Massachusetts is poised to lift its wage floor to $11 an hour—50% higher than the federal rate– becoming the fifth state so far this year to lay claim to setting the nation’s highest minimum wage. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat, is expected to sign a bill by early next week to increase the state’s... Continue Reading →
Wristbands are the accessory of choice for people promoting a cause. And the next wave of wrist wear might act as a fashionable archive of your chemical exposure. Researchers at Oregon State University outfitted volunteers with slightly modified silicone bracelets and then tested them for 1,200 substances. They detected several dozen compounds – everything from... Continue Reading →
Germany has set a new record, with solar power providing 50.6% of its electricity in the middle of the day on Monday June 9th. Solar production peaked that day at 23.1GW. Three days earlier it was 24.2GW between 1 and 2pm, but on the 9th demand was down for a public holiday, allowing the breaking... Continue Reading →
Seeking to reverse a tide of money inundating politics, the Democratic-controlled California Senate on Monday called for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution limiting corporate campaign activity. "If the only voice heard is the one with the most money," said Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, "what's become of our democracy?" While Assembly Joint Resolution 1... Continue Reading →
It takes a certain daring to invent a technology that mimics magic a step beyond anything JK Rowling contemplated, but that is what scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany, claim to have done. Where Rowling gave Harry Potter an invisibility cloak that prevented the wearer from being seen, the KIT team claim... Continue Reading →
One of the recent revelations by Edward Snowden is that the U.S. National Security Agency is currently developing a quantum computer. Physicists aren't surprised by this news; such a computer could crack the encryption that is commonly used today in no time and would therefore be highly attractive for the NSA. Professor Thomas Walther of... Continue Reading →
A team of MIT researchers has used a novel material that’s just a few atoms thick to create devices that can harness or emit light. This proof-of-concept could lead to ultrathin, lightweight, and flexible photovoltaic cells, light emitting diodes (LEDs), and other optoelectronic devices, they say. Their report is one of three papers by different... Continue Reading →
Looks like time travel is possible... for particles of light. Using a photon, physicists have managed to simulate quantum particles traveling through time. Studying the photon’s behavior could help scientists understand some inexplicable aspects of modern physics. "The question of time travel features at the interface between two of our most successful yet incompatible physical... Continue Reading →
Over the past year, we've learned of the many techniques the NSA has used to tap into global communications. However, Edward Snowden's document leaks didn't just uncover the gadgets the agency used, they also gave security researchers the necessary insights to develop their own. After the NSA's classified Advanced Network Technology catalogue was published, Michael... Continue Reading →
While the vertical farm, which is scheduled to open in an industrial suburb of Scranton’s Lackawanna County in March, is only a single storey in height, its 3.25 hectares will come equipped with an industrial racking system comprised of four to five levels and will be capable of housing a staggering 17 million plants in... Continue Reading →
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