I tested my cat’s DNA, but the results only led to more mysteries
Why would you get your cat’s DNA tested? Some of it is superficial, like coat type and length, but the ones worth paying for will give you health information as well. Unfortunately, Basepaws just doesn’t have any health data at the moment.
Nonny de la Peña wants to put virtual reality within Reach
Immersive journalism uses virtual reality to put viewers inside true stories and up close and personal with the subjects. Nonny de la Peña is a pioneer of the medium and hopes to make it more accessible with Reach, her WebVR platform.
Hidden figures of the Manhattan Project: Meet the women behind the A-bomb (Part 2)
During World War II, thousands of people worked in various capacities building the first atomic bombs. The Manhattan Project is often thought of as a collection of brilliant men, but there were women scientists there, too. Unfortunately, the didn’t have the same opportunities as their male colleagues after the war was over. This is their story.
Hidden figures of the Manhattan Project: Meet the women behind the A-bomb (Part 1)
During World War II, thousands of people worked in various capacities building the first atomic bombs. The Manhattan Project is often thought of as a collection of brilliant men, but there were women scientists there, too. Unfortunately, the didn’t have the same opportunities as their male colleagues after the war was over. This is their story.
The best new podcasts for the week of March 9, 2019
Everyone and their cousin has a podcast, but not all podcasts are created equally. With new and returning podcasts coming every week, it can be hard to figure out what to listen to. We pick a few of our favorites each week from among the crowd and tell you why they're worth your precious time.
If you want a pair of Focals smartglasses, be prepared to go through a process
North makes Focals, smart glasses that are customized for your face. The company makes a 3D model of your head and walks you through a demo. But that’s only your first visit. A second fitting is required to make sure the projector, which shows the weather, directions, and more, is crisp and clear for you.
Anova Precision Cooker Wi-Fi review: Never cook meat on a stove again
If you want to dip your toe into the low-temperature waters of sous vide, the Anova precision cooker is a good way to start. It has a robust app and an easy-to-use interface the just may convert you to a whole new way of cooking. You'll never cook meat in a stove again.
From fridges to fireplaces, the most luxurious home items you can’t afford
All manner of luxury appliances were on display at KBIS 2019. The kitchen and bath show lets builders gawk at high-tech wine fridges, gigantic ranges, gigantic Alexa-controlled gas fireplace installations, and oversize fridges. These items all come with extreme price tags. You may not be able to buy, but you can look.
Global Good wants to rid the world of deadly diseases with lasers and A.I.
Bill Gates and Intellectual Ventures both invest money in Global Good, a program that brings together scientists from various backgrounds to tackle problems in the developing world, especially disease eradication. They try to find high-tech solutions target pneumonia, polio, and malaria.
Prime(d) is the podcast Amazon probably doesn’t want you to listen to
KUOW’s Prime(d) podcast debuts Season 2 February 4. Host Joshua McNichols spoke with Digital Trends about the ways in which Amazon waits out its competition while keeping its customers happy. Even a few missteps won’t phase a company this size, so it’s practically guaranteed some amount of success in everything from groceries to fashion.
DS3 Clean water-free swatches could be the future of cleaning products
At CES 2019, we got a look at a few of the DS3 Clean swatches. These little squares fit in your hand and contain cleaning products but no water. Not only is that great for travel, but it could have a positive impact on storage and shipping of these supplies, which include shampoo, face wash, and toilet cleaner.
In search of the fountain of youth, beauty companies turn to tech
Beauty tech finally arrived at CES 2019. Not only were brands such as Olay, L’Oreal, and Neutrogena fully on display, they had interesting and unique gadgets to show off. Many of the brands hoped to deliver a more personalized experience when it comes to skincare.
GHSP makes a (back)splash with its touchscreen concept kitchen
Screens in the kitchen are nothing new, but GHSP brought a concept to CES 2019 that was pretty unique. It was a massive touchscreen that covered where backsplash usually lives. The control panel could move all around the surface, so it was right where you needed it at any given time.
Haier’s shoe washer cleans sneakers without all the clanging and banging
Chances are, your sneakers probably stink -- especially if you've been walking around CES 2019 for a few days. At the show, Haier showed off its shoe washer, which deodorizes your sneakers without you having to do anything at all. It also has another shoe washer for deeper cleaning.
Breville’s $800 pizza oven may make you ditch delivery for good
Would you buy an $800 countertop oven that only made one thing? What if that one thing were pizza? The Breville Smart Oven Pizzaiolo gets far hotter than your built-in range, up to 750 degrees Fahrenheit. That means it cooks pizza more like a commercial oven in your local pizzeria.
