Science

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!

Charles Platt at Space Access ’10

Charles Platt at Space Access ’10

MAKE Contributing Editor (and author of Make: Electronics) Charles Platt just filed this little report from the commercial space conference he’s covering for us. — Gareth The Lynx suborbital spaceplane from XCOR I’m attending the Space Access ’10 conference in Phoenix, Arizona, with the intention of writing about some particularly exciting ventures for a future […]

Owl nest web cam

Owl nest web cam

I lived in a rental years ago that had a water tower on the property. Each year barn owls nested in the eaves of the water tower, and each year my husband and I spent many evenings sitting nearby watching them. We saw babies learn to fly, mother and father swoop in and out with […]

Petri dish monsters!

Petri dish monsters!

Los Angeles artist Shing Yin Khor was our Featured Maker about two weeks ago. She’s just added a few more of her trademark Petri dish monsters, which are selling fast. Shown at top is Maurice. Below that, in clockwise order, are Agatha, Lucy, Ed, and Buford. Oh, and Shing herself. She’s the one not in a Petri dish.

Bobbing naval generator runs “eternally” on ocean’s heat

Bobbing naval generator runs “eternally” on ocean’s heat

SOLO-TREC is outfitted with a series of tubes full of waxy phase-change materials. As the float encounters warm temperatures near the ocean’s surface, the materials expand; when it dives and the waters grow cooler, the materials contract. The expansion and contraction pressurizes oil, which drives a hydraulic motor. The motor generates electricity and recharges the batteries, which power a pump. The pump can change the float’s buoyancy, allowing it to move up and down the water column.