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!
Sandia National Laboratories scientists have developed tiny glitter-sized photovoltaic cells that could revolutionize the way solar energy is collected and used. [via io9.com] Glitter-sized solar photovoltaics produce competitive results
From PhysOrg.com: A team of researchers at the FOM institute AMOLF (The Netherlands) has succeeded for the first time in powering an energy transfer between nano-electromagnets with the magnetic field of light. This breakthrough is of major importance in the quest for magnetic ‘meta-materials’ with which light rays can be deflected in every possible direction. […]
Interesting article over on Wired about Kirk Sorensen and the community served by his Energy From Thorium blog. To hear these people tell it, Thorium fission in fluid fuel reactors offers an idyllic vision of a boundless-energy-from-the-atom type future no one has really believed in since the early 50s. Thorium, reportedly, is abundant, safe, highly efficient as a nuclear fuel, and produces waste that is radioactive only for a few hundred years instead of tens of thousands. Also, the waste products from the Thorium cycle cannot be reprocessed to make bombs, which is the sole reason why it was not chosen as the basis for American nuclear energy technologies back in the 50s.
Just spotted this nifty concept by Thingiverse user cathalgarvey. He calls it a “DremelFuge.” It’s a centrifuge attachment for your drill or motor-tool that holds six Eppendorf tubes. Dunno how well it would actually work, as it looks heavy to mount in a Dremel tool, and most drills don’t spin nearly that fast. Still, clever thinking.
My new favorite book for the holidays is I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas: Gifts, Decorations, and Recipes that Use Less and Mean More by Anna Getty. The book is full of fantastic recipes (food and drinks), crafts, as well as tips for how to make your holiday season more green and eco-friendly. I love […]
Shown above is actually an (absurdly overpriced) mat available from Branch, but designer Inghua Ting also makes permanent-install tiles based on the same idea. Clever idea, but will it really hold up over the years? Would be an easy remake. [via Dornob]
The Space Tweep Society Blog has an overview post up about the pros and cons of the four main types of telescopes, if you’re in the market! [Thanks, Rachel!] (Image: E550 with telescope finder, a Creative Commons Attribution image from R1CARD0’s photostream) In the Maker Shed: The Illustrated Guide to Astronomical Wonders Our Price: $29.99 […]
