National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT)

A new study demonstrates that an energy system based completely on renewable forms of energy will be economically viable in the future. Research done at Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) shows that it will be worthwhile for North-East Asia, and China in particular, to switch to a completely renewable energy system within 5–10 years. According

Image via Wikipedia Sir Ken Robinson lays out the link between 3 troubling trends: rising drop-out rates, schools’ dwindling stake in the arts, and ADHD. An important, timely talk for parents and teachers. Why don’t we get the best out of people? Sir Ken Robinson argues that it’s because we’ve been educated to become good

Empa researchers have succeeded in developing an environmentally friendly ink for 3D printing based on cellulose nanocrystals. This technology can be used to fabricate microstructures with outstanding mechanical properties, which have promising potential uses in implants and other biomedical applications. In order to produce 3D microstructured materials for composite applications, for instance, Empa researchers have

It was, as Frank Oppenheimer described it, “a playful place.” Frank Oppenheimer, the younger brother of J. Robert Oppenheimer, known as the father of the atomic bomb, reinvented the science museum more than four decades ago. Instead of eye-catching objects like the Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian or the steam engine at the Franklin Institute,

3D printing isn’t just cheaper, it’s also greener, says Michigan Technological University’s Joshua Pearce. Even Pearce, an aficionado of the make-it-yourself-and-save technology, was surprised at his study’s results. It showed that making stuff on a 3D printer uses less energy—and therefore releases less carbon dioxide—than producing it en masse in a factory and shipping it

Scientists Call for Microbial “Noah’s Ark” to Protect Global Health A Rutgers University–New Brunswick-led team of researchers is calling for the creation of a global microbiota vault to protect the long-term health of humanity. Such a Noah’s Ark of beneficial germs would be gathered from human populations whose microbiomes are uncompromised by antibiotics, processed diets and other

Researchers complete first phase of models on the Physical Internet The Physical Internet – a concept in which goods are handled, stored and transported in a shared network of manufacturers, retailers and the transportation industry – would benefit the U.S. economy and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new study by engineers at

A University of Southampton researcher has helped to develop a wireless network of sensors that is set to revolutionise soil-based salinity measuring. Dr Nick Harris, from Electronics and Electrical Engineering, worked with a group of professors from the University of Western Australia (UWA) to produce the revolutionary sensor that can carry out non-destructive testing of

The engineers are now beginning work to see if their biomimetic muscle can be used to repair actual muscle injuries and disease. Biomedical engineers have grown living skeletal muscle that looks a lot like the real thing. It contracts powerfully and rapidly, integrates into mice quickly, and for the first time, demonstrates the ability to

Aiming for 80% efficacy in the next four years   Team of researchers at Oxford University develop new malaria vaccine, which is labelled ‘very exciting.’ A team of researchers based at the University of Oxford says it has developed a malaria vaccine twice as effective as any other. The breakthrough was made by a team