Scientists at the Massachusets Institute of Technology were able to restore sight to rodents blinded by brain damage. They grew brain cells on a nano-scale artificial scaffolding, which later dissolves away.
It is hoped that this technology can one day be developed enough to treat human patients who have suffered vision loss due to stroke, spinal cord injuries or other nervous ailments.
A group of students have made a car that uses soybeans as fuel. It looks like a flash sports car too! At the Philadelphia Auto Show a few weeks back the car was put on display amongst gas-guzzlers.
One more neat thing about this car is that it was made as an after-school project to help disengaged kids stay in school. It worked, and has given at least one of the kids some perspective:
“We made this work,” says Hauger. “We’re not geniuses. So why aren’t they (car companies) doing it?”
Kosi thinks he knows why. The answer, he says, is the big oil companies.
“They’re making billions upon billions of dollars,” he says. “And when this car sells, that’ll go down — to low billions upon billions.”
Live Science has perhaps the most informally written article on some scientists who found a way to get bacteria to eat styrofoam.
Hopefully this will make recycling styrofoam a whole lot more efficient and cost effective.
We write a lot about technology around here, so when I say that this post is the mother of all tech-related posts, that’s saying a lot. Usually we report on one positive technology at a time; this time, we’re reporting on dozens.
The Tech Museum Awards exist to recognize and celebrate technology that benefits humanity. Nominations for the 2006 awards are currently being accepted, but in the meantime, check out the 2005 laureates. Amongst them:
Enviro Options
Enviro Options developed the Enviro Loo to make inroads into the enormous backlog of the sanitation requirement of the entire human race. The design is an attempt to produce a sanitation system that can be mass-produced, relatively cheaply. The technology is simple. It requires no chemicals… It is powered by radiant heat absorbed from sunlight and wind power. It requires minimal maintenance. It will not pollute ground water, and is user friendly.
Malnutrition Matters
Malnutrition Matters designed the VitaGoat system to benefit people in villages and rural areas of developing countries, by providing sustainable employment on a micro-enterprise basis and improving nutrition… The VitaGoat enables quick preparation of protein-rich foods such as soymilk and tofu that are highly beneficial for protein-deficient diets and especially for people living with HIV/AIDS.
A group of students at New Mexico Tech created a coffee mug that can survive a 15 ft drop onto concrete. They entered a ceramics competition that challenges teams to create mugs, golf balls, and even golf clubs using ceramics (obviously).
Mad shout-outs to anyone who can find a picture of the “bomb-shaped mug.”