Jibo
Unlike smart speakers with voice assistants like Amazon Echo and Google Home, Jibo feels like a living thing. Its design is reminiscent of Pixar characters, with emotions conveyed through animated icons on the large round face. Jibo can laugh, dance and turn to the user when called. The assistant still has a lot to learn: It provides the user with a news feed and takes photos, but can't play music or work with third-party apps like Uber. However, this cute robot could be the first sign of new, more humane machines.
2. eSight 3
eSight
Millions of people who have almost lost their sight are forced to use canes and guide dogs for guidance. New smart glasses can help them. eSight records high-definition video, enlarges it and increases contrast, so even people with very poor vision can see the world. This allows them, for example, to play sports. The price of the device is too high to make it available to the general public, but about 1,000 patients are already using it.
3. Halo Top
Halo Top
Halo Top's promise sounds too good to be true: low-sugar, flavored ice cream with only 360 calories per 500ml. The company's products are fortified with protein and use stevia, as well as cane sugar and sugar alcohol. Halo Top's goal is to give dieters the opportunity to eat ice cream again.
4. Fenty Beauty
Fenty Beauty
Ember
Temperature significantly affects the taste of coffee: no one wants to drink a drink that is either too cold or too hot. It is believed that the ideal coffee temperature only lasts for about 37 seconds. To solve this problem, Ember Technologies has released a special cup. Constructed from stainless steel and coated with white ceramic, it maintains the exact temperature the user sets. Ember Mug is already sold in 4,600 Starbucks in the United States.
6. Thyssenkrupp MULTI
Thyssenkrupp
Thyssenkrupp MULTI is an elevator system that uses magnetic levitation technology, similar to high-speed trains. Elevator cabins can move vertically and horizontally, and also pass each other. This will not only reduce wait times for elevators, but in the future will change the way we think about building construction. After a successful test this year, the first MULTI will be installed in Berlin by 2021.
7. Apple iPhone X
Apple
The iPhone X is probably the world's most sophisticated smartphone, with a screen that occupies the entire surface of the phone, a powerful processor and a camera that can recognize the user by his face. The $999 price tag makes it the most expensive iPhone yet. The high cost is explained by the fact that many complex technologies are concentrated in a small volume of the device. According to the company, they already know what innovations will appear in the new generations of iPhone.
8. Nike Pro Hijab
Nike
Playing sports in a hijab is difficult: if the material is too heavy, it causes the athlete to sweat, and if it is too light, it may fall off during competition. Nike's Pro Hijab should solve this problem. Unlike the traditional hijab, this one is made of lightweight, breathable fabric that wicks moisture. Now, for Muslim women, there is no longer a dilemma between following traditional values and playing sports.
9. Forward
Forward
Patients in the United States and around the world tend to visit doctors only after the first symptoms of the disease. The startup Forward intends to make the idea of preventive medicine more popular. It is a clinic reminiscent of a high-end gym. For $149 per month, its users get unlimited access to genetic screening, blood tests, weight loss, specialist consultations, and more. The clinic doesn't accept health insurance and may be too expensive for most Americans, but it's working as a niche experiment: The company has raised $100 million in funding, opened a clinic in Los Angeles, and is looking to expand into other U.S. cities.
10. Adidas Futurecraft 4D
Adidas
Imagine a shoe that allows you to run faster, jump higher, and maneuver better. This idea is embodied in the Futurecraft 4D, a new sneaker from Adidas. Their soles are precisely tailored to the wearer's needs, not only in size and shape, but also in flexibility, impact force, shock absorption, and so on. To achieve high precision, Futurecraft uses 3D printing.
11. Tesla Model 3
Tesla
Electric cars are often too expensive and have limited range. Tesla's Model 3 should solve both problems: the car is priced at $35,000 and has a range of 200 miles on a single charge. Consumers are interested and ready to buy Model 3 en masse, but, unfortunately, the manufacturer has not been able to bring production to the promised level. Elon Musk calls the situation with new model“production hell”, but is optimistic.
12. Willow Pump
Willow
Breastfeeding is good for children, but for modern women it is often inconvenient. Breast pumps, designed to make life easier for new mothers, are not very practical. Perhaps Willow Pump, a battery-powered and silent breast pump that can be worn under clothing anywhere, anytime, can help them. The freshness of the pumped milk will preserve a small freezer. Sales of the device will begin next year.
13. Nest Secure
Nest
The Nest security system, which protects the home from intruders, focuses on making access easier for owners. For example, you can program key fobs to be able to unlock doors. If intruders penetrate, the system will report this.
14. NASA Mars Insight
NASA Mars Insight
In 2018, Mars and Earth will be at their closest distance to each other. NASA intends to make the most of this opportunity. The Mars InSight lander will head to the Red Planet next May, giving scientists a more detailed look at its nature. Unlike Curiosity and other Mars rovers, it will remain at its landing site and focus on studying the geology of Mars. The probe will have a service life of 728 Earth days, meaning it will operate until approximately 2020.
15. Oculus Go
Oculus
Virtual reality is a futuristic technology, but it still looks clunky, primarily due to the abundance of wires and additional gadgets such as smartphones and laptops. The Oculus Go headset, developed by Facebook, does not require any additional devices to operate. Its capabilities are not as advanced as those of its more expensive counterparts, but the gadget benefits from its accessibility.
16. Tasty One Top
Tasty
BuzzFeed's Tasty channel turns complex recipes into accessible video tutorials. It already has over 100 million users on Instagram and Facebook. The next evolution of this idea is the Tasty One Top, an induction cooktop that syncs with the Tasty smartphone app. Using temperature sensors, the app guides cooks, telling them, for example, when it's time to turn a steak. The advantage of Tasty over its analogues is its extensive library of recipes.
17. DJI Spark
DJI Spark
Over the past few years, unmanned aerial vehicles have revolutionized many areas of life, from mapping to search and rescue operations. The goal of the DJI Spark drone is simpler: take better photos and videos. The advantages of this device are ease of control (using gestures), stability in the air and relative cheapness. Spark could become the basis for a price range of unmanned aerial vehicles.
18. Molekule
Molekule
Most purifiers trap harmful contaminants inside the filter. In contrast, Molekule completely destroys pollutant molecules through a special nanofilter that reacts with light in a way that prevents the growth of toxins, including mold and bacteria. The price of the filter is high, but the improvement in air quality is worth it. Investors believed in the idea: Molekule raised almost $15 million.
19. Michelin Vision Concept
Michelin
In the future, cars will become smart, and tires should become smarter too. Michelin has unveiled the concept of Vision airless tires made from recycled materials. Their most impressive feature will be special retractable blocks that will change the tire configuration depending on road conditions.
20. Norton Core
Norton by Symantec
Connected devices can be very convenient and useful, but each of them can potentially become a conduit for attackers. The Norton Core router neutralizes this threat. Unlike most Wi-Fi routers, which simply provide connectivity, Core is designed to detect anomalies: if one device shows signs of a virus, Core cuts it off from the rest home network. It also regularly updates its software to be prepared for new threats.
21. Bempu
Bempu
Babies born ahead of schedule, often suffer from heat loss, which can lead to health problems. The Bempu bracelet is attached to the child's wrist and monitors his temperature. If the temperature drops critically, they emit an alarm and turn on an orange light. The device has already helped approximately 10,000 newborns, mostly in India, but also in 25 other countries.
