New Florence. New Renaissance.

Alcohol through the Ages

All over the world, in fact, evidence for alcohol production from all kinds of crops is showing up, dating to near the dawn of civilization. University of Pennsylvania biomolecular archaeologist Patrick McGovern believes that’s not an accident. From the rituals of the Stone Age on, he argues, the mind-altering properties of booze have fired our creativity and fostered the development of language, the arts, and religion. Look closely at great transitions in human history, from the origin of farming to the origin of writing, and you’ll find a possible link to alcohol. “There’s good evidence from all over the world that alcoholic beverages are important to human culture,” McGovern says. “Thirty years ago that fact wasn’t as recognized as it is now.” Drinking is such an integral part of our humanity, according to McGovern, that he only half jokingly suggests our species be called Homo imbibens.

National Geographic

150 years of Valvoline

Yes, in 1866, while John Ellis was trying (unsuccessfully) to find a medicinal purpose for the crude that was bubblin’ up in Pennsylvania, he noticed how slippery it was and reckoned it might serve as an improvement over the animal- and vegetable-based oils that were then used to lubricate steam engines. He renamed his company Valvoline in 1873, and the company has since pioneered all-climate motor oils, racing oils, synthetic blends, and high-mileage engine oils.

Motor Trend

 

Eau de extinct plants

The synthetic biology company Ginkgo Bioworks says it is developing a fragrance line that will contain smells from plants that have gone extinct in the last 200 years.

Ginkgo plans to make the scents by grafting DNA from extinct plants into yeast grown in its “DNA brewery,” a large genetic engineering facility it operates in Boston.

Image below of equipment in the DNA Brewery

MIT Technology Review

The Periodic Table expands

Meet nihonium (Nh), moscovium (Mc), tennessine (Ts) and oganesson (Og), the newest elements on the periodic table to receive names. But don't get too attached to the nomenclature for these elements, formerly known by their respective atomic numbers 113, 115, 117 and 118. The names are on a five-month probation before things are made official.

CNN

Photo Credit

Nestle’s pivot

All the large food producers say they’re trying to reduce their financial dependence on sugar. In fleeing the storm, they’ve darted for varying types of cover. Coca-Cola has shrunk soda cans; Mondelēz International, the maker of Oreos, has become a power in the gluten-free movement; PepsiCo has tried shifting toward healthy-ish snacks such as hummus.

Nestlé has chosen a radically different path. It wants to invent and sell medicine. The products Nestlé wants to create would be based on ingredients derived from food and delivered as an appealing snack, not a pill, drawing on the company’s expertise in the dark arts of engineering food for looks, taste, and texture. Some would require a prescription, some would be over-the-counter, and some are already on store shelves today.

Bloomberg

Smart Glass

A California start-up called View, which has raised a whopping $500 million from investors including Corning, General Electric and Khosla Ventures, is making high-tech windows that have the potential to bring to buildings what high-resolution touchscreens did for smartphones.

View’s windows eliminate glare, change hue, moderate internal temperature — and at some point, could show entirely different views of the outside world — via a process that  uses a pane of glass sprayed with electrochromic material, which alters light transmission.

The result is smart glass that increases energy efficiency and promises better worker productivity, via technology accessed through an app.

USA Today

 

Not just cosmetic, delivers fuel economy

Pair the paint with related tech like infrared-reflecting windows, and the effects are amplified. When the DOE tested a Cadillac STS with infrared-reflective glass (offered by automakers including Mercedes, Volkswagen, and Volvo) and solar reflective paint, it found the car’s cooling demands dropped by 30 percent (from 5.7 to 4.0 kW).

Wired

the 2017 Toyota Prius is available in Japan with solar reflective “Thermo-Tect Lime Green” paint

“Icephobic” coating

To combat icy buildup, researchers at the University of Michigan developed a spray-on ice repellent coating that can be applied to equipment, aircraft and car windshields to make removing the frozen stuff a breeze. In fact, the team of engineers say all it takes to clear off a treated surface is the force of gravity or a light breeze thanks "iceophobic" material.

The team says the rubber-based coating could also lead to more efficient household and industrial freezers. The substance will not only help a freezer stay frost-free, but can make them 20 percent more energy efficient as well. In fact, the research effort has already developed hundreds of ice-repelling formulas for a variety of uses. So, what's expected to be the first application for the material? Frozen food packaging.

Engadget

 

 

Athletic gear for the extreme cold

The Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks both wore gear from WSI Sports in the wildcard game today where the high temp was 0 degree F!

The heating action comes from a proprietary, hyper hollow fiber that is knitted into the fabric. As the heat and moisture from the body energy interact with this patented HEATR® fabric, the strands of fiber expand and generate heat.

 

Vehicle warps as promotional media

Ok, sounds low tech compared to mobile and social advertising, but pretty effective in terms of reach per $ of investment

“The message cannot be shut off, as many forms of advertising can, and the message is displayed at all hours of the day and night, depending on where the vehicle is driven and parked. With a vehicle wrap, companies find they reach more than 95 percent of drivers in their geographical region, as most people spend time on the roadways.”

And before you call it low-tech see what this Popular Mechanics slide show says about the advanced chemistry which makes it possible

“Modem adhesive reaches its most sticky state after 24 hours, making it repositionable. The vinyl itself, a highly formable ‘cast” vinyl, has channels to allow air to escape, eliminating bubbles. A factory laminate coating can make the vinyl wrap last up to 10 years. Finally, vinyl called
supercast can stretch up to 40 percent, so it can be molded
around curves and sharp bumper edges.”