Milan-based architecture firm Stefano Boeri Architetti has unveiled innovative designs for a nature-infused smart city in Cancun, Mexico that will serve as a model for resilient and sustainable urban planning. Created for Honduras-based textile conglomerate and property developer Grupo Karim, ‘Smart Forest City – Cancun’ is a proposed alternative to plans for a shopping district in the... Continue Reading →
More than 9,100 stores are closing in 2019 as the retail apocalypse drags on — here’s the full list
The staggering rate of store closures that rocked the retail industry over the past couple of years is expected to continue in 2019, with more closures expected this year. Retailers closed a record 102 million square feet of store space in 2017, then smashed that record in 2018 by closing another 155 million square feet,... Continue Reading →
Smart factories could contribute as much as $2.2 trillion to the global economy, report says
Smart factories could add between $1.5 trillion to $2.2 trillion to the global economy per year by 2023, according to a new report released Tuesday. Called “Smart Factories @ Scale”, the report was produced by the Capgemini Research Institute. It surveyed one thousand executives from firms that have “smart factory initiatives.” Capgemini described smart factories as... Continue Reading →
Amazon’s system for tracking its warehouse workers can automatically fire them
A world where people are monitored and supervised by machines isn’t confined to the realms of sci-fi. It’s here now. Tough conditions: There have been many reports over recent years about unpleasant conditions workers face at Amazon warehouses. Employees are under pressure to pack hundreds of boxes per hour, and face being fired if they aren’t fast enough. What’s new: Documents obtained... Continue Reading →
Photos of the world’s 25 most endangered primates
Meet the primate species that are among the most endangered on the planet, and the most in need of conservation measures. In 2017, the Tapanuli orangutan was discovered in the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia. The rust-colored beauties made headlines for becoming the eighth known species of great ape in the world (including us humans). Their... Continue Reading →
Japan approved experiments that would allow for animal-human hybrids to be born for the first time ever
Japan's government approved a request by scientists to conduct stem-cell experiments to create an animal-human hybrid and allow it to be brought to term. Japan's science ministry last week gave provisional approval to a proposal from researchers at the University of Tokyo to create animal embryos that contain human cells and transplant them into surrogate... Continue Reading →
A 3D-printed heart with blood vessels has been made using human tissue
The rabbit-sized heart was made from a patient’s own cells and tissues, using techniques that could help to increase the rate of successful heart transplants in future. How it worked: A biopsy of tissue was taken from patients, and then its materials were separated. Some molecules, including collagen and glycoproteins, were processed into a hydrogel, which... Continue Reading →
Driverless Electric Trucks Are Coming, and They’ll Affect You More Than You Think
Self-driving and electric cars just don’t stop making headlines lately. Amazon investedin self-driving startup Aurora earlier this year. Waymo, Daimler, GM, along with startups like Zoox, have all launched or are planning to launch driverless taxis, many of them all-electric. People are even yanking driverless cars from their timeless natural habitat—roads—to try to teach them to navigate forests and... Continue Reading →
We should start working less now to mentally prepare ourselves for automation
Your job is going to be automated. It’s just a question of time. Truck drivers and accountants will be the first to go, followed by blue-collar workers and then those wearing any color collar to work. Eventually nearly all of the labor market will shrink, save for a few primarily human roles such as prostitution, reporting, and... Continue Reading →
New bill allows Oregon students to take ‘mental health days’
Oregon will allow students to take "mental health days" just as they would sick days, expanding the reasons for excused school absences to include mental or behavioral health under a new law that experts say is one of the first of its kind in the U.S. But don't call it coddling. The students behind the... Continue Reading →