Today I learned that the term ‘military grade’, used by a lot of firms to categorize the material they use in making their products, is actually just a clever marketing ploy. …

Today I learned, that in 1999, Harvard physicist Lene Hau was able to slow down light to 17 meters per second and in 2001, was able to stop light completely. So what does it mean? To stop light? The answer lies in an element called Bose-Einstein condensate. Think of a…

Today I learned that MIT created a system that provides cooling with no electricity whatsoever. It was tested in a blazing hot Chilean desert and achieved a cooling of 13C compared to the hot surroundings How did it do that? The answer lies in a material called aerogel. Aerogel is…

In 1969, Norway struck oil. One of the world’s largest offshore oilfields was discovered in Norway. This is was a huge deal. Prior to this, the only natural resource Norway had was its fisheries. Being an oil-rich country could do wonders for its economy. But Norway had a long-term vision…

Norway hires sherpas from Nepal to build paths in the Norwegian mountains. They’ve helped them complete over 300 projects over there, and their pay for one summer equals somewhere around 30 years of work in Nepal. Sherpas are extremely skilled mountain guides who can navigate up and down a single…

Thor Heyerdahl was a Norwegian explorer and writer. In the 1940s, Heyerdahl had a belief that early Pre-Columbian South Americans would have traveled all the way to Polynesia- a group of Islands in the South Pacific triangulating the Hawaiian Islands in the North, New Zealand borders, and Rapa- Nui also…

Ever heard of Plant-based plastics? These are essentially plastics derived from plant oil rather than conventional fossil-fuel-based plastics. German chemists have developed two of these sustainable plant-based plastic alternatives to high-density polyethylene. …

Have you ever wondered why geese (and some other birds) fly in a ‘V’ shaped formation? The answer lies in bicycle riding strategies. You might’ve seen ‘Tour de France’ riders on TV at some point. If you look closely, the pelotons (main group of cyclists) in these races ride forming…

Today I learned that Toyota led to the creation of Honda, their rival. So the story goes, Soichiro Honda was a mechanic at a garage whose job was to tune cars and prepare them for races. Honda founded a Piston ring company called Tokai Seiki in 1937 and landed Toyota…