punctured eyeballs

Scientists at the University of Southern California have developed a temperature-sensitive gel for plugging wounds in injured eyeballs.