Frog population levels are a key indicator of an area’s ecological health, and one of the best ways of gauging those levels involves estimating the number of frog vocalizations that are being made at one time. The new FrogPhone could make it easier than ever to do so. Typically, biologists have to wait around at frog habitats, monitoring the amphibians’ […]

We’re seeing an increasing number of organ-on-a-chip devices, in which small pieces of living biological tissue are used to replicate the functions of actual organs. Now, scientists have created the first-ever tooth-on-a-chip, which mimics a tooth with a cavity. For the most part, organ-on-a-chip devices incorporate a tissue sample from a given organ, which is placed within a small transparent […]

Frog population levels are a key indicator of an area’s ecological health, and one of the best ways of gauging those levels involves estimating the number of frog vocalizations that are being made at one time. The new FrogPhone could make it easier than ever to do so. Typically, biologists have to wait around at frog habitats, monitoring the amphibians’ […]

When an electric car’s lithium-ion battery is damaged or found to be defective, it has to be transported for recycling/disposal within an expensive explosion-proof container. According to a new study, though, such batteries could soon simply be frozen. The danger in transporting compromised lithium-ion batteries lies in the fact that they could go into thermal runaway, a phenomenon in which […]

As you might imagine, installing seismic sensors on the ocean floor isn’t an easy task. Recently, however, scientists were able to detect seabed seismic activity using something that was already down there – a fiber optic telecommunications cable. The project involved researchers from the University of California-Berkeley, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and Texas-based […]

Hikers and outdoor enthusiasts can finally enjoy a solar panel that combines efficiency and durability with the added ability to fit snugly on top of a backpack. Rather than having to decide between a power source that is either efficient or durable, the SunUp is both, meaning it can power explorers through nearly any adventure. According to Brister, the main […]

Increasingly often, when mass shootings occur, bystanders are recording videos on their smartphones. Thanks to a new system, such footage could soon be used to determine the killer’s whereabouts. Developed by a team at Carnegie Mellon University, the technology is known as VERA. It requires video/audio from three or more smartphones that were recording the incident from different locations at […]

We’ve already seen tactile-feedback displays that convey information by applying tiny vibrations to the user’s fingertips. An experimental new technology takes a different approach, however – it gets sticky in select areas. Appropriately known as StickyTouch, the system is being developed by scientists at Japan’s Osaka University. In its present state, it consists of a stainless steel plate which is […]

Of all the materials that can be 3D-printed, glass is still one of the most challenging to work with. Scientists at Switzerland’s ETH Zurich research center are working on changing that, though, with a new and reportedly better glass-printing technique. Although it already is possible to 3D-print glass objects, the most commonly-used processes involve either extruding molten glass, or selectively […]

Like anything else, concrete structures get dirty over time, and it’s a hassle to clean them. Such chores may soon no longer be necessary, however, as scientists have developed what they claim is a self-cleaning concrete that isn’t heavy – or weak. Generally speaking, self-cleaning materials work by incorporating hydrophobic (water-repelling) surfaces that cause liquid to bead up and roll off. […]