To compile TIME's annual unofficial list, we review hundreds of inventions from around the world. We've featured many different inventions in the past, from the floating light bulb to the DNA computer lab. Here are the inventions we included in our list this year.
A robot you can talk to Lisa Eadicicco (Jibo, $899)
#Jibo #jiborobot #touched #robot
A post shared by Jibo (@jiborobot) on Nov 6, 2014 at 8:29pm PST Personal robots such as Amazon's Echo and Google's Home have advanced significantly in recent years. But at their core, they are still stationary speakers whose main expression is the light that turns on when you start talking.
Jibo is not like that. And the point here is not at all that he (I say “he” because that’s what Jibo calls himself) looks like a hero from a Pixar film - with a big round head and a face that conveys emotions with the help of animated icons. And it’s not that this robot’s body sways and bends while speaking, as if it were talking to its non-existent hands. And it's not that Jibo can giggle, dance and turn to you wherever you are as soon as you call him: "Hey, Jibo." The fact is that thanks to all this, Jibo is very similar to a person, unlike all his predecessors.
A robot may seem like just a fun toy (or obnoxious, depending on your point of view), but it could significantly change the way we communicate and interact with machines.
Jibo still has a lot to learn. Although this robot can help users in many ways, creating brief summaries of news and taking photos, it is not yet able to play music on demand and work with third-party applications like Domino's and Uber. And since this new product costs $ 899, it will be quite a sell-out difficult. However, the company's vice president of sales management, Matt Revis, is confident that Jibo will develop and improve. “There was a certain threshold that we had to reach in order to launch mass production,” he says. “Now.” We have embarked on this path."
Glasses that give sight to the blind Alexandra Sifferlin (eSight 3, $9,995)
Yvonne Felix wearing eSight 3 glasses to help blind people see in San Francisco
There are millions of blind people in the world who find it very difficult to move. They are assisted by canes and guide dogs, but cannot imitate real vision. But eSight 3 can. This device is sort of the most powerful glasses in the world. When a person puts it on, eSight 3 records video in high resolution, and then, using magnification, contrast, and various algorithms, transforms these images into something that a blind person can see. Thus, he can engage in a variety of activities, including sports, while this is not available to all other blind people. This device went into production in February and costs $9,995. Therefore, eSight 3 is not available to everyone (although the manufacturing company helps potential buyers find sources of funding, including grants). But eSight 3 is cheaper than previous versions, and is also faster, lighter, and has more advanced distance focusing capabilities. The company estimates that more than a thousand patients use the eSight 3 device today.
Ice Cream That Won't Gain You Weight By Mahita Gajanan (Halo Top, $5.99)
Apparently we misunderstood when we signed up to bring the “pints” to our Monday Night Football tailgate 🤔 cheers anyways!
A post shared by Halo Top Creamery (@halotopcreamery) on Nov 6, 2017 at 2:03pm PST This is somehow too good to be true: ice cream with different flavors, with low content sugar, which contains only 360 calories (per half liter of volume). But that's exactly what Halo Top promises, inviting customers to "go ahead and eat the whole portion" in one sitting. The head of this company, Justin Woolverton, invariably calls his product “healthy.” True, one can argue a little on this score. Halo Top Ice Cream is protein-rich, but low in calories thanks to the zero-calorie Stevia sweetener. It also contains cane sugar and sugar alcohols. These ingredients may be enjoyable to consume, but they are hardly the epitome of healthy eating. Again, the goal of Halo Top isn't to replace fruits and vegetables, but to give diet-conscious consumers "an opportunity to try ice cream again," Wolverton says. For this reason, Halo Top's success (it retails for five dollars a pint) has been astounding. Last year, annual sales of the product jumped about 2,500%, and Halo Top recently became America's top-selling product per pint, surpassing Häagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry's.
Foundation for all skin tones by Cady Lang (Fenty Beauty, $34)
Shimmer what you got! #MATCHSTIX
A mug that heats your coffee to just the right temperature by Melissa Chan (Ember Mug, $79.95)
The perfect sweater weather companion. #WhatsYourNumber
A post shared by Ember (@ember) on Nov 13, 2017 at 11:14am PST Anyone who has ever drank coffee knows how temperature can affect the taste. If the coffee is too hot, it can burn your mouth. If it's cold, then you shouldn't drink it. According to one estimate, you only have 37 seconds to enjoy this drink at the ideal temperature. “It seemed counterintuitive to me,” says Clay Alexander, CEO and founder of Los Angeles-based Ember Technologies. So he found a solution to the problem by inventing the Ember stainless steel mug. It has a white ceramic coating, and for an hour it independently maintains the desired temperature of coffee or tea, from 49 to 63 degrees Celsius, which is set through a special application. In addition, the mug can maintain the desired temperature indefinitely if it is placed on a charging saucer. This is the second product in the Ember series of smart drinking devices. Last year, the company created a temperature-controlled wine glass. It is possible that the new mug will become a bestseller and an indispensable attribute of the desktop. It went on sale on November 9, and today it is sold in 4,600 Starbucks locations.
An elevator that doesn't just go up and down Julia Zorthian (Thyssenkrupp MULTI)
A rope-less #elevator that can also go sideways? Learn more from @thyssenkrupp Elevators at #CONVERGE2017 in #Germany! @solidThinking pic.twitter.com/K6QEzxTZa2
Altair (@Altair_US) October 2, 2017
What if the elevator moves not only up and down, but also sideways? It will be something out of wonder - straight out of the movie "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." However, the German company Thyssenkrupp has already given a very real answer to this question by designing and creating the MULTI elevator system. Designers abandoned old-fashioned cables and pulleys in favor of magnetic levitation, which powers high-speed trains. The cabins of such elevators can move in different directions and even pass each other inside the elevator shaft. This will not only reduce waiting times, but will also radically change the design of buildings, says Andreas Schierenbeck, CEO of Thyssenkrupp Elevator. (Imagine horizontal branches from vertical elevator shafts in high-rise buildings.) MULTI was tested very successfully this year, and the first elevators of the new design should debut in Berlin by 2021.
Apple Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering Dan Riccio believes that the iPhone X is nothing less than a dream come true. “I look at the design and it's something we wanted to do literally from day one,” he says. The reason is clear: iPhone X is probably the most complex and advanced smartphone in the world with an edge-to-edge screen. Its processor is optimized for augmented reality, and its camera is smart enough to unlock the phone when it sees the owner's face. (However, some of these characteristics first appeared on smartphones from Samsung and LG.)
But to make all this possible, Apple had to abandon the Home button, which is a very popular navigation tool. Like the company's decision to ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack on the iPhone 7, eliminating the button is "a look into the future," says Apple design director Jonathan Ive. “In fact, I think that trying to preserve at all costs those elements that have proven to be effective is a recipe for failure.” iPhone X costs $999 and is the most expensive iPhone available today. “As you might expect,” Ive notes, “there is a financial consequence of packing a huge amount of computing power into such a small device.”
It’s easy to imagine a smartphone of the future with a screen that wraps around the entire device like a candy wrapper, or with a camera that can recognize gestures. But Ive and Riccio are in no hurry to share their plans for the future. "We have a clear vision for the next generation of iPhones," Ive says. “iPhone X is, in a sense, the end of a chapter.”
