A Water Bottle That Can Fill Itself Up

Kecia Lynn on November 22, 2012, 3:25 PM 

 What's the Latest Development?

Deckard Sorensen, a scientist and co-founder of NBD Nano, has created a prototype of a bottle that fills itself up by collecting water from the surrounding atmosphere. The water comes when air from a fan passes over a surface layered with nanoscale water-attracting and water-repelling coatings. Until now all tests have been done with solar cells and a rechargeable battery, but even that might not be necessary in order for the technology to work: Anything that moves fast enough to create an airflow -- "a car or a boat, or even a running human" -- could cause water to condense on the surface.

Having A Little Brother Linked With Slightly Increased Blood Pressure: Study

Posted: 11/21/2012 1:11 am EST

Things that can raise blood pressure: eating too much salt, stress ... having a little brother?

A new study of Bolivian villagers shows a link between having a younger brother and slightly increased blood pressure levels later on in adulthood, though the Brandeis University researchers did note that the effect seemed to diminish with age.

Macroeconomic adjustment and the history of crises in open economies

Joshua Aizenman, Ilan Noy, 21 November 2012

Are countries that have previously experienced banking crises less vulnerable to them in the future? This column argues that, in fact, previous crises might make future crises more likely. There isn’t much evidence of a learning process from past mistakes because the regulator often lags behind banking’s pace of innovation. Preparing to prevent the last crisis does not prevent the next and it seems that the ‘too big to fail’ doctrine provides cover for banks, delaying the day of adjustment.

2013 World Development Report on Jobs

The World Development Report 2013: Jobs stresses the role of strong private sector led growth in creating jobs and outlines how jobs that do the most for development can spur a virtuous cycle. The report finds that poverty falls as people work their way out of hardship and as jobs empower women to invest more in their children. Efficiency increases as workers get better at what they do, as more productive jobs appear, and as less productive ones disappear. Societies flourish as jobs foster diversity and provide alternatives to conflict.

 

Link download