Many people develop nearsightedness or farsightedness during their lifetimes. "Nanodrops," a new eye drop developed by Israeli ophthalmologists, has successfully fixed corneas in pig eyes, and could potentially do the same for people. Developed by researchers from the Shaare Zedek Medical Center and Bar-Ilan University in Israel, the drops could someday improve both our nearsightedness and farsightedness. Patients would have to launch an app on their phones to measure their eyes? refraction and create a laser pattern. This pattern would then be ?stamped? onto the corneal surface of the eyes. Not ready for human trials yet, but it?s encouraging research. https://futurism.com/nanodrops-repair-corneas-replace-glasses

Dr. George Land and Beth Jarman developed a highly specialized test to measure creative potential of people within NASA. The test was very successful, but left questions such as: ?Where does creativity come from? Are we born with it or is it learned?? They then tested 1,600 children aged between 4-5 years and discovered that 98% of those kids fell into the genius category of imagination. By age 15, however, the genius percentage had dropped to only 12%. For adults, it had declined to about 2%. It seems the school system and our education may be the most likely culprit. https://ideapod.com/born-creative-geniuses-education-system-dumbs-us-according-nasa-scientists

A rare mineral discovered in Russia in the 1830's could hold the key to boosting internet speeds 1,000 times faster than today. The mineral, perovskite, has a number of incredible properties. Perovskite (CaTiO3) is a calcium titanium oxide mineral. While scientists have known about the mineral for quite some time, researchers continue to find useful characteristics of this mineral. The mineral can use light instead of electricity to transfer data, allowing transfer speeds 1,000 times faster than current technology. This inexpensive and simple way to transfer data presents a multitude of opportunities to transform our digital lives in the future. https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2017/11/27

Physicists just found a loophole in graphene that could unlock clean, limitless energy. New research into graphene has discovered a physical phenomenon on an atomic scale that could be exploited as a way to produce a virtually limitless supply of clean energy. A team of physicists led by researchers from the University of Arkansas discovered that a single ten micron by ten micron piece of graphene could produce ten microwatts of power. It's already being touted as a building block for future conductors. Perhaps we'll also be seeing it as a source of future electrical power. http://www.sciencealert.com/graphene-levy-flights-limitless-power-future-electronic-devices

Imagine a lamp. Any lamp. Now imagine having to water it. Dutch product designer Ermi van Oers created Living Light: plants that double as lights. Or lights that double as plants ? whichever way you prefer looking at it. The lights run on electricity generated by bacteria in the soil. Healthier plants produce more energy. If you take care of it properly, the Living Light will produce up to 0.1 mW. Enough to use it as a night lamp, but not sufficient to properly light a room. Imagine if we could use boulevard trees for powering street lights?

A Nottingham Trent University student has discovered a simple trick to cut the weight of washing machines, making them easier to move and more environmentally friendly. Most washing machines have a 25kg block of concrete near the top to hold the machine steady during a spin cycle. This significantly adds to the weight of the appliance. Much CO2 is released during the production of concrete and more is released by gas powered transport vehicles. This simple change would replace the heavy concrete counterweight with an empty plastic container that is filled with water when the washing machine is installed. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/08/04/students-simple-washing-machine-idea-could-save-thousands-tonnes