It converts chemical energy directly into electrical energy. Still, there hadn’t been a market breakthrough for the fuel cell. The systems were too complex. Now, Fraunhofer and Vaillant have developed a simple device for home use. Together with the heater… Continue reading

Self-folding sheets of a plastic-like material point the way to robots that can assume any conceivable 3-D structure. Programmable matter is a material whose properties can be programmed to achieve specific shapes or stiffnesses upon command. This concept requires constituent… Continue reading

Keith Wayne Brown‘s insight: An interview with the author of a new book, The Newton Papers: The Strange and True Odyssey of Isaac Newton’s Manuscripts, which traces the mysterious and precarious history of Newton’s works–not only on science but a… Continue reading

Wireless networks are getting a big upgrade for the smartphone generation. Beamforming was part of 802.11n, the previous Wi-Fi version, but 11ac defines it in more detail, making interoperability between access points and end-user devices more likely. Separately, beamforming plays an… Continue reading

A court has been called to rule on whether a wealthy guru is dead or in a transcendental meditative state. Keith Wayne Brown‘s insight: “…Maharaj’s family has filed a court application for further investigation and release of the body for… Continue reading

A core Jungian concept proposes that men develop their feminine side (anima) and women their masculine side (animus); this constrictive terminology confines us to rigid ideas of gender. However, Jung’s rediscovery of alchemical mythology, which uses imagery of the sun… Continue reading

Meet Sacculina carcini – a barnacle that makes a living as a real-life body-snatcher of crabs. Unlike most barnacles that are happy to simply stick themselves to a rock and filter food from the water, Sacculina and its kin have… Continue reading