ZeitNews | A Zeitgeist Movement Technology Team Application

July 29, 2014

Stable lithium anode may triple battery efficiency

Stanford University researchers claim to have created the first stable pure lithium anode in a working battery by using carbon nanospheres as a protective sheath to guard against degradation. As a result, the researchers predict that commercial developments may eventually result in anything up to a tripling of battery life...

Applied Sciences » Energy

July 29, 2014

Stanford researchers develop self-cooling solar cells

Scientists may have overcome one of the major hurdles in developing high-efficiency, long-lasting solar cells—keeping them cool, even in the blistering heat of the noonday Sun. By adding a specially patterned layer of silica glass to the surface of ordinary solar cells, a team of researchers led by Shanhui Fan, an...

Applied Sciences » Energy

July 29, 2014

New device generates electricity from condensation

Last year, MIT researchers discovered that when water droplets spontaneously jump away from superhydrophobic surfaces during condensation, they can gain electric charge in the process. Now, the same team has demonstrated that this process can generate small amounts of electricity that might be used to power electronic...

Applied Sciences » Energy

July 15, 2014

Urban Skyfarm concept would provide inner city farming space

Two problems caused by increasing overpopulation in cities are how to use space productively and how to feed everyone. A new concept design suggests a means of addressing both these issues. Aprilli Design Studio's Urban Skyfarm is a tree-like skyscraper that provides space for crop farming. Aprilli designed the...

Natural Sciences » Materials Science

July 15, 2014

Researchers Regrow Human Corneas: First Known Tissue Grown from a Human Stem Cell

Boston researchers have identified a way to enhance regrowth of human corneal tissue to restore vision, using a molecule known as ABCB5 that acts as a marker for hard-to-find limbal stem cells. This work, a collaboration between the Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Schepens Eye Research Institute (Mass. Eye and Ear), Boston...

Life Sciences » Biotechnology

July 15, 2014

A step closer to bio-printing transplantable tissues and organs

Researchers have made a giant leap towards the goal of 'bio-printing' transplantable tissues and organs for people affected by major diseases and trauma injuries, a new study reports. Scientists from the Universities of Sydney, Harvard, Stanford and MIT have bio-printed artificial vascular networks mimicking the...

Life Sciences » Health

July 11, 2014

'MacGyver' Robots Use Their Environment to Solve Problems

MacGyver could make a rocket-powered harpoon gun/zip line out of some moth balls, cleaning fluid, rope, pulley, and an old telescope. Robots can't do that. But hey, neither can you. What you can do is use objects in your environment to help you complete tasks that you wouldn't otherwise be able to do on your own,...

Applied Sciences » Robotics

June 30, 2014

100% Renewable Electricity Will Be Achieved In German State Soon

From Clean Technica website (Jake Richardson): Germany’s windiest area, Schleswig-Holstein, will probably achieve “100% renewable electricity” sometime this year. That is, its clean energy production will be able to supply all of its electricity consumption. Schleswig-Holstein has a goal to generate 300%...

Applied Sciences » Energy

June 30, 2014

Swarm of Tiny 'Minibuilder' Robots Can 3D Print Giant Buildings On-Site

Although the advent of 3D printing is blazing trails in the world of design, the requirement for 3D printers to be larger than the objects they produce presents a major constraint - particularly in architecture. However an innovative new project called Minibuilders is poised to push past that limitation and revolutionize...

Natural Sciences » Materials Science

June 30, 2014

3D-printed composite is lighter than wood and stiffer than concrete

In wind farms across North America and Europe, sleek turbines equipped with state-of-the-art technology convert wind energy into electric power. But tucked inside the blades of these feats of modern engineering is a decidedly low-tech core material: balsa wood. Like other manufactured products that use sandwich panel...

Natural Sciences » Materials Science

June 30, 2014

USC Scientists Create New Battery That’s Cheap, Clean, Rechargeable… and Organic

Scientists at USC have developed a water-based organic battery that is long lasting, built from cheap, eco-friendly components. The new battery – which uses no metals or toxic materials – is intended for use in power plants, where it can make the energy grid more resilient and efficient by creating a large-...

Applied Sciences » Energy

June 26, 2014

New Device Allows Brain To Bypass Spinal Cord, Move Paralyzed Limbs

For the first time ever, a paralyzed man can move his fingers and hand with his own thoughts thanks to an innovative partnership between The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Battelle. Ian Burkhart, a 23-year-old quadriplegic from Dublin, Ohio, is the first patient to use Neurobridge, an electronic neural...

Life Sciences » Health

June 26, 2014

NASA Aeronautics Makes Strides to Bring Back Supersonic Passenger Travel

The return of supersonic passenger travel may be coming closer to reality thanks to NASA’s efforts to define a new standard for low sonic booms. Several NASA aeronautics researchers will present their work in Atlanta this week at Aviation 2014, an annual event of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics...

Applied Sciences » Transportation

June 26, 2014

New ultrastiff, ultralight material developed

What’s the difference between the Eiffel Tower and the Washington Monument? Both structures soar to impressive heights, and each was the world’s tallest building when completed. But the Washington Monument is a massive stone structure, while the Eiffel Tower achieves similar strength using a lattice of steel...

Natural Sciences » Materials Science