Rooftop gardens could solve Singapore’s flooding problem
In the last two years, rapid urbanization and changing weather patterns have lead to major flash floods in Singapore. Requiring rooftop gardens on buildings could help solve the problem. Read the full story
Do women scientists in India still face discrimination?
DELHI — In some states of India, more women than men are pursuing science courses in college. But MIT professor Abha Sur argues that Indian female scientists still face societal discrimination in fields of pure sciences. Not everyone agrees. Read the full story
Downsizing to an eco-friendly home
New Avenue Homes founder Kevin Casey is rethinking how we live by focusing on multi-generational living, where grandparents, parents, and kids share one piece of land with two homes on it. The parents and kids live in the main house and the grandparents live in an eco-friendly backyard cottage that his company designs and builds. SmartPlanet visits Casey on one of his construction projects in… Read the full story
Why you might not see this car in Dubai today
Its economy is tied into oil. Would Dubai dare to ban automobiles from its streets? Read the full story
Is your company ready to be a social business?
There are many insights to be gained from using social business software, but not every company will be able to handle the cultural changes required. Read the full story
Costa Concordia disaster: Was faulty ship design to blame?
A maritime union says profit motives may have given rise to mega-ships that accomodate more passengers but compromises their safety. Read the full story
Beijing invests millions in laser writing scheme for pork products
BEIJING — China’s capital is investing over a million dollars in a food safety scheme involving writing on pigs with lasers, part of a nationwide “Internet of Things” drive. Read the full story
Sand-resistant solar panels for Middle East from Siemens, Masdar
Another boost for solar power in a sun-drenched desert region that has little of it. Siemens and MIT affiliate Masdar Institute – owned by Abu Dhabi – hope to minimize sand’s harm on the technology. Read the full story
Fatty foods cause brain scarring, study shows
A single high-fat meal can cause inflammation and scarring in the brain in mice and rats — and brain scans of humans show a fatty diet could do the same to us. Read the full story
The revolution will be bottom-up
How will we respond to the Great Contraction? Are our leaders ready to provide solutions from the top down, or will we be left to face the challenges on our own?The answer is self-evident.For four decades straight, the government has utterly failed to reduce our energy consumption, or transition to renewables to any significant degree. We’re as dependent on foreign oil as we’ve ever… Read the full story
Cyborg rats created to target brain damage
‘Cyborg’ rats have been created in medical experiments designed to treat damaged brain tissue. Read the full story
Arctic oil rush sparks Greenpeace reaction
Greenpeace will argue today that the ‘Arctic rush’ of oil companies must be regulated. Read the full story
The Morning Briefing: Drugs and drills
“The Morning Briefing” is SmartPlanet’s daily roundup of must-read stories from the web. This morning we’re reading about drug research, weight control and the impact of gas drilling on human health. Read the full story
IKEA moves into the Paris Metro
The Swedish furniture giant constructed two compact apartments in the Auber metro station complete with inhabitants to display space saving solutions. Read the full story
Convention-defying hanging nightclub proposed for Hong Kong
Beautiful plan for Hong Kong Nightclub Hotel design competition is suspended from surrounding buildings. Read the full story
Why it’s so hard to legislate technology
The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) skirmish is just the latest ham-handed attempt to regulate something moving too fast to be regulated, says outspoken author and activist Cory Doctorow. Read the full story
First Solar: Another record in thin-film solar efficiency
First Solar new solar module efficiency record could help its cadmium-telluride panels remain relevant and competitive in the future. Read the full story
At Google, gathering language samples for better voice search
Google’s Linne Ha travels the world collecting voice samples in more than 26 languages for the company’s voice search engine. SmartPlanet visits the company’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., and looks at an internal application called Data Hound which helps gather the utterances and build a model for the product. Read the full story
Top 10 smartest cities in the world
Forget about the city of the future for a second. Where can we find the world’s smartest cities today? Read the full story