By: Victoria Heath Leo Tolstoy, the Russian literary once wrote, “Yes, it is possible to sabotage the things that can erase us, but not without joy on our side. The complexity of the present time seems to demand an awakening…
Innovation
Bringing your departed loved ones back from the grave has finally become possible.
By: Lauren Ali ALL IMAGES BY MURRAY BALLARD Death is a frightening concept for some, being cut off from the world and left to live in a black abyss for all eternity. For others, death is just the beginning and…
The world’s first biocellar could be the start of the urban renewal Cleveland needs
BY: CAROLINE ROLF When race riots broke out across America in the 1960s, they resulted in disturbing violence and devastating loss of life and property. In Cleveland, Ohio, these riots aggravated the job losses and hardships due to the shrinking…
The legendary floating caravan that could have revolutionized camping trips forever
BY: JESSICA BEUKER The Amphicar Model 770 was an amphibious automobile – viable on land, as well as on water – that launched in 1961. Unfortunately, production only lasted four years, ending in 1965. Other brands of amphibious cars would…
Scientists held secret meetings to speak privately about creating a synthetic human genome
By: Adrian Smith A closed-door meeting was held on Tuesday at Harvard Medical School in Boston, where scientists spoke secretly about the possibility of developing a synthetic human genome. Using chemicals to manufacture replicas of all DNA contained in human…
This experimental drug might prevent stress-induced brain damage
By: Adrian Smith Stress causes changes to the hippocampus—the part of your brain responsible for memory and emotion, leading to anxiety and depression. However, researchers from Rockefeller University in New York have not only provided insight on these structural alterations…
This company wants you to “eat your beer” and stop wasting so much damn food
BY: CAROLINE ROLF Did you know that six-pack of cheap beer you sucked back last weekend created about a pound of waste in the making? After barley or other grains are soaked in breweries, the liquid is extracted to create…
A new early warning system could save communities from natural disasters
BY: CAROLINE ROLF Next month, a new warning system will be introduced in the island of Tuvalu to help communities better prepare for natural disasters. Made by Chatty Beetle technology, the device is able to send and receive short data…
To tackle donor shortage, scientists have started growing our organs in pigs
BY: CAROLINE ROLF Known to science as chimeras – lab created embryos that are part human, part pig – could be a sustainable method of growing and harvesting transplant organs for patients in need. The ultimate goal is a future…
Forest cemeteries will see tombstones replaced with beautiful, protected trees
BY: JESSICA BEUKER In the last few years, we’ve seen a rise in the popularity of non-traditional burial methods. Compost-based renewal systems where you become a part of the earth after death, ashes pressed into vinyl records, made into paintings…
The fitness tracker you’re wearing is exposing sensitive information about you.
BY: Victoria Heath I bet you were sold when you saw the 15-second Apple Watch ad featuring a sweaty Nick Jonas. Five seconds in, his angel face looked down at his Apple Watch to check his sprint time. Unsatisfied…
Will an in-ear translator really create a world without language barriers?
BY: CAROLINE ROLF Travelling overseas with my family used to mean packing my pocket dictionary and studying phrases on the airplane (after looking up curse words, of course). After flipping back and forth through the pages and receiving a…
Barbie dolls are finally inspiring kids to achieve excellence, not just the perfect bod.
BY: Zoe Melnyk The Barbie doll was created almost 60 years ago, back in 1959, and not much about it has changed since. Sure, the occupation of Barbie has expanded; she can be a nurse, a teacher, a flight…
Our drinking habits kill 100,000 marine animals a year, and this brewery’s going to save them.
BY: JESSICA BEUKER Last year, Americans alone drank 6.3 billion gallons of beer, with 50 per cent of that number sold in cans held together by plastic rings. Those plastic rings often end up in the ocean, where…
University students are being given kits to test the drugs they use
BY: JESSICA BEUKER University students in the UK are being given drug-testing kits, which allow users to test the drugs they are taking, and whether or not they are laced with dangerous additives. The Test Your Drugs, Not…
Is the Google Cultural Institute just one more step aboard WALL-E’s Axiom?
BY: Victoria Heath One of the most striking and rather disturbing scenes of the Disney movie Wall-E was when the child-like robot discovers humanity’s fate aboard The Axiom. It seems the writers at Disney-Pixar were showing us a funny…
Is wearable technology slowly turning us into obedient and paranoid robots?
By: Jack M. They’re quickly becoming as commonplace as smartphones and tablets – wearables. We strap them to our wrists and arms, wrap them around our heads and stick them to our chests. We’re looking through them, sleeping with…
Everything you need to know about becoming the ultimate guerrilla gardener in your city
BY: JESSICA BEUKER Guerrilla gardening – the act of prettifying a neglected and unkempt piece of public land and using it to grow flowers, vegetables and fruits – is a movement that continues to spread. Ron Finley, now known as…
‘Robo-Mermaid’ finds a 300-year-old treasure from an unexplored ship
During November in 1664, a frigate sailing from Algeria sank off the coast of France, pulling hundreds to their frigid end 100 metres below, where the ship would remain, untouched by even experienced divers. It took Oussama Khatib, a Stanford…
Jeep had its own version of the iconic hippie van – but only 3 were ever made
BY: JESSICA BEUKER The classic Volkswagen hippie van has long been the favourite vehicle of beach bums, hippies and new age hipsters alike. There’s nothing quite like it – but what if there had been? In 1958, just eight…