Automated braille writing tutor wins Touch of Genius prize

An innovative device developed by Carnegie Mellon University's TechBridgeWorld research group to help visually impaired students learn how to write Braille using a slate and stylus is the winner of the 2014 Louis Braille ...

Innovation in Chilean vegetable and flower sector

It all began with a question from Wageningen UR Chile, the South American branch of Wageningen UR: "Is there expertise in the Netherlands to assist Chilean vegetable growers in modernising their businesses?" A three-year ...

Positive action to improve gender balance in science

Despite their increasing participation in higher education and research, women are still significantly underrepresented in certain scientific and technical disciplines and remarkably few women remain in top jobs in science.

Germany quashes Apple's patent on unlocking iPhones

Germany's patent court invalidated Friday a patent held by Apple—and contested by rivals Motorola and Samsung—on its "slide to unlock" function for smartphones, but the ruling can still be appealed.

Work needed to make algal biofuel viable, study suggests

(Phys.org)—Though biofuels from algae hold great promise, Cornell researchers find that more innovation is needed to make the technology economically and energetically viable at a commercial scale.

Piano plague in D minor

Why would 19th-century doctors want to ban piano lessons for girls? Did they truly believe that learning to play music could cause sexual and neurotic disorders? Or were there sociological reasons for picking on the piano ...

Bringing natural history collections out of the dark

In a special issue of ZooKeys, initiated by the Natural History Museum London, Vince Smith and Vladimir Blagoderov bring together 18 papers by 81 authors to look at progress and prospects for mass digitising entire natural ...

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