Computer America

Show Notes 6 June 2025
Story 1: US scientists and Samsung team hit 100% cooling efficiency with no refrigerants
Source: Timesofinnovation.com Story by Sam Kim
Link: https://timesofinnovation.com/environmental-sustainability/us-scientists-samsung-team-hit-100-cooling-efficiency-with-no-refrigerants/
See information posted by Samsung at: https://news.samsung.com/global/samsung-develops-next-generation-peltier-cooling-technology-with-johns-hopkins-apl
See research paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59698-y
Story 2: Germany’s shape-shifting smart [building] facade uses compressed air and AI to cut emissions
Source: Interesting Engineering Story by Georgina Jedikovska
Link: https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/germanys-shape-shifting-smart-facade
See video here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=170817409104034
Story 3: 'Super-vision' contact lenses let wearers see in the dark — even with their eyes closed
Source: LiveScience.com Story by Ben Turner
Link: https://www.livescience.com/technology/super-vision-contact-lenses-let-wearers-see-in-the-dark-even-with-their-eyes-closed
Story 4: Hair-Thin Camera Could Help Doctors Spot Tumors, Cancer Cells Without Major Surgery
Source: StudyFinds.org Story by Sophia Naughton
Link: https://studyfinds.org/hair-thin-camera-spot-tumors-without-major-surgery/
See research paper here: https://opg.optica.org/boe/fulltext.cfm?uri=boe-16-6-2376&id=571299
Honorable Mentions
Story: Ultra-light robotic prosthetic hand enables efficient and stable grasping through simple control
Source: Tech Xplore Story by science staff
Link: https://techxplore.com/news/2025-05-ultra-robotic-prosthetic-enables-efficient.html
Story: Breakthrough lithium–CO₂ battery captures carbon while storing energy
Source: Energy Live News
Link: https://www.energylivenews.com/2025/05/21/breakthrough-lithium-co%E2%82%82-battery-captures-carbon-while-storing-energy/
Story: Smallest inorganic semiconductor enables eco-friendly hydrogen production
Source: Phys.org Story by Baby Clark
Link: https://phys.org/news/2025-05-smallest-inorganic-semiconductor-enables-eco.html
Story: Nurabot: Taiwan’s AI Nurse on the Frontlines
Source: 1Nurse.com
Link: https://www.1nurse.com/blog/story/2025/05/28/ai-healthcare-taiwans-technological-transformation/

Popzara.com. Nathan Evans, Managing Editor.

Throughout Popzara you’ll find views on gaming, movies, technology, cultural icons and so much more. Reviews and previews, in-depth analyses, opinion pieces, conversations, and a regularly updated Podcast keep things interesting and always entertaining. Our diverse editorial staff is committed to bringing this cornucopia of editorial goodness in fair-minded and positive ways, with minimal snark and maximum fun. A little bit of everything for the discriminating reader and curious listener is what you’ll find at Popzara.

Topics:

Apple is reportedly going to rename all of its operating systems

https://www.theverge.com/news/675945/apple-operating-systems-new-name-year-ios-macos

Rumor: Microsoft shelves first-party Xbox handheld to work on Windows 11 portable performance

https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/microsoft-shelves-first-party-xbox-handheld-to-work-on-windows-11-portable-performance

Disney+ and Hulu offer subscribers some freebies

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/05/amid-rising-prices-disney-and-hulu-offer-subscribers-some-freebies

Google Photos Turns 10

https://blog.google/products/photos/google-photos-10-years-tips-tricks

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/05/google-photos-turns-10-celebrates-with-new-ai-infused-photo-editor

