Modern life relies on electricity and electrical devices, from cars and buses to phones and laptops, to the electrical systems in homes. Behind many of these devices is a type of energy storage device, the supercapacitor[1]. My team of engineers is working on making these supercapacitors even better at storing energy by studying how they...
Animals self-medicate with plants − behavior people have observed and emulated for millennia
When a wild orangutan in Sumatra recently suffered a facial wound, apparently after fighting with another male, he did something that caught the attention of the scientists observing him.
The animal chewed the leaves of a liana vine[1] – a plant[2] not normally eaten by apes. Over several days, the orangutan carefully applied the juice to...
What Philadelphians need to know about the city’s 7,000-camera surveillance system
The Philadelphia Inquirer recently investigated[1] Philadelphia’s use of what it described as a “little-scrutinized, 7,000-camera system that is exposing residents across the city to heightened surveillance with few rules or safeguards against abuse.” The article detailed how Philadelphia narcotics cops not only allegedly failed to disclose...
Phone cameras can take in more light than the human eye − that’s why low-light events like the northern lights often look better through your phone camera
Smartphone cameras have significantly improved in recent years. Computational photography and AI allow these devices to capture stunning images that can surpass what we see with the naked eye. Photos of the northern lights[1], or aurora borealis, provide one particularly striking example.
If you saw the northern lights during the geomagnetic...