Hijab to Empower Muslim Athletes Sean Gregory (Nike Professional Hijab, $35)
It is difficult to exercise while wearing a hijab. If the material is too heavy, it causes increased sweat production. If it is too light, the headdress may very well fly off your head during competition. And if it's not secured properly, "you feel like you're going to suffocate," says Egyptian runner Manal Rostom, who lives in the UAE and is the creator of the Facebook group Surviving Hijab. This group has almost half a million members. Nike's professional hijab, developed after a meeting between company executives and UAE weightlifter Amna al-Haddad in 2016, is set to change this state of affairs. Unlike the traditional hijab, the professional hijab is made from lightweight, breathable fabric that absorbs liquids. Athletes who have used it say that it helps cope with sweat. But for women like Rostom, who was one of the first to experience professional hijab, it is not just a head covering. It has its own symbolism that gives weight to Nike's investment. “I'm an athlete, I talk about everything openly, and it gives me extra strength to be in a big company,” she says. “I represent what Muslim women can do.”
A clinic that takes a fresh look at prevention Alexandra Sifferlin (Forward)
Meet @forward, An Ex-Googler's Plan To Reinvent #HealthCare With A Dose Of Apple, Netflix And #AI https://t.co/N5ko7PuooE
Ramgopal Natarajan (@ramsdesk) January 18, 2017
In the USA, patients usually go to the doctor when they get sick. But what if both the patient and the doctor begin to interact in order to prevent health problems? It was with this in mind that a new type of preventive clinic, Forward, was created, which operates like a high-quality gym. For $149 per month, patients get unlimited access to genetic scans, blood tests, weight loss measures, routine doctor visits and more. All this helps the clinic "better assess the patient's future health and look for problems that may arise in the long term," says the clinic's founder and director, Adrian Aoun, a former Google employee. (Forward also provides routine medical treatment, including unlimited drug treatments at no additional cost.) Critics say the clinics are unaffordable for most Americans, especially because they don't accept insurance. But as an experiment, Forward brings results. The San Francisco-based company has raised $100 million in funding and recently opened a new clinic in Los Angeles. In the future, she intends to open her medical institutions in other cities.
Performance-Enhancing Shoes Julia Zorthian Futurecraft 4D, Adidas
This is an amazing new running shoe from adidas. The Futurecraft 4D features a midsole crafted with light and oxygen using Digital Light Synthesis, a technology pioneered by Carbon. The first three hundred pairs will be released to friends and family, followed by more than 5000 pairs for retail in Fall/Winter 2017. #adidas #futurecraft4D #adidasfuturecraft4D #Carbon
A post shared by Sneakers Magazine (@sneakersmag) on Apr 6, 2017 at 9:05pm PDT Imagine a sneaker that allows you to run faster, jump higher and spin better. This is exactly the idea behind the design of the new Futurecraft 4D sports shoes from Adidas. The midsole of such sneakers can be adjusted exactly to the needs of the person who wears them, not only in size and shape, but also in flexibility, impact softening power, the nature of the coating, and so on. The key to success here is 3-D printing, which allows Adidas to "look at every square millimeter of the midsole and tailor it to the athlete's needs to deliver better performance." Futurecraft 4D project manager Al Van Noy says this. It takes several weeks to fit shoes using traditional methods. And with the help of 3-D printing, a midsole can be made in just a couple of hours. Thus, the company will be able to produce them directly in stores. At least this will be possible in the future. In the meantime, Adidas will begin selling a standard version of the shoe starting in December with a midsole created based on 17 years of data collected.
Machines that will make electricity the main fuel Alex Fitzpatrick (Alex Fitzpatrick) Tesla of the third model
A post shared by Tesla Model 3 (@tesla_model_3) on Oct 20, 2017 at 10:41pm PDT An electric car usually has one of two problems. It's either too expensive or has too little range between charges. In the third Tesla electric car, both of these problems are planned to be eliminated. This is the most interesting car in the price category of 35 thousand dollars and above with a driving range of more than 320 kilometers on a single charge (the same characteristics of Chevrolet's Bolt electric car). Buyers are clearly intrigued. The demand for the third model cars is very high, as 1,800 applications are received every day. The manufacturer is unable to meet the growing demand. “We have hell on the assembly line,” Elon Musk, co-founder and CEO, said on Twitter in October. However, Tesla is confident that it will increase production and meet demand. This is good for both shareholders and the environment. Cars like Tesla Model 3, which run on electricity rather than gasoline, could play a critical role in the fight against climate change.
Emily Barone Portable Wearable Breast Pump (Willow Breast Pump)
Wireless technology allows us to talk on the phone, listen to music, and print spreadsheets without using a cord. But women who pump breast milk find themselves isolated in a room and tethered by tubes to a machine, with sets of bottles dangling from their chests. Willow, a pair of lightweight, battery-powered pumps, offers a solution. Each bra-cup-shaped device slips into a nursing bra-no undressing required-and holds a 4-ounce, BPA-free storage bag. With one two-hour charge, the pump can last up to five sessions, and through an app, mothers can track milk expression, compare data across pumping sessions, order additional bags, and set timers and alerts. Willow CEO Naomi Kelman plans to release the pump this fall. Working with @Ideo, Willow conducted dozens of interviews with mothers and realized that they think of pumps as personal-care items rather than milk-delivery systems. So the exterior of each cup features a sleek control pad and a texture “like fine linen,” Kelman says. Her ultimate objective is to allow women to provide for babies without having to pause their everyday lives-or choose between breastfeeding and work, since only 10% of nursing mothers employed full time continue breastfeeding for six months. “We really want to support moms in establishing whatever goals they set for the mselves," Kelman says, "and not step out of life to pump." -Story by Belinda Lanks #fcdesignawards #willowpump
A post shared by Fast Company (@fastcompany) on Sep 29, 2017 at 6:05am PDT Breastfeeding is not easy, especially for mothers who have a lot on their plate. Most electric breast pumps use horn-shaped milk collection containers connected to loud humming machines. Willow, a California-based company headquartered in Mountain View, is trying to change this design. Its battery-powered breast pumps are quiet and small enough that women can insert them into their bras and pump out milk as needed. (Each breast pump has a collection container.) "Instead of planning her day around a breast pump, women can play with older children or make video calls," says Willow President and CEO Naomi Kelman. But for such convenience you have to pay, and a lot of money: $480 plus 50 cents for a 120-gram bag. It is much more expensive than traditional models. According to Kelman, the company is making changes to the breast pump design based on feedback from moms who are currently testing a pilot batch. If Willow delivers on its promises when production begins next year, it could be a revolution in breastfeeding, which is in dire need of change.
A Simple Home Security System by Lisa Eadicicco (Secure, Nest, $499)
Big things coming in 2018. Don"t say we didn"t tell ya.
A post shared by Spark Automation (@sparkautomation) on Sep 20, 2017 at 6:21pm PDT Most home security systems are designed to deter intruders. A subsidiary of Google's parent company Alphabet, Nest, built its Secure system "in a completely different way," says chief operating officer Matt Rogers. She focused on making it as easy as possible for the owners to get home. What are we talking about? The Secure system can be deactivated by waving the key fob instead of typing a code. The key fob can be programmed to go off at a specific time. This way, the nanny who is caring for your child will only be able to enter your home during working hours. A smartphone app allows users to control their system remotely. (Similar technologies are offered by Abode, SimpliSafe and other companies). Naturally, Secure can effectively guard your home. If an intruder attempts to break in or somehow disable the system, an 85-decibel alarm will sound. And motion sensors will warn the owner about open door or window.
