A quick look at everything that caught my eye over the last week:
Japan Lands Rover on Asteroid
Now, this isn’t the first time that humans have visited an asteroid. NASA landed a probe on Eros back in 2001. But this is the first time that a move-able robot has been deployed on one, allowing Japan to explore the surface of a flying rock in unprecedented fashion.
As Wired UK explains, “As you read this, the rovers are starting to explore and take pictures of the surface of the asteroid. To do so they will jump up to 15m (49ft) and stay off the surface for as long as 15 minutes.”
Hopefully, the footage that they send back will help inspire the next generation of astronauts while helping to grow our understanding of how asteroids and the solar system were formed.
Exposome
You may have heard of the microbiome, all of the bacteria we carry around in our guts. But apparently we also have an exposome, a swam of chemicals, bacteria, fungi, and other particulates that reside in our immediate vicinity, our own personal microbial force field. Apparently, they never got the message about not invading your personal space.
Read more at: https://www.sciencealert.com/you-are-surrounded-teeming-swarm-microbes-chemicals-everywhere-exposome-health
Gut Feelings
According to Science Alert, “Scientists now believe that a surprising array of conditions, including appetite disorders, obesity, arthritis, and depression, may get their start in the gut. But it hasn’t been clear how messages in this so-called ‘second brain’ spread from our stomachs to our cerebrum.”
Researchers may now have an idea how that process works and as it turns out there may be some truth to the idea of a gut feeling. In fact, your gut and the way that it communicates with the brain may even be a sixth sense of sorts.
Read more at: https://www.sciencealert.com/we-might-have-just-discovered-the-missing-link-between-the-brain-and-gut
New Paint
A new breakthrough in materials science could revolutionize the way we live, doing away with air conditioning in favor of paint!
According to We Forum, “researchers from Columbia University have devised an alternative to air conditioning that could keep your home cool without sending your power bill sky high. It’s a white polymer that reflects more than 96 percent of sunlight, and it comes in a dye-able, paint-like form, meaning we could use it to coat the sides and roofs of our homes to keep them cooler when the Sun is at its strongest.”
Drone Canopy
Drone technology hasn’t really taken off yet (pun intended) but all that may be about to change thanks to a novel approach that aims to turn drones into portable canopies, capable of springing into action to provide people with shade during concerts and sporting events.
As New Atlas reports, “the algorithm can enable the drones to respond to the changing orientation of the Sun and rearrange the panels to maintain a shaded area of the same size and shape throughout the day. Another algorithm can enable it to detect occupants beneath it, adding, removing and shifting panels to keep growing crowds cool.”
With advances in drone technology continuing this concept no longer seems so far-fetched. So long as the drones are silent, capable of staying in the air for long periods of time, unhackable, and pose no risk to the people under them there’s nothing to worry about. Up until then that was a lot to ask. But in the near future it won’t be.
In fact, we could be entering an era where novel new uses for drones spring up all the time. Such as in construction projects where they can be used to move objects in lieu of using cranes or where they can be turned into makeshift scaffolding or even walkable bridges or climbable ladders.
Proving once again that drones are cut out for more than just delivering your pizza and taking selfies.
Are any of these the Greatest Idea Ever?
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