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Scientists think a new lithium ion battery anode made from silicon, carbon, and corn starch could quadruple battery capacity.Research to improve lithium ion technology is a huge industry.Combining silicon, carbon, and starch and heating it makes an enmeshed structure of coated particles.Could a simple materials change make electric car batteries able to four times more energy? Scientists in South Korea think so. In a new paper in the American Chemical Society’s Nano Letters, a research team details using silicon and repurposed corn starch to make better anodes for lithium ion batteries....

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is looking for engineers to submit designs for bug-sized robots that can help in search-and-rescues after disasters, or help in inspecting hazardous environments. These little bots would face off and complete in a series of tests for strength, speed and agility. The program, called Short-Range Independent Microrobotic Platforms (SHRIMP), will test the robots in locations that are harder for humans (or bigger robots) to navigate....

The Akademik Lomonosov is carrying two 35-megawatt nuclear reactors to Russia’s Arctic coast.The power plant is set to replace the Bilibino nuclear power plant on Chukotka, in the far east of Russia. Environmentalists say the floating power plant is an inherent risk to the Arctic region.A 459-foot long towed platform ship built in Russia is heading for the Arctic coast. But the ship setting sail, the Akademik Lomonosov, isn’t exactly seen as innocuous by environmentalists....

The stingrays swim in close formation like a squadron of aircraft. The rays glide to the seabed and wait as a shark approaches, then loses interest and swims away. But when an aircraft carrier approaches overhead, the group rises and converges on the ship—and detonates. The rays in this animated video are not rays at all, but biomimicking robots designed to be a stealthy maritime menace. The new video, from Turkish company Albayraklar, looks sorta cheesy and a bit like far-fetched vaporware....

When winter comes, you can expect two seasonal crazes: holiday madness and flu season. While both are contagious, only one actually poses a risk of killing you, or at least knocking you out for a few days. We talked to Christopher Mason, a geneticist at Weill Cornell Medical College, and Joe Bresee, the chief of Epidemiology and Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control, who shared the following tips for staying healthy....

Q: I leave most of my electronics plugged in all day, even when they’re not turned on or in use. How much energy do these idling appliances consume, and is there anything I can do to reduce it?A: Power switches can only do so much. Even if they’re turned off, your electronic devices are still likely pulling a charge as long as they are plugged in. And while the trickle of electricity consumed by so-called electrical vampires is often just a watt or two, this adds up, especially since most appliances are plugged in 24 hours a day....

A former military lawyer says that technological advances in stealth and camouflage could violate agreed-upon norms on the conduct of warfare. Technology that allows military equipment to impersonate civilian vehicles are a no-no that were banned by the Geneva Conventions.According to The Guardian, Bill Boothby, a former air commodore with the Royal Air Force and deputy director of RAF legal services, argues that chameleon-style camouflage that allows a military vehicle to resemble its surroundings may be illegal under Article 37 of the Geneva Conventions, “Prohibition of Perfidy”....

A gas explosion and fire has rocked Russia’s State Research Centre of Virology and Biotechnology in Koltsovo, Novosibirsk, which houses a host of infectious disease samples.Russian authorities say there is no risk to the public. The facility, called Vector, is one of two places where live samples of the smallpox virus are held.A gas explosion that rattled Russia’s State Research Centre of Virology and Biotechnology and started a fire in the Koltsovo, Novosibirsk, facility Monday has sparked concerns about the safety of infectious disease research....

The federal government has been pouring dollars into weatherizing American homes, hoping to save energy and fight climate change. But a paper by three University of Chicago professors has found that the Weatherization Assistance Program returns only about half of the money it invests in energy savings.The tally: For every $5,000 invested in weatherizing efforts, only $2,800 in lifetime savings were delivered without an overt change in household energy consumption. It should be noted, however, that this study doesn’t consider the benefits of the weatherization program that are more related to health than energy savings, such as preventing mold growth....

Media Platforms Design TeamA funny thought occurred to me while driving the Audi A3 e-tron experimental electric vehicle: It’s a lot like driving a regular old A3. In fact, if it weren’t for the Audi A3 e-tron badging all over it, you’d never know from the outside that there was anything different about this car. Frankly, there’s not much on the inside to distinguish it, either. There’s a different instrument cluster that replaces the tachometer with a gauge displaying a percentage of power you are using, but the A3 e-tron’s interior is largely the same as its gasoline-powered counterpart....

