BraiNation

(source nationalgeographic.com)

You might of heard about this crazy “nano” technology. We have talked quite a bit about it here on BraiNation. So what’s the latest breakthrough in the world of nano-tech?

Nanofoods!

Yea… science has once again invaded the world of nutrition for the better. Take a potato chip for example- Delicious? Yes. Healthy? Not usually. Chips are full of flavour, but without all the salt it’s not the greatest snack in the world. Nano technology can be used to keep the flavour but reduce the sodium content significantly.

The potato chips would use “nanosalt”—aka extremely small salt grains. “Together the microscopic grains have more surface area, milligram for milligram, than larger, conventional salt crystals. That means more contact with your tongue, resulting in a disproportionately salty sensation.”

Interesting.

Via Nationalgeographic.com

(image borrowed from Apple.com)

Any of you techies out there have likely already used the beta release of Apple’s updated browser Safari 4, for the rest of you here is a sneak peak. The browser is lighter than previous versions and Apple claims it is the fastest browser on the market. It has some new features as well, however they are not necessarily that revolutionary as you can find similar applications in Firefox, Google’s Chrome and Opera. One feature I found interesting is Top Sites, which is basically a homepage of your most visited sites laid out as thumbnails on your screen. There is a similar feature in Opera called Speed Dial, but I don’t use Opera so Apple invented this!
To read more check out the Epicenter blog on Wired.com, article written by Scott Gilbertson.

(Image borrowed from caranddriving.com)

A team of undergrad researchers at MIT have developed new shock absorbers that harness the energy created when you go over bumps in the road. They claim these absorbers can increase fuel efficiency by 10% and actually provide a smoother ride than today’s shock absorbers.
I couldn’t find an image, but if what they are saying is true the car above might short out?

Full article at LiveScience.com.

A team of researchers at the University of Toronto have developed a headset that can detect a person’s thoughts with an 80% accuracy. The brain-scanner emits infrared light into the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain associated with our decision making, and based on oxygen levels, it can tell whether the user prefers choice A or choice B!

Imagine wearing this headset while watching TV… you wouldn’t even have to lift a finger. Oh and did I mention the developers are Canadian? Just saying…

timesonline.co.uk

(Image borrowed from Adidas.com)

Famous words by Frozone from The Incredibles… and exactly what I would say to my girlfriend if I had an Adidas Techfit Powerweb suit. This suit contains thermoplastic urethane strips that have a slight spring action to them. According to the article I read at PopSci.com this technology can improve an athlete’s performance in almost all aspects. In trials it improved sprinting speed over 100 yards (91.44m) by 1.1%, increased the athlete’s vertical by 4%, a 5.3% increase in power AND a 1.3% reduction in the amount of oxygen released. Mind blasting!

No word on whether this tech will be allowed in professional sports… any thoughts?

To read the whole article continue to PopSci.com.