The next mission to Mars from NASA will be the Mars Insight Lander, just approved to launch in 2018. The new launch period for the mission begins May 5, 2018, with a Mars landing scheduled for Nov. 26, 2018. The next launch opportunity is driven by orbital dynamics, so 2018 is the soonest the lander can be on its way. InSight’s primary goal is to help us understand how rocky planets formed and evolved. About the Photo: The solar arrays on NASA's InSight lander are deployed in this test inside a clean room at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver. This configuration is how the spacecraft will look on the surface of Mars. Image Credit: NASA/JPL -Caltech/Lockheed Martin We are already planning a special Mars themed #AstroBox in 2018!
A post shared by AstroBox (@astroboxrocks) on Sep 13, 2016 at 9:26am PDT The train to Mars leaves only once every two years. It is during these periods that the Earth and Mars line up in such a way that traveling from one planet to another takes a minimum of time. NASA plans to make the most of this window in 2018, aiming to send the InSight lander to Mars in May. As the name suggests, it will give scientists the opportunity to take a closer look at the interior of the Red Planet. (InSight was originally scheduled to launch in 2016, but malfunctions at the seismic station caused a delay.) Unlike Curiosity and other Mars rovers, this device will not move anywhere, remaining in one place. But he will have enough work even if he is stationary. It will drill a hole into the Martian surface to a depth of five meters to study the thermal history of the planet. Essentially, it will measure its geological temperature. Meanwhile, seismographs will study the composition of Mars, and the radio channel of the X-ray meter will analyze its wander (the way Mars rotates on its axis and is attracted to other celestial bodies in the solar system). The cameras will transmit panoramic and three-dimensional images to Earth. This vehicle will operate for 728 Earth days (708 Martian days), or until the flight can be completed in 2020.
A virtual reality headset that is completely autonomous Lisa Eadicicco (Oculus Go)
A post shared by Oculus (@oculus) on Oct 11, 2017 at 10:18am PDT Despite all the futuristic hype, virtual reality is a rather cumbersome technology, as even the best headsets require additional devices such as smartphones or computers to operate. But with Facebook's Oculus Go, things are much simpler. This head-mounted computer operates completely autonomously. (HTC and Lenovo run similar devices.) It's less maintainable than more expensive devices, but that's inevitable because increasing computer performance means decreasing physical space. When it comes to making something lightweight that can be mounted on your head, there are always compromises, says Max Cohen, who is leading the development of this mobile product at Oculus. Next year, Facebook will launch the Oculus Go virtual reality headset, and the main goal of this headset will not be to bring the virtual and the real as close as possible, but to make the experience of virtual reality as accessible as possible. "We want people to be able to say, 'No, I don't have to sacrifice anything to get into virtual reality,'" Cohen says.
Your digital kitchen assistant Lisa Eadicicco (Tasty One Top, $149)
@buzzfeedtasty I"m so excited! I have a really good feeling about this! #takemymoney #please #millenialsbelike #millennials #tastyonetop
A post shared by Clayton Cooley (@alfa_cooley) on Jul 29, 2017 at 11:02pm PDT Tasty, a cooking channel launched by media company BuzzFeed, can be called the most popular kitchen channel on the Internet, as it is watched by more than 100 million people. He describes in detail the most complex recipes, giving step-by-step video instructions. But there's a "big difference between seeing a recipe on Facebook and actually making the dish," says Ben Kaufman, who heads BuzzFeed's production lab. Therefore, he and his colleagues decided to eliminate this difference. The result is the Tasty One Top, which uses the Tasty app to guide new chefs on how to prepare a variety of dishes. A built-in sensor with a thermometer monitors the temperature, and therefore the application will prompt the user at the right moment when, say, you need to turn a steak so that it is medium-rare. Other companies such as FirstBuild, Hestan and Pantelligent have been offering similar products to customers in recent years. The advantage of Tasty is that it already has a rich arsenal of recipes, from onion rings for cheeseburgers to ice cream tubs. Such recipes require deep-frying, which causes confusion for many people, Kaufman says. But having received a device that makes the cooking process simple and predictable, people will probably want to cook more often.
Drones that put selfie sticks to shame Alex Fitzpatrick (Spark, $499)
picture from:@goprohero_official ➖➖➖➖ #dji #djispark #djispscorporation #djimavic #djiphantom3professional #djiosmo #osmo #spark #control #radiocontrol #fpv #fpvracingdrones #fpvisnotacrime #fpvracing #uav #drone #drones #dronestagram #instagram #djifpv # djiradiocontrol #photo #photography #photographer #photos #photog #insta #phantom #phantom4 #dronepic
A post shared by Dji Spark (@djispark_official) on Oct 17, 2017 at 2:19pm PDT Unmanned aerial vehicles have gained wild popularity in recent years, facilitating a variety of human activities, from cartography to rescue operations. The Spark drone has a more down-to-earth goal: to help people take photos and videos. These drones are easy to control (gesture recognition lets you control your flying photographer with a wave of your hand), harder to break (a suite of sensors helps avoid mid-air collisions), and fairly cheap ($499). True, their maximum flight time is 16 minutes, and this is less than that of higher quality and more expensive models. “We think Spark is the starting point for a whole new series of drones,” says Paul Pan, who works as senior product manager for new products. So far this strategy has yielded good results. Thanks in part to the Spark, which went on sale in June, DJI's Chinese arm sells half of all drones purchased in the United States.
An air filter that destroys pollutants by Lisa Eadicicco (Molekule, $799)
#molekule #air #purification #technology #hardware
A post shared by Molekule (@molekuleair) on May 24, 2016 at 2:06pm PDT Most air filters improve air quality by trapping harmful pollutants. The Molekule filter goes much further - it eliminates them completely. Its key element is a specially coated nanofilter that reacts with light in a way that inhibits the growth of toxins such as mold and bacteria. “It's similar to how light hits a solar cell and electricity is generated,” says Jaya Rao, founder of new company along with his brother Dilip Goswami, who became its director, and his father, Yogi Goswami, Ph.D., who heads the Center for Clean Energy Research at the University of South Florida. The filter's price tag of nearly $800, plus $99 a year for new filters, is a little perplexing, but enthusiasts say it's worth it for the improved air quality. Investors agree with them, having allocated almost $15 million to the Molekule project.
Easily adaptable airless wheels Lisa Eadicicco (Michelin concept)
Get a closer look at VISION, our visionary concept tire based on our circular economy approach #MichelinIAA2017 #innovation pic.twitter.com/fl9vgfCl3h
Michelin (@Michelin) September 13, 2017
In the future, our cars will be smart, and their wheels will be even smarter. At least that's what Michelin thinks. This year it unveiled its new concept in an attempt to demonstrate the potential of tire technology. The concept seems very compelling. For starters, the tire will become airless, so you won't have to worry about whether it's inflated enough. In addition, the wheels will be made from recycled materials to reduce production waste. But the biggest impression is made by the 3D printed wheel tread, which can be changed depending on the nature of the road. The wheel itself does not need to be changed. The hard part will be figuring out how to do it quickly, says project leader Terry Gettys. “The whole point is that the consumer wants the new tread to be ready to ride in minutes.” Michelin estimates that it will take twenty years to develop and begin production of such a cutting-edge wheel. However, some of their elements, such as airless design and sensors that warn the driver of tread wear, may find widespread use within a few years.
Wi-Fi router that protects your smart home Alex Fitzpatrick (Core, Norton, $279.99)
DON"T MISS OUT on $80 off! Discounted pre-orders end March 31. The Norton Core secure router comes with powerful Norton protection for your smart home, plus a handy app that gives you a Security Score. Learn more at us.norton. com/core. #Norton #NortonSecurity #NortonCore #wifi #router #security #power #IoT #smarthome #home #tech #discount
A post shared by Norton (@nortonsecurity) on Mar 30, 2017 at 8:52am PDT There are many benefits to online gadgets, one of which is that you can make your own coffee without getting out of bed. But in this new reality, any of our devices, from a toaster to washing machine, may be subject to hacker hacking. Norton's Core Wi-Fi router can neutralize this threat. Unlike most wireless routers, which simply provide connectivity and communication, Core is designed to also detect disruptions to normal operation. If one of your devices shows signs of a virus, Core will disconnect it from the rest of your home network. It's like quarantine for a sick person. It also regularly updates its software to stay ahead of new threats and "provide security and peace of mind for homeowners," says Ameer Karim, vice president of consumer physical network security at Symantec. Does it look like a ship from Star Wars? This is a bonus for you.
Bracelet that saves children Belinda Luscombe (Bempu)
Thank you for the feature @avpn_asia! https://t.co/zR9eK4Hu4R Our partnership with @TR_Foundation @ATAIndialegal brought Bempu to the market pic.twitter.com/hSw4m67gE8
BempuHealth (@BempuHealth) December 2, 2016
Children really need fat. Without it, their body temperature quickly drops, hypothermia begins, breathing problems arise, and so on. But where resources are scarce, where babies are often born premature or low birth weight, hospitals and clinics often cannot afford incubators to keep babies warm, and most parents find out too late that their babies are in danger. This is where the $28 Bempu bracelet, which is placed on a child's arm to monitor temperature, can come to the rescue. If the baby gets too cold, an alarm sounds and an orange light flashes. In this case, the mother can take the baby, warm him with the warmth of her own body, or swaddle him. Today, this device helps about 10 thousand newborns, mainly in India, but also in 25 other countries. This year, the manufacturing company received a $2 million grant from Saving Lives at Birth, which will help expand sales even further. “Our goal,” says Bempu CEO Ratul Narain, “is to significantly reduce early childhood mortality.”
The Game Console That Lets You Play Anywhere Lisa Eadicicco (Nintendo Switch, $299.99)
Remember: the Nintendo Switch Presentation 2017 begins at 4am (UK time) tomorrow! Tune in to learn all about our next home gaming system. The links in our bio! #NintendoSwitch #FreedomToPlay #Tokyo #Nintendo #Switch #gaming #gamer #videogames
A post shared by Nintendo Switch UK (@nintendoswitchuk) on Jan 12, 2017 at 4:58am PST “If you have a good and interesting game, there comes a point of disappointment when you have to stop it,” says Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé. But if you have a Nintendo Switch, you don't have to stop playing. If it is installed on a special tablet, the user can continue it as long as he likes. There is also an option with two joysticks that are attached to the sides, which allows multiple users to play. Returning home, the user can place the tablet on the stand and continue playing as usual. Video game fans love this portability. Since sales began in March, Nintendo has sold 7.63 million of these Nintendo Switch consoles. According to forecasts, the new console will surpass its predecessor Wii U in terms of sales by the end of the current financial year.
Stronger, Safer American Football Helmets by Jenny Vrentas (Zero1, a VICIS Company)
Vicis Zero1 will be seen on the field this coming season! Which player would you like to see wear it? #vicis #viciszero1 #nfl #nflsunday #nflplayers #ncaa #ncaafootball #ncaachampionship #football #footballfan #footballnewz #footballlife #footballseason #instagram #instafamous #instagood #college #collegelife #collegegameday #collegefootball
A post shared by Footballgooroo (@footballgooroo) on Jun 22, 2017 at 6:39am PDT For decades, American football players have worn the same type of head protection: hard helmets made of plastic. About four years ago, neurosurgeon Sam Browd began to think about what new things could be done in this direction. What if the outer part of the helmet was made from an elastic polymer? Thus, the helmet will act like a car bumper, softening the force of impact at the moment of collision. He drew a prototype on a napkin and took his sketch to his friends at the University of Washington. Together they created the startup VICIS to put their vision into practice. “We wanted to make the most reliable and safest helmet possible,” says VICIS CEO Dave Marver. The $40 million investment resulted in the Zero1 helmet, which received the highest ratings in the National Football League's annual testing of helmets' ability to reduce impact forces and prevent brain injuries. Today, Zero1 helmets are used by players on 18 NFL teams, including Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith, and on 20 college football teams.
Super Sustainable Catch Julia Zorthian (GreenWave Ocean Farm)
What an amazing shot of Thimble Island sugar kelp! 📸 by @joe_carrotta 🙌 #ocean #kelp #kelpisthenewkale #plantsofinstagram #ocean #photography #seaweed
A post shared by GreenWaveORG (@greenwaveorg) on Jun 9, 2017 at 12:00pm PDT In the future, farmers will switch to growing oysters, mussels, edible shellfish and seaweed on ropes anchored to the seabed. So says professional fisherman Bren Smith, who became director of GreenWave, a Connecticut-based nonprofit that does just that. The idea is not as crazy as it might seem. Everything comes from agriculture more problems, because it accounts for a significant share of greenhouse gas emissions. And there are fewer and fewer fish in the oceans due to overfishing. Therefore, a person needs alternative sources of nutrition. GreenWave aquaculture offers compelling benefits: seafood is rich in protein, doesn't require fertilizer, and even helps combat climate change (by consuming carbon as it grows). Of course, converting Westerners to a new diet of shellfish and seaweed won't be easy. However, GreenWave sees great potential in its work. The organization has helped fishermen establish 14 farms along the New England coast since 2013, and now plans to expand its operations to California, the Northwest Coast and Europe.
Incredible Fun Toy by Sean Gregory (Spinner, $5.87)
P/ aliviar o estresse…😌 #spinner #bomdia
The previous review examined the best inventions of 2017 in the fields of metallurgy, mechanical engineering, mining, construction and organic chemistry. And we continue to study all the best that was invented in Russia in 2017.
Inorganic and polymeric compounds.
22. Energy-saving antifreeze.Moscow. Patent holder: Mikhail Leonidovich Galkin.
An energy-saving antifreeze is proposed for internal combustion engines of cars, heavy wheeled and tracked vehicles for civil and military purposes and other vehicles, as well as generator sets, which has low viscosity and increased heat transfer capacity. The invention provides a reduction in engine warm-up time after a cold start, unproductive fuel consumption and a reduction in wear of engine units and parts due to more uniform heating, which ultimately leads to an increase in engine life and fuel economy, all other things being equal. The invention is especially relevant in the conditions of Siberia, the Far North and the Arctic zone of Russia. Antifreeze is produced under the Spektrogen brand. Spectroplast LLC 
23. Method for producing a graphene film on a substrate.Chernogolovka. IPTM RAS.
The invention relates to chemistry, optoelectronics and nanotechnology and can be used in the manufacture of transparent electrodes and nanoelectronic devices. Allows you to simplify the process and reduce the temperature of obtaining homogeneous high-quality graphene films .
