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.
Read MoreAuthor: Pooja Kashyap
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.
Read MoreMummified 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…
Read MoreHomo 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.
Read MoreVolvo Cars to share Slippery-Road Warning: Driving Safety Systems
During rough winters, drivers have to deal with icy patches themselves. Situation becomes critical during nights when they have to fight the patches while driving in a different zone. However, things might become different when cars start sharing the on-road conditions amongst themselves.
Read More10 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…
Read MoreBuilding 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.
Read MoreInterview: 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…
Read MoreElectronics 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.
Read MoreSamsung’s Smart TV to Eavesdrop on Conversation: The TV Phone
South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co. has come up with a futuristic TV that can listen and share conversation taking place real time in its surrounding. Watching TV won’t be just a one sided affair now, it’s morphing towards becoming phone, just the camera is missing though. Period.
Read MoreNew Mobile Manipulator TIAGo: The Best Research Partner
After the success of REEM humanoid, PAL Robotics, Spain has come up with TIAGo (Take It And Go). The bot is integrated with mobile manipulator system, which gives it an edge of mobile platform by extending the workspace of robotic manipulator arm.
Read MoreSingapore’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.
Read MoreRevering Aging Clock at Cellular Level: Extending the Telomeres
In an interesting research in the field of microbiology, experts at the University of Stanford have tried to explore the process that might lead to eternal youth by maneuvering the key that is responsible for making human cells old.
Read MoreBuddhism Is Not What You Think by Steve Hagen
Simple and free flowing book, Buddhism Is Not What You Think written by Steve Hagen talks about what reality is as per Zen Buddhism. The author resonates one central point in the entire book and that is, reality is about direct experience of the real time than mere feelings and thoughts, which happen to be in constant flux in conscious and subconscious level in human mind.
Read More10 Images of ESA’s IXV Mini-Shuttle: Blasting off in February 2015
ESA’s mini shuttle is all set to launch its flight and reentry mission. With this development, Europe will set strong foundation for innovative technology that would help future reentry missions for astronauts as well as other spatial bodies. The test flight is scheduled to be held on February 11. The entire operation would last for about 100 minutes testing the critical systems using 300 embedded sensors. Following are some of the images of the ESA’s space taxi, as they call it. 1) IXV during integration at Thales Alenia Space 2)…
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