A recent study shows that if the United States built a concentrated solar power farm on one hundred square miles of land, it would provide enough energy to power the entire country. Media artist and activist Joseph DeLappe thinks he’s found a great candidate for the location deep in the Nevada desert. And to bring attention to it, he decided to brave the sweltering heat and take to a customized bicycle to draw a 460 mile line in the desert.

Read the rest of Project 929: Artist Draws 460 Mile Line Around Military Base for Energy Sustainability

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Post tags: 460 mile line for solar power, 460 mile line for sustainability, activist art, Activist Joseph DeLappe, Artist draws line around military base, Artist Rides bicycle, energy sustainability, Joseph DeLappe, Joseph DeLappe ride, Media Artist Joseph DeLappe, Nevada Military base art, Nevada solar power, Project 929, Solar Power, solar power activist, sustainability activist

Many great minds at companies like Google and Tesla have been laboring towards creating a self-driving car system. Millions of dollars have gone into the research, resulting in expensive prototypes and costly components. Nineteen-year-old Romanian student Ionut Budisteanu took the top prize at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for developing an autonomous system that would only cost $4,000 and safely guide a car through the streets.

Read the rest of Romanian Teen Designs Autonomous Car System that Would Cost Just $4,000

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Post tags: artificial intelligence, autonomous driving system, Google, intel international science and engineering fair, ionut budisteanu, radar, romania, safety, self-driving, teenager, tesla, vehicle

In the battle to beat cancer, everyone is looking the elusive silver bullet. In this case, the bullet may actually be made of gold, and it has been developed by a 16-year-old. Indian-born Arjun Nair has been awarded a $5,000 prize from the Ottawa headquarters of the National Research Council of Canada for his work as part of the 2013 Sanofi BioGENEius Challenge Canada (SBCC). Using the experimental method of Photothermal therapy (PTT), the nanobullet he devised would inject cancer-killing gold particles to seek out and destroy the harmful cells.

Read the rest of 16-Year-Old Creates Cancer-Killing Nanoparticle Bullet

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Post tags: 17-agg, antiobiotic, arjun nair, canada, cancer, cells, david cramb, GOLD, high school, India, Laser, nanoparticle, photothermal therapy, ptt, sanofi biogeneius challenge canada, tumor, univeristy of calgary

UK teenager Patrick Kane just became the first person in the country to be fitted with latest version of Touch Bionics’ i-Limb Ultra- a prosthetic hand so advanced that it can be controlled via a smart phone app. The i-Limb Ultra can assume 24 different grips with the option of gradually increasing the strength of its grasp, and—according to its makers—it is currently the most advanced and anatomically correct artificial limb on the market.

Read the rest of i-Limb: Touch Bionics’ Amazing Prosthetic Hand Can Be Controlled Via Smart Phone

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Post tags: artificial limbs, artificial skin, i-Limb Ultra, i-Limb Ultra prosthetic hand, innovative technology, prosthetic device, prosthetic fingers, prosthetic technology, prosthetics, smart phone apps, Touch Bionics

Jadav “Molai” Payeng, the man who spent 30 years planting a 1,360 acre forest in India, is at it again. Now that the forest is complete, the Indian farmer plans to spend the next 30 years planting another giant woodland by hand. Continuing his personal fight against deforestation, Payeng’s second 1,300 acre forest will transform another barren landscape in the region.


Read the rest of Indian Man Announces Plans to Plant Second 1,300 Acre Forest by Hand

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Post tags: 3600 acre forest, deforestation, eco design, fighting deforestation, green design, indian forest, Jadav Molai Payeng, Man plants 1, sustainable design

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Post tags: green design, green design event, green materials, green packaging, Milan Design Week, Milan Design Week 2013, young designers, zona tortona

It sounds like science fiction, but Streptococcus pyogenes (S. pyogenes) causes necrotizing fasciitis – a rare flesh-eating syndrome that is very difficult to treat, and scientists have split one of its proteins to create a powerful molecular “superglue.” A research team from the University of Oxford split the FbaB protein into two parts – one large and one small, which, when they bind together, form one of the strongest chemical bonds possible. Reporting their findings at the 245th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, Mark Howarth, Ph.D and his team note that this new superglue has far-reaching disease detection applications.