Lunar swirls are beautiful optical anomalies on the surface of the moon that occur without any defined shape and exist in various sizes. These peculiar delights have puzzled scientists who tried to figure out their exact origin story. Scientists at Rutgers and University of California Berkeley have now investigated the origin of these anomalies and come back with new insight into the history of the moon.The most famous lunar swirl is Reiner Gamma....

Media Platforms Design TeamLast month I rented a Chevy HHR in Detroit, and I quickly remembered all the things about the rental experience that make it impossible to forget that you are sharing a car with other renters: the variety of cars, mirror and seat adjustments, and the mandatory tank refill before you return the vehicle. This HHR was a flex-fuel vehicle (FFV)—able to burn any mixture of ethanol and gas up to E85....

Scientists have new insights into the mysterious celestial phenomena affectionately known as STEVE. They now believe the atmospheric glow of STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement) is created through a “combination of heating of charged particles in the atmosphere and energetic electrons like those that power the aurora,” according to a press statement. A quick STEVE refresher: Per a 2018 study in Geophysical Research Letters that first examined the curiosity, STEVEs are “extremely narrow ribbons of vibrant purple and white hues” glowing in the night sky....

The rise and evolution of the tank during World War II began a rush to field lightweight anti-tank weapons that could counter then. The PIAT was designed to let the average infantryman take on the heaviest tank (at least in theory.) This unorthodox weapon used springs—not rockets or a controlled explosion—to hurl an anti-tank warhead at enemy armored vehicles. This video by Forgotten Weapons explores the history of the peculiar PIAT and how it worked....

Media Platforms Design Team(Photo Credit: Reddit / fryd_)Score one, team LEGO! Redditor fryd_ discovered a 40-year-old note tucked away in a box of LEGOS encouraging children to let their imagination thrive, regardless of traditional gender roles. Girls could build rocketships and boys could build dollhouses, the note said, and what matters is giving them the materials to build whatever their heart desires with LEGOs. The pamphlet has been authenticated to Quartz by LEGO spokesperson Roar Rude Trangbæk....

This proposed 700-foot skyscraper to be built at 12 East 37th Street in New York would have built-in parks occupying whole floors of the tower. A fitness room, yoga studio, and cinema will also occupy common spaces in the building. The creators compare it to a New York city street but in vertical form.You might be surprised that the owners would devote so much floor space to common amenities instead of selling it as more tiny apartments....

Why cut cakes at home into simple squares and circles when you could instead cut them into hexagons, nature’s most efficient polygon?View full post on YoutubeMatthias Wandel, a worker of wood, decided to take matters into his own hands after hearing someone talk about cutting a cake into squares or triangles. So he began work on a honeycomb-pattern knife that cuts a cake into little hexagons. After plotting out how he’d get it done, it was just a matter of putting it all together....

Update, 11/24/15 11:41 AM ET: Syrian rebels and activists say they have targeted and destroyed a Russian-made helicopter operated by the Syrian army near the area where a Russian warplane was downed by Turkey.A rebel spokesman, Zakaria al-Ahmad, says the chopper was flying low over mountains in Latakia province, allegedly searching for the missing Russian pilots on Tuesday.Al-Ahmad says the rebels fired a Tao missile that destroyed the helicopter after it landed and its pilots had left the aircraft....

The news came yesterday that the three countries leading the search for Malaysia Air Flight 370 are finally pulling the plug after two and a half years. This appears to have dimmed hopes for ever finding the errant plane and the 239 people aboard. Or has it? Despite the pessimistic tone of the announcement from Australia’s Joint Agency Coordination Center, which said the decision “has not been taken lightly nor without sadness,” Australia has previously said it would open to resuming the quest if “credible evidence” emerges....

This week, in an open letter addressed to “Leaders of Greenpeace, the United Nations and Governments around the world,” over 100 Nobel laureates stated their support for genetically modified foods and condemned tactics used by Greenpeace and others to keep those foods from being used. They write:Greenpeace has spearheaded opposition to Golden Rice, which has the potential to reduce or eliminate much of the death and disease caused by a vitamin A deficiency (VAD), which has the greatest impact on the poorest people in Africa and Southeast Asia....