Why do Boomerangs come back?
Boomerangs are commonly thought to be the invention of Aboriginal Australians but over the years they have turned up at archaeological sites as far apart as Arizona and India with the oldest known specimen, around 23,000 years old, but how do they fly ?
Where do the Space Station Astronauts get their Air?
Astronauts first moved into the International Space Station in October 2000 and since then they have been supplied with oxygen created by a process discovered by the chemist William Nicholson over 200 years ago : Electrolysis
When did people start freezing food for preservation ?
“Why not collect the ice off our ponds and sell it in the tropics?” – Well actually that’s exactly what they did. In this article we take a look at a potted history of how mankind developed freezing food in order to preserve it.
The brain-wave-reading alarm clock that knows when to wake you up
If you’re tired of waking up feeling like you haven’t even been to bed, then a new alarm clock that reads your brain waves to pinpoint the best time to wake you up – so that (in theory, at least) you rise feeling fresh and raring to go – could be for you.
How did Farming Arrive in Europe ?
The first modern humans in Europe were hunter-gatherers who arrived around 40,000 years ago. But around 9,000 years ago the first farmers arrived. These farmers came from the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East – but how ?
Who Runs the Internet ?
Contrary to ‘popular’ belief the internet is not run by the a secretive group of ‘internet elders’, nor is is contained in a little black box with a flashing red light. Who runs the internet is a pretty big question, and one that we can help clarify with a handy info-graphic in this article.
Great British Inventions
The British have always been an innovative and inventive nation. Just how inventive may surprise you. In this article we look at just four of the inventions that Britons have made without which, life today would be very different indeed : The Electric Telegraph; The Lightbulb; Carbon Fibre and The Toothbrush
Thomas Edison – America’s Greatest “Inventor” (or was he?)
Thomas Alva Edison, hailed as ‘the greatest practical genius America has ever produced’, was born on Thursday 11 February 1847 in Milan, Ohio. However he wasn’t all that he claimed he was. In this article we look a little closer at his life.
Fantastic Plastic – What would the world do without this technological wonderstuff
There are some discoveries and inventions which have literally revolutionsied the way we live and changed teh direction of technology and therefore mankind. Plastics are one of them.
The Humble Wheelbarrow – Wheeling us to success
Europeans have been using the wheelbarrow for about 800 hundred years. But the Chinese invented it at least 1,000 years before that. The Ancient Chinese even gave their wheelbarrows names such as “Wooden Ox” and “Gliding Horse” and some even had sails on them.
How do Fibre Optics Transfer Data?
Fibre optics represents an evolutionary leap in the speed and bandwidth capacity of telecommunications systems. Copper cable, once the standard for phone lines, can transmit a few million electrical signals per second, while fibre can handle a staggering 20 billion light pulses per second.
Geek Speak – 8 Terms to Help You Navigate the World of ‘Techno Speak’
Our lives today are inextricably linked to the world of Technology.The English language is constantly evolving and creating new terms to describe and keep up with the technology. It can be quite baffling at times so in this article we’ve brought together some of those terms to help you navigate the world of ‘Techno Speak’.
Great British Inventions
The British have always been an innovative and inventive nation. Just how inventive may surprise you. In this article we look at just four of the inventions that Britons have made without which, life today would be very different indeed : The Reflecting Telescope; The Passenger Railway; The Tank and Stainless Steel
The Umbrella – Who invented it ?
The umbrella is an iconic symbol of Britishness and especially useful in our wet and damp climate. However there was a time when they were ridiculed and looked down upon. In this article we look at the origins of this most useful piece of technology.
Great British Inventions
The British have always been an innovative and inventive nation. Just how inventive may surprise you. In this article we look at just four of the inventions that Britons have made without which, life today would be very different indeed : The Telephone; The Steam Engine; The Catseye and The Hypodermic Syringe