Tech
Did builders of Egypt’s first pyramid use a water-powered elevator?
A controversial study suggests that ancient people might have used one to hoist the stones used to assemble into King Djoser’s pyramid.
By Bruce Bower
Engineering Design
More Stories in Engineering Design
- Materials Science
A bit of electricity can glue hard metals to soft materials
Using this method to stick and unstick metals from soft materials could one day create new types of batteries.
- Genetics
A protein in sweat may protect people from Lyme disease
That protein stopped the disease-causing bacterium from growing in lab dishes or infecting mice.
- Tech
Bioelectronics research wins top award at 2024 Regeneron ISEF
Three grand-award winners each took home at least $50,000. Hundreds more teens shared more than $9 million in prizes at the international competition.
- Brain
Herbal medicine could help recovery after concussion
A finalist at Regeneron ISEF found that a plant native to China could supplement a common pain reliever that comes with unwanted side effects.
- Physics
The movie Frozen inspired the icy, 3-D printing of blood vessels
Ice guides a 3-D printing method to make realistic, artificial blood vessels. One day, such vessels could be used in lab-grown organs.
- Environment
To limit pollution, new recipe makes plastic a treat for microbes
Microplastics made from fossil fuels take centuries to disappear. But the plant- and algae-based plastic can break down in weeks to months.
- Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is making it hard to tell truth from fiction
Experts worry that by making it harder to tell what’s true, AI can threaten people’s reputations, health, fair elections and more.
- Tech
Lego bricks inspired a new way to shape devices for studying liquids
Inspired by Lego building blocks, the approach could enable design of adaptable tools to study how fluids move through very small spaces.
- Physics
Experiment: Make your own cents-able battery
Make your own ‘voltaic pile’ with pennies and nickels, and find out how many coins will make the most electricity!
