Written by Kristin Kish, Digital Marketing Intern.
Between school, homework, practice and spending time with loved ones, it’s easy to miss out on the latest in science, technology, engineering, art and math. But don’t worry, Thinkery’s got you covered. Here are some of our favorite STEAM discoveries from the previous week. It’s fuel for your weekend.
This year, the world’s worst-ever coral bleaching event occurred. In just nine months, record-high temperatures caused catastrophic heat stress and temperature damage, destroying two-thirds of coral in the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef. Unfortunately, this is the most devastating coral die-off on record.
So, what now? What’s next? The process of recovery for the Great Barrier Reef is slow. It could take 10–15 years for this previously pristine part of the Reef to grow back to pre-bleaching levels. And if global temperatures continue to rise, there is the possibility of another mass bleaching before it can recover. For more information, click here.
A boat that runs on human power? And, wait, it’s also a gym? What? Carlo Ratti, founding partner of Italian innovation and design firm Carlo Ratti Associati, recently unveiled a 20-meter-long, human-powered “fitness vessel” that sails along the Seine River in Paris. The Paris Navigating Gym harnesses energy produced by passengers as they work out and then uses it to propel the boat. Developed in collaboration with Technogym, Terreform ONE and URBEM, the proposed project demonstrates the exciting potential of human energy for vehicular powering. Check out how it works here!
Walking down the streets of Prague may lead to an interesting discovery—like this 42-ton steel sculpture by Czech sculptor David Cerny. The rotating mirrored sculpture twists and turns to reveal the face of writer Franz Kafka, a Prague native. How does it move? The kinetic art piece’s movements are programmed by a central computer. It’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen!