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This Crazy Screen Squeezes an 8K Display Into a 17-Inch Panel

Well hello there, overkill. This screen from Japan Display is a triumph in taking resolution to the extreme: it squeezes an 8K LCD module into a screen that measures just 17.3 inches. For those keen on numbers, that’s a screen that packs 7,680 x 4,320 pixels, or a staggering 510 pixels per inch. It also…

These Balls are Mini-Brains, Ripe For Medical Research

Understanding how the brain works is important, but going hands-on to test drugs or other treatments can be difficult. Which is why a team from Brown University has created these miniature ball-shaped brains for use in the lab. While these balls of brain cells don’t actually perform actual cognition, they do produce electrical signals and…

I’m a Librarian Who Banned a Book. Here’s Why.

In the library world, access to information is a human right, not to be tampered with or controlled in any way. The books that line the shelves have been carefully selected by a trained librarian to offer the reader a balanced approach to all topics – that is, we try to provide all points of…

Asus is joining the likes of Samsung, Sony, and Dell in bundling up Microsoft apps, including Office, on its Android handsets. Slowly, Microsoft is spreading its tentacles across Google’s domain.

Careful Application of Heat Could Extend the Lifetime of a Battery

Think of heat and batteries, and you probably imagine a li-on cell bursting into flames. But now researchers think that a little heat at the right time could actually be used to extend the lifespan of a battery. During the cycles of charing and discharging, li-on batteries slowly degrade. One factor involved in that degradation…

Last Night’s ISS Sunset Sure Was a Good One

This was astronaut Scott Kelly’s view from the International Space Station before he went to bed last night. Those primary colors are really quite incredible. [Scott Kelly]

Simply Counting Births and Deaths Could Solve Health Inequity in Africa

In Africa, only four countries record more than 75% of their births and deaths. This creates an unequal system and impacts on how governments plan for these citizens. For many African countries and especially among poorer communities, when people die there is no trace in any official legal record or statistic. It is common for…

Hackers Dump Entire Database of Artist Crowdfunding Website Patreon Online

It’s been a bad day for online security. Patreon, a crowdfunding website designed to let fans pay artists, has just had 15GB of its user’s data — and the site’s source code — dumped online. The 13.7-gigabyte data dump appeared on the internet today, and according to Ars Technica and security researcher Troy Hunt (of…

Every Grown-Up Child Needs These Disney Vans

Vans are definitely not the footwear of choice for people seeking a sophisticated, well-heeled look. If you wear Disney-themed Converse, that’s particularly true — but that still won’t stop me buying up every pair of these Disney Vans I can lay my childlike hands on. Everyone’s favorite skateboarding shoes are being redesigned in collaboration with…

How a Giant Lift Harnesses Gravity to Move Boats

You’re probably aware that normal elevators make use of counterweights, which reduce the amount of energy it takes to move people up and down skyscrapers with slightly frightening speed. But when it comes to moving hundred-ton boats, a little more precision is required. Tom Scotthas an excellent video explaining the basic physics behind the Falkirk…

How the ISS Astronauts Grew Their Space Lettuce

One of the most important research works take place aboard the International Space Station is to find out how astronauts can grow their own food. In August, Expedition 44 astronauts Scott Kelly, Kjell Lindgren, and Kimiya Yui tasted lettuce entirely grown in space, for the first time in history. This video released by NASA’s Johnson…

 See a Water Droplet Wrap Itself In a Sheet of Plastic

Fluid dynamics is never not cool. Here we see ultra-thin sheets of polystyrene wrap themselves around shrinking water droplets. At first it looks like the liquid water droplet in these videos is shrinking, or being compressed, by the thin sheet of material we can see across its surface. Actually, it’s being sucked down to size…

How Compound Bows Work And What You Need To Know To Shoot One

The fastest, most powerful, most accurate bows ever made are modern compound designs. What advantages do they have over traditional bows of yore and how do you shoot one? This year, I’ve learned the sport of archery. Starting out, I hadn’t shot a bow since Boy Scouts, but now, I can accurately hit a two-inch…

Japanese Six-Year-Olds Can Ride Trains Alone Thanks to the Country’s Amazing Infrastructure

Over at The Atlantic’s CityLab, there’s a great post about how Japanese kids can run errands around town and take public transportation free of supervision. It’s thanks to the country’s incredible infrastructure and culture of safety. Broadly speaking, in Japan, folks generally assume they can depend on others. (Japan’s rock bottom crime rates back this…

A Chart That Shows Where Every Country in the World Gets Its Food

Our plates are quite well-traveled these days, with foods from our backyards mingling with foods grown easily halfway around the world. Just how connected the food world has become is much clearer in these charts showing where every place in the world is getting (and sending) their food. The International Center for Tropical Agriculture just…

Parts of Chile Moved More Than a Meter in the Illapel Earthquake

The Illapel earthquake that hit Chile in September shifted the ground by up to 1.4 meters. That’s awfully far to move the not-so-steady rock below our feet. A magnitude 8.3 earthquake hit Chile on September 16, 2015. The sudden snapping and release of tension in the tectonic plates shifted the very ground, with the greatest…

Chemically Freezing Sperm Tails Could Be the Key to a Reversible Male Contraceptive

As sperm swim they transform chemical energy into motion, the way a car’s engine uses gas to propel you down the road. Like that engine, the process is complicated—if just one part stops working, the whole system can grind to a halt. This idea might lead to a contraceptive for men that’s reversible. In a…

Mapping the 88 Million Ways That Humans Are Genetically Different

An international team of scientists has scanned the genomes of 2,504 people from around the world to create the world’s largest catalog of human genetic variation (HGV). The extensive database will help them understand why some people are susceptible to certain diseases. No two people are identical, yet human beings share 99.9% of their DNA.…

The Already-Flooded East Coast Faces a Massive Storm Surge from Hurricane Joaquin

Hurricane Joaquin strengthened to a Category 4 this afternoon on its way through the Bahamas. It’s now a large, powerful storm with sustained winds of 130 to 156 mph. The biggest threat, however, is Joaquin’s storm surge, which is raising sea levels five to ten feet in the Bahamas and could do the same —…

Ceres’ Mysterious Bright Spots Aren’t Made of Ice After All

Ceres’ bright spots have been a winking mystery for months, but NASA finally thinks it’s solved the riddle: No, we’re not looking at a giant alien ice rink. More likely, enormous piles of salt. “We believe this is a huge salt deposit,” principal investigator for the Dawn spacecraft Chris Russell told scientists on Monday at…