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14-year-old inventor from California named ‘America’s Top Young Scientist’
- This year’s 3M Young Scientist Challenge grand prize was awarded to 14-year-old Leanne Fan for inventing “Finsen Headphones,” a smart device that detects and treats mid-ear infections in children.
- The device, which uses machine learning technology and blue light therapy, was named after Nobel Prize recipient Niels Finsen, the scientist who discovered that ultraviolet light can help treat bacterial infections.
- In her submission entry to the competition, Fan explained that a low-cost device that can both detect and treat mid-ear infections can help the children or underprivileged people who often don’t have access to a specialist.
- In addition to the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist,” Fan also won a $25,000 cash prize, which she plans to use to start processing the patent for her invention.
A 14-year-old student who invented a device that detects and treats mid-ear infections in children was awarded this year’s 3M Young Scientist Challenge grand prize.
Leanne Fan, an eighth grader from San Diego, California, developed the low-cost wearable device by using machine learning technology and blue light therapy.
Chinese YouTuber creates world’s first foldable iPhone
- Chinese- language YouTube channel 科技美学 (Technological Aesthetics) recently uploaded a video of an engineer using custom parts to create the first foldable and functional iPhone.
- The clip, which has been viewed over 480,000 times, shows an engineer testing different parts and configurations to build a working prototype they dubbed as the “iPhone V.”
- The engineer managed to modify the iPhone screen to be flexible enough to bend while retaining the most functionality possible.
- He then used the casing of a Motorola Razr, which has a hinge that works with the iPhone’s components.
- To complete the prototype, the engineer added 3D-printed parts and a custom 1000mAh battery but had to remove one speaker as well as the wireless charging and MagSafe components.
- Despite the limitations of the final prototype, the effort earned praise from commenters.
A Chinese YouTube channel has managed to create the first functioning, foldable iPhone in the world.
YouTube channel 科技美学 (Technological Aesthetics) recently uploaded a video of an engineer using custom parts to create a working foldable iPhone.
Teaser trailer drops for new ‘Silent Hill’ spinoff game set in 1960s Japan
- Video game publisher Konami is returning to “Silent Hill” with “Silent Hill f,” a spinoff game set in 1960s Japan.
- The game is being written by Ryūkishi07, a famed visual novelist known for murder mysteries and supernatural horror, such as his “When They Cry” series.
- Its trailer shows an abandoned Japanese town that has been engulfed by an invasive, fungus-like mass of red tendrils that threatens to rapidly infest everything it touches.
- “Silent Hill f” is one of five new “Silent Hill” properties to have been announced during Konami’s recent showcase.
- The new games mark a return to the franchise eight years after the 2014 release of “P.T.,” a playable trailer for a “Silent Hill” game produced by video game designer Hideo Kojima in collaboration with filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro titled “Silent Hills.”
Video game publisher Konami is returning to “Silent Hill” with “Silent Hill f,” a spinoff game set in 1960s Japan.
The game is being written by Ryūkishi07, a famed visual novelist known for murder mysteries and supernatural horror, such as his “When They Cry” series. It is unclear what the “f” in the title stands for, although it resembles the dynamic “forte” symbol used in music composition.
Biden’s new export curbs place many Chinese Americans at risk of losing their jobs or their citizenships
- New export controls recently mandated by the Biden administration have placed hundreds of Chinese Americans at risk of losing either their jobs or their citizenship.
- Exports of any U.S. tools or components to Chinese factories capable of making high-end semiconductors have been banned.
- California-based equipment suppliers KLA Corp. and Lam Research Corp. have discontinued their support of already installed equipment and temporarily halted the installation of new equipment at Chinese chipmaker YMTC.
- Firm ASML has also started instructing its U.S.-based workers to cease equipment installations at all Chinese chip factories as it further analyzes the new restrictions.
- “I see these export controls as being hugely consequential,” Center for a New American Security Senior Fellow Martijn Rasser was quoted as saying. “It goes straight to the heart of Beijing’s efforts to create a domestic world class semiconductor industry.”
- Some observers, however, have warned that these restrictions may also hurt U.S. manufacturers in the long run after China starts flooding the market with cheaper, low-end chips.
New export controls recently mandated by the Biden administration have placed hundreds of Chinese Americans at risk of losing either their jobs or their citizenship.
On Oct. 7, the U.S. government published a set of restrictions that essentially bar exports to China of American-made manufacturing equipment necessary for advanced chips production.
Video: Chinese astronauts deliver live science lessons from space
- Three Chinese astronauts of China’s Shenzhou 14 flight crew gave a science lecture live from the Tiangong space station on Wednesday morning.
- The three astronauts showcased the working and living conditions of the Chinese space station Wentian experimental module on-orbit, which was launched in July.
- The lecture, which is part of a series known as “Tiangong Class,” aimed to inspire the interest of China's young people in space and science.
Chinese astronauts delivered a live science lecture from the Tiangong space station.
Astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe of China’s Shenzhou 14 flight crew gave a space lecture on Wednesday morning at 3:45 a.m. EDT.
Elon Musk teases turning Twitter into ‘everything app’ like China’s WeChat
- Elon Musk on Tuesday teased the creation of an “everything app” called “X.”
- The world’s richest man, 51, made the announcement after offering to buy Twitter for its originally agreed-upon price of $44 billion, or $54.20 per share.
- Musk said the Twitter buyout will likely accelerate the development of X by three to five years, “but I could be wrong.”