Misc.Switch 2 Launches Next Week! (June 5th)King of the Hill Revival Gets Teaser

Show Notes 30 May 2025
Story 1: Superwood: A potentially revolutionary material that could replace steel
Source: Robotics & Automation News Story by Mai Tao
Link: https://roboticsandautomationnews.com/2025/05/17/superwood-a-potentially-revolutionary-material-that-could-replace-steel/90938/
Story 2: Hydrogen From Human Waste: Urine-Based Fuel Tech Slashes Electricity Use by 27% in Stunning Green Energy Revolution
Source: Sustainability Times Story by Noah Bennett
Link: https://www.sustainability-times.com/energy/hydrogen-from-human-waste-urine-based-fuel-tech-slashes-electricity-use-by-27-in-stunning-green-energy-revolution
See also: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/newsroom/news/list/2025/05/08/urine-not-water-for-efficient-production-of-green-hydrogen
Story 3: Eldercare robot helps people sit and stand, and catches them if they fall
Source: MIT News Story by Jennifer Chu
Link: https://news.mit.edu/2025/eldercare-robot-helps-people-sit-stand-catches-them-fall-0513
See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlT6vHx4Dz4
Story 4: Novel nanoparticle could make ultrasound-based cancer treatments more effective and safer
Source: News Medical Life Sciences By Oregon Health & Science University
Link: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250514/Novel-nanoparticle-could-make-ultrasound-based-cancer-treatments-more-effective-and-safer.aspx
See also: https://phys.org/news/2025-05-drug-nanoparticles-precision-safety-ultrasound.html
Honorable Mentions
Story: Using perovskite to make LED pixels as small as a virus
Source: TechXplore.com Story by Bob Yirka
Link: https://techxplore.com/news/2025-03-perovskite-pixels-small-virus.html
Story: Your Next International Flight Could Be Powered by Pig Fat Biodiesel
Source: Motor Trend Story by Andrew Beckford
Link: https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/cookingschool/your-next-international-flight-could-be-powered-by-pig-fat-biodiesel/ar-AA1F3ENs
Story: Researchers [at Oregon State University] find new species of electricity-conducting organism [i.e. bacteria], name it after Tribe
Source: OSU website
Link: https://news.oregonstate.edu/news/researchers-find-new-species-electricity-conducting-organism-name-it-after-tribe
Story: Tiny 3D Printed Robot Uses Magnets to Fly
Source: ExtremeTech.com Story by Adrianna Nine
Link: https://www.extremetech.com/science/tiny-3d-printed-robot-uses-magnets-to-fly
See research paper here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ads6858

Show Notes 23 May 2025
Story 1: Fungi could be used to build homes one day

• Source: CNN, Story by Kameryn Griesser
• Link: https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/30/science/fungi-bacteria-home-building-sustainable
• See research paper here: https://www.cell.com/cell-reports-physical-science/fulltext/S2666-3864(25)00116-X

Story 2: In the quest for crops that can thrive in a warmer future, scientists just had a breakthrough

• Source: Anthropocene Magazine, Story by Emma Bryce
• Link: https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2025/05/in-the-quest-for-crops-that-can-thrive-in-a-warmer-future-scientists-just-had-a-breakthrough/
• Research paper here: https://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674(25)00413-1

Story 3: Edible aquatic robots could be eaten by fish to eliminate waste

• Source: New Atlas, Story by Ben Coxworth
• Link: https://newatlas.com/robotics/fish-food-bodied-robots/
• See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDmnoexVT5o

Story 4: Non-Invasive Ultrasound Halts Brain Lesion Growth

• Source: Technology Networks University of Virginia press room
• Link: https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/non-invasive-ultrasound-halts-brain-lesion-growth-399712

Honorable Mentions

• Story: How to engineer microbes to enable us to live on Mars
  • Source: The Conversation
  • Link: https://theconversation.com/how-to-engineer-microbes-to-enable-us-to-live-on-mars-253456
• Story: Microscopy method can reconstruct mammalian brain tissue in synaptic detail
  • Source: Phys.org, Story by Institute of Science and Technology Austria
  • Link: https://phys.org/news/2025-05-microscopy-method-reconstruct-mammalian-brain.html
• Story: Neuroscientists use brain implants and AI to map language processing in real time
  • Source: PsyPost.org, Story by Eric W. Dolan
  • Link: https://www.psypost.org/neuroscientists-use-brain-implants-and-ai-to-map-language-processing-in-real-time
• Story: Mini rolling robot takes virtual biopsies
  • Source: University of Leeds
  • Link: https://www.leeds.ac.uk/research-32/news/article/5757/mini-rolling-robot-takes-virtual-biopsies

