Tag: #31

Freedom begins in the mind. Sometimes our limitations are self-imposed. Take an English veteran who recently swam a kilometre from Drake’s Island back to the mainland at Plymouth. Nothing remarkable in that, you might think. Only, the former royal marine lost both his legs and an arm while on a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Which makes his achievements...

Robert De Niro is famous for playing strong, silent types. And perhaps that's why he's interested in this particular project. After manufacturing several electric boats, a Canadian company exchange has now brought out a new 180 horsepower electric outboard motor. The outboard enables boats between 5.7m and 8.7m to travel quietly, almost without vibration. The electricity from the 60...

Farm shops are all the rage. Using them helps support local producers, and we know where our food is coming from. Now a startup in south LA has decided to grow vegetables and herbs in front yards. Currently, unused lawns are giving way to some 600 plants - hello, microfarms. People from the neighbourhood can pay $36 a month...

There’s information about everything online. The weather, our health, even the upcoming elections. But how do we know it’s reliable? A team based at MIT has developed a system which examines posts on social media. Using a variety of analytics techniques, the system determines whether information is knowingly being disseminated falsely. The study looked at 28 million Twitter posts...

The hippies were big fans. And for some time the plant has been used for medicinal purposes - devoid of side effects. Yes, hemp is back. Only this time as an alternative to meat substitutes made from algae, pea or soy protein. The newest brainchild of a Kiwi startup is designed to replace chicken on burgers or in salads....

Going somewhere directly is usually quicker. That’s true of medicine too. People with Parkinson’s have a dopamine deficiency in the brain. But taking standard medication orally is not as efficient as it could be, since the liver and blood-brain barrier act as filters. Which is why researchers in England are currently working on a nasal spray that reaches the...