BY: THE PLAID ZEBRA Sam Van Aken’s “Tree of 40 Fruit” is one of the world’s only living art pieces. By “chip grafting,” Van Aken, a professor at Syracuse University, is able to Frankenstein trees of 40 different stone fruits…
Innovation
Kelly Slater designs a sustainable clothing line from recycled fishing nets and plastic waste
BY: MATTHEW CHIN World champion surfer Kelly Slater is taking a stand on environmental protection by unveiling a sustainable clothing line made from recycled materials found in the ocean. Having been by the water for the majority of his life, he…
The key to higher life expectancy may be to live like a virus-infested rat
BY: KAROUN CHAHINIAN Imagine being a dirty, diseased rat that runs through sewers, filthy streets, and the grimiest corners in cities. You might put on a face of disgust or a quick and definite “no,” which is understandable when thinking about…
Bulletproof, fireproof, environmentally friendly homes are being made from plastic bottles
BY: JESSICA BEUKER The streets of downtown Toronto are vibrant and busy at all times of the day. During the day business women rapidly click their heels and talk a mile a minute into their cellphones. Students hustle off to…
These underwater greenhouse domes grow crops 20 feet below the ocean’s surface at breakneck speeds
BY: ROB HOFFMAN Sergio Gamberini was somewhere on the sandy beaches of Italy when he was struck with the unusual idea of trying to operate a greenhouse 20 feet under the ocean’s surface. Granted the idea originally comes across as…
These amazing ear buds let you customize the sound of your environment
BY: THE PLAID ZEBRA The sound of your partner grinding their teeth, the sound of your tone-deaf roommate singing in the shower, the piercing squeal of the subway slamming its brakes juxtaposed by the guy beside me playing swag music…
The world’s first floating ocean colony is on track to being completed by 2020
BY: JESSICA BEUKER The idea of ocean colonization has so far only lived in the dreamt-up world of science fiction writers, and those who hold the bold notion that anything is possible. Today, it is on its way to becoming…
New STI-detecting condom that changes colour might sound like a better idea than it really is
BY: JESSICA BEUKER A new condom is stirring up colourful conversations about sexually transmitted infections and sexual health. The S.T. EYE is an innovative concept that works by changing colour if an STI is detected. Currently, the idea is nothing…
Dutch architect is building off-the-grid homes in the middle of the forest (Photos)
BY: MATTHEW CHIN Dutch architect, Raimond de Hullu, is planning on building off-the-grid homes in the middle of an urban forest. His goal is to bring inexpensive eco-friendly homes into densely populated areas. The home design called “OAS1S” utilizes a…
New bionic eyes apparently let you see three times better than 20/20 vision
BY: DANIEL KORN What single cyborg enhancement would you choose, given the option? I ask this because I’m a huge nerd. I’m also a firm believer in the fact that I’ll see cybernetic implants become common by the time I…
Swiss pilot attempts the world’s first solar-powered flight, spanning five consecutive days and nights
BY: MATTHEW CHIN Swiss pilot André Borschberg from the company Solar Impulse is attempting the first flight across the Pacific Ocean in a solar powered plane, with the hopes of revolutionizing air travel. Borschberg is flying the Solar Impulse 2,…
Here is what a modern Scottish island powered almost entirely by renewable energy looks like
BY: MATTHEW CHIN On the western coast of northern Scotland, just 16 kilometres away from the mainland, lies Eigg Island, an island that runs almost entirely on renewable resources. The nine kilometres long and five kilometres wide island was bought…
Elon Musk and SpaceX want you to design the tube transportation system from Futurama
BY: DANIEL KORN Futurama—at least its original four season run—does exactly what good science fiction should do—comment on our present by exploring our possible future. One of the show’s many plausible ideas is the transport system that the main characters…
A biotech start-up is thwarting poachers by flooding the market with fake rhino horns
BY: JESSICA BEUKER It’s no secret that rhinos are in trouble. In Africa alone, the rhino population has dropped 96 per cent in the last 50 years. The main reason behind rhino slaughter is the high demand for rhino horn,…
This UK grocery store saves £140,000 per year by being powered entirely on food waste
BY: LAURA ROJAS Founded in 1869, Sainsbury’s in the UK is a large-scale grocery store chain that has vowed to do away with conventional business practices in exchange for more sustainable ideas. In 2011, their Hyde store in Kent became…
This website combines Airbnb with camping to satisfy your wallet and your wanderlust
Playing on the frustration of high commercial camping costs, and the even greater aggravation of being kicked off of public land, HomeCamp allows campers to rent out a section of privately owned land for cheap. The benefits of HomeCamp are…
Hong Kong architect’s transforming apartment proves you don’t need a lot of space to have a good home.
BY: DANIEL KORN Hong Kong has one of the densest populations in the world, with seven million inhabitants cramming into a landmass of just 426 square miles. The country’s living situations reflect this, with squat, tiny apartments that are often…
Akon is in the process of providing solar power to 600 million people in Africa
BY: DANIEL KORN Hey, remember Akon? The R&B popstar behind the 2006 sleazy club hit “Smack That”? You might not have heard much from him since then, but he’s actually been doing quite a bit, including producing songs for Kardinal…
Urban algae farm eats highway pollution and turns it into organic fuel
BY: MATTHEW CHIN With road transportation being the greatest contributor of global warming in the atmosphere according to NASA, accounting for more than half of the carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide levels emitted into the air, the amount of pollution produced…
This tick’s bite will turn you vegetarian by making you allergic to meat
BY: TJ MOREY Many of us love to devour the charred flesh of animal carcasses, so much so that the animal kingdom presumably hates our existence by now. While feasting on our four-legged and feathered comrades is considered to be…