Science

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The world's fastest carnivorous plant

November 30, -0001 • 12:00 AM

Plants can't move very fast; or this has been the common assumption among biologists and common people alike. But now, researchers found a plant that defies all assumptions: it contains long tentacles that snap out, grab an insect and throw it into the plant's digestive system, all within a fraction of a second. By looking at an Australian plant called the sundew, a research group from the University of Freiburg discovered how this tentacle-catapult system works, in a study that provides deeper...

Pay your bills wherever you are, online or offline

November 30, -0001 • 12:00 AM

Payleven (https://payleven.de/) wants to change the way you pay for pretty much everything that you need. In our mobile world of convenience and speed, cash can be a hassle, for both customer and vendor. Payleven solves this problem with a card reader that attaches to a tablet or phone, allowing the customer to swipe and purchase. Now boutiques, flea market vendors, and small businesses can accept credit cards without the overbearing surcharges. The only fee is 2.95% of each purchase and 7 pence...

Did you know...

November 30, -0001 • 12:00 AM

that robot bees may