Read the rest of Flesh-Eating Bacterium Used as “Superglue” that Detects Cancer Cells

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Post tags: chemical bond, Design for Health, early cancer detection, Flesh-eating bacteria, necrotizing fasciitis, science, Streptococcus pyogenes, Superglue, university of oxford

Why settle for one form of renewable energy when you can produce power with two? That’s exactly what scientists from the University of Liverpool have done by upgrading an everyday wind turbine with a new set of spinning solar blades. The team, led by Dr. Joe King, came up with the innovative solution to stymie critics who say wind turbines are “only useful when the wind is blowing” — their design doubles the functionality of traditional turbines by incorporating photovoltaic technology.

Read the rest of Scientists Develop Solar-Powered Wind Turbine for Ultimate Energy Generation

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Post tags: "april fools", "wind power", dr joe king, heat wave, Solar Power, solar power uk, solar powered wind turbine, wind power uk, wind turbines solar

DIY expert Grant Thompson has a use for those heavy old rear-projection televisions that have been collecting dust in your basement—he transforms them into solar-powered death rays! Thompson takes advantage of the convex screens’ ability to condense and direct light, turning the abandoned monitors into sun harvesters that can melt glass and coins, and even burn a hole into concrete.

Read the rest of Man Transforms Old TV Screen into 2000 Degree Fahrenheit Solar Death Ray That Can Melt Pennies

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Post tags: eco design, Grant Thompson, green design, home made solar cooker, King of Random, recycled television, solar kitchen, solar power death ray, sustainable design

Taylor Wilson is an 18-year-old scientist who built a nuclear fusion reactor in his parent’s garage at the age of 14 – and he just unveiled his work on a new modular nuclear fission reactor that could be more efficient than existing nuclear plants. After speaking last year about his first experiences with nuclear power, Taylor returned to TED2013 to talk about his new project.

Read the rest of 18-Year-Old Nuclear Scientist Unveils Plans for More Efficient, Transportable Nuclear Reactors

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Post tags: atomic energy, modular nuclear fission reactors, nuclear power, nuclear power research, nuclear safety, nuclear weapons smuggling, Taylor Wilson, Taylor Wilson Neutron Detectors, Taylor Wilson nuclear scientist, TED 2012 conference, transportable nuclear reactors, US teenage nuclear scientist

A team of teenagers interested in biotechnology is working on turning mosquitos into “flying syringes” to deliver vaccines to humans. The students are working in part with Provita Pharmaceuticals, a “virtual company” and school project created by students and instructors at Bergen County Academies as a vehicle to provide a hands-on, real world experience for those interested in scientific research and marketing. As part of their project, the students have already presented their research to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Read the rest of Teenage Scientists Working on Turning Mosquitos Into ‘Flying Syringes’ to Deliver Vaccines

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Post tags: 2012 Google Science Fair, Bergen County Academies research, biotechnology, biotechnology company, Coagula Provita Pharmaceuticals, flying syringe vaccine, genetically modified mosquitoes, Joshua Meier flying syringe, mosquito vaccine, Provita Pharmaceuticals, von Willebrand disease, West Nile Virus vaccines

After an asteroid passed close to earth and a meteorite exploded over Russia last Friday, world leaders have renewed calls for defensive measures against threats from space. Two scientists at the University of California at Santa Barbara have unveiled a proposal for a system of solar-powered lasers that could be used to change an asteroid’s orbit – or vaporize it completely – while gathering valuable data on its composition.

Read the rest of Scientists Propose Launching Solar-Powered Lasers to Vaporize Incoming Asteroids

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Post tags: asteroid defense, California Polytechnic State University research, DE-STAR (Directed Energy Solar Targeting of Asteroids), Gary Hughes research, near earth asteroids, Philip Lubin research, solar lasers, solar powered device, solar-powered laser guns, space defense systems, space threats, UC Santa Barbara research

We know what you’re thinking. “Wait, there are flame retardants in Gatorade?” Yep, Brominated vegetable oil (BVO), a chemical that’s used as a flame retardant, is included in drinks like Gatorade to keep other ingredients from separating. There’s good news, though: PepsiCo announced plans to remove BVO from Gatorade after consumer complaints started rolling in via a petition started at Change.org by 15 year-old Sarah Kavanagh. But if you’re still looking to get your daily fix of BVO, you still can, as PepsiCo has zero plans to remove the chemical from Mountain Dew.