- Various speculations have been made about the upcoming app, including a larger social platform, an Amazon killer and a “super app” inspired by China’s WeChat.
- Twitter is reportedly discussing Musk’s offer.
Elon Musk hinted at the creation of an “everything app” shortly after once again offering to buy Twitter for $44 billion.
The world’s richest man, 51, first sought to buy the microblogging platform for said price in April. However, he tried to back out from the deal two months later, triggering a legal battle that experts said would ultimately have resulted in his loss.
Chinese company denies installing cameras in employee bathrooms
- Chinese state-owned battery maker China Aviation Lithium Battery has denied reports that it has been using surveillance cameras in employee restrooms to monitor those who defy its non-smoking policy.
- Social media users blasted the company after images of its purported employees hiding in the restroom while smoking emerged online.
- According to local media reports, the company publishes such images along with each of the offenders’ punishments to warn other employees against disobeying rules.
- Two of the men in the photos have reportedly been fired, while the third received a warning and lost his monthly bonus.
- Social media users called out the company for allegedly violating the privacy of its employees, with one netizen suggesting that the company should be punished for it.
A Chinese state-owned business has responded to online criticism after being accused of installing cameras in employee restrooms.
Battery manufacturer China Aviation Lithium Battery (CALB) denied reports that it has been using surveillance cameras in its restrooms to monitor employees who break its non-smoking policy.
Google, partners to give Nest cameras to AAPI small businesses to boost security
Google has partnered with the National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (National ACE) and the Asian American Federation (AAF) to provide Nest cameras to AAPI-owned small businesses, helping improve their safety amid increasing burglaries and vandalism across the country.
The initiative, dubbed the AAPISTRONG Nest Cam Kit, will give out kits that include three indoor Nest cameras, a 12-month subscription to Nest Aware and professional installation services. A pilot program that included more than 20 businesses in New York found success in better reporting to law enforcement.
Electric spoon and bowl that makes food taste saltier set for release next year
A new set of bowls and spoons that use electric currents to make food taste saltier is close to commercialization and set to release sometime in 2023.
Developers at Meiji University in Tokyo and Kirin Holdings have created bowls and spoons that can enhance salty flavors in food. The researchers previously developed chopsticks in April that use the same technology for stimulating the taste of salt.
Sightseeing train in Japan is fueled by used cooking oil, discarded ramen soup lard
- Takachiho Amaterasu Railway, a train company operating in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan, started using biodiesel fuel created from used tempura cooking oil and discarded lard from ramen soup to power its open-air sightseeing train on Aug. 1.
- The railway tested the fuel for its open-air sightseeing train in mid-June using a ratio of 9:1 used tempura oil and lard extracted from ramen broth and refined with chemicals.
- Although the price is similar to that of diesel, the company noted that it has not had problems with black smoke coming from its train or the strong smell of exhaust gas that is commonly present in diesel-run engines.
- The ramen broth biofuel was first used by Nishida Shoun, a trucking company based in Shingu in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture.
A Japanese company started using biodiesel fuel created from used tempura cooking oil and discarded lard from ramen soup to power its open-air sightseeing train last month.
Takachiho Amaterasu Railway Co., a train company operating in Takachiho, a town in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan started using the fuel developed by transportation company Nishida Shoun on Aug. 1.
Samsung shades Apple for new ‘deep purple’ iPhone 14 Pro
- Samsung recently shaded Apple in a tweet for allegedly copying its BTS-inspired Bora Purple Galaxy Z Flip4 smartphone.
- The official Samsung Mobile US Twitter account wrote “Cool Story Bro,” with purple circle emojis replacing the letter O’s.
- A BTS fan speculated that Apple was inspired by BTS and Samsung’s purple device, prompting Samsung to respond: “The math is mathing.”
- As Twitter users compared Samsung’s smartphones and the iPhone 14, Samsung continued to respond with witty comments.
Following Apple’s newest release of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, Samsung uploaded a snarky tweet implying that the “deep purple” iPhone copied their Bora Purple Galaxy Z Flip4 smartphone.
On Sep. 7, Apple officially introduced the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, revealing a new “deep purple” color option for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.
The ultimate clean energy? Scientists create green hydrogen fuel from air
- A team of scientists has managed to invent a device that could turn water from the air into green hydrogen fuel, according to a Nature Communications study published by the group on Sept. 6.
- “This module uses a hygroscopic electrolyte exposed to the atmosphere constantly,” Gang Kevin Li, a lecturer in the Department of Chemical Engineering at The University of Melbourne and co-author of the research, told Newsweek.
- The DAE can provide hydrogen fuel to remote and dry areas with humidity as low as 4 percent, which Li said is drier than any desert.
- “A lot of places with abundant renewable energy sources have limited water supply,” Fan Xiaolei, a co-author of the study from the University of Manchester’s chemical engineering department, said.
- Some of the regions on the planet that show promise with good solar and wind energy but have a scarcity of freshwater are listed as North Africa, West and Central Asia, Midwest Oceania and southwest North America.
- “We expect the product to be ready for market launch by the end of 2025 at the size of 1,000 square meters and operating in deserts, cold regions, and places with storms,” Li said.
Scientists have discovered a way to turn air into green hydrogen fuel and expect to make the technology available to the public in less than three years.
The team’s findings were published in the journal Nature Communications on Sept. 6. In the paper, the researchers explained that using their invention, which they called a “Direct Air Electrolyzer” (DAE), they were able to electrolyze the humidity in the air and turn it into “green hydrogen.”
