Snipette

Pick and Choose

Thuận Sarzynski — Fri, 20 Sep 2019 06:31:01 GMT

Deciding which species to keep and which to discard? Maybe there’s a simple answer

Endangered Elements

Badri Sunderarajan — Fri, 13 Sep 2019 07:01:01 GMT

The world, and your phone, is dependent on chemicals. What happens when they run out?

When you hear the word “elements”, you probably think of the Periodic Table. A large uneven grid, listing all the elements known to humans, organised by chemical traits, and shaped more like a couch than a table if you ask me. Here is where you’ll first look if you want to find out about Hafnium or Terbium or some other random element that most people have almost never heard of.

These days, you can also find out about most of these elements using a small, electronic device that fits in your pocket. And I don’t mean through Google.

The average smartphone contains about 75 elements, spanning nearly three quarters of the Periodic Table.

Selfie of the Earth

Thuận Sarzynski — Fri, 06 Sep 2019 07:01:01 GMT

Want to use land wisely? The analyse the ‘skin’ of the Earth.

Machine Training

Badri Sunderarajan — Fri, 30 Aug 2019 07:01:01 GMT

Are AI trained with computers and data? Yes — but first, you need a human.

Fire for Plants

Thuận Sarzynski — Fri, 23 Aug 2019 07:01:01 GMT

Is fire really evil? Maybe it’s just a natural part of the environment.

Air Frying

Abbey — Fri, 16 Aug 2019 07:01:01 GMT

Ever wondered how to deep-fry without oil? This is almost, if not quite, the same.

Geoengineering

Thuận Sarzynski — Fri, 09 Aug 2019 07:01:01 GMT

Here’s a low-tech tool to reverse climate change

Operational Definition

Badri Sunderarajan — Fri, 02 Aug 2019 07:01:01 GMT

How to measure the immeasurable — and why it can sometimes go wrong.

The Criminal Mind

Manasa Kashi — Fri, 26 Jul 2019 07:02:54 GMT

Criminals usually pay for their misdeeds. But who is really to blame for crime?

Adrian Raine is a renowned criminologist. He teaches psychology in the University of Pennsylvania and has written four books, all on abnormal psychology and crime. Raine has studied criminals extensively and taught courses on them, and routinely tells students to feign sleep for their own safety if they ever have an intruder.

He also tells another story:

In the summer of 1989, he took a trip to Bodrum, in Turkey. It had been a long day of travel, and it didn’t take long for him to fall sound asleep. Certainly, it helped that Bodrum was a relatively quiet city, with little traffic and honking at night.

Shortly after 3 a.m., he awoke when he heard the window creak. He could just about make out a shadow silhouetted by the streetlight. He panicked.

And, contrary to everything he know about criminals and their behavior, he attacked.

How To Train Your Keyboard

Badri Sunderarajan — Fri, 19 Jul 2019 07:01:01 GMT

How your next word is predicted — and how you can make it more accurate.

A Vanilla Story

Abbey — Fri, 27 Sep 2019 07:01:02 GMT

The highly processed history of a much overlooked fruit