24. Method for producing MB2-SiC composite powder, where M=Zr, Hf.Moscow. IOGKh RAS.
The resulting composite powders can be used for applying protective antioxidant coatings to carbon-containing materials, including those reinforced with carbon and silicon carbide fibers, graphite materials, and for the production of ultra-high-temperature ceramic materials, used mainly for the creation of aviation, space and rocket technology, heating systems, thermal power plants, in nuclear energy technologies, in the chemical and petrochemical industries.
25. Method for producing ultra-high temperature ceramic composite MB2/SiC, where M = Zr, Hf.Moscow. IOGKh RAS
The invention relates to the production of oxidation-resistant ultra-high-temperature ceramic composite materials and products. Ceramics with nanocrystalline silicon carbide can be used as oxidation-, chemically and erosion-resistant materials in air flows at temperatures above 2000 °C, used mainly to create aviation, space and rocket technology, heating systems, thermal power plants, as well as in nuclear energy technologies, chemical and petrochemical industries.
26. A method for producing cobalt ferrite nanopowders and a microreactor for its implementation.Saint Petersburg. FSBEI HE "SPbSTI (TU)", ONTI and OIS.
The invention relates to methods and devices for producing cobalt ferrite nanopowders, as well as to microscale reactors. Chemical methods for producing oxide nanoparticles, including CoFe2O4 nanopowders, consist in the fact that nanoparticles are obtained using one or another chemical reaction in which certain classes of substances participate. A widely used method for producing nanoparticles is based on the deposition method, which involves implementing a deposition process various connections metals from solutions of their salts using precipitants. The invention makes it possible to reduce the temperature and pressure required for the synthesis of oxide nanosized particles of cobalt ferrite, reduce energy costs and ensure continuity of the process with the possibility of its implementation on an industrial scale, reduce the cost of equipment, increase the yield and selectivity of the process, provide optimal conditions for fast reactions due to maintaining stable and efficient hydrodynamic conditions for contacting reagents and rapid removal of reaction products.
27. Method for the synthesis of metal-graphene nanocomposites.Ekaterinburg. Institute of High Temperature Electrochemistry, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
The invention relates to the production of metal-graphene nanocomposite materials with improved structure and physical properties that meet the requirements of the aerospace industry, which can be used in the aviation, space and electrical industries. The technical result achieved by the claimed method is to obtain a homogeneous metal nanocomposite material with reduced density and increased hardness, strength, elasticity modulus and elongation at break.
28. Method for producing metal carboxylates of variable valence.Voronezh. FSBEI HE "VSUIT"
The invention relates to a method for producing metal salts of fatty acids, which are used as multifunctional additives, complex stabilizers, driers, promoters, ingredients in rubber products, as well as in the production of pro-oxidants - oxo-biodegradable additives for polymer materials with an adjustable service life. Technical result: a method has been developed for producing carboxylates of metals of variable valency, which has reduced energy intensity, increased conversion, industrial and technological safety
29. Hybrid material based on poly-3-amino-7-methylamino-2-methylphenazine and single-walled carbon nanotubes and a method for its preparation. Moscow. INHS RAS
The invention relates to the field of creating new structured hybrid nanomaterials based on electroactive polymers and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and can be used in organic electronics and electrorheology, medicine (transfer of molecules for drug delivery to a cell, for example, in treatment oncological diseases), for the creation of microelectromechanical systems, thin-film transistors, nanodiodes, nanoelectric wires, memory modules, electrochemical current sources, rechargeable batteries, supercapacitors, sensors and biosensors, solar panels, displays. The resulting hybrid electrically conductive material is characterized by high electrical conductivity, strength and heat resistance.
30. Heat-resistant fabric made of polymer fibers and a product made from this fabric.Moscow. MISiS.
The group of inventions relates to the production of special-purpose protective clothing. The heat-resistant fabric is formed by interlacing the warp and weft threads in a combined plain weave, with warp reps on the warp and weft reps on the weft. The fabric is additionally treated with at least one organofluorine preparation. Increases fire resistance, reduces rigidity and improves elasticity and drapability characteristics when used in the Far North. 
Food industry and agriculture
31. Cone crusher with improved mounting.Saint Petersburg. Patent holder: Konstantin Evseevich Belotserkovsky
The invention can be used in technological processes in the construction and mining industries. The invention provides rigid fixation of crushing armor in the adjusting ring due to full contact of the surfaces of the armor and the adjusting ring with each other of the crushing armor.
32. Adapter for fluid supply. St. Petersburg" CJSC Aquaphor Production"
Auxiliary devices for a liquid supply means, such as a clean liquid tap or a mixer with a clean liquid supply line. This ensures a reduction in the level of noise and vibration that occurs when liquid flows through the adapter. 
33. A method of obtaining water from air.Tyumen. Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education "Tyumen Industrial University"
The invention relates to methods for autonomously obtaining fresh water drinking quality from the moisture of the surrounding sea atmospheric air and can also be used for household and household needs. The technical solution makes it possible to convert the practically free hydraulic energy of sea tides into the pneumatic energy necessary to release the moisture contained in the atmospheric sea air, and thus reduce the cost of producing fresh water of drinking quality.
34. Method of obtaining water from air.Moscow. LLC "ELECTRORAM" Skolkovo.
The invention relates to methods for autonomously obtaining fresh water of drinking quality from the surrounding humid, sea, atmospheric air and can also be used for domestic and economic needs. The technical result of the claimed invention is the reduction of costs for obtaining fresh water from atmospheric air, due to the elimination of the supply of electricity and the use of renewable hydraulic energy of sea waves, the simplicity and low cost of the design for implementing the method due to the availability of the materials from which it is made, and the environmental safety of the method .
35. A device for obtaining water from atmospheric air and generating electricity.Samara. "Samara National Research University named after Academician S.P. Korolev", and JSC "Metallist-Samara"
A device for obtaining fresh water from atmospheric air and generating electricity, including two concentrically located vertical cylinders forming “dry” and “wet” air channels.
36. Heat recovery plant.Moscow. RGAU-MSHA named after K.A. Timiryazev
The invention relates to heat exchangers for providing a microclimate on livestock farms. The installation includes a supply fan and an exhaust fan, a polymer heat exchanger. The installation is arranged vertically and is equipped with an automatic washing system. The heat exchanger is made in the form of double-walled plates. Self-supporting cellular polycarbonate was used as the heat exchanger material. The design of the heat exchanger is simplified. Compared with the prototype, the proposed device can significantly simplify the design and increase its reliability, while providing the required basic parameters of the microclimate of livestock buildings for various climatic zones 
37. Circular saw.Krasnoyarsk Siberian State University of Science and Technology named after Academician M.F. Reshetneva
The invention relates to the woodworking industry, in particular to saws. A circular saw contains a cutting disc with teeth. The saw teeth contain plates. Two high-frequency slots with three half-waves of equal amplitude are made on the surface of the disk. The stability of the saw, accuracy and quality of work are increased, aerodynamic noise and vibration are reduced.