Show Notes 16 May 2025
Story 1: Liquid Hydrogen Storage Breakthrough Puts Zero-Emission Aviation Within Reach - Student Team Pulls Off First Flight Test of Liquid Hydrogen-Powered Electric Aircraft
Source: Hydrogen Fuel News Story by Frankie Wallace
Link: https://www.hydrogenfuelnews.com/liquid-hydrogen-storage-breakthrough-puts-zero-emission-aviation-within-reach/8570815/
Story 2: Breakthrough sensor material brings human-like touch to robots at low cost
Source: Interesting Engineering Story by Jijo Malayil
Link: https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/low-cost-sensing-for-robotic-skin-technology
Find the research paper here: https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aelm.202400848
Story 3: Glass out, plastic in: New fiber optic technology set to be deployed in AI data centers is both cheaper and faster
Source: TechRadar.com Story by Wayne Williams
Link: https://www.techradar.com/pro/glass-out-plastic-in-new-fiber-optic-technology-set-to-be-deployed-in-ai-data-centers-is-both-cheaper-and-faster
Story 4: New rice-sized microrobot could slip into brain to treat inoperable tumors
Source: Interesting Engineering Story by Jijo Malayil
Link: https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/minimally-invasive-microrobot-navigates-brain
See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugEqTLOfEg4
Honorable Mentions
Story: Soft Auditory Brainstem Implant to Improve Upon Hard Auditory Brainstem Implant
Source: The Hearing Review
Link: https://hearingreview.com/hearing-products/implants-bone-conduction/soft-auditory-brainstem-implant-to-improve-upon-hard-abi
Story: 3D printing with sunlight
Source: Techno-Science Story by Adrien Bernard
Link: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/3d-printing-with-sunlight-%EF%B8%8F/ar-AA1DcRPq
Story: Researchers develop microelectronics for space and aerospace applications
Source: Carnegie Mellon University Story by Krista Burns
Link: https://engineering.cmu.edu/news-events/news/2025/04/25-space-tolerant-chips.html
Story: Nighthawk: NASA plans massive Mars helicopter to scan ancient volcanoes for life
Source: Interesting Engineering Story by Mrigakshi Dixit
Link: https://www.yahoo.com/news/nighthawk-nasa-plans-massive-mars-095605020.html

Show Notes 9 May 2025

Story 1: World’s first railway track-mounted solar plant open to rail traffic

Source: PV Magazine

Link: https://www.pv-magazine-australia.com/2025/04/28/sun-ways-inaugurates-removable-pv-plant-on-railway-tracks/

See research paper here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772671123001249#fig0002

See also: https://www.sun-ways.ch/en

Story 2: New electronic “skin” could enable lightweight night-vision glasses

Source: MIT News

Link: https://news.mit.edu/2025/new-electronic-skin-could-enable-lightweight-night-vision-glasses-0423

See research paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08874-7

Story 3: Gold Injections in The Eye May Be the Future of Vision Preservation

Source: Science Alert

Link: https://www.sciencealert.com/gold-injections-in-the-eye-may-be-the-future-of-vision-preservation

See research paper here: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.4c14061

Story 4: Lab-grown teeth could offer an alternative to fillings and implants, scientists say

Source: Live Science

Link: https://www.livescience.com/health/lab-grown-teeth-could-offer-alternative-to-fillings-and-implants-scientists-say

See research paper here: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsmacrolett.4c00520

Honorable Mentions

Story: World's first operating system for quantum computers unveiled — it can be used to manage a future quantum internet

Source: Live Science

Link: https://www.livescience.com/technology/computing/worlds-first-operating-system-for-quantum-computers-unveiled-it-can-be-used-to-manage-a-future-quantum-internet

See research paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08704-w

Story: Flying robots could help construct future skyscrapers, proves live test

Source: Interesting Engineering

Link: https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/flying-robots-could-construct-future-skyscrapers

Story: Hydrogen Fuel Cells Power New Future for Data Centers in California

Source: Hydrogen Fuel News

Link: https://www.hydrogenfuelnews.com/hydrogen-fuel-cells-power-new-future-for-data-centers-in-california/8570554/

