Plants all around us capture sunlight every day and convert it to energy, making them a model of solar energy production. And while the energy they make may serve the needs of a plant, the process isn't efficient enough to generate power on a larger scale. So, scientists from the University of California found a way to treat bacteria with chemicals that turned them into photosynthesis machines, capable of generating products we can convert into food, fuels, and plastics.
Cytochrome P450 (P450s) are proteins found in nearly all living organisms, which play roles that range from producing essential compounds and hormones to metabolizing drugs and toxins. We use some of the compounds synthesized by P450 in plants as medical treatments, but the slow growth and limited supply of these plants have put the drugs' availability in jeopardy and jacked up prices.
By connecting the dots between theory and real-life effect, two new studies offer more proof that neonicotinoid insecticides are causing extensive damage to honeybee colonies.
While no longer native to the United States, hospitalization from malaria occurs in this country more than most would believe. Why is that, and what can you do to protect yourself when you travel abroad to regions where malaria is active?
The popular beauty app company Meitu is incorporating augmented reality (AR) video and image filters and effects in its selfie-editing app BeautyPlus for iOS and Android.
With new diet and health claims coming at you everyday, it's sometimes hard to know what to believe. Well, here's a bright spot: A pair of studies confirm that whole grains are healthy for you, and for the diversity of microbes living in your gut.
Cookbook author, celebrity chef, television personality, and former White House nuclear policy analyst Ina Garten is familiar to many as the queen of foolproof cooking. Also known as the Barefoot Contessa, Ina hones in on techniques and tips that make time in the kitchen far less intimidating to folks of all skill sets. We've rounded up 8 of Ina's most useful cooking tips to help you out—from dinner parties to everyday cooking. Her philosophy is that it's always easier than you think!
Several years ago, I moved to Brooklyn, New York, just outside a Spanish neighborhood. It was here that I was introduced to chayote. Fast-forward to present day: I live in Los Angeles and buy several chayote squash a week to cook with—yes, I said several. It's so versatile and healthy! For the uninitiated, chayote (chai-YOH-tee) is a light green squash shaped like a pear originating from central Mexico. Although it's considered a fruit, chayote is a member of the Cucurbitaceous (gourd) family...
Fresh herbs are a surefire way to enhance a dish, but buying them at the store each time you need them is costly. Luckily, growing your own herbs is a lot easier than it seems: You can even using cuttings from the herbs you already buy to start your own little herb garden.
Watermelons scream summer like no other fruit, and there's nothing like biting into a sweet one on a hot summer day. Although there's no exact right way to cut watermelon, there are many occasions when you might not want to cut it into wedges. It may be the classic cut, but the triangular shape insures that you'll always get some on your face. And for parties, there's always the messy problem of leftover rinds.
I have a thing for citrus in any form. If I can't get a hold of oranges or clementines, I've been known to slice up lemons and limes and eat them straight with a little bit of salt—terrible for the tooth enamel, but amazing for the tongue.
As a kid, my favorite part of Easter were the days leading up to the holiday, when my family would dye eggs. This became an enormous event in my household, as dozens and dozens of perfectly white eggs would become little oval canvases for arts and crafts.
When you're expecting an important call or text, it's pretty annoying to hear or feel your phone go off just to find out it was your reminders app telling you that you need to buy more contact lenses. Not quite as annoying as phantom phone vibrations, but it's up there.
Decisions are rarely easy to make, and there are countless ways to mull your options over. You can sleep on it, pluck flower petals, make a list of pros and cons, or even follow the advice of a psychic. Yet to make the best decision possible, you might want to consider holding off until a certain time of the day—or even until you feel specific emotions. The state you find yourself in has significant impact on each decision you make.
Cold brewing tea and coffee are all the rage, and for good reason: they're idiot-proof. I, personally, am a total dunce at brewing coffee. It either ends up strong enough to peel paint from a car or so weak that you can see through it. Meanwhile, I have friends who inevitably brew green tea to the point where it's painful to drink it.
Video: . Here there are some DIY gift ideas perfect for the Christmas season. They are really easy to personalize depending on what your likes are.
With only a few days left until Halloween, your options might be rather limited if you still don't have a costume. You may have laughed while some people spent the entire month of October painstakingly crafting their ridiculously detailed costumes, but now that the big day is so close, the joke's on you because you still have nothing to wear.
Is it possible to cut or chop onions in the kitchen without stinging eyes and looking as if you just watched the saddest movie ever? Before we get to that answer, it's important to know why we tear up when cutting raw onions in the first place. What is this irritant? Are you reacting to the odor? The answer to the latter question is "no," and the irritant responsible is amino acid sulfoxides.
Navigating through row after row of plants, my tiny fingers would reach into the leaves to pluck all the vile little creatures from their homes and deposit them into a can of gasoline. Potato bug duty, my least favorite gardening chore. Growing up, my family had a small garden every year. And every year, I was recruited to help plant, maintain, and eventually harvest the vegetables from it. There were some tasks I didn't mind, but the ones I hated most usually involved bugs (have you ever see...
If you grew up dying eggs for Easter, you've no doubt used or at least seen those boxed kits that turn your eggs neon colors. Admittedly, they're easy—just plop a dye tablet into some water, dunk the eggs, and wait for them to dry.