38. Cone inertial crusher with a modernized drive.Saint Petersburg. Belotserkovsky Konstantin Evseevich.
The invention relates to crushing equipment, in particular to cone crushers, and can be used in technological processes in the construction and mining industries. The inertial cone crusher can solve the problem of dynamic balancing, lower the height of the crusher and increase the crushing ratio
39. Biologically active feed additive for broiler chickens.Kazan. NPO "BioChemService"
The invention can be used to organize biologically complete feeding and stimulate the productivity of broiler chickens. The use of the drug Melafen is proposed as a biologically active feed additive for broiler chickens. The drug is administered orally with drinking water throughout the entire growing period. The drug Melafen has a positive effect on the growth rate of broiler chickens, helps increase the weight gain of birds by 3.6-6.3%, has a beneficial effect on natural resistance and immunological reactivity, normalizes metabolic and regenerative processes, has a stimulating effect on protein, carbohydrate and fat metabolism.
40. Method for producing liquid humic preparation.Rostov region FSBSI "DZNIISH"
The method for producing a liquid humic preparation allows one to obtain a high-quality target product. The technical result solved by this invention is to develop a method for producing a liquid humic preparation from various substrates of natural origin, which differs from known analogues in the increased quality of the target product, ease of production, eliminating the need to use aggressive reagents. The amount of humic substances contained in the resulting preparation allows us to eliminate additional methods for its enrichment, which allows us to optimize the technological process and reduce its cost.
Experts are not optimistic: they believe that the tech industry has exhausted all ideas in the past year. Instead of inventing something new, the old one is being renamed.
The Gizmodo portal published the Top 10 most unoriginal and useless “new products” of the year.
In tenth place is a helicopter from Uber. The company said that by 2020 they intend to launch the UberAir service with flying taxis in Los Angeles. Moreover, at rates comparable to traveling by car.
To make such trips cheaper, the company wants to develop its own unmanned helicopters. It is difficult to say how comfortable a passenger will feel in such a device. By the way, Uber already has a helicopter service called UberChopper. It offers passenger transportation services between New York and Hamton.
Ninth place is in mailboxes from Amazon. The new service, called Hub, is a modular locker the company wants to install in apartment buildings so people can pick up packages themselves by dialing a code. This is almost the same as Amazon Lockers - boxes that are already installed in stores and in public places Worldwide.
Eighth place - at the "horizontal skyscraper" from Google. This is the new headquarters the company is building in London. In appearance, the building really looks like a tall skyscraper laid on its side (and in this option- length) approximately 330 meters, designed for 7000 people, with an elevator moving sideways.
Be that as it may, it is just a building, and not the most convenient for large cities, where space is very expensive.
Seventh place went to the bus, “invented” in Silicon Valley. The service, called Lyft Shuttle, is a ride in a multi-passenger vehicle that follows a predetermined route to a specific stop. The cost of the trip in this case is lower, but, as the developers say, “you know exactly how long the trip will take, because the route is known.”
The whole world calls it a "city bus".
Sixth place goes to the communal apartment, which was invented by the startup WeWork. This is an expensive project, costing $18 billion (more than Elon Musk's SpaceX).
The gist is this: there's a section on Wall Street called WeLive. In the common areas, residents can cook dinner, do laundry, play ping-pong, drink cocktails, swim in the pool, and so on. In general, this is a luxurious communal apartment.
Fifth place goes to a teapot from Teforia for $300. In appearance, it looks more like a Wi-Fi enabled coffee maker.
The authors of the project promised that the device would prepare “perfect tea” using advanced algorithms and encyclopedic knowledge. Specially packaged tea for this device cost from 1 to 6 dollars (this amount can buy a huge number of packs of excellent tea). It is not surprising that in currently the project was closed.
Fourth place in . The company raised $57 million to provide a service for collecting, storing and delivering items without the owner visiting the storage facility.
In third place is a tent from the Odd Company, a stress-relieving “invention” called the Pause Pod. In essence, this is an ordinary tent in which you can sleep with your legs stretched out.
Second place goes to the vending machine from Bodega. These are ordinary automatic kiosks with all sorts of little things, which can be accessed through an application and linking a bank card. They are pointless: it’s easier to walk to the nearest store.
Finally, hands come first. This is the "creativity" of the Juicero company. A $400 Wi-Fi device called the Evans squeezes juice out of... a juice bag that comes with it.
After the release of this new product, users discovered that they could squeeze the juice with their hands in the same way. Which will be much cheaper.
As another year ends, it's time to once again sit down, fold our hands, take a deep breath, and look at some of the scientific headlines that we may not have previously paid attention to. Scientists are constantly creating some new developments in various fields, such as nanotechnology, gene therapy or quantum physics, and this always opens up new horizons.
The titles of scientific articles increasingly resemble the titles of stories from science fiction magazines. Considering what 2017 brought us, we can only look forward to what the new year, 2018, will bring.
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Source: muz4in.net
Scientists have created temporal crystals for which the laws of time symmetry do not apply.
According to the first law of thermodynamics, the creation of a perpetual motion machine that will work without an additional source of energy is impossible. However, earlier this year, physicists were able to create structures called temporal crystals, which call this thesis into question.
Temporal crystals act as the first real examples a new state of matter called "nonequilibrium", in which the atoms have a variable temperature and are never in thermal equilibrium with each other. Temporal crystals have an atomic structure that repeats not only in space but also in time, allowing them to maintain constant vibrations without gaining energy. This happens even in the stationary state, which is the lowest energy state where movement is theoretically impossible because it requires energy.
So do time crystals break the laws of physics? Strictly speaking, no. The law of conservation of energy only works in systems with time symmetry, which implies that the laws of physics are the same everywhere and always. However, temporal crystals violate the laws of symmetry of time and space. And not only them. Magnets are also sometimes considered natural asymmetric objects because they have north and south poles.
Another reason time crystals do not violate the laws of thermodynamics is that they are not completely isolated. Sometimes they need to be “nudged” - that is, given an external impulse, after receiving which they will begin to change their states again and again. It is possible that in the future these crystals will find wide application in the field of information transfer and storage in quantum systems. They could play a crucial role in quantum computing.
"Live" dragonfly wings
The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia states that a wing is a movable appendage of feathers or membrane used by birds, insects and bats for flight. It shouldn't be alive, but entomologists at the University of Kiel in Germany have made some startling discoveries that suggest otherwise - at least for some dragonflies.
Insects breathe using the tracheal system. Air enters the body through openings called spiracles. It then passes through a complex network of tracheae, which deliver air to all the cells of the body. However, the wings themselves consist almost entirely of dead tissue, which dries and becomes translucent or covered in colored patterns. The areas of dead tissue are veined and these are the only components of the wing that are part of the respiratory system.
However, when entomologist Rainer Guillermo Ferreira looked at the wing of a male Zenithoptera dragonfly through an electron microscope, he saw tiny, branched tracheal tubes. This was the first time something like this had been seen in an insect's wing. Determining whether this physiological feature is unique to this species or perhaps occurs in other dragonflies or even other insects will require much research. It is even possible that this is a single mutation. The presence of abundant oxygen supplies may explain the vibrant, complex blue patterns found on the wings of the Zenithoptera dragonfly, which contain no blue pigment.
Ancient tick with dinosaur blood inside
Of course, this made people immediately think of the Jurassic Park scenario and the possibility of using blood to recreate dinosaurs. Unfortunately, this will not happen in the near future, because it is impossible to extract DNA samples from the found pieces of amber. The debate about how long a DNA molecule can last is still ongoing, but even according to the most optimistic estimates and under the most optimal conditions, their lifespan is no more than a few million years.
