Nobel Goes to Worlds Tiniest Machines

“This year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry is about the world’s smallest machines,” said Goran Hansson, a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences which conferred the award. The French, Scottish and Dutch scientists had developed molecules with controllable movements that can perform tasks when energy is added, the Academy said in a statement awarding […]

Solar still made of bubble wrap could purify water for the poor

Solar stills can make tainted water or seawater fit to drink. But to produce more than a trickle, devices typically require expensive lenses or other equipment. Not anymore. Today, researchers report that they’ve created a cheap solar still from bubble wrap and other simple materials. Solar stills have been used for thousands of years. The […]

Bio-Concrete Heals Itself [video]

All concrete cracks over time. The cracks themselves are not so bad in most cases. But water seaps in and can freeze and melt, causing further damage. Bio-concrete injects spores that can live for centuries… coming alive only when in contact with water. The bacteria grows until the water is gone and the crack filled.