The literal translation of ‘orthodontics’ is ‘to straighten teeth’. Traditional fixed orthodontic braces can correct crooked teeth, those damaged through injury, or dental abnormalities such as malocclusions or overcrowding. The device consists of a number of metal brackets and wires affixed to the front of each tooth, which then puts sustained pressure on the dentures, …
Flood barriers are employed all over the world to prevent a sudden deluge of water from damaging property and potentially taking lives. A few sandbags lining the floor of a porch will be an effective defence against a small flash flood, but something a little more robust is required to hold back the mighty swell …
The Falkirk Wheel was part of an GBP 84.5 million (USD 131.6 million) Millennium Link project to enable boats to travel between the Forth & Clyde Canal and the Union Canal in Falkirk, Scotland. At the site of a former open-cast mine, this feat of engineering replaced 11 locks that went out of use in …
Nature is nothing if not ingenious, filled with adaptations and specialties we’ve learned to use to our advantage. Scientists are now attempting to go one step further by mimicking animals talents — in the water, on land and in the air — in intelligent robotic animals that will be able to find their way through …
When it comes to maneuverability, modern flying machines pale in comparison to an everyday pigeon. Birds can flap their wings to swoop, dive, glide, and alight on perches. Fixed-wing airplanes and rotary-wing helicopters rarely show that dynamism. In recent years, though, scientists have started finding ways to mimic the mechanics of bird flight through various …
How does science keep your hands toasty? Hand-warming pads use a solution inside a closed environment with a high freezing temperature to provide a warming effect. A hand warmer starts out at room temperature but, when a metal disc is pressed into the solution, an exothermic reaction is triggered, releasing heat.
Shutoken Gaikaku Housui Ro, otherwise known as G-Cans or the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Tunnel/is essentially the world’s largest drain. It can be found underground between the Showa region of Tokyo, Kasukabe in Saitama prefecture and the out skirts of Tokyo City.
Cinecameras were – and to a certain extent still are – a machine for recording motion pictures on celluloid film stock – a widely used analogue form of image storage. Cinecameras work by feeding film stock – a transparent polyester strip that’s coated with light-sensitive emulsion – from a forward magazine (a light-free chamber) through …
The ideal level of humidity for our homes is around 40-50 per cent to be comfortable. If it’s too low our skin and mucosal membranes can dry out, which can lead to cracks in our skin and breathing difficulties.
The London Streets Traffic Control Centre (LSTCC) in south London is the hub for one of the most sophisticated CCTV systems on the planet. It needs to be, because it’s responsible for most of Greater London’s transport infrastructure and covers hundreds of square kilometres within the M25 circular motorway, streamlining the day-to-day lifeblood of one …