It's no secret that there's a lot of surveillance going on these days. It's easier than ever to end up in a database, and even former government agents are speaking out about the atrocious amount of spying being done against our own citizens. They've targeted our laptops, cars, IP addresses, and now they're coming for our iPhones. AntiSec hackers managed to get their hands on a list of over 12 million Apple UDIDs (Universal Device IDs) from an FBI computer, and they published 1,000,001 of the...
Omniscience is not required to make some really cool shit happen. Yes, it took a while, but we can make fuel from the Sun! Solar panels are basically our answer to God. And now that we can make solar electricity, finding the most efficient way to harvest it is tricky.
I was getting kind of sick of ordering delivery pizza (this happens at least 2-3 times a month). It was time to put a spin on gourmet pizza, but I just didn't know what it would be. Without pizza dough or an oven that is capable of creating the perfect pizza crust (I don't have an oven that can go up to a 1000 degrees), I decided I would use potatoes instead. This recipe is elegant enough to serve at a dinner party, but easy enough that you can cook it within 5-15 minutes.
This video will teach you how to make a curvy fox tail for a fursuit! From the Creator:
It seems like there's never any breaks in air travel when it comes to money. The airfares just keep rising, and now most major airlines charge for all checked baggage, so carry-ons are the way to go. But you need to know how to take it easy with your packing list. Pack light and travel without the burden of that extra $15 or more per bag.
Everyone loves the beach, but some like driving, too. The best thing is to only drive on the sands where it's legal. And you may need a permit to do beach driving. But driving on the beach is a hoot. Getting stuck in the sand – not so much. Keep moving forward with these tips.
With a stand mixer, making bread has never been easier. So, if in the past, you've shied away from making bread because of its complicated process, you don't need to worry anymore, especially with this crusty French bread. But don't be fooled by the crisply baked (but delicious) crust, the inside is so soft it will melt in your mouth. Check out this full video recipe for crusty French bread.
If you want to draw full body manga characters you need to make sure you know how to draw legs. First you should draw hid lines in a box and then connect legs. Make sure you have a gap for the legs and that the legs as even. Draw two circles for the buttocks and then draw legs coming down with a space in between them. Make sure you draw circles to distinguish the ankle and the knee joint. Measure out the leg to make sure the knee to hip and knee to ankle are approximately even. If you want to...
This video shows how to make German paper stars for Christmas.Step 1. Measure and cut strips of paper.Step 2. If we are using shorter pieces of paper glue the strips together.Step 3. Weave the strips.Step 4. Starting with the upper left strip. Fold down. Repeat all the way around. Skipping every other strip.Step 5. Tuck the last strip under the first strip.Step 6. Flip and repeat. If there is a trouble getting some of the strips to go under the other strips cut the ends at an angle.step 7. Fl...
In this video, The Home Depot shows us how to tile the surrounding walls of a bath or shower. Since these walls stand up to a lot of wetness from daily showers, they need to be sound and waterproof. Ceramic tiles are a great way to go. In this demonstration, the tiles are attached to backer board. Protect your tub with a cardboard inlay before you begin. Then seal the edges of the tub with asphalt roofing cement. Then staple 15 pound felt to the studs, embedding the bottom layer to the asphal...
This video describes how to cook a dish called, 'tuna curry in a hurry,' which is a curry flavored tuna dish that is quick and easy to make. The ingredients are described first: 3 cans of 130 grams of tuna fish, 1 and 1/2 sliced medium onions, two green chili peppers, 1/2 teaspoon of red chili powder, 1 teaspoon of turmeric, 1 tablespoon of ginger, 1 tablespoon of garlic, 1 teaspoon of coriander, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 6 or 7 cherry tomatoes, 1 small lime, 1/2 cup of chopped coriander, 1/2 cup ...
This is an awesome mini cross bow that will really shoot. You just need some tape, a rubber band and a pen and you’ll be on your way to making this cool toy. It’s not very difficult and can be done in just a few minutes.
Choose ribbon in an appropriate color, texture and width. Are you trying to match the ribbon color to a particular gift wrap? Will the ribbon width give you the size bow you want? How will you be using the bow?
Whether for a boy or a girl, a Pilgrim costume is one of the easiest costumes to make. You Will Need
Congratulations! You have the potential for a killer hourglass figure, if you know how to work it. You Will Need
Doing a shot is more art than science. Here's one way to hone your barroom style. You Will Need
Need a way to keep the kids busy on a rainy day? Making a pop-up card is quick, easy, and will entertain them for hours! Watch this video to learn how to make a pop-up card.
Immortalize your pregnancy by making a cast of your belly. Watch this video to learn how to Make a pregnancy-belt cast.
The World's Easiest Lava Lamp! This is an easy, fun science activity that is great for any age. In fact, our video crew ended up taking the extra bottles home to show their friends. It is also a great demonstration of liquid density, the release of gases in a chemical reaction, acids and bases, intermolecular polarity, and well, just plain science coolness.
In this stage design and construction video series, learn how to build one of those small “portals.” Our expert—a director, actor, and producer himself—will show you tips and techniques for building a small, mobile stage that can be set up anywhere you or your acting troupe decide to give a performance. This step-by-step guide to stage construction includes clips on what tools and materials to use, how to measure and cut the frame, what type of bolts to use for ease of tear down, and how to b...