Slip on Soma’s smart bra and you may discover you’ve been wearing the wrong size
Roughly 80 percent of women are wearing the wrong bra size, for a variety of reasons. Even if you’ve been measured before, changes in weight and hormones can affect your size. Soma’s Somainnofit smart bra helps you more accurately gauge your size and get recommendations for better-fitting bras.
Cordless hair dryers aren’t really a thing but Volo wants to change that
The Volo Go is a cordless hair dryer on display at CES 2019. It uses infrared heat to dry hair and is battery powered instead of needing to be plugged into an outlet. The battery drains fairly quickly, but Volo claims the hair dryer's results are fast and can finish the job in as little as five minutes.
How long does it take for eggnog to go bad? It’s all about the booze
Eggnog is a beloved holiday beverage for some and reviled one for others, but it might actually be safer to drink a few weeks after you make it. If you find yourself with leftovers this holiday season, when should you throw it out? The answer is all in the booze content (hint: the boozier the better!).
Don’t kick it to the curb: 13 ways to recycle your Christmas tree
The holidays are over, and now you've got a sad looking Christmas tree sitting in your living room. Think all you can do with your spruce or pine is wait for the garbage truck? From making mulch to replanting (yes, actually replanting!), here are some creative ways to recycle the evergreen.
How Alexa and Google Home can lend a hand over the holidays
Smart speakers with voice assistants, such as Alexa and Google Home, can be especially helpful during the holiday with these tips and tricks. From setting timers to shopping for deals to playing your favorite festive music and movies, let your Alexa or Google Home device give you a helping hand in life.
Precision medicine depends on DNA, but sending out your spit still has risks
What can you learn about your health from a direct-to-consumer DNA test? Oftentimes, you’ll still need to go to a doctor to decipher results, and even then, they might make you go to an independent lab for another test.
Brava oven review
The Brava Oven uses light frequencies to cook food, meaning your chicken and asparagus can go in – and come out – at the same time, both perfectly done. All the smarts that go into that mean it’s a pricy countertop appliance, plus its app isn’t as helpful as we’d like.
Instant Pot DUO60 pressure cooker review
Is pressure cooking with an Instant Pot all it's steamed up to be? We put the most popular model on the market to the test for our Instant Pot DUO60 Review. We came away both impressed and disappointed. Here's how it went when we set it up in our test kitchen.
Here’s how to keep Thanksgiving leftovers edible for longer
Thanksgiving leftovers can feed you for days, but how long before bacteria and mold make the turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce no longer safe to eat? We asked some experts to get answers and also got tips on when, where, and how to store food.
With Personal Food Computers, nerd farmers are finding the best way to grow
Caleb Harper is an MIT research scientist and head of the OpenAg Initiative. He builds personal food computers that have tons of sensors, cameras, and circuit boards. He thinks they’re the key to growing food designed to combat specific diseases and targeted for each person’s DNA.
The future of food could make kitchens and grocery stores obsolete
Will kitchens eventually be replaced with vending machines? Will we be 3D printing our food in 20 years? The 2018 Smart Kitchen Summit included a lot of wild predictions about the future of cooking, but the most likely scenario seems to be that people will cook and use technology in different ways.
From electron microscopes to X-rays, high-tech tools expose low-tech art forgery
The Indianapolis Museum of Art has over a million dollars worth of equipment for helping restore art, but conservation scientist Greg Smith and Glennis Rayermann, then a Ph.D student, used it to spot a probable forgery by Icilio Federico Joni.
JBL Link View review
If you want to use more of your senses with your smart speaker – say, sight and touch – the JBL Link View with Google Assistant is pretty handy. The screen gives you access to some information more quickly, while still relying on convenient voice commands for most of its interactions.
Amazon Echo Show (1st gen) review
The Amazon Echo Show is a smart assistant with a screen, so you can both see and hear what Alexa’s talking about. Right now, features like being able to see your timer or camera feed are helpful, but not world-changing. Here's what happened when we took the device for a spin.
Restaurants may soon have chefs who know all about you before you walk in the door
Chef Eric Rivera started serving multi-course meals to two people at a time inside his home. He recently expanded with Addo, a combination of restaurant and incubator for unestablished chefs and bakers. Using Instagram, a ticketing system, and questionnaires, Rivera thinks he has some ideas on how young chefs can attract new customers.
Companies want to sell you conflict-free phones, but certification isn’t foolproof
Conflict minerals like tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold, sourced from the Democratic Republic of Congo often end up in our cell phones and other electronics. Companies have worked on the problem for years but still have trouble seeing down their supply chains to the mines in isolated regions of the DRC.