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Science:

Evidence of First Virus That Moves from Plants to Humans

Researchers from the University of the Mediterranean in Marseille, France have found evidence that suggest a virus common to peppers may have moved on to infect humans. Recently, a number of people have become ill and the RNA from the pepper mild mottle virus was found in their feces.

Didier Raoult of the UOM believes that it is possible the plant virus could be causing their symptoms. Of the 304 tested, 7 percent were found to have the virus in their feces. Those which did were more likely to have fever, abdominal pain and itching.

Continue reading Evidence of First Virus That Moves from Plants to Humans

Gadgets:

Refrigerator Magnets: There’s an App for That

There’s an iPhone app for pretty much everything these days, except in the physical world. That’s why Jailbreak Collective created an app that lets you hang a photo on your refrigerator or tack up your kid’s latest masterpiece. Ok, so maybe it’s not an app at all, but it looks like one. Here’s a set of iPhone app magnets from JC that look just like the real thing.

Continue reading Refrigerator Magnets: There’s an App for That

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last update: May 19, 2013

Science:

Printed Origami Offers New Technique for Complex Structues

Although it looks small and unassuming, the tiny origami crane sitting in a sample dish in University of Illinois professor Jennifer Lewis’ lab heralds a new method for creating complex three-dimensional structures for biocompatible devices, microscaffolding and other microsystems. The penny-sized titanium bird began as a printed sheet of titanium hydride ink.

The team will publish their novel technique in the April 14 online edition of the journal Advanced Materials.

Small, intricate shapes made of metals, ceramics or polymers have a variety of applications, from biomedical devices to electronics to rapid prototyping. One method of fabricating such structures is by direct-write assembly, which the Lewis group helped pioneer. In this approach, a large printer deposits inks containing metallic, ceramic or plastic particles to assemble a structure layer by layer. Then, the structure is annealed at a high temperature to evaporate the liquid in the ink and bond the particles, leaving a solid object.

However, as more layers are added, the lower layers tend to sag or collapse under their own weight – a problem postdoctoral researcher Bok Yeop Ahn encountered while trying to manufacture titanium scaffolds for tissue engineering. He decided to try a different approach: Print a flat sheet, then roll it up into a spiral – or even fold it into an assortment of shapes.

Folding the printed sheets is not as easy as it would first seem.

Continue reading Printed Origami Offers New Technique for Complex Structues

Science:

NASA’s Real-life Ironman On His Way To Space

The Robonaut 2 created by NASA and General motors has just been cleared for takeoff. This humanoid robot has been in development for many years and is now in its second form. The larger more capable R2 weighs in at 300 pounds, with a head, torso and two fully functional arms.

R2 will make its home permanently on the International Space Station this September after its flight there on the Space Shuttle Discovery, part of the STS-133 mission. NASA says that the R2 will assist astronauts with regular tasks such as handing them tools, holding wires, etc. within the space station and on space walks. The chief advantage of a machine such as R2 is its ability to use the same tools as astronauts.
Continue reading NASA’s Real-life Ironman On His Way To Space

Lifestyle:

Puma Ditches Shoe Boxes in New Green Initiative

In an effort to reduce waste and cut down on pollution, Puma has done away with the traditional shoebox and will move to a new, eco-friendly version that isn’t even a box at all. Puma and industrial designer Yves Béhar, spent 21 months developing their new packaging solution due out in 2011.

Puma says the switch will allow then to be able to cut the amount of paper it uses by 65% annually in addition to the water, fuel and other resources it takes to produce their current packaging.
Continue reading Puma Ditches Shoe Boxes in New Green Initiative

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Science:

Researchers Find Electrical Current Stemming From Plants

In an electrifying first, Stanford scientists have plugged in to algae cells and harnessed a tiny electric current. They found it at the very source of energy production – photosynthesis, a plant’s method of converting sunlight to chemical energy. It may be a first step toward generating “high efficiency” bioelectricity that doesn’t give off carbon dioxide as a byproduct, the researchers say.

“We believe we are the first to extract electrons out of living plant cells,” said WonHyoung Ryu, the lead author of the paper published in the March issue of Nano Letters. Ryu conducted the experiments while he was a research associate for mechanical engineering professor Fritz Prinz.

[photo via InfraNet Lab]

The Stanford research team developed a unique, ultra-sharp nanoelectrode made of gold, specially designed for probing inside cells. They gently pushed it through the algal cell membranes, which sealed around it, and the cell stayed alive. From the photosynthesizing cells, the electrode collected electrons that had been energized by light and the researchers generated a tiny electric current.

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Clean:

Europe’s Electricity to be 100% Renewable Energy by 2050

According to a recent report by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, all of Europe’s electricity needs could be satisfied by renewable sources come mid-century. The plan, dubbed the SuperSmart Grid, would allow for power management independent of where the power is actually originating from.

[photo via Liberty Park]

Using the current grid, natural resources, and current established weather patterns, the plan would include the following with the goal of reducing carbon- based fuel reliance:
Continue reading Europe’s Electricity to be 100% Renewable Energy by 2050

Gadgets:

Apple MacBook Pros Now With Intel Core i5 & Core i7 Processors

This morning Apple has finally updated their line of MackBook Pros from the old Core 2 Duo chips to Intel’s Core 2010 chips. Here are the specifics that we currently have on them.

Continue reading Apple MacBook Pros Now With Intel Core i5 & Core i7 Processors

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