Graphene-based sheets make dirty water drinkable simply and cheaply

[SCIENCE] [Graphene-based sheets make dirty water drinkable simply and cheaply] Engineers at the Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) have developed graphene-based biofoam sheets that can be laid on dirty or salty dams and ponds to produce clean drinking water, using the power of the sun. [Read more] [DIGITAL CAMERAS] [Review: The Case Remote Air can teach old cameras new wireless tricks] The Case Remote Air camera controller, which is currently on Indiegogo, promises to bring advanced wireless functionality to a range of Canon and Nikon DSLRs. We recently tried one out to see whether additional Wi-Fi features are worth having. [Read more] [SPACE] [Superluminous supernova puts on an explosive encore] Supernovae, the massive explosions that mark the death of a star, are a headline event in astronomy, so for one of these to play an encore is particularly exciting. Scientists have found a superluminous supernova (SLSN) that appears to have exploded twice in quick succession. [Read more] [BIOLOGY] [Energy efficient hammerhead sharks swim sideways to cut down on drag] A clever swimming technique used by hammerhead sharks has surprised marine biologists, who discovered that the species spend much of their time swimming sideways to conserve energy. ​ [Read more] [SCIENCE] [Clones of Dolly the sheep grow to healthy old age] Twenty years ago, the famous Dolly the sheep, the first large mammal successfully cloned from an adult cell, was born. Now four of her cloned​ offspring (twin sisters?) are providing science with a better understanding of the cloning process and showing that clones can live to a healthy old age. [Read more] [SPACE] [Is the Great Red Spot the source of Jupiter's mysterious heat?] Why does Jupiter's upper atmosphere sizzle away at extraordinarily high temperatures when it is so far away from the Sun? Scientists have come across evidence suggesting the enigmatic Great Red Spot may be acting as the provider of this mysterious and powerful energy source. ​ [Read more] [OUTDOORS] [Emergency vest inflates and insulates for survival] Beyond the well-known Mylar emergency blanket, there's a small market of light, portable emergency gear designed to fend off hypothermia. The XeroVest from Delaware-based XeroGear packs small and light and inflates into form, relying on air pockets and heat reflective design. [Read more] [AUTOMOTIVE] [Lotus Elise Race 250 is race-ready out of the box] Few cars can come close to matching the Lotus Elise for race car thrills on the road. It would seem, however, the Elise wasn't racy enough for some. Why else would Lotus feel the need to roll out the new Elise Race 250, a car tailor made for track work and amateur racing? [Read more] [MILITARY] [Sea Hunter unmanned sub chaser completes first sea trials] The Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) unmanned sub hunter has completed its first round of sea trials, during which main contractor Leidos​ says it met or surpassed its performance goals. [Read more] [GOOD THINKING] [Pattern-changing shirts react to pollution and radiation] As air pollution becomes a bigger concern in communities around the globe, ways to detect it are beginning to proliferate. Now, a designer out of New York City has released a line of shirts that change to solid black when they are contaminated by pollutants. But they're not cheap. [Read more] [SPACE] [White dwarf blasts lighthouse-like beam at its red dwarf companion] ​Last year, a team of amateur astronomers noticed something a little strange about the star system AR Scorpii. After getting in touch with university researchers, the system was soon studied by multiple telescopes. What they found was a binary system exhibiting never-before-seen behavior. [Read more] [SPACE] [In pictures: Gorgeous space station concepts from the 1970s] Those of a certain age and a certain bent can’t fail to look at this depiction of a space station without a sense of 70s nostalgia. Easy to mistake as speculative fiction, such images are the fruit of the collective brains of NASA, Princeton and Stanford. Here’s some of what they came up with … [Read more] [BIOLOGY] [Mimicking orangutan provides clues to early human speech] ​It’s generally assumed that great apes aren’t capable of controlling their voices, and that our ability to do so couldn’t have originated from them. A study turns that notion on its head, with evidence gathered from an adolescent orangutan indicating that the species is able to learn new sounds. [Read more] [AUTOMOTIVE] [Mercedes electrifies the heavy distribution truck] Not so long ago, the idea of a fully electric heavy truck simply wouldn't have been entertained. Today, however, Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the 26-tonne (28.7-ton) electrically powered Urban eTruck, which points to a future of zero emission, noise-free large truck deliveries. [Read more] [ROBOTICS] [Single-motor bots crawl, swim and climb with a wiggle and a wave] ​Over