International design practice Lissoni & Partners’ architecture, landscape architecture and masterplanning department Lissoni Casal Ribeiro has unveiled Skylines, a proposal for a futuristic, self-sufficient skyscraper. Developed for the Skyhive 2020 Skyscraper Challenge, the conceptual design is, in essence, a vertical city housed within a super-tall tower with mixed programming that includes residences, office spaces, a university, secondary schools, hydroponic farming, […]
Self-Sufficient “Garden City”
Making Cities Greener After The Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic is far from over, but some mayors are already planning for a future they hope is a lot more “green and just.” Mayors of Los Angeles; Hong Kong; Milan, Italy; Rotterdam, Netherlands; and dozens of other cities are pushing for a recovery that’s focused on limiting carbon emissions. Principles and goals guiding recoveries include improved public transit, […]
Edible Instant Noodles Packaging
Everyone knows that instant ramen is a way of life for college students. Not only is it about the cheapest food on the planet, but it cooks in mere minutes and requires no cooking skills. So it’s no surprise that Holly Grounds, a second-year student at Ravensbourne University, London, was a frequent consumer who was also concerned about the amount […]
Algae-Based, Biodegradable Flip Flops
The petroleum polymers used in construction of flip flops are critical to the durability and comfort of the immensely popular footwear, but are a huge contributor to our plastic pollution problem as they take a long time to break down once discarded. A team at the University of California San Diego has been working on a solution to this problem […]
Quench Sea Low Cost Desalination Device
Newly developed QuenchSea is a low-cost, handheld machine with the potential to become a complete life-saver for water-related emergency situations and humanitarian crises. The device has the capacity to turn about one liter of seawater — and up to three liters in ideal conditions — into drinkable freshwater every hour using a manual system. The desalination device comes from London-based […]
Smart Saddle
It’s an understatement to say that many cyclists find traditional saddles uncomfortable. Sore-butted riders who are looking for an alternative already have several to choose from, but now there’s another – the SmartSaddle. Invented by Kansas-based engineer Dennis Bell (apparently a distant cousin of Alexander Graham Bell), the SmartSaddle is actually the descendant of his earlier product, the MoonSaddle. Taking […]
Graphene-Wrapped Particles Kill Drug Resistant Bacteria
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are emerging as a serious public health threat, and part of the reason is that the bugs can pass resistance genes to each other. Now, researchers at Rice University have developed a system using nanoparticles wrapped in graphene oxide to kill both the superbugs and their free-floating resistance genes in wastewater. Bacteria are community-minded organisms, so when some […]
Antarctic Seafloor Is Leaking Methane
For the first time, scientists have confirmed that methane leaking is from Antarctica’s sea bed. They say the methane is likely escaping into the atmosphere. According to the EPA, in 2018, methane accounted for about 10% of U.S. human-driven greenhouse gas emissions. But the Antarctica leak may be beyond human influence or control. Scientists believe that immense quantities of methane are stored […]
MIT’s Degradable Plastic Matches Mechanical Strength of Similar Materials
Driven by the huge burden they place on the environment, scientists are continually looking for new ways to manufacture plastic materials that make them easier to recycle, and MIT researchers are now claiming a significant breakthrough in this area. By modifying the makeup of a common type of plastic, the team has produced a version of equal strength that is […]
World’s Smallest 3D Scanning Device
An Australian/German team has developed the world’s smallest imaging device, at the thickness of a human hair. It’s capable of traveling down the blood vessels of mice, offering unprecedented abilities to 3D-scan the body at microscopic resolutions. To build this miniature endoscope, the team took a fine optical fiber with a diameter of less than half a millimeter (0.02 in), […]