But while the mite, named Deinocrotondraculi (“Terrible Dracula”), did not help restore the dinosaurs, it is still a highly unusual find. We now know not only that feathered dinosaurs had ancient mites, but also that they even infested dinosaur nests.
Modification of adult genes
Today, the pinnacle of gene therapy is “clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats,” or CRISPR. The family of DNA sequences that currently form the basis of CRISPR-Cas9 technology could theoretically change a person's DNA forever.
In 2017, genetic engineering took a major leap forward when a team at the Proteomics Research Center in Beijing announced that it had successfully used CRISPR-Cas9 to eliminate disease-causing mutations in viable human embryos. Another team, from the Francis Crick Institute in London, took the opposite route and for the first time used this technology to deliberately create mutations in human embryos. In particular, they “turned off” a gene that promotes the development of embryos into blastocysts.
Research has shown that CRISPR-Cas9 technology works - and quite successfully. However, this has sparked intense ethical debate about how far to go with this technology. Theoretically, this could lead to "designer children" who could have intellectual, athletic and physical characteristics in line with those specified by their parents.
Ethics aside, research went even further this November when CRISPR-Cas9 was tested in an adult for the first time. Brad Maddoo, 44, from California, suffers from Hunter syndrome, an incurable disease that could eventually leave him in a wheelchair. He was injected with billions of copies of the corrective gene. It will take several months before it can be determined whether the procedure was successful.
What came first - the sponge or the ctenophores?
A new scientific report, which was published in 2017, should once and for all put an end to the long-standing debate about the origins of animals. According to the study, sponges are the “sisters” of all animals in the world. This is due to the fact that sponges were the first group to separate during evolution from the primitive common ancestor of all animals. This happened approximately 750 million years ago.
Previously, there had been heated debate that centered on two main candidates: the aforementioned sponges and marine invertebrates called ctenophores. While sponges are simple creatures that sit on the ocean floor and feed by passing and filtering water through their bodies, ctenophores are more complex. They resemble jellyfish, are able to move in water, can create light patterns and have a simple nervous system. The question of which of them was the first is the question of what our common ancestor looked like. This is considered a crucial point in tracing our evolutionary history.
While the study's findings boldly proclaimed the matter settled, just a few months earlier another study had been published suggesting that our evolutionary "sisters" were ctenophores. Consequently, it is too early to say whether the latest results can be considered reliable enough to quell any doubts.
The raccoons have passed ancient test on intelligence
In the sixth century BC, the ancient Greek writer Aesop wrote or collected many fables that are now known as Aesop's Fables. Among them was a fable called “The Crow and the Jug,” which describes how a thirsty crow threw pebbles into a jug to raise the water level so that it could finally drink.
Several thousand years later, scientists realized that this fable described a good way to test the intelligence of animals. Experiments showed that experimental animals understood cause and effect. Crows, like their relatives, rooks and jays, confirmed the truth of the fable. Monkeys also passed the test, and raccoons were added to the list this year.
During the Aesop's fable test, eight raccoons were given containers of water with marshmallows floating on the surface. The water level was too low to reach him. Two of the subjects successfully threw stones into the container to raise the water level and get what they wanted.
Other test subjects found their own creative solutions that the researchers never expected. One of the raccoons, instead of throwing stones into the container, climbed onto the container and began to swing from side to side on it until it overturned. In another test, using floating and sinking marbles instead of stones, experts hoped that raccoons would use the sinking marbles and discard the floating ones. Instead, some animals began repeatedly dipping the floating ball into the water until a rising wave washed the marshmallow pieces against the side, making them easier to remove.
Physicists have created the first topological laser
Physicists at the University of California at San Diego claim to have created a new type of laser - a “topological” laser, the beam of which can take on any complex shape without scattering light. The device works based on the concept of topological insulators (materials that are dielectric inside their volume but conduct current across the surface), which won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2016.
Typically, lasers use ring resonators to amplify light. They are more efficient than resonators with sharp corners. This time, however, the research team created a topological cavity using a photonic crystal as a mirror. In particular, two photonic crystals with different topologies were used, one of which was a star-shaped cell in a square lattice, and the other was a triangular lattice with cylindrical air holes. Team member Boubacar Kante compared them to a bagel and a pretzel: although they are both breads with holes, the different number of holes makes them different.
Once the crystals are in the right place, the beam takes on the desired shape. This system is controlled using a magnetic field. It allows you to change the direction in which the light is emitted, thereby creating a luminous flux. Direct practical application of this can increase the speed of optical communication. However, in the future this is seen as a step forward in the creation of optical computers.
Scientists have discovered excitonium
Physicists around the world were very enthusiastic about the discovery of a new form of matter called excitonium. This form is a condensate of quasiparticles, excitons, which are the bound state of a free electron and an electron hole, which is formed as a result of the molecule losing an electron. What's more, Harvard theoretical physicist Burt Halperin predicted the existence of excitonium back in the 1960s, and scientists have been trying to prove him right (or wrong) ever since.
Like many major scientific discoveries, there was a fair amount of chance in this discovery. The team of researchers at the University of Illinois that discovered excitonium was actually exploring a new technology called electron beam energy loss spectroscopy (M-EELS) - designed specifically for identifying excitons. However, the discovery took place when the researchers were only conducting calibration tests. One team member walked into the room while everyone else was watching their screens. They said they had detected a "light plasmon", a precursor to excitonic condensation.
Study leader Professor Peter Abbamont compared the discovery to the Higgs boson - it will not have immediate real-life use, but shows that our current understanding of quantum mechanics is on the right track.
Scientists have created nanorobots that kill cancer
Researchers at Durham University claim to have created nanorobots that can identify cancer cells and kill them in just 60 seconds. In a successful trial conducted at the university, it took tiny robots one to three minutes to penetrate the outer membrane of a prostate cancer cell and immediately destroy it.
Nanorobots are 50,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. They are activated by light and rotate at two to three million revolutions per second to be able to penetrate the cell membrane. When they reach their target, they can either destroy it or introduce a useful therapeutic agent into it.
Until now, nanorobots have been tested only on individual cells, but encouraging results have prompted scientists to move on to experiments on microorganisms and small fish. The further goal is to move on to rodents and then to humans.
Interstellar asteroid could be an alien spacecraft
It's only been a couple of months since astronomers gleefully announced the discovery of the first interstellar object to fly through the solar system, an asteroid called 'Oumuamua. Since then, they have observed many strange things happening to this celestial body. Sometimes it behaved so unusually that scientists believe that the object may turn out to be an alien spaceship.
First of all, its shape is alarming. 'Oumuamua is cigar-shaped with a length-to-diameter ratio of ten to one, which has never been seen in any observed asteroid. At first, scientists thought it was a comet, but then realized it was not because the object did not leave a tail behind it as it approached the Sun. Moreover, some experts argue that the speed of the object's rotation should have destroyed any normal asteroid. One gets the impression that it was specially created for interstellar travel.
But if it is created artificially, then what could it be? Some say it's an alien probe, others think it could be spaceship, whose engines have malfunctioned and are now floating through space. In any case, participants in programs such as SETI and BreakthroughListen believe that 'Oumuamua requires further study, so they aim their telescopes at it and listen for any radio signals.
While the alien hypothesis has not been confirmed in any way, the initial SETI observations led nowhere. Many researchers remain pessimistic about the chances that the object could be created by aliens, but in any case, research will continue.