the years, we've seen a number of robots inspired by the animals kingdom. Inspired by the movement of snakes, an Israeli research team has now developed a bot that's said to be the first in the world to produce pure wave motion using a single motor. [Read more] [SCIENCE] [Anti-cancer patch provides triple attack therapy to tumor sites] ​A new hydrogel patch could provide a more targeted, triple-therapy approach to treating tumors. With benefits to using the patch both before and after tumor removal, and with tests of laboratory mice showing extremely positive results, the patch could have a big impact on cancer treatment. [Read more] [BIOLOGY] [Placenta-on-a-chip models what is "arguably the least understood organ in the human body"] ​The organ-on-a-chip concept has been around for a while now, providing researchers with working, lab-based models of hearts, kidneys, and more. Now, researchers have created a new placenta-on-a-chip, a device that could provide insights to help prevent preterm births. [Read more] [URBAN TRANSPORT] [LiDAR to shed light on pedestrian footfall] A new Ford and MIT research project is aimed at improving ride-hailing services by predicting the movement of pedestrians. LiDAR sensors and cameras will be used to identify pedestrians and their movements around a location, allowing vehicles to be dispatched to areas that are predicted hot-spots. [Read more] [TINY HOUSES] [Top tiny homes on the market today] The tiny house scene has come a long way in recent years and we continue to be impressed at how firms manage to shoehorn more and more house into what's really a very small space. Below, we've selected some of the best tiny houses currently available for purchase in Europe and North America. [Read more] [SPACE] [Orbital telescope speed tests the Milky Way's "halo"] ​​Using archival data from ESA's XMM-Newton orbital telescope, a team of astronomers from the University of Michigan has calculated the speed of the vast halo composed of incredibly hot gas that surrounds the Milky Way. [Read more] [AUTOMOTIVE] [Mercedes "Bertha Benz" autonomous car drives into retirement] It is now fairly common for carmakers to test their autonomous vehicles on public roads. In 2013, however, Mercedes carried out the first autonomous journey in everyday overland and city traffic with its "Bertha Benz" S 500 Intelligent Drive research vehicle, which is now being retired. [Read more] [COMPUTERS] [Xiaomi enters laptop game with slick and compact power player] Chinese electronics company Xiaomi has a finger in drones, phones and bikes, and now it's decided to try its hand at laptops. The Mi Notebook Air certainly looks like a good first effort, with a beautiful metal exterior and specs that belie its budget price tag. [Read more] [GAMES] [Sennheiser brings "Surround Dongle" to new flagship gaming headset] ​Hearing a zombie nearby, and being able to tell it’s behind you and to the left, can mean the difference between life and death in a game. Sennheiser’s new gaming headset, the PC 373D, is designed to give you that advantage, adding a customizable equalizer and wrapping it in a luxurious package. [Read more] [AUTOMOTIVE] [Rescue Assist App uses AR to make life easier for first responders] ​As cars get more complicated, cutting people out of a crash involves navigating a web of airbags and high-voltage components. Mercedes is aiming to make life easier for emergency services with the Rescue Assist App, which provides AR imagery indicating where danger may lurk beneath a car's skin. ​ [Read more] [URBAN TRANSPORT] [Move over casinos – Las Vegas now has a Hyperloop factory] ​We've been hearing a lot about the Hyperloop lately, but we haven't heard much about where its parts will be made. That changed today, as parent company Hyperloop One announced the opening of the "First Hyperloop Manufacturing Plant in the World." [Read more] [AUTOMOTIVE] [Smart box enables trunk delivery trial to Smart cars] Automaker Smart is to begin trialling a service that allows parcels to be delivered to the trunk of a car. "Smart Ready to Drop" is the first innovation from the carmaker's "smart lab" think tank, aimed at "accelerating the development and implementation of creative urban mobility projects." [Read more] [SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR GIZMAG READERS] [Get 1TB of Lifetime Cloud Storage for $39 with Zoolz] Let's face it, cloud storage can get pricey no matter how good the bargain. That's why Zoolz offers a smarter way to purchase cloud backup based on tiered solutions meant to suit your particular needs. With this lifetime of Cold Storage, you'll have an extremely affordable place to safely store data that rarely gets revisited. This isn't for your mission critical data that needs instant access--this is an extremely affordable solution for those files you want to stow away safely for life. [Read more] You are receiving this email because you signed up for our daily newsletter at www.gizmag.com. [Update profile] | [Unsubscribe] Copyright Gizmag © 2016