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haiku book reviews, for you.

take a sip, enjoy!

17-syllable summaries of my favorite 17 books from last year. Find your next great read here!

-Steve

Join The Convo for fun-sized summaries of the coolest STEM news!

RoachBots 

Even cockroaches are going green. Researchers are controlling the critters through circuits and solar panels.

• Controlled via Bluetooth...seriously

• Solar cells are attached to the abdomen

• Tiny backpack with wires connects to legs for control

Madagascar hissing cockroaches provide the perfect combination of maneuverability and surface area for equipment. These resilient cyborgs could one day aid in rescue missions and disaster response. I strongly recommend we call them:

Madagascar beep-booping cockroaches

Lab-Grown Hair

Hair loss may soon be a thing of the past. Scientists successfully grew hair from a synthetic mouse follicle organoid.

• Organoid = simplified version of a mini organ

• Generated using embryonic mouse cells

• Variable drug treatment controls pigmentation

Growing skin organoids with hair follicles had been done, but this is the first time a functioning follicle was created by itself. Human trials are set to begin using donated cells from adults. For now, we can just imagine Mickey with a mullet.

Follicle farming

Wind Catcher 

Wind energy is taking a page from solar’s book. Aeromine’s rooftop generators convert gusts into power without a windmill.

• Generators redirect wind to an internal turbine

• Delivers 50% more energy than solar, in the right conditions

• Requires 10% of the space needed for photovoltaic panels

Aeromine’s relatively quiet generators can be installed along a roof's edge, leaving room for other machinery. While not a standalone energy solution, it's another piece of our growing green options. Bonus points for looking like a racing spoiler.

Like stationary sailing

Clickables

• Haiku Book Reviews, for you 

• Get your eco-ears: solar powered headphones

• How to weigh your baby emperor penguin

• Google’s 3D portal takes video chat to the future

• Tuna using sharks as backscratchers

st3v on site

Mousehawk

Scientists worked around the clock to develop a hair follicle transplant for st3v. He loves it.

Thank you for reading!

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