과학 기사

First there was the Drinkable Book that purifies water and now, this ordinary looking billboard that supposedly cleans 100,000 cubic meters or 3.5 million cubic feet of air, per day. To put it in perspective, that is the equivalent of the amount of purification provided by 1,200 mature trees....

Ever since the discovery of the first pyramid, scientists have pondered over how ancient Egyptians built these monumental structures that are visible even from space. Though there are some theories about the construction technique, the question that was always left unanswered is how workers were able to lug the giant limestone bricks that weighed as much as 2.5 tons, from the quarry to the pyramid sites that were located hundreds of miles away....

Every year, global energy and petrochemical company Royal Dutch Shell challenges high school and university students to design, build and test energy efficient vehicles. Created to spark debate about the future of mobility and inspire young engineers, the Shell Eco-Marathon begins in the Americas, before moving to Europe and then finally Asia. This year's Americas event which took place in Texas from April 24th-27th, 2014 attracted 121 teams from all across the continent....

With the Memorial Day long weekend fast approaching, chances are you looking for somewhere to go. Here's a suggestion - Find a location that takes you away from bright city lights, one where you are able to see the clear dark skies and shining stars. That's because on May 24th, you might be able to witness a never before seen meteor shower....

While access to clean water is something we all take for granted, such is not the case for some people in developing countries. According to non-profit organization, Water is Life, one in five children that live in the rural areas of most third world regions die from water borne diseases, before they turn five. In order to raise awareness of the dire situation, the organization has created numerous campaigns including a poignant video about a four-year-old living out his bucket list. However, their latest effort is going beyond that by actually helping the residents solve the problem - one page at a time! Introducing, the 'Drinkable Book'!...

A fisherman trawling for shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico, south of Key West, Florida, got the surprise of his life when he pulled up the nets on April 19th - Intermingled with the tiny shrimp was a giant shark, the kind that one would only expect to encounter in a horror movie! What was even scarier, was that the shark was alive and menacingly trashing around the deck, trying its best to escape....

If you have ever had to decide on an outcome with a friend, chances are you have done it by playing rock-paper-scissors, the fun hand game where players simultaneously form one of the three shapes with an outstretched hand. Like most people, you probably thought that the game is designed for a random outcome, one in which neither player has an advantage. Turns out you were wrong. According to scientists from China's Zhejiang University, there is a method to this madness - one that can be easily mastered so that you never lose a rock-paper-scissors duel again....

While most scientists are focused on creating vaccines for life threatening mosquito-borne diseases like dengue fever and malaria, British biotech firm Oxitec is taking a unique approach. They want to nip the problem in the bud or should we say larva, by killing the dengue-carrying mosquitos with the help of genetically modified laboratory versions....

Though humans may think they are the masters of deception, some of the world's best con artists appear to be birds. First there is the cuckoo finch that tricks other birds into raising its offspring and now, Africa's fork-tailed drongo that sends out false alarm signals, just so that it can steal food from other birds....

In 2013, Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde made headlines when he teamed up with Heijman's Infrastructure to build the world's first 'Smart Highway' in The Netherlands. Now, a British company called Pro-Teq has invented a product that can transform mundane sidewalks into 'Starpaths' - public paths that project a star-like glow, alleviating the need for street lights....

Each year, from March to June, millions of Americans that live in the Midwestern and Southern United States, brace themselves for the tornado season. And while the twisters are often late, they never fail to make an appearance. This year's first big storm which arrived on Sunday, April 27th, was a deadly slow moving system that caused havoc across a large swath of the country from Oklahoma to Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Florida, Iowa, The Carolinas and even, New York....

In January 2012, US tech giant IBM's Swiss laboratory stunned the world when they unveiled the world's smallest globe. Measuring a mere 22 by 11 microns, it was so tiny that 1,000 of them could be placed on a single grain of salt. Now, the scientists have done it again with this even tinier, National Geographic Kids Magazine cover. Measuring 11 by 14 microns, it is about half the size of the globe, which means that up to 2,000 of the covers could easily fit on a grain of salt!...

Earlier this week, the Earth Day Network announced the 'Green Cities' challenge, asking communities worldwide to reduce their dependence on 'dirty' energy - electricity produced using fossil fuels. Now, Washington D.C.'s Georgetown University, is making the challenge more enticing, with a $5 million USD reward for any U.S. town or city that devises the best program to reduce energy consumption....

The next time you are chided for bad behavior, blame it on the whole apple, pear or pretty much any uncut food that your parents packed in your lunch box. That's because biting into anything that requires the use of the front teeth, is likely to cause rowdy behavior in kids! At least that's the conclusion some researchers from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, have reached, after observing the behavior of 12 elementary school students at a summer camp....

Earth Day was born on April 22nd, 1970, when 20 million people across the United States took to the streets to demonstrate support for environmental protection. Today, it has transformed into a global movement, one that is observed by billions of people around the world who annually pledge to undertake a 'green' initiative set by the Earth Day Network (a consortium of 22,000 partners across 192 countries), to help our planet....

On April 7th, 2014, scientists from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory announced that they had been successful in flying a radio-controlled scale-model of an old WWII era plane, the P-52 Mustang, using liquid hydrocarbon fuel. Not impressed? How about if we tell you that the fuel was created entirely from ordinary seawater?...

Residential houses have come a long way in reducing their energy footprint. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, homes built after 2000, consume only 2% more energy than older homes, despite being 30% larger. While that is certainly encouraging, advocates of the Passive House movement believe that there is a lot more that can and needs to be done - not just to reduce energy costs, but also, to help reverse global warming....

The fact that humans have a tendency to overindulge is no secret. However, it is very rare to hear about animals doing the same. But that certainly appears to be the case with nine-year-old Ernie, a loggerhead sea turtle that resides at the Manchester Sea Life aquarium....

Dutch artist and innovator Daan Roosegaarde is on a quest. He wants to replace the millions of street lights that dot our streets with bioluminescent trees. And while that may sound like something straight out of a science-fiction movie, it is not as far-fetched as you think....

Visitors to the 30th anniversary of the Technology, Entertainment & Design (TED) Conference in Vancouver, Canada, encountered an unusual sight - A giant public art display, suspended between the 24-story Fairmont Waterfront Hotel tower and the West Building of the Vancouver Convention Centre, where the conference was being held. Called 'Skies Painted With Unnumbered Sparks' it was a delicately flowing 'jelly-fish' like piece of art that sported subtle colors, almost blending in, with the city's beautiful blue skies - at least during the day!...

Stargazers all over the world are getting ready to experience the first of four total lunar eclipses that are scheduled to occur before the end of 2015. The 'tetrad' lunar eclipses are a rare phenomenon - one encountered only seven times, this century. What makes it even more special is that all four eclipses will be visible to the residents of the United States....

Why do zebras have stripes? This question has been stumping both animal experts and zebra fans all over the world for centuries. But now it appears that some researchers in California may have finally solved the age-old mystery!...

When the eruption of a volcano on November 21st, 2013, resulted in a brand new island about a thousand kilometers south of Japan's capital Tokyo, experts were a little hesitant to declare that a permanent new landmass had been born. That's because these kind of volcanic islands have a tendency to disappear almost as rapidly, as they appear....

Over the last few weeks, earthquake activity seems to have increased dramatically. First there was the 5.2 magnitude shaker in Los Angeles on March 21st. Then came the more intense, 8.2 magnitude quake near Chile on April 1st, followed by one that measured 5.8 in magnitude the day after, in Panama. While they may all appear to be isolated incidents, the shakers do have one thing in common - They all occurred in locations along the dreaded 'Ring of Fire', the world's most active earthquake and volcano belt....