Tag: #118

The sound of cats purring - also from the internet - can bring inner peace. So too a walk with "man’s best friend" - even one on prosthetic legs. Now, a team of US researchers is working on a quick, pain-free method for the early detection of canine cancer. First, a urine sample is required. Next, using so-called Raman...

An armband could make hot flushes easier to manage. Those engaging in hormone-free birth control mostly use condoms or the coil. The latter, however, have barely changed in design for fifty years. Reason enough for a female-led US startup to develop a new model. The team’s solution comprises 3 copper-coated elliptical parts which each have a magnetic plus and...

Sugar cane makes life sweeter for its natural surroundings. Beetles, likewise, make plants happy and offer protection against parasites and pesticides. Ladybirds, too, have an increasingly important role to play in agriculture. Enter a female US researcher investigating why aphids avoid the polka-dotted insects like the plague. Turns out it’s the unique smell ladybirds emit. This is produced by...

Birds use the earth’s magnetic field as their compass. But how do animals perceive their surroundings in general? Tortoises and insects such as bees can differentiate between red, blue and green and see ultraviolet light. Snakes can recognise infrared light. With dogs and cats, meanwhile, it’s only shades of blue and green. Animals also experience different intensities and gradations...

Dusting solar modules can be a magical move. Now, a Turkish-based research team is experimenting with a more efficient way of turning sunlight into electricity. Using computer simulation, the team divided a solar cell into multiple small units. Then they assembled them into a hemispherical, rather than flat, form. This allows for more light to be captured at different...

Some jeans can be composted after use. Yet, in the Netherlands, a design and furniture company is investing in the circular economy, having developed a unique process which gives used furnishings a new lease of life. Tiny fibres, i.e. offcuts when jeans are recycled, are mixed with a water-based adhesive. The solution is sprayed onto the surface of newly...