The “opening of the mouth” was an important ritual, conducted by the ancient Egyptians during the mummification process, that aimed at reinstating the deceased’s senses for survival in the afterlife. Described in great details in the funerary texts, like the Pyramid Texts, it usually took place after excerebration (or the removal of the brain) and…
Back in February, we talked about how Switzerland's EPFL scientists contrived reconfigurable and self-repairing electronic circuits. Well, this time around, a team of researchers (headed by by Guihua Yu, an assistant professor) at the University of Texas, have created their version of a self-healing electrical circuit. Demonstrating its intrinsic flexibility, the circuit can not only…
The so-called Mycenaean Civilization mostly refers to last leg of the Bronze Age in Ancient Greece, with its traditional starting date commencing from 1600 BC. And now, archaeologists have made a significant discovery in the form of an entire palace that dates from the early times of this period. To that end, the building is…
Scientists, at New Mexico-based Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), have developed the technology that could potentially turn any window into a power source. For the very first time, researchers have managed to build large-scale luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) that, unlike their predecessors, are colorless, non-toxic and incredibly efficient. A type of building-integrated photovoltaic material, the device…
The enterprising folks, at Top Speed, have created an incredibly detailed infographic, listing the automobile manufacturers with the highest annual Google searches. The study, which is based on the data collected over a 12-month period between April 2014 and March 2015, provides an in-depth region-wise analysis of the most-searched automotive brands. For instance, Toyata topped the list…
The engineers, at Google, have developed a specialized tool that allows homeowners to check if solar panels can be installed on their roofs. Known as Project Sunroof, the information tool has been developed in response to the rapidly-increasing search queries, regarding solar power and “converting to solar energy”. With the help of this program, users…
Robots mimicking organic lifeforms is not exactly a novelty in the contemporary realm of science and engineering. But this time around, South Korean scientists at the Seoul National University, have really notched it up a level by designing a robotic insect that is capable of performing delicate actions like jumping and landing on an aquatic surface.…
Almost 300 years ago on this day, 12 ships of a fleet of 13 were sunk by a hurricane off the coast of Florida. Starting off from Cuba (which was then a Spanish colony), the ships were home-bound to mainland Spain, and as such carried a hoard of valuables. And now in 2015, a team…
It is not often that we hear about actual living cells being turned into functioning lasers with the capacity to emit light. But that is exactly what a team of scientists at the Harvard Medical School has achieved - with their development of three different methods, all leading to the emission of visible light by…
A few days back, we talked about a NASA-funded study that propounds a cheaper and more efficient approach, based primarily on public-private partnerships, to sending humans to the Moon, as early as 2035. With commercial companies joining today’s space race, researchers everywhere are looking for ways to make trips to space easier and less expensive.…