Electrical current through the brain jolts vision into sharper focus

If you find yourself struggling to focus on an object, there may one day be an alternative to reaching for your glasses or popping in your contact lenses. Scientists have found that by delivering a mild electrical current to a certain part of the brain they can affect how it processes visual information, leading not only to sharpened focus for the subject, but possibly a new understanding of our sense of sight as well.

.. Continue Reading Electrical current through the brain jolts vision into sharper focus

Category: Medical

Tags:

• Vanderbilt University
• Eye
• Vision

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Nissan rolls recycled EV battery storage out in French data center

Nissan has made a big environmental push recently, turning to renewable energy at its Sunderland plant and investigating ways to repurpose used EV batteries. The automotive giant has now teamed up with power management company Eaton on an energy storage system for Webaxys, giving Leaf batteries a new life supplying power to data centers.

.. Continue Reading Nissan rolls recycled EV battery storage out in French data center

Category: Automotive

Tags:

• Data
• Leaf
• Batteries
• Nissan
• Renewable Energy

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Renault breaks frontiers with new Alaskan pickup truck

After showing the sleek Alaskan concept pickup last September, Renault has launched the production version. Renault's first global 1-tonne pickup truck loses the icy look and concept-only accessories of the concept version, but maintains the rugged-but-shapely build. The Alaskan will soon find its way to the global market, starting in South America.

.. Continue Reading Renault breaks frontiers with new Alaskan pickup truck

Category: Automotive

Tags:

• Renault
• Truck
• Pickup

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Elio edges closer to production with E1A test vehicle

Elio Motors is an enigma of the motoring world, promising plenty but failing to deliver thus far. Every time the launch of its cars is pushed back, the screams of naysayers grow louder and louder, but Elio is looking to silence the doubters with the completion of its first E-Series test car.

.. Continue Reading Elio edges closer to production with E1A test vehicle

Category: Automotive

Tags:

• Prototype
• Elio Motors
• Efficiency
• Three Wheel

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Emerging strain of honeybee virus proves even more deadly

Viral infections have been identified as a major factor in the continued decline of bee colonies, including the devastating, parasite-transmitted Deformed Wing Virus (DWV). Now, European researchers have shown that a recently-identified second strain of DWV is even more virulent than the established type, and the study calls for a better understanding of the genetic diversity of pathogens to help fight them.

.. Continue Reading Emerging strain of honeybee virus proves even more deadly

Category: Environment

Tags:

• honeybees
• University of London
• Virus

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New material switches from water-repelling to water-loving with electric current

Generally, water repellent objects and those that attract or absorb water have very different microscopic-level attributes that endow them with their behavior. For example, the myriad tiny hairs on a gecko's body help it to efficiently repel water, whilst specially treated cotton designed for harvesting water from the air contains millions of tiny pores that draw in liquid. Now researchers have discovered a way to use a single type of material to perform both functions, switching between liquid attraction and liquid repulsion, simply through the application of an electric voltage.

.. Continue Reading New material switches from water-repelling to water-loving with electric current

Category: Materials

Tags:

• Nanoscale
• Boron
• University of Zurich
• Hydrophobic
• Water
• TU Wien
• KU Leuven
• Waterproof

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Tesla being investigated after driver dies in Autopilot-related accident

Tesla's Autopilot has won plenty of fans since it was first installed in the Model S, but it's not perfect. The system's relative youth has been brought into sharp focus by an accident being investigated by the NHTSA, where a driver using Autopilot was killed when his Model S hit a white tractor-trailer as it crossed the highway.

.. Continue Reading Tesla being investigated after driver dies in Autopilot-related accident

Category: Automotive

Tags:

• Deaths
• autopilot
• Tesla
• Model S

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Scientists play high-tech "tag" with great whites

If you're neither a marine biologist nor a shark, then you likely aren't familiar with the White Shark Cafe. It's an area of the Pacific Ocean half-way between California and Hawaii, where large great white sharks congregate every year. While there, male sharks make dives down to depths of 250 meters (800 feet), up to 150 times a day. Why do they do it? No one knows, which is why scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) are developing a "shark-cam" tag to stick on their dorsal fins.

.. Continue Reading Scientists play high-tech "tag" with great whites

Category: Science

Tags:

• Video Cameras
• Sharks
• Underwater
• Tracking

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Folding boat changes from rolling suitcase to canoe in 10 minutes

Oru has won much recognition and acclaim for its lineup of folding kayaks, vessels that fold down into their own carry cases, making transport and storage much easier than full-sized rigid kayaks. But you don't always want to paddle solo. The Belgian-designed Onak canoe follows much of the same formula as the Oru, but it offers room for three plus gear.

