Jul 29Are NFTs Worth the Environmental Cost?Not that any further proof was needed, but the night of March 27, 2021 offered definitive evidence of the impact non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are making — that besides transforming the world of digital art, they are even veering toward the mainstream. On that night’s edition of “Saturday Night Live,” cast…Nft4 min read
Jun 30How Graphene is Impacting the Art WorldWe already know that graphene, a one-atom-thick layer of carbon discovered in 2004, can be used as a conductor, insulator and filter — that it can even be used to create ultra-light, ultra-thick body armor, as well as wearable electronics. What has recently come to light, however, is that graphene…Graphene3 min read
May 17Predicting Natural Disasters With Your SmartphoneAs of April 2021, there were an estimated 3.8 billion smartphone users in the world, or nearly half the global population of 7.8 billion. That has implications not only for communication and entertainment, but also safety. That has been shown during the coronavirus pandemic, as nations like Germany and Ireland…Smartphones2 min read
May 14Data, the “New Oil,” Cannot Be Used If Left Unrefined. Thankfully, AI Can Help.British data scientist Clive Humby was famously quoted in 2006 as saying that “data is the new oil,” a statement that has been over-analyzed and occasionally criticized, but one that nonetheless retains its merits all these years later. Soon after Humby made that statement, Michael Palmer, executive vice president of…Data3 min read
May 14The Ferroelectrical Qualities of Graphene, and What They Mean for the Future of ElectronicsIt has long been known that graphene can serve as a superconductor or insulator. But in February 2021, MIT researchers discovered that this material, an atom-thick layer of carbon arranged in a hexagonal pattern, is even more versatile than anyone might have imagined: It also exhibits ferroelectrical qualities. …Graphene3 min read
May 3The Growing Reality of Transplantable Organs via 3D BioprintingThe announcement on Jan. 27, 2021 that two companies, 3D Systems and United Therapeutics Corporation, had successfully bioprinted lungs — organs that, significantly, had vascular structures capable of sustaining them — represented the latest breakthrough in a burgeoning field, and another step toward the day when transplantable 3D organs become…Bioprinting3 min read
Apr 30Data Centers Clean Up Their Act (and Find a New Rhythm)The 2017 song “Despacito,” by Puerto Rican artists Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee (and later re-mixed with no less a talent than Justin Bieber), remains one of the most popular songs of all time. Its music video surpassed three billion YouTube views in record time, and by the end of…Data4 min read
Mar 31How Blockchain Technology Improves Environmental SustainabilityThis post originally appeared on Hackernoon.com When first considering blockchain, we typically only consider what we see on the surface: a digital ledger technology used for increased security and efficiency in areas such as data storage, financial transactions, asset management and the like. But more and more, we are starting…Blockchain4 min read
Nov 5, 2021Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Converting Tires Into Concrete-Reinforcing GrapheneConcrete and discarded rubber tires represent two of the world’s greatest environmental hazards. Is it possible that a discovery by a team of Rice University scientists earlier this year could help curtail the impact of both? Using the same “flash” process that the team first introduced in 2020 — i.e…Graphene3 min read
Oct 21, 2021How Graphene is Hastening the Rise of Quantum ComputingQuantum computing has long been regarded as the next “big thing.” Now it’s looming ever larger on the horizon, and graphene is part of the reason for that. Dr. Rajamani Vijayaraghavan, head of the Quantum Measurement and Control Laboratory at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), told Swarajya Magazine…Quantum Computing3 min read