READ MORE >

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Post tags: Brominated vegetable oil, BVO, change.org, chemicals, flame retardants, food, Gatorade, mountain dew, Pepsi, pepsico, Sarah Kavanagh, toxic chemicals, toxins

Read the rest of The Recycled Orchestra Performs Using Instruments Made from Landfill Trash

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Post tags: cateura, Graham Townsley, landfill art, Landfill Harmonic, landfill redesign, Paraguay, Reclaimed Materials, recycled instruments, Sustainability, The Recycled Orchestra

When most of us were teenagers, we were more worried about an embarrassing outbreak of acne or who to ask to homecoming than the challenges of developing nations. After witnessing children in India drinking from a stagnant pool of water, 14 year-old Deepika Kurup from Nashua, New Hampshire was inspired to help “find a solution to the global water crisis.” After much research, she developed a solar-powered purification system in her backyard that eventually earned her a $25,000 award from the The Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. Entering while she was still in the 7th grade, she took first place in the competition. So, just how does this ingenious invention work?

Read the rest of Ingenious 14 Year-Old Invents Solar-Powered Water Purification System for the Developing World

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Post tags: 3m, 3m glass bubbles, 3m petrifilms, coliform, deepika kurup, e.coli, India, methane blue, sunlight, the discovery education 3m young scientist challenge, water issues

Regular readers of Inhabitat are likely to be familiar with Studio H. The high school design/build curriculum, which was founded by friend of Inhabitat Emily Pilloton, creates large-scale community development projects that are designed and built by students. Now, Studio H is planning to build an 800-square-foot classroom at REALM Charter School in Berkeley, CA that will be made from three recycled shipping containers. To raise funds for materials, Studio H just launched a Kickstarter campaign — show your support for this innovative project and donate now!

Read the rest of Studio H Launches Kickstarter Campaign To Build a Shipping Container Classroom at Berkeley’s REALM Charter School

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Post tags: berkeley, Cargotecture, Emily Pilloton, high school architecture, off-grid, project h design, Realm Charter School, recycled shipping containers, shipping containers, social design, student architecture, student design, student projects, Studio H, Zero energy

Did you know that melanin, the pigment in hair, is light sensitive and can be used as a conductor? Well, that’s what an 18 year old in Nepal recently discovered, and is now using human hair to replace silicon in solar panels. Since the price of hair is considerably cheaper than silicon, this enterprising youth may have just found a breakthrough technology to help bring down the cost of solar and give thousands of people in developing nations access to affordable renewable energy.

Read the rest of Nepalese Teen Invents Cheap Solar Panel Using Human Hair

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Post tags: clean tech advances, green technology, hair as a replacement for silicon, hair photovoltaics, hair silicon, hair solar panels, human hair, human hair solar panel, kathmandu, Malin Karki, Nepal, nepalese teen, Nepalese Teen invents cheap solar panels using human hair, nepali teen, photovoltaic technology, renewable energy, solar panel, teen, teen inventor

Happy Thanksgiving Inhabitants!

2012 was filled with many hardships, but it was also marked with milestones in innovation and breakthroughs in thinking that make us truly want to give thanks. From the next generation of sustainable visionaries to what we hope is a climate change thought revolution, we hope you’ll take a quick break from your tryptophan-induced haze to see what we at Inhabitat are most thankful for this year.

Read the rest of Happy Thanksgiving 2012 from Inhabitat!

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Post tags: eco-friendly thanksgiving, green thanksgiving, green things to be thankful for, happy thanksgiving 2012, happy thanksgiving from inhabitat, inhabitat thanksgiving, sustainable thanksgiving, thanksgiving, thanksgiving 2012, things to be thankful for

It seems that taking amazing pictures of Earth from space is no longer a task solely for NASA and astronauts on board the International Space Station. A 19-year old teenager in the UK has managed to take incredible photos of the Earth from space by floating a £30 camera into the atmosphere using a large helium balloon.

Read the rest of British 19-Year-Old Takes Incredible Satellite Pictures Using a £30 Camera and a Helium Balloon.

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Post tags: acudworth.co.uk, Adam Cudworth, balloons, Canon, HABE, HABE 5, international space station, nasa, nottingham university, Satellite, space photography

Egyptian teenagers are on a roll lately – if they’re not proposing the next-generation of space propulsion systems, then they’re figuring out how to use the country’s plastic waste for fuel! Sixteen-year-old Azza Abdel Hamid Faiad has found that an inexpensive catalyst could be used to create $78 million worth of biofuel each year. Egypt’s plastic consumption is estimated to total one million tons per year, so Azza’s proposal could transform the country’s economy, allowing it to make money from recycled plastic.

Read the rest of 16-Year-Old Egyptian Scientist Finds Way to Turn Plastic Waste Into $78 Million of Biofuel!

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Post tags: aluminosilicate, Azza Abdel Hamid Falad, biodiesel, biofuel, catalyst, egypt, egyptian teenager, plastic recycling