How to Speak Cat

In its latest “Science of Us” webisode, New York Magazine decodes all your cat’s purring and meowing. No matter how indifferent they may seem on the surface, cats are actually highly complex communicators that use a combination of signals and noises to express themselves. While purring may seem like an expression of joy or comfort, it’s actually your kitty’s way of asking you to stay …

Inventors Create a Salt-Water Powered Lamp

A team of Philippines-based inventors has created a lamp that runs solely off of salt water. Taking advantage of the same science behind battery-making, the innovative lamp is able to safely and reliably convert water’s salinity into energy, powering the device for up to eight hours off of a single glass of salt water. The new technology is especially useful in the Philippines, where the …

Sam Van Aken’s Magical Tree Bears 40 Types of Fruit

Sam Van Aken, an artist and professor at Syracuse University, has Frankenstein-ed together a tree that bears 40 different types of fruit, including peaches, plums, apricots and almonds. The “Tree of 40 Fruit” is the product of chip grafting—which works by splicing small branches of fruit varietals onto a main tree—and years of patience. Aside from producing loads of fruit, Aken has also configured the …