Open office designs have been hailed for their economic benefits and helping people work together. On the other hand, a survey by a research firm showed that workers in an open office can lose up to 86 minutes of productivity per day due to distractions, like the constant humming of machinery or computers. In this…
Be it tapping our feet, nodding, or simply swaying, music makes us move! However, did you know that the body moves to music even when we’re not aware of it? These small movements are referred to as “micromotion”, and have captured the attention of scientists at the RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in…
The UK and Ireland were visited by the Beast from the East in 2018 – freezing Arctic winds that dumped inches of snow and brought down temperatures to nearly fatal levels. Such temperatures are catastrophic for buildings as well, which experience severe mechanical damage due to frost. However, a new study by…
Think back to your childhood, and there’s one thing many of us had in common: blocks. In fact, I challenge you to find someone who has never played with building blocks in their lifetime. From houses to spaceships, the possibilities are seemingly endless with these colorful bricks. Now, think of your favorite block…
There’s no shelf too high or a bottle too tight that can kill a child’s curiosity. For all the cushioned furniture corners and safety gates that parents install to child-proof their homes, the safe storage of medicines out of a child’s sight and reach is grossly neglected. According to a recent report by Safe…
Graffiti on the Berlin Wall may have become a symbol of freedom, but many heritage structures around the world are in grave danger of being scarred for eternity by a can of spray paint. From professions of love and profanity to messages of peace and protest, stone monuments around the world have seen it all. Efforts to…
We’re all familiar with “heat signatures” and “infrared images” thanks to the numerous cop shows on television. You’d be surprised to know, though, that in the real (not reel) world, images from a thermal camera are not accepted as evidence in a court of law, because they simply aren’t considered…
Modern pen and paper has an ancient ancestor – ink and papyrus. Around 5,000 years ago, ancient Egyptians invented arguably one of the most important tools of civilized life, and their technology allowed people to communicate across vast distances for the first time. They cleverly harnessed the soot produced from…
When life gives you lemons, sell them and buy a pineapple. Davin Turney couldn’t have put it any better. The versatile pineapple is a powerhouse of nutrients, and even its rugged skin and leaves have found applications ranging from renewable energy to vegan fabrics. You may want to think twice before consigning the…
Did newspapers in wartime get more discolored due to being accessed more frequently? This long-held belief is exactly what Professor Tim Wess of the Charles Sturt University in Australia set out to test, armed with nothing but a smartphone. In addition to testing the hypothesis, the researcher sought to establish…
