Innovation Watch» video

Bio-Inspiration: Nature as Muse

iw — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:55:29 +0000

For hundreds of years, scientists have been poaching design ideas from structures in nature. Now, biologists and engineers at UC Berkeley are working together to design a broad range of new products, such as life-saving milli-robots modeled on the way cockroaches run and adhesives based on the amazing design of a geckos foot. QUEST visits their labs to find out what’s so special about these crawling and scaling animals. (11m 21s)

Decoding Synthetic Biology

iw — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:52:29 +0000

Imagine living cells acting as memory devices; biofuels brewing from yeast, or a light receptor taken from algae that makes photographs on a plate of bacteria. With the new science of synthetic biology, the goal is to make biology easier to engineer so that new functions can be derived from living systems. Find out the tools that Bay Area synthetic biologists are using and the exciting things they are building. (11m 29s)

State of Thirst: California’s Water Future

iw — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:47:33 +0000

Are we in danger of running out of water? California’s population is growing by 600,000 people a year, but much of the state receives as much annual rainfall as Morocco. With fish populations crashing, global warming, and the demands of the country’s largest agricultural industry, the pressures on the water supply are increasing. (26m 55s)

The Future of Free Culture (Jimmy Wales)

iw — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:37:11 +0000

Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia, visits Yale and speaks about Wikipedia, its purpose, criticisms and its place in the academic and human sphere. (58m 43s)

China Rides Green Revolution, Limiting Export of Rare Metals

iw — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:28:48 +0000

China is tightening controls over some of the worlds most obscure but valuable materials. The Asian economic superpower currently produces more than 90 percent of the worlds so-called rare earth metals, which are used in everything from green technology to military hardware. The Chinese government is now taking major steps to limit the availability of rare elements to the rest of the world. Marcus Mabry, international business editor of The New York Times, joins Daljit Dhaliwal to discuss these rare materials and the implications of China restricting their export. (3m 45s)

Brazil: A Case of China Fever

iw — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:50:14 +0000

The impact of China’s growth on South America’s largest country. (5m 43s)

The Future of Mobile Media and Communication

iw — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 15:56:21 +0000

SIMYO and Ahead of Time presents the future of mobile media and communication. This film is presenting a summary of key result of the open think tank MOCOM 2020. (5m)

China Strengthens Ties and Trade with Africa

iw — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 04:51:40 +0000

Within a couple of years, China is expected to surpass the U.S. as Africa’s primary trading partner — projecting a trading relationship of $100 billion a year. (5m 52s)

Artificial Trees – BBC Science

iw — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 03:17:05 +0000

A group of scientists attempt to combat rising sea levels and an overdose of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by creating artificial trees. A video from the BBC science show ‘Five Ways to Save the World.’ (3m 1s)

Henry Markram: Supercomputing the Brain’s Secrets

iw — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:23:27 +0000

Henry Markram says the mysteries of the mind can be solved — soon. Mental illness, memory, perception: they’re made of neurons and electric signals, and he plans to find them with a supercomputer that models all the brain’s 100,000,000,000,000 synapses. (16m 49s)