When it comes to contests with amazing prizes, Airbnb is certainly bringing their A game. First, it was watching the solar eclipse from a transparent bubble, and now the rental service is offering three lucky winners the chance to spend three days and two nights onboard the Alucia – the oceanic research and exploration vessel that filmed BBC’s Blue Planet series. Guests will […]
Weekend Stay On A Research Ship?- Yes You Can
Food Waste Given New Life
In the U.S., construction is a big source of waste and pollution. The construction industry accounts for an estimated 39 percent of CO2 emissions in the country and 534 million tons of waste – more than twice the amount of municipal solid waste. A lot of this waste can be attributed to the linear economy that runs the industry – one that is built […]
Sweet & Sustainable Lollipop?
Candy sales in the United States are expected to reach over $38 billion by 2020. As cravings for sugar surge, so does the demand for more naturally sourced sweets. California based company Amborella Organics has created a lollipop that is both sweet and sustainable. As their name implies, Amborella Organics specializes in organic ingredients. The company has given classic lollipops a new look. […]
Eel-Style Electricity
Scientists are always on the lookout for safer, more natural ways to power devices that go into our bodies. After all, who really needs toxic battery elements and replacement surgery? One organism that is pretty good at generating biocompatible power (for itself, at least) is the electric eel, and scientists have now used the high-voltage species as a blueprint […]
Powered By Mustard Seeds
The world’s first biofuel flight between the United States and Australia landed in Melbourne after a 15-hour trip. The Guardian reported the blended fuel was 10 percent derived from brassica carinat, which Qantas describes as a “non-food, industrial type of mustard seed.” They said the use of blended biofuel in the flight would save about 18,000 kilograms, or around 39,683 pounds, of carbon emissions. A Boeing Dreamliner 787-9 soared between […]
Reusable Pixelated Flame Candles
I just moved into a new decade of life this week, and am feeling a bit long in the tooth – especially after seeing how many candles were on my birthday cake. I suppose I might not have cared so much if the candles were as cool as these ones. These fun pixel art candles are made using fused perler […]
3D Printed Hearts Targets To Save More Lives
Heart cells grown in a lab and assembled in the shape of the organ will eventually start beating in unison–and create a heart for a patient that has a higher chance of success in a transplant than one from another human. Inside a lab that will open in a couple of months in Chicago, a biotech startup will soon begin […]
Growing Own Supply Of Mushrooms In Restaurant
A company called Smallhold is changing how restaurants procure produce. They’ve developed a hydroponic system that can be installed to suit most kitchen spaces, or even as an aesthetic addition to the dining room. Inside these glowing blue shelves are mushrooms, whose health and growth is monitored by technology at Smallhold’s headquarters. Vogue interviewed the company’s founders, Andrew Carter and Adam DeMartino. Carter and […]
Heating Up Food Without Fire
For years, the military has been using simple chemical-based heating systems as a way to quickly warm prepackaged rations. Now the YABUL Cook translates such systems into a light-weight silicone device that is foldable and easy to transport. The YABUL Cook isn’t exactly a revolutionary concept. Both the Trekmates flameless cooker and the Mealspec heater bag have used similar technology to bring chemical-based heating […]
Amazon’s New Cool Workplace
Online retail giant Amazon has opened the centerpiece of its new US$4 billion headquarters in Seattle. Consisting of three giant interconnected glass and steel balls, the Spheres blur the lines between workplace and conservatory by combining an open work environment with the surroundings of a mountain tropical rainforest garden, complete with trees over 40 ft tall. Amazon is noted for its openness […]