Superhydrophobic airgel

Chemists have created a superhydrophobic airgel to clean up oil spills. The airgel is made from graphene and Teflon. It can be given any shape: granules, cylinders, solid blocks of different sizes. It does not absorb water and does not get wet, while absorbing organic solvents and oil products - up to 2300% by weight and up to 96% by volume. After the first use, the airgel can be collected, evaporated or annealed, and then reused. During the experiments, he retained the effectiveness of ten cycles.

Growing clothes

Petit Pli creates clothes that grow with your child. It can be stretched up to 7 sizes, which allows it to be used from ages 9 months to 4 years. To "grow in size", you just need to pull the desired part of the clothing with both hands in opposite directions.

The most expensive condom ever

The most expensive serial contraceptive in the world costs $68 and is manufactured by LOUIS VUITTON.

Unusual stroller

Huang "Jerry" Xiaojie, a blogger from Taiwan, designed a special aquarium stroller to walk around town with his favorite fish. The portable aquarium is equipped with a battery-operated filtration system, an oxygen air pump and even a lighting system. The part of the tank is made of acrylic and is located in the middle of the stroller, providing the fish with a 360-degree view while walking.

Unknown virus

Doctors spoke about the outbreak of an unknown virus affecting the liver of children. According to WHO, in 20 countries of the world, 228 children have already become ill with a severe form of hepatitis due to the virus, one of whom has died. In January, British doctors reported the first cases of infection. By the end of April, 145 sick children were identified in the country. According to the agency, children from a month to 16 years old are susceptible to an unknown infection, but most of those who are ill are less than ten years old. Symptoms of infection resemble gastroenteritis. According to scientists, COVID-19 could affect the immune system of children who recovered from it. As a result, infection with adenovirus led to severe liver damage.

Emperor penguins

According to Argentine scientists, emperor penguins may completely disappear from the face of the Earth in 30-40 years. The cause of extinction is the melting of glaciers, which can prevent birds from nesting and producing offsprin

One of the most expensive paintings in the world

Andy Warhol's portrait of Marilyn Monroe went under the hammer at Christie's auction. It was valued at $195 million. It is the second most expensive painting in the world sold publicly after Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi ($450 million).

China launched the Tianzhou-4 cargo spacecraft to its orbital station

The launch of the Long March-7 carrier rocket took place from the Wenchang Cosmodrome on the northeast coast of Hainan Island. In 2022, China plans to complete the construction of the Tiangong National Earth Orbital Station. Currently, the Tianhe station base module, launched in April last year, is in space. The second block - Wentian - is planned to be launched in May. The third - Mengtian - in September.

Fitness trackers were useless

American scientists have found that the advent of wearable fitness devices turned out to be useless and did not have a positive impact on the overall activity of the population. They analyzed data obtained from various sources from residents in eight countries - Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Japan, Norway, Sweden and the United States. The research was carried out between 1995 and 2017. Despite the popularity of smart devices, the average level of physical activity in recent years has decreased, not increased - smart gadgets have not helped people move more and have not changed their lives.

How to memorize information quickly?

Write information that you need to remember. Otherwise, the brain practically does not work and it will be very difficult to remember. When we write the same information many times, many areas of the brain work. In particular, the most important part of the brain is the prefrontal cortex. By training your prefrontal cortex, you will not only learn how to memorize information well, but you will better understand where and how to use it. When you're just reading text to learn, your prefrontal cortex barely works. Such memorization of the text can be called cramming.

Biomarkers indicating the risk of suicide have been found

To do this, experts analyzed blood and brain samples of people who committed suicide, as well as people who died in other circumstances. It turned out that changes in the expression of genes that are responsible for reactions to stress, circadian rhythms, immune responses and the state of telomeres (participants at the ends of chromosomes that protect them from damage) appeared in people who committed suicide. The researchers believe that their discovery will allow the use of the data obtained in clinical practice, which will provide timely support to patients with a high level of suicidal tendencies, which should lead to a decrease in mortality among risk groups.

Solar powered aircraft

Startup Skydweller Aero is testing a solar-powered aircraft that will charge while in flight. The startup, together with the US Navy, has released an aircraft capable of staying in the air for up to 90 days. Now a new version has been finalized, and according to the developers, it can fly for a whole year without landing.

A method has been developed to recycle plastic in a week

In the course of the work, scientists used machine learning to create the FAST-PETase enzyme, which can break down molecules of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which accounts for 12 percent of the world's waste. The enzyme was obtained using artificial intelligence and machine learning. The process of destruction of plastic with the help of this substance occurs in a week at a temperature of 40 to 50 degrees Celsius. In addition, scientists were able to carry out depolymerization, that is, the transformation of a polymer into a monomer. The resulting material can then be repolymerized - assembled into virgin plastic - and converted into other products.

Remote work does not affect employee productivity in any way

The University of Texas conducted a large-scale study of several categories of remote workers at once. Some left because of illness, others because of cataclysms, others because of restrictions. The result was always the same - the productivity of employees remained at the same level

Bed for people.

A Canadian startup has launched a huge dog bed for people who want to feel like their pets are relaxing. The cheapest version will cost $400.

Key with breathalyzer

Apple has patented a car key with a breathalyzer. Media journalists found a registered Apple invention in the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) database. The company's engineers suggested adding a breathalyzer as an additional feature to the car. According to experts, drunk drivers will not be able to get behind the wheel if they do not pass the test. Journalists believe that this option may appear in a future Apple car.

Tire dust is 1,000 times more harmful than exhaust fumes

Tire dust is 1,000 times more harmful than exhaust fumes - students at the Imperial College London College of Art have solved the problem. A team of four students created a device that attaches to a car tire and uses the electrostatic and aerodynamic properties of a spinning wheel to collect tire dust as it forms.

The neural network has learned to create drug formulas from chemical waste

An international team of scientists has created the Alchemy platform, which, using neural networks, offers options for the synthesis of approximately 300 drugs from 200 types of chemical waste. Artificial intelligence makes it possible to close some production chains in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and chemical industries. The Alchemy computer system now does this for them. She studies the composition of complex waste and, on its basis, builds options for the synthesis of new substances - they are called routes. With widespread use, the platform is expected to help reduce toxic waste

How to quickly and effectively learn anything?

American business coach Josh Kaufman mastered six new skills in a year: he studied programming and wrote two programs in Ruby, relearned touch typing from one layout to another, started practicing yoga, learned to play "Chinese chess" Go and the ukulele, and mastered windsurfing. He wrote a book about this, “The First 20 Hours. How to quickly learn ... anything. This book is worth reading.

How to become smarter?

Being literate in our time is very useful, but, alas, not everyone understands this. Start small: 1. Disable autocorrect on your phone When autocorrect is enabled, we often don't even pay attention to how the word is spelled. 2. Read more Yes, it’s trite, but it’s also very useful, because with regular reading of absolutely any literature, the brain remembers the most complex words, expressions and grammatical constructions.