October 14 was International E-Waste Day - a day meant to highlight the problems of electronic waste. This year, the day was focused on "invisible" e-waste - things most people don't think of as electronics. The surprising category at the top of this group was toys.
Published in “Technology”
On Monday, the Nobel Prize in medicine was given to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman - two scientists whose work led to the development of mRNA vaccines. Their ideas about mRNA were a huge scientific breakthrough, and saved millions of lives during the coronavirus pandemic.
On Sunday, a capsule carrying samples of a distant asteroid landed safely in the desert in Utah. The samples, collected by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, are the largest amount of asteroid material ever returned to Earth.
On August 21, a cargo ship traveling from Singapore to Brazil became the first to try out a new kind of sail. The sail is expected to save fuel and cut pollution. If it works well, similar sails could become common on cargo ships over the next few years.
Recently, fans of self-driving cars have gotten some good news, followed by bad news. Two self-driving taxi companies were given permission to expand their work in San Francisco. But a string of accidents has led to new concerns about how safe the cars actually are.
A recent report from a United Nations group warns that using technology in classes may not help as much as many people believe. The report suggests that technology should be used less in schools, and that smartphones should be banned from classrooms.
Scientists have brought back to life two tiny worms that had been frozen for 46,000 years. The worms were found in the frozen soil of Siberia. The worms are a new species, and are the oldest living animals ever brought back to life after being frozen.
People who have trouble walking or moving around often have a hard time enjoying the beach. But hundreds of beaches in Greece now offer a new way for people in wheelchairs to get into the water by themselves. It's called Seatrac.
In late June, the US government agreed to allow two companies to sell chicken meat that has been grown in a laboratory. That makes the US the second country to approve lab-grown chicken. The companies say they will be serving the chicken in restaurants this summer.
Imagine taking a flying taxi to the airport, or hopping over crowded city streets at rush hour, getting where you want to go far faster than you could in a car. Believe it or not, you might be able to do these things in an electric air taxi sooner than you think.
Last Friday, a special event took place at the National Theater of Korea. A robot called EveR 6 led an orchestra in a performance of Korean music. Robots have led orchestras in other countries, but this was the first time ever in Korea.