Story: Smart Brain Implants Can Now Adapt to Optimize Parkinson's Treatment

Source: Science Alert

Link: https://www.sciencealert.com/smart-brain-implants-can-now-adapt-to-optimize-parkinsons-treatment

Show Notes 2 May 2025
Story 1: US to unleash robot swarms to build smart aircraft with speed, precision, safety
Source: Interesting Engineering Story by Jijo Malayil
Link: https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/robot-swarms-to-build-smart-aircraft?group=test_a
See also: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/04/03/3055273/0/en/H2-Clipper-Transforms-Aviation-and-Aerospace-Manufacturing-with-Patented-Swarm-Robotics-Innovation.html
Note – read/see the patent here: https://patents.google.com/patent/US11851214B2/en
**Story 2: This little nuclear battery could mean never needing to charge your phone again - **The prototype uses carbon-14, an unstable and radioactive form of carbon.
Source: Industrial Equipment News Announcement from American Chemical Society
Link: https://www.ien.com/product-development/news/22937027/this-little-nuclear-battery-could-mean-never-needing-to-charge-your-phone-again
Story 3: Wheel-less helical ring-based soft robot can move reliably in all directions
Source: TechXplore.com Story by Ingrid Fadelli
Link: https://techxplore.com/news/2025-03-wheel-helical-based-soft-robot.html
See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDLADT_S6Ks
Another good video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE9Icvv0ddg
Story 4: “Wearable tech detects silent heart issues”: Over 90% accuracy achieved in breakthrough that could save millions without warning signs
Source: Sustainability Times Story by Hina Dinoo
Link: https://www.sustainability-times.com/featured/wearable-tech-detects-silent-heart-issues-over-90-accuracy-achieved-in-breakthrough-that-could-save-millions-without-warning-signs/#google_vignette
Honorable Mentions
Story: Scientists Create Smart Insole That Turns Every Step into Health Data
Source: Study Finds Story by “staff”
Link: https://studyfinds.org/new-smart-insole-health-data/
Story: Scientists achieve record-breaking growth in miniature, functional liver models
Source: Keio University School of Medicine
Link: https://www.keio.ac.jp/en/press-releases/2025/Apr/17/49-166303/
Story: Seabird modelling tool could transform offshore wind planning, study shows
Source: The Independent Story by Nick Forbes
Link: https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/seabird-modelling-tool-could-transform-offshore-wind-planning-study-shows/ar-AA1BZOPQ
Story: Error correction method reduces photon requirements for quantum computing
Source: Phys.org Story by K.W. Wesselink
Link: https://phys.org/news/2025-04-error-method-photon-requirements-quantum.html

Popzara.com. Nathan Evans, Managing Editor.

Throughout Popzara you’ll find views on gaming, movies, technology, cultural icons and so much more. Reviews and previews, in-depth analyses, opinion pieces, conversations, and a regularly updated Podcast keep things interesting and always entertaining. Our diverse editorial staff is committed to bringing this cornucopia of editorial goodness in fair-minded and positive ways, with minimal snark and maximum fun. A little bit of everything for the discriminating reader and curious listener is what you’ll find at Popzara.

Topics: 
Sinners (2025) | Movie Reviews | Popzara Press
Perplexity is building a browser in part to collect customer data for targeted ads
OpenAI wants to buy Chrome and make it an “AI-first” experience - Ars Technica
Microsoft rolls Windows Recall out to the public nearly a year after announcing it - Ars Technica
4chan has been offline for over a week, and it's probably not coming back | TechSpot
Threads is moving to threads.com and adding a bunch of new web features
Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders: Sold out at most retailers including GameStop, Walmart, Target, Best Buy and others

