Solar Grill.

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But it costs $40,000 a year (less if you’re black or female). It also helps if you’re from a well-connected Democrat family.

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A malaria vaccine was 67 percent protective against infection in an early-stage trial involving adults in Kenya, according to a study published in Science Translational Medicine today. The results are encouraging, as many malaria vaccines that work well in the lab have failed to show the same efficacy in the field. But low malaria infection rates in the region at the time of the study are putting a damper on the results.

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Want a prestigious education? Harvard, Yale, and Princeton are the way to go. But if you’re looking for a high-paying career after graduation, you may want to look elsewhere.

It’s too late for me, but the rest of you might have a chance.

Foot-Powered Washing Machine.

High-Capacity Household Icemaker.

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Just in case you were wondering. I know I was.

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At some point in your life, you’ve probably been asked to donate blood. If your blood is type O, you may have been asked to donate even more, because your blood type is the most useful and is less common. The difference between blood types may seem small–people with blood types A and B have an extra sugar molecule bound to the surface of their red blood cells–but a transfusion of the wrong blood type can be fatal. For example, the immune system of a type O individual will launch a massive attack on the “invading cells” of a type A individual, all because it detects that sugar molecule.

Now researchers from the University of British Columbia have figured out a way to change the type of blood donated by volunteers, by using an enzyme that simply snips off that extra sugar, called an antigen. The result: The blood is more like type O, the universal donor.

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It’s official: rubella, a disease that can be deadly for fetuses, has been eliminated from the Americas. The news was announced today by a scientific panel convened by global health authorities, reports The New York Times. The Americas is the first World Health Organization region to eliminate the disease.

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The shape-changing wings are an alternative to flaps, whose hard edges generate drag and noise. That drag is, at times, sort of the point. Looking out a wing seat on a jetliner as it lands, it’s possible to see the flaps angling up and down to slow the plane or turn. The flexible edge still allows this, bending and contorting in drag-increasing ways when needed, but it does it all under a smooth, continuous surface. Servos and actuators inside the flexible shell of the aircraft pull strings that then contort the wings’ surface, bending and warping to produce an effect similar to mechanical flaps. The smooth wings promise to be more aerodynamic in flight, which helps to save on fuel.

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Forensics specialists have a few ways to tell twins apart, such as testing sperm or using identifying markings like tattoos or scars, but these techniques are very limited. Now a team of researchers has developed a new way to differentiate twins’ DNA by identifying parts of it that have changed over time because of environmental factors.

Whoops, there goes the mystery writhers’ plot device….

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3D aficionados have been printing everything from candy to guns, and the technique has been making its way into the biomedical realm, generating everything from functional organs to prosthetics. In 2012, a team of researchers from the University of Michigan implanted splints 3D-printed out of a special biomaterial in the airways of three children with tracheobronchomalacia, a condition that may cause their airways to spontaneously collapse. The customized splints have done more than just keep the boys alive—they are flexible enough to allow the children to continue healthy growth so that they may no longer need respiratory intervention. The researchers published their work today in Science Translational Medicine.

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They could do a lot worse. At least he’s actually fought to defend Western civilization, unlike most of the people in the British — or Australian — government.

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The 4-foot cubes are made of a concrete aggregate infused with a foaming agent, which creates air bubbles. The bubbles give the cubes a low density, which allows them to collapse on impact. The number of air bubbles can be adjusted to create different strengths depending on whether an airport caters to larger or smaller aircraft.

I suppose it really isn’t practical to use tail hooks and arresting wires….

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Scientists have proven for the first time the role of a protein in cell walls which causes sufferers’ airways to narrow and handicap or prevent breathing.

A class of drugs known as calcilytics – first created to treat the bone disease osteoporosis – have been found to reverse all symptoms associated with the debilitating respiratory condition.

Survival Orb.

Steel Star Trek Coasters. A fool and his money are soon parted – that’s what the free market is all about.

Leatherman Bit Kit.

Liese Hair Reset Straightener Wipes. Lack of straight hair has never been one of my problems, but I imagine it would be useful for somebody.

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Ah, but will it be in time to save the Left Coast?

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In a world in which an incompetent slacker gets elected President because of his skin tone, anything is possible.

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On a dirt road high in Nicaragua’s northern mountains, a small knot of men and two precocious young boys uncoil electrical cable from the back of a pickup truck. Other workers swing machetes at overhanging tree branches. Along the cleared shoulder of the road, another crew tightens a cable on a freshly planted utility pole.

Verdant coffee plantations line the steep road, punctuated by wooden shacks where pigs orbit stakes in the mud. Placards on outhouses proclaim the names of aid organizations. Cinder-block evangelical churches mark even the tiniest clusters of homes.

This extension of the power grid will serve about 30 families in the San Ramón valley, about 200 kilometers northeast of Managua. “We’ve always lived in the dark here,” says Salvador Gonzáles, a resident of the valley and one of the men volunteering on the line crew. For him, the arrival of electricity means a refrigerator and a leap in quality of life. “I’ll have my soda cold, some chicken, some meat, a Popsicle,” he says.

