DIY science is the perfect way to use your creative skills and learn something new. With the right supplies, some determination, and a curious mind, you can create amazing experiments that open up a whole world of possibilities. At home-made laboratories or tech workshops, makers from all backgrounds can explore new ideas by finding ways to study their environment in novel ways – allowing them to make breathtaking discoveries!
From chandeliers made from recycled hangers, and lamps made from water bottles, to flip flops made from chop sticks (Chop Flops pictured above) to a shelving system made out of old bike tires, this year’s Inhabitat Spring Greening Competition finalists have come up with some wildly creative and surprisingly beautiful designs. I’m honored to be […]
In the late 19th century, when biologists and botanists from Harvard were sailing all over the world taking specimens of every living creature they could find and sending them back home for study, a very serious problem arose in the accurate preservation of those specimens. There was no refrigeration and no practical color photography, and fresh plant and animal specimens rapidly decayed into colorless blobs of mush in jars full of alcohol or formalin. So then-director of the Harvard Botanical museum George L. Goodale commissioned German father-and-son glass artists Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka to create photorealistic replicas of fresh specimens in solid glass. The Blaschkas would go on to spend the next 50 years creating more than 3,000 such models, which are still on display at Harvard today. It’s a thing not to be missed in your time on this Earth.
I have to say, for the record, that those are way smaller than any actual traffic cone I’ve ever seen, and are far, far too clean to have ever seen any real use on a street. I’m pretty sure reusing real traffic cones would result in a lamp that was both way too big and way, way too beat up to make good-looking furniture. Still, cool-looking lamp, and a straightforward re-make.
This spherical POP pendant lamp made from soda can pull tabs by Mauricio Affonso is just one of 23 impressive finalists in Inhabitat’s second annual Spring Greening creative reuse contest. You can see the others, and vote on your faves, here.
Based in Sydney, Australia, the talented crafter behind Morphologica is currently finishing up a PhD in neuroscience. Inspired by the beauty of science, offerings include the DNA piece shown above as well as dendrites, neurons, and fancy, scrolling “Geek” and “Nerd” necklaces.
From Stanford design student Purin Phanichphant, the, er, Death Wheel 3000dx seems to be without an identifiable steering mechanism. Or brakes. Looks like fun, though!
Maker and avid bike hacker Antoine was inspired by this Incredible Rim Rack instructable enough to go and build this very elegant bike rack out of a broken U-lock and busted rim.
