The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg is quite an impressive book. With its umpteen examples of how people defy old habits at the sake of new productive habits and eventually achieve marvelous feat is extremely inspiring. Although the book does not promote or support one secret formula for quickly changing any habit but it makes one think with a different angle. Case studies of corporate success of Alcoa, Starbucks, and P&G’s Febreeze were quite a fascinating read.

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Solar Power Farms scorching Birds to Death: Solar facilities to Avian Extinction

During the testing of 110-megawatt Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project near Tonopah, Nevada, 130 birds were caught by fire mid-air. As per the experts glow of the farm’s tower might have been the reason that have led to the attraction for the birds, however, the owners of the project said that they would devise a way of reducing such fatalities in the future.

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Mummified Monk encased in 1000-year-old statue: At a higher state of Meditation

What supposed to be 11th or 12th century sitting effigy of Buddha is not a statue but mummified remains of a monk. A CT scan and endoscopy performed by the Netherlands-based Drents Museum at the Meander Medical Centre in Amersfoort made the astonishing discovery. Speculation holds that the mummy could be of Liuquan, a mentor of Lama Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov. Born in 1852, Lama Itigilov was a monk following Tibetan Buddhist tradition and was famous for the lifelike state of his body. Another equally startling discovery was surfaced when the scan…

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Homo chippiens: Mimicking Human Body using networks of Simulated Organs

In an attempt to create a ‘body on a chip’, scientists are working towards fabricating minute working organs of human body on a set of inter-related plastic chips. They have already developed fingertip-sized lungs, guts and livers on the chips. For instance, researchers at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute are revamping ‘bone marrow on a chip’ for studying the effect of radiation.

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10 Photographs: Siphonophore’s Luminous Tentacles glowing brightly beneath the Waves

Portuguese man o’ war or bluebottle is a jellyfish-like creature that floats on ocean surface. Being a siphonophore, it is not a single multicellular organism, rather a colony of specialized minute individuals called zooids that are connected to one another to an extent that each are inept of independent survival. These creatures carry painful stings because of which they are highly feared by swimmers and divers. However, Matthew Smith, 38, dared to face the agonizing encounters under the waves only to capture these beautiful creations of nature. He developed a waterproof lens dome…

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Climate change catalyzes appearance of Infectious Diseases: War against emerging Epidemic

Rise in the global temperature is going to promote the outbreak of deadly infectious diseases as Ebola and West Nile virus in new hosts and in new areas. Researchers caution humans to anticipate the breakout of new illnesses, in near future due to rapid changes in the climate that forces habitats to shift and thus bringing pathogens in contact with livestock, crops, humans and wildlife. 

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Building Products with Conviction than for Profit Making: Creating Legacy

I have always been curious to know the one thing that led to Apple’s meteoric success, which today is 710 billion and counting. Couple of months back I read Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson and the same thing kept haunting me for quite a long time. Of course, there were some stereotypical answers like – he pioneered products with cutting-edge technology, innovation, market maturity for the products etcetera. Yet I was unsatisfied, there must be something more, something that might have resulted in these obvious repercussions.

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Interview: Wei Gao, Research Scientist at University of California, Berkeley and LBNL

It gives me immense pleasure to introduce today Dr. Wei Gao, research scientist at University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. His research areas include nanomaterials, flexible electronics, micro/nanomachines, nanorobotics, biosensors, electrochemistry, nanomedicine and MEMS. Dr. Gao has coauthored numerous scientific journals like: “Reversible Swarming and Separation of Self-propelled Chemically-Powered Nanomotors under Acoustic Fields” “Artificial Micromotors in the Mouse’s Stomach: A Step Towards In Vivo Use of Synthetic Motors” “Water-Driven Micromotors for Rapid Photocatalytic Degradation of Biological and Chemical Warfare Agents” “Self-propelled activated-carbon Janus micromotors for efficient water…

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Parasitic Wasp stings Virus to control Ladybug’s Mind: Bio-Weapon turns them into Zombie

Life of animals, either big or small is not easy. Those with the most advanced skill can only survive in the nature. Our nature is full of such examples where for the survival, some animals resolves to take up sexual cannibalism while other uses virus to control the mind of their host organism. Such animals that derive benefits at the expense of other animals are termed as parasites. 

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Electronics to morph into Bendable Devices: Future of Wearable Gizmos

Scientists in South Korea are working towards creating spintronics based wearable devices. Spintronics also known as spin transport electronics is an emerging technology that exploits the basic intrinsic spin of the electron along with its associated magnetic moment and electronic charge. Based on this technology, the researchers have fabricated a thin film that has an ability of maintaining its electric as well as magnetic properties even when curled into a cylinder.

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Robots to Run Futuristic Japanese Hotel: Kokoro’s Actroids

A hotel run by humanoid robots is no more a far fetched dream, especially from a country that is famous for robotics and technological innovation, Japan. The Henn-na Hotel located in Nagasaki plans to recruit 10 humanoid robot also named as actroid androids. These lifelike bots would greet the guests with a smile and would assist the guests by carrying their baggage, prepare coffee and even clean their rooms. Actroid, woman robot of Japanese descent Kokoro is the robotics company that is developing theses actroid robots since 2003 that looks…

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Singapore’s First 3D-printed Concept Car: Coupé of the Future

Researchers at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have developed nation’s first urban solar electric car with cutting-edge 3D-printed body casing that is having nearly 150 parts. The two eco-cars, dubbed as NV8 and NV9, are racing in this year’s the Shell Eco-marathon Asia that is taking place in Manila at the end of this month.

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