And the SWPL cry goes ’round the clubs: ‘Oh noes! They’ corrupting these innocent primitive people with – gasp – technology!’

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Daewoo, Samsung, and Hyundai’s shipbuilding wings are already setting a standard for the use of bleeding edge robotics in manufacturing. According to a U.S. Navy study they rely on robots for over two thirds of the welding, as well as much of the cutting, grinding steel, and polishing. But keeping the robotic assembly components fed with material requires a lot of heavy lifting and transfer of large metal components.

That’s where the Daewoo S&M Eng. is having the RoboShipbuilder step in. Currently the exosuit is being used by employees and can lift up to 30 kg (66.1 lb.). That’s enough to lift a variety of smaller steel components, and precisely position them for the most difficult welding tasks.

The suit uses a mixture of hydraulics and electric servomotors to carry the load. Workers start by standing on footpads and then strap the exoskeleton legs frame to their legs, followed by a backpack-like section and arm frame. The exoskeleton accommodates workers of heights between 1.6 and 1.85 meters (5’3″ to 6’1″).

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Right now, the chef of the future looks like a pair of robotic arms that descend from the ceiling of a very organized kitchen. And it makes a mean crab bisque.

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Having lived in United Arab Emirates’ capital, Abu Dhabi, for more than five years, William Janssen was already accustomed to drinking desalinated water — seawater treated in large machines that consume lots of energy. So Janssen came up with the idea of using solar energy instead to transform salt water into drinking water, a more sustainable, cost-effective method.

So Desolenator was founded in 2012, and the company has been working with Innovation Experience, a group that helps marry “clean tech development” with human-centered design, since 2013 to make the idea a reality. The company has since become part of London’s Imperial College accelerator program for clean technology startups, and just this week it met its $150,000 crowdfunding target on Indiegogo, with a week still to go.

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Siemens researchers have developed a new type of electric motor that, with a weight of just 50 kilograms, delivers a continuous output of about 260 kilowatts – five times more than comparable drive systems. The motor has been specially designed for use in aircraft. Thanks to its record-setting power-to-weight ratio, larger aircraft with takeoff weights of up to two tons will now be able to use electric drives for the first time.

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The thing in this picture isn’t a photon torpedo. But, it’s close. It’s a photon cannon, currently under development by General Atomics. Small, versatile, and completely self-contained, it turns anything onto which you stick it into a powerful laser weapon. And at just two cubic meters in volume, you should have no trouble mounting it on the roof rack of your Volvo.

Me want.

Air Vent Safe Features RFID Lock.

Bug-Blasting Blunderbuss.

Grab-It Gadget for cars.

Adjustable Reading Wedge Light.

Pill Remover Fabric Shaver. There were times when I would have killed for this device.

Magnetic Vest Holds Your Tools For You.

Self-Heating Butter Knife.

Rolling Cooler With Own Tables and Chairs.

Tactical Credit Card Axe. I am not making this up.

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Konrad Rykaczewski, an assistant professor of engineering at Arizona State University, has strived for years to develop a better anti-icing solution for airplanes. His drive is more than academic: He was once stranded for two days in London when a long snowfall depleted Heathrow Airport of the supplies of antifreeze it uses to keep ice off airplane wings.

Rykaczewski’s eureka moment came later on a Panama vacation, sparked by a chance encounter with a poison dart frog. The frog’s skin inspired him to design a novel anti-icing coating. He learned that poison dart frogs have various glands in their skin. Some glands always secrete lubricant, while others secrete bits of toxin when provoked.

Is this a great country or what?

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Hint: More than it’s worth.

Check it out.

As William Gibson famously said, the future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed.

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Just in case you were wondering. I know I was.

Yoda-Inspired Child’s Bath Towel.

Foldable Ultra-Portable Grill.

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Brain surgery is notoriously complicated. Before surgeons go in to remove a tumor, they study the size and location of the tumor. But once they’re in, they have to rely on their fingers and eyes to distinguish tumor cells from healthy brain cells. Now researchers have developed a “paint” that can be injected into a patient’s veins to make tumor cells glow. After a number of successful studies in mice and dogs, the paint is now being tested in humans in California.

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If, of course, that’s what you want to do.

For the first time, researchers can improve the way humans walk without using an external power source, according to a study published in Nature today. A boot-like exoskeleton that fits into a regular running shoe reduces the energetic costs of walking by about 7 percent. In short, it makes walking less tiring without resorting to a battery pack or a motor — something that could really come in handy for people who have trouble walking, or military personnel in remote areas.

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Studying the eating habits of 8,399 Americans, the researchers separated out a group of 753 who ate at least one small apple every day. These apple eaters were generally healthier and better educated than the general populace, but once the effects of such confounding factors were accounted for, there was no statistical difference to be found. Apple eaters were just as likely to visit the doctor or have an overnight hospital stay as everyone else.

Hey, tenure doesn’t grow on trees, you know.

This analysis, led by University of Michigan assistant professor Matthew Davis, has a number of important limitations. While its subjects are nationally representative for the US, the data is based on their recall of food consumption over a period of 24 hours, which they assert to be representative of their usual diet. That’s then compared against their hospital or doctor visits over the previous month, which are again self-reported, and the metric for “keeping the doctor away” is to have no more than one meeting with a medical professional during that period. That leaves the nuance of why people might need treatment unaddressed.