Show Notes 25 April 2025
Story 1: Scientists turn gunshot residue into glowing semiconductors to crack shooting cases
Source: Interesting Engineering Story by Aamir Khollam
Link: https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/forensic-tech-makes-gun-residue-glow
See research paper here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0379073825000532
Story 2: Lab-grown chicken nuggets have been cooked up in a robotic bioreactor
Source: IFL Science Story by Maddy Chapman
Link: https://www.iflscience.com/lab-grown-chicken-nuggets-have-been-cooked-up-in-a-robotic-bioreactor-78848
See also: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1080163
Story 3: Scientists develop record cold refrigerator that could unlock full potential of quantum computers
Source: Euro News Story by Roselyne Min
Link: https://www.euronews.com/next/2025/03/20/scientists-develop-record-cold-refrigerator-that-could-unlock-full-potential-of-quantum-co
Story 4: A Grain of Brain, 523 Million Synapses, and the Most Complicated Neuroscience Experiment Ever Attempted
Source: SciTechDaily Story from Allen Institute
Link: https://scitechdaily.com/a-grain-of-brain-523-million-synapses-and-the-most-complicated-neuroscience-experiment-ever-attempted/
See also: Scientists reveal advance in brain research once thought impossible
Honorable Mentions
Story: WD Touts New Hard Drive Recycling Process As 'Blueprint' for Domestic Reuse
Source: PC Magazine Story by Michael Kan
Link: https://www.pcmag.com/news/wd-touts-new-hard-drive-recycling-process-as-blueprint-for-domestic-reuse
Story: Cyborg 1.0: Thai Robocop patrols streets with 360° eyes, live face-tracking power
Source: Interesting Engineering Story by Jijo Malayil
Link: https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/ai-thai-robocop-patrols-streets?group=test_a
Story: Clean energy from rain? Scientists generate electricity from falling droplets
Source: Euro News Story by Rebecca Ann Hughes
Link: https://www.euronews.com/green/2025/04/17/clean-energy-from-rain-scientists-generate-electricity-from-falling-droplets
Story: Memory Is Not Confined to Our Brains, Scientists Discover
Source: ScienceAlert.com Story by Tessa Koumoundouros
Link: https://www.sciencealert.com/memory-is-not-confined-to-our-brains-scientists-discover

Show Notes 18 April 2025
Story 1: Kawasaki unveils hydrogen-powered robotic horse that you can ride
Source: Robotics & Automation News, Story by David Edwards
Link: https://roboticsandautomationnews.com/2025/04/06/kawasaki-unveils-hydrogen-powered-robotic-horse-that-you-can-ride/89601/
See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQDhzbTz-9k&t=1s
Story 2: Light-based computers are getting close to a commercial launch
Source: New Scientist, Story by Matthew Sparkes
Link: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2475302-light-based-computers-are-getting-close-to-a-commercial-launch/
Story 3: The Shape-Shifting Battery That Powers the Future of Wearable Tech
Source: SciTechDaily, News from Linköping University in Sweden
Link: https://scitechdaily.com/the-shape-shifting-battery-that-powers-the-future-of-wearable-tech/
Story 4: Scientists Just Built a Mini Human Nervous System That Can Process Pain in a Dish in World First
Source: ZME Science, Story by Tibi Puiu
Link: https://www.zmescience.com/medicine/mind-and-brain/scientists-just-built-a-mini-human-nervous-system-that-can-process-pain-in-a-dish-in-world-first/
See research paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08808-3
Honorable Mentions
Story: China turns moss into oil-sucking sponge with 90% reusability to fight deadly spills
Source: The Times of Innovations, Story by Aria Patel
Link: https://timesofinnovation.com/environmental-sustainability/china-turns-moss-into-oil-sucking-sponge-with-90-reusability-to-fight-deadly-spills/
Story: Scientists Find One Lifeform That Could Survive Extreme Extraterrestrial Environments
Source: IFL Science, Story by James Felton
Link: https://www.iflscience.com/scientists-find-one-lifeform-that-could-survive-extreme-extraterrestrial-environments-78654
Story: In a first, breakthrough 3D holograms can be touched, grabbed and poked
Source: Live Science, Story by Roland Moore-Colyer
Link: https://www.livescience.com/technology/virtual-reality/in-a-first-breakthrough-3d-holograms-can-be-be-touched-grabbed-and-poked
See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wwKOXxX9Ck
Story: Clean Energy Surges to Power 40% of Global Electricity in 2024
Source: The Renewable Energy Institute
Link: https://www.renewableinstitute.org/clean-energy-surges-to-power-40-of-global-electricity-in-2024/