Led by Pavlo Gordiichuk, engineers at MIT have devised a way for plants to emit rechargeable light. The research around this concept stems from an emerging field called “plant nanobionics,” which explores the power of plants when modified with nanoparticles. To create the plant-based lighting, researchers assembled a capacitor (the part of an electrical circuit that stores electricity) to hold light and gradually release it …
$140
Made in Portugal, this Oversized Bath Sheet stems from a limited edition collaboration between French fashion brand Jacquemus and Copenhagen-based textiles company Tekla. With contrasting brown and blue striped color schemes on 100% organic heavyweight cotton, the towel looks striking while feeling plush, warm and absorbent.
For a limited time, the Brooklyn Public Library is offering a free electronic library card to any person ages 13 to 21, anywhere in the US. This move, which grants access to 500,000 digital works (including an array of books banned in certain states, like Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird) is an attempt to combat …
From California-based aviation startup Pyka comes the world’s largest, autonomous electric cargo plane, Pelican Cargo. Capable of carrying a payload of 400 pounds in 60 cubic feet of cargo volume, the plane has a range of up to 200 miles and is powered by a 50kWh lithium-ion battery pack, four 25kW electric motors and triple redundant batteries. Its autonomy is guided by six processors, two …
A study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that elephants—some of the last remaining megaherbivores in rainforests—are crucial to protecting the planet. Analyzing the animals’ feeding habits in Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in the Republic of Congo and LuiKotale, researchers discerned that elephants are picky eaters whose choices aid the capture of carbon. They tend to opt for leaves from …
In Melka Kunture, Ethiopia, researchers found 575 obsidian hand-axes that are 1.2 million years old and believed to have come from a dedicated workshop. The discovery means that hominins (early humans and ancestors) may have been skilled craftspeople capable of working with obsidian some 500,000 years earlier than scientists believed. A volcanic glass that is fragile and sharp, obsidian requires a certain level of skill to …
$33
Composed of rounded peaks and valleys, Ferm Living’s Stala Candle has a soft and organic form that morphs into endless silhouettes as it melts. Measuring around 24cm in length and 15cm wide, the wax candle is both elegant and genial.
$350
FUKU is a kimono-style garment, lined with a soft fleece for extra warmth and comfort. From the Japanese brand Prospective Flow, the traditional jacket (with roomy pockets and a single button closure) is relaxed but imbued with sophistication.
$60
In a limited edition of 300, FourFour Records’ black vinyl pressing of The Onassis Foundation Presents: GEORGE by Efthimis Filippou arrives in an orange clothbound box with letter-pressed text and includes a booklet of the complete script. Filippou, the acclaimed Greek screenwriter behind Dogtooth, The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer and more, penned the descriptive, enveloping and theatrical work about the last days …
$350
Made in collaboration with Luis Alberto, The Door Amulet from Sage & Salt uses the evil eye symbol to bless the home and all who enter. Handcrafted with inlaid quartz, lapis and obsidian, the brass amulet is delicate, mystical decor and a way to thoughtfully set intentions for a space.
Following “I Killed Captain Cook,” Unknown Mortal Orchestra has released “Layla”—both tracks from the highly anticipated upcoming double album, V (out 17 March). Frontman Ruban Nielson, who is of Hawaiian and Maori heritage, says the sound was inspired by “the rich traditions of West Coast AOR, classic hits, weirdo pop and Hawaiian Hapa-haole music.”
Singer-songwriter Lucinda Chua announces her debut album, Yian (meaning swallow in Chinese, paying homage to her Chinese heritage), with the enchanting “Echo.” A minimal, haunting piano ballad, the track comes accompanied by a Jade Ang Jackman-directed video for which Chua worked with movement director Chantel Foo. The London-based artist says it’s “a pop song about ancestral trauma,” and its minimal but powerful lyrics illustrate pain, defiance …
Jana Horn’s upcoming album, The Window Is The Dream, is set for release in April and from it comes the lead single, “After All This Time.” Horn’s featherweight vocals float over the track’s soft percussion, gentle cello and guitar. The album “began as a failed program,” says the Texas-based artist in a statement. “I wrote these songs in the thick of a writing program. I was reading …
Released by Smithsonian Folkways (the Smithsonian Institution’s non-profit record label), the Senegalese ekonting track “Bapaalay (Friendship),” by the band Esukolaa, will appear on the forthcoming album Ears of the People: Ekonting Songs from Senegal and The Gambi (out 4 February). The band includes Elisa Diedhiou—one of only a few women who play the ekonting, which is a musical ancestor to the banjo. The melodic track …
Researchers have devised a robot that can liquefy and then reform—an characteristic inspired by sea cucumbers that rapidly change their stiffness. The shape-shifting invention can move between liquid and solid states by making clever use of materials. It’s composed of a metal with a low-melting point called gallium which researchers then embedded with magnets to control movement. Through the process of induction the robot melts …
Chicago-based rapper Vic Mensa teams up with singer and musician Thundercat and R&B vocalist Maeta for the glorious “Strawberry Louis Vuitton.” Produced by Mensa, Thundercat, El Michels Affair and Johan Lenox, the soulful love song was partly inspired by Virgil Abloh. “I made ‘Strawberry Louis Vuitton’ while watching one of Virgil’s last LV films; the one with Saul Williams,” the rapper explains in a statement. …
$20
LA-based artist Rob Sato’s Bad Hands series is composed of hand-printed lithographs in various colorways. Essentially a chart of hand and finger configurations (some of which are impossible), the print is on Cougar cover stock paper and is available in an edition of 60.
“LUV (I KNOW I WANT THIS FOR REAL)” is another ’80s-inflected jam from singer-songwriter Q (aka Q Steve Marsden). Following the thread of his previous singles “TODAY” and “STEREO DRIVER“, the latest track encapsulates Marsden’s genre-defying panache: it’s retro with synths and an alluring, compressed beat but remains contemporary. With the artist’s soulful vocals and robust percussion, the single is a lush bop.
Researchers at Melbourne, Australia’s RMIT University developed an acoustic device that can remove performance-inhibiting rust from batteries, tripling their lifespan and, hopefully, reducing how frequently they are discarded. The researchers used MXene, a nano-material that holds promise as an alternative to lithium batteries, yet is prone to rust. They discovered that high-frequency sound waves cause the MXene battery to vibrate with enough force for the …