Your tax dollars at work.

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Hey, he’s more Hispanic than Elizabeth Warren is skraeling — at least he can speak the language.

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Someone attacked Harry Reid on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day; that much seems clear from photographs and from the nature of his injuries. So far, to my knowledge, no one has investigated to try to find out what really happened. My “investigation” consisted of answering my telephone. Perhaps those reporters who were so eager to dig through Sarah Palin’s dumpster and track down Mitt Romney’s high school classmates will now swing into action, carry out an actual investigation, and either confirm or refute the events described by Mr. Elliott.

Fridge Squircle.

Wide Path Camper. Perfect for SCA events.

Jevo Jello Shot Maker. There are people who need one of these, and you know who you are.

Grappling Hook. Hey, one of these babies can save your life.

Scott Johnson of Powerline fills you in.

The facts alleged in the indictment may to a great extent make out what former Wall Street Journal reporter Brooks Jackson denominated “honest graft.” Much of the indictment is devoted to a recitation of activities that must be business as usual in Washington, or close to it.

The activities itemized in the indictment go back as far as 2006. It is certainly fair to wonder why the indictment has been handed up now and to doubt that Senator Menendez’s leading role criticizing the foreign policy of the Obama administration is merely a big coincidence.

No doubt.

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The Register tries to be the tabloid of the tech press and sometimes tries a bit too hard. Still, it’s entertaining.

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You can get anything at Ikea.

I see these as emergency barracks in combat zones.

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Autodoc, here we come.

Pre-Threaded Sewing Kits. For people who do their own plumbing and wind up flooding the neighborhood. You know who you are.

LED Dog Vest. Two words: phone number.

Fold-Flat LED Solar Lantern.

McDonald’s French Fry Gloves. Make you a real good target.

See-Through Sun Visor.

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And, really, who could do it better?

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“It’s a great challenge,” said Gordon Gill, a Chicago architect. “Everybody wants the daylight; nobody wants the glare, and you only want the heat when it’s cold outside.”

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Yeah, by rubbing their noses in a little reality.

Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) has a new study out finding urban charter schools outperform traditional public schools (TPS) in urban areas.

My, what a surprise! Aren’t you surprised? I’m sure surprised.

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And ya gotta love that.

From a cocoa tree to a candy bar, chocolate undergoes a radical transformation. Workers pick pods from the cacao tree, then remove the bitter seeds from inside the pods to be fermented, then dried in the sun. The dried seeds are then roasted and combined with sugar, milk and other ingredients to create the final product.

The delicious stuff loses some of its nutritious components during this process, such as polyphenols, which have antioxidant properties that have been shown to help stave off cancer and heart disease. To preserve more antioxidant activity, the researchers decided to add one extra step to the chocolate production process: storing the pods for a few days after they’re harvested but before removing the seeds to be fermented and dried. This isn’t traditionally done, and they didn’t know what effect this step would have on the nutritional content, so the researchers tested different storage times for 300 pods. They found that the ideal storage time was seven days; when the seeds were then processed as usual after that storage time, they maintained more antioxidants than seeds that were not stored or were stored for more time. The researchers believe that the stored beans were higher in antioxidants because they had the time to absorb more nutrients from their outer husks, but not so much time that they started to break down.

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Here’s a new way to make fuel from sunlight: starve a microbe nearly to death, then feed it carbon dioxide and hydrogen produced with the help of voltage from a solar panel. A newly developed bioreactor feeds microbes with hydrogen from water split by special catalysts connected in a circuit with photovoltaics. Such a batterylike system may beat either purely biological or purely technological systems at turning sunlight into fuels and other useful molecules, the researchers now claim.

“We think we can do better than plants,” says Joseph Torella of Boston Consulting Group, who helped lead the work published February 9 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Analog Memory Desk,

Blue Freedom Portable Hydropower Plant.

Briefcase Barbecue.

Pick-Pocket-Proof Pants.

eTape16 digital measuring tape.

Nite Ize Gear Tie.

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Happy St Patrick’s Day.

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Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered that when a certain aggressive leukemia is causing havoc in the body, the solution may be to force the cancer cells to grow up and behave.

After a chance observation in the lab, the researchers found a method that can cause dangerous leukemia cells to mature into harmless immune cells known as macrophages.

That sounds pretty useful.

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And ya gotta love that.

Author Nate Lewis and his colleagues at Caltech created a thin coating of nickel oxide that can be applied to semi-conductors made of silicon or other materials–a setup that acts like an artificial leaf, using sunlight to power the system. When introduced to water, one side of the ‘leaf’ oxidizes the water, releasing oxygen, while the other side gathers the hydrogen.

A membrane keeps the newly separated hydrogen and oxygen isolated from each other, which helps reduce the risk of explosion. If heat (or electricity) is added to a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen the results can be incredibly explosive, much more so than each gas on its own. Check out the differences in burning oxygen, hydrogen, and a mix of the two in the video below.