Lab-Grown Skin May Eliminate Animal Testing

The once-prevalent practice of testing cosmetics on animals has declined significantly over the past decade thanks to new legislation and awareness but, in many labs, it still exists. A recent partnership between cosmetic company L’Oreal and 3D bioprinting start-up Organovo may soon eliminate animal testing altogether, though, as the two companies are aggressively pursuing mass-produced, lab-grown human skin. If successful, the skin swatches will replace …

A Structure For Ocean Self-Cleaning

Boyan Slat wants to rid the Pacific Ocean of half of its plastic waste by 2025. To do so, the 20-year-old and his nonprofit company Ocean Cleanup have designed a simple yet effective floating barrier that will allow the ocean to clean itself. Unlike nets—which sea life can become entangled in—the barriers will skim the surface of the water as ocean currents pass below it, …

Earbuds That Offer Superhuman Hearing

A hotly anticipated set of wireless earbuds called Here won’t even play your favorite songs. The soon-to-be-released tech gadget from SF-based Doppler Labs is instead meant to be a type of super-human volume control and sound equalizer for your everyday life. Users will be able to turn up the volume if they’re sitting in the nosebleeds at a concert or tune out specific sounds like …