.. Continue Reading Folding boat changes from rolling suitcase to canoe in 10 minutes

Category: Marine

Tags:

• Kickstarter
• Foldable
• Folding
• Boats
• Canoe

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One-way shields give riot police the edge

Combating riots is a thankless job, and it isn't helped by the fact that the only thing separating rioters and police is a thin barrier of transparent plastic that allows both sides to see each other clearly. To provide the police with a psychological advantage, Nottingham Trent University undergraduate Ben Palmer has come up with a new riot shield that allows the police to see the rioters clearly, but not vice versa.

.. Continue Reading One-way shields give riot police the edge

Category: Military

Tags:

• Shield
• Armor
• Police

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Fatal brain tumors crave fats instead of sugars

A new study from Newcastle University shows that a common form of cancerous brain tumor uses fats to gain energy and grow, contradicting a long-held theory that glucose consumption is the main culprit.

.. Continue Reading Fatal brain tumors crave fats instead of sugars

Category: Biology

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• Tumors
• Cancer
• Newcastle University

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ESA sets date for dramatic end to Rosetta's mission

ESA has announced the date upon which mission operators will crash the Rosetta spacecraft into the surface of the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. Unlike its now-sleeping companion, the Philae lander, there is no hope that once the spacecraft touches down on the surface of 67P, the science team will be able to re-establish contact with the legendary probe.

.. Continue Reading ESA sets date for dramatic end to Rosetta's mission

Category: Space

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• Comets
• Rosetta
• ESA
• Philae

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Flipping a genetic switch erases mouse memories

Associative memories can be extremely helpful. Touch the metal handle of a pot boiling water on the stove, for example, and chances are you won't do it again. But in other cases, associative memories can dramatically affect our development, such as in the case of a war veteran who associates all loud noises with the battlefield. A new technique tested in mice shows promise in turning off associative memories by preventing a gene from expressing itself.

.. Continue Reading Flipping a genetic switch erases mouse memories

Category: Biology

Tags:

• Neuroscience
• KU Leuven
• Genetics
• Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology

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Wireless earphones transform their sound to suit what surrounds

Bang & Olufsen has expanded its ever-growing Beoplay range with a new set of thoughtfully designed earphones. The Beoplay H5 wireless earphones pack a Bluetooth 4.2 chip with Digital Sound Processing, which the company says opens to the door to more dynamic tuning of sound. Users can link up the earphones with the Beoplay apps for Android, iPhone and the Apple Watch, switching between a variety of profiles tuned by Bang & Olufsen engineers.

.. Continue Reading Wireless earphones transform their sound to suit what surrounds

Category: Music

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• Bang Olufsen
• Earphones

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Google-backed cable delivers blazing bandwidth under the Pacific

A new trans-Pacific submarine cable built by NEC with the backing of a consortium of telecom companies and Google came online Thursday. The FASTER cable connects the West Coast of the US with Japan via a six-fiber pair cable bringing 60 Terabits per second (Tbps) of bandwidth under the Pacific.

.. Continue Reading Google-backed cable delivers blazing bandwidth under the Pacific

Category: Telecommunications

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• Google
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• Fiber
• Broadband
• Network

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Data usage at UK's Glastonbury Festival smashes expectations

For the uninitiated, the UK's Glastonbury Festival is one of the largest music festivals in the world, which nowadays means it is one of the most data-hungry festivals too. Even with that in mind, this year's event, which ran for five days last week, far exceeded expectations.

.. Continue Reading Data usage at UK's Glastonbury Festival smashes expectations

Category: Good Thinking

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• Music festival
• Mobile
• Glastonbury

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Hubble captures aurora bigger than Earth swirling at Jupiter's north pole

Last year might have belonged to Pluto, but by all accounts this is going to be the year of Jupiter. That's because the Juno spacecraft is completing its nearly five-year journey to reach the giant planet on July 4, where it will enter orbit to study the Jovian atmosphere. In preparation, astronomers have been training their telescopes on Jupiter to assist Juno in its mission – and the Hubble just caught a beautiful light show at the planet's north pole.

