Tag: innovation & technology
Researcher amplifies effectiveness of solar electrodes -- with spinach
Researchers at Vanderbilt University have discovered that we can harness a natural process -- photosynthesis -- to improve the effectiveness of solar collectors. By using a protein found in plants, electrodes can be made to convert more sunlight into energy....
Sri Lankan scientists create renewable batteries powered by plantain trees
About a quarter of all people worldwide live without electricity. For them, evenings and nights are spent by candlelight or kerosene lamp. But a group of scientists in Sri Lanka say they have found a creative way to bring simple electric lighting to rural households....
In new memoir, former Facebook employee questions role of social media
In 2010, Katherine Losse moved to a small town in western Texas after quitting her job at Facebook. As she reveals in her new memoir, "The Boy Kings," Losse had grown disillusioned with Silicon Valley's "programmed" culture and needed to unplug. In doing so, she found new meaning in the technology-driven world she left behind....
'Mohawk guy' becomes the new face of NASA
Bobak Ferdowsi is young, good looking and sports a stars-and-stripes Mohawk. He's also the flight director for NASA's Mars Curiosity rover. That Ferdowki doesn't look like your typical rocket scientist is what made him an overnight Internet sensation, and the new face of the U.S. space program. ...
Slovenian website seeks to turn people's passwords into art
A trio of Slovenians are taking an interest in cyber-security and turning it into art. They're asking people to submit their online passwords to a database they make publicly available. Eventually, they hope to turn it into a real-world exhibit....
High school student creates computer app for diagnosing breast cancer
This year's winner of the Google Science Fair is Brittany Wenger, a 17-year-old high school student from Florida. For her award-winning project, Wenger used her knowledge of computer science and biology to design an app to help doctors diagnose breast cancer....
Robotic lifeguard 'Emily' to assist lifeguards at beaches across the country
An Arizona-based company, Hydronalix, has created a robotic flotation device named Emily that could provide assistance to lifeguards and help save lives....
European consortium planning huge telescope for Chilean desert
In the Atacama Desert, there's a massive complex of highly sophisticated telescopes. But that's not enough. A group of European countries are planning to build a new, massive telescope nearby....
In hiring Marissa Mayer as new CEO, is Yahoo putting her on a 'glass cliff'
Often, struggling companies look for team-builders, collaborators, people who will put their ego aside to move people toward a common goal. According to British academics, that means they are more likely to hire a woman. Is that what Marissa Mayer is walking into?...
Korean serial entrepreneur turns to China for next big opportunity
A Korean man who went to grad school at Stanford has started and sold several companies in the United States and Japan. But in his search for the next big opportunity, he's transplanted himself to China, where he's expecting a boom in innovation....
