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Innovation / Technology

The new Temperfect mug harnesses the heat-soaking properties of what's called phase-changing materials.

Tech Watch

This Mug Keeps Coffee Warm (Not Piping Hot) For Hours On End

An inventor may have perfected a way to make scalding hot coffee or tea instantly warm, and keep it that way

Designer Anna Glansén says that the self-cleaning plate and bowl is not only safe, but has been shown to work exactly as advertised, on both water and oil-based foods.

Tech Watch

This Self-Cleaning Plate May Mean You’ll Never Have To Do The Dishes

Slobby housemates rejoice! A special liquid-resistant coating makes cleaning up after yourself as easy as dumping your leftovers

Sometime early next year, a small subset of patrons will be able to sample a precision-poured cocktail concocted by a smooth operator named Monsieur.

Tech Watch

Cheers! Robot Bartender Mixes Drinks, Senses When You Need a Double Shot

Will the Monsieur be the espresso machine of party cocktails?

The tracks and individual cabins of a new train would be built so that, as the high-speed and local train move alongside each other, a link can be secured momentarily, creating a transfer gate for passengers to get on and off.

Tech Watch

This High-Speed Train Picks Up Passengers Without Having to Stop

It’s possible to let passengers board trains through separate cars that latch on, but who will take the risk to make it happen?

Tvilight, which automatically dials down the brightness when no one is around and restores maximum radiance upon detecting the presence of oncoming human activity, has been installed in cities in Holland and Ireland.

Tech Watch

Clever? Smart Street Lamps Light Up Only When Needed

The Tvilight lighting system is designed to dim when no one’s around, saving cities as much as 60 percent on energy bills each year

Comprised of more than 500,000 Lego pieces, this yellow-and-black hot rod can be driven at speeds of up to 17 mph.

Watch This Air-Powered Lego Car Cruise Down A Street

A Lego-maniac builds a life-sized working car made from more than 500,000 plastic toy pieces

Automatic is designed to collect and relay vitals such as the distance, duration and fuel costs for each trip.

Tech Watch

This Device Can Save You Money On Gas (And Maybe Even Your Life)

The Automatic Smart Driving Assistant is designed to warn drivers when they accelerate too quickly and make other fuel-costly choices

The SlimStyle’s radical design allows for continuous operation without the need for aluminum heat sinks, one of the major cost drivers of LED bulbs.

Tech Watch

Switching to This Flat LED Light Bulb Could Be an Easy Resolution to Keep in the New Year

With its radical new design, the Philips SlimStyle may be the cheapest LED yet

Frozen seafood in the lab, ready for DNA testing.

The DNA Detectives That Reveal What Seafood You’re Really Eating

Genetic sequencing allows scientists to uncover increasingly prevalent seafood fraud

Hövding is a helmet cyclists wear on their necks—not their heads.

The Bicycle Helmet That’s Invisible (Until You Need It)

Riffing off of airbag technology, Swedish designers have created a helmet, worn around the neck, that inflates during an accident

Forget Bulky Smart Watches, Slip On a Smart Ring

A team of developers is taking orders for a ring that displays incoming text and email messages and helps locate lost phones

Stores are using sensors to make sense of the madness.

How Are Stores Tracking the Way That We Shop?

More and more are using sensors to follow the cell phone signals of customers to understand how they behave

All-in-One Coffee Machine Turns Raw Beans Into a Freshly Brewed Cup

The Bonaverde, which roasts, grinds and brews the freshest cup of coffee possible, aims to be an industry game-changer

Inventing the Perfect Umbrella

Will a Japanese designer’s new take on umbrellas catch on where others have failed?

A closeup of one of the rocks, with a patch of dust brushed away by Curiosity's instruments, that provides evidence of an ancient lake.

Curiosity Found Evidence of An Ancient Freshwater Lake on Mars

Drilling into Martian rock revealed that it formed at the bottom of a calm lake that may have had the right conditions for sustaining life

What is the Trick to Making the Most Waterproof Stuff on Earth?

It’s all in the texture. An MIT-led team of mechanical engineers is creating a super water-resistant material inspired by the wings of butterflies

This Wheel Turns Your Bicycle Into An Electric Hybrid

The Copenhagen Wheel can be snapped onto just about any bicycle to boost your pedaling power by up to 10 times

This Device Lets People Video Chat With Their Pets

Who says you can’t Skype with your cat or dog? With PetChatz, owners alleviate separation anxiety and even give their furry friends a special treat

One of the ancient human fossils found in Spain's La Sima de los Huesos.

Scientists Just Sequenced the DNA From A 400,000-Year-Old Early Human

The fossil, found in Spain, is mysteriously related to an ancient group of homonins called the Denisovans, previously found only in Siberia

Home deliveries are just one potential use of personal drones.

When Drones Get Personal

So we’ve seen how a drone can deliver a package, but can one become a buddy with a camera?

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