.. Continue Reading Hubble captures aurora bigger than Earth swirling at Jupiter's north pole

Category: Space

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• Juno
• aurora
• ESA
• Jupiter

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Those bright blobs again: Study shows Ceres' spots might have come from within

Scientists may have discovered an ideal site for a new salt mining operation, but extracting the abundant resource would require a little travel, as it's located on Ceres, the largest body in the asteroid belt. Turns out the biggest of the dwarf planet's mysterious bright spots is thanks to the highest concentration of carbonate minerals found beyond Earth.

.. Continue Reading Those bright blobs again: Study shows Ceres' spots might have come from within

Category: Space

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• Ceres
• Dawn
• Asteroid
• Solar System
• NASA

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Brightly-colored 3D printer takes additive manufacturing to school

The da Vinci miniMaker is an education-focused 3D printer that's aimed at encouraging the next generation of designers and engineers to get to grips with additive manufacturing. XYZ Printing has married beginner-friendly features and ease of use with a bright, colorful and fun design.

.. Continue Reading Brightly-colored 3D printer takes additive manufacturing to school

Category: 3D Printing

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• Kids
• Education
• 3D Printers

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Back where it all began: Shelby's original Cobra, the CSX 2000, goes to auction

Few models of car are as iconic as the Shelby Cobra and its story can be traced all the way back to one single vehicle: the CSX 2000. The prototype was built by Carroll Shelby himself in 1962 and is credited as sparking a revolution in sportscar design. It is now set to go to auction.

.. Continue Reading Back where it all began: Shelby's original Cobra, the CSX 2000, goes to auction

Category: Automotive

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• RM-Sothebys
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• Auction
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Groundbreaking underwater exploration craft nears production

Ornithorhynchus anatinus is a bizarre creature. Not only due to its crazy duck, beaver and otter mash-up anatomy, but because it inhabits two watery worlds – one at the surface of small streams or rivers and the other below. When François-Alexandre Bertrand saw one sploshing about during a séjour in Australia, he'd found the perfect name for an above/below water craft concept he was mulling over. Design renderings for the Platypus emerged in 2011, followed by a working prototype two years later and a production timeframe set for 2014. It's taken a little longer than expected to get there, but the Platypus team is finally bringing the novel exploration craft to market later this year. We popped down to the south coast of France a few days ago to talk new design and production plans. And to ride on, and under, the surprisingly chilly waters of the Mediterranean.

.. Continue Reading Groundbreaking underwater exploration craft nears production

Category: Marine

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• Underwater
• Boat
• Watercraft
• Platypus
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Tepui's new roof-top tent carries gear and camps out

Last month at Overland Expo, Tepui previewed its all-new hard shell tent. It was so fresh from the manufacturing plant that it didn't even have a name, outside of "Hard Shell Tent." The company has now labeled it Project White Lightning and put it up on Kickstarter. The new tent offers the most comprehensive feature set we've seen on a roof-top tent, including integrated roof rails, the ability to double as a roof-top cargo box and a low-profile design that shouldn't take away too many mpgs on your campground commute.

.. Continue Reading Tepui's new roof-top tent carries gear and camps out

Category: Outdoors

Tags:

• Kickstarter
• Tent
• Off-road
• Camping

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Lucas Museum withdraws from Chicago, headed to California instead

George Lucas has had a sorry old time trying to get his MAD Architects-designed Lucas Museum of Narrative Art built. Unveiled in 2014, it subsequently required a redesign to address concerns over the loss of public land. At this point the project seemed to be on track, but it now transpires that the museum won't be built in Chicago after all.

.. Continue Reading Lucas Museum withdraws from Chicago, headed to California instead

Category: Architecture

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• Building and Construction
• MAD Architects
• Museum

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Toyota 86 drifts back to its roots with Initial D concept

When it teamed up with Subaru to create the GT86, Toyota hoped it would act as a spiritual successor to the AE86 Corolla GT. This connection to a legendary past has now been made even stronger by a team within Toyota UK, which has channeled the AE86 from Japanese manga series Initial D to create a monochrome GT86 concept.

.. Continue Reading Toyota 86 drifts back to its roots with Initial D concept

Category: Automotive

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• Drifting
• Japan
• Toyota
• Toyota GT86

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Self-healing, shape-shifting material reacts to light and heat

Recently, we've seen a bunch of new "smart" materials being developed that can heal themselves, spring back into their original shape when deformed, or change transparency when stretched. But while most of these have only one such function, researchers at Washington State University have created a material that can both change shape when exposed to heat or light, and assemble and disassemble itself.

.. Continue Reading Self-healing, shape-shifting material reacts to light and heat

Category: Materials

Tags:

• Self-healing
• Materials
• Washington State University

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