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!

PopMech’s top 10 tech concepts for 2010

PopMech’s top 10 tech concepts for 2010

Are you hip to DNA origami, anthropomimetic machines, and ultracapacitors? If not, you may want to check out Popular Mechanics’ 10 Tech Concepts You Need to Know for 2010. What do you think, readers? What important technology for 2010 did the article miss? More: Color thermal inkless printing technology Protest technology – White noise projector […]

New catalyst turns atmospheric CO2 into useful chemical

New catalyst turns atmospheric CO2 into useful chemical

Still, every little bit helps, and this copper-based catalyst recently developed by Elisabeth Bouwman and co-workers at Leiden University in the Netherlands represents a vast improvement over previous atmospheric CO2-fixing processes. Most of these are poisoned by oxygen, which means that you can’t just pump air into the reactor without removing the oxygen first. Bouwman’s catalyst, however, reacts with CO2 but not oxygen, producing oxalate, which is a useful feedstock for the manufacture of methyl glycolate and other organic compounds. And while Bouwman’s material is not a “true” catalyst in that it actually forms a compound with CO2 and has to be regenerated in a second reaction, the regeneration step can be done electrochemically with remarkably little energy.

Wind turbine covered in LEDs

Wind turbine covered in LEDs

It’s a Xmas-time publicity stunt from German engineering conglomerate Siemens AG, which manufactures wind turbines and includes, among its vast holdings, a couple of wind power companies. The “Siemens Superstar” was created in collaboration with Munich multimedia artist Michael Pendra and installed on a large wind turbine in Fröttmaning at the gates of Munich, overlooking the A9 autobahn. It was up from November 29 through January 6. The Siemens publicity site has lots more info and some beautiful video. [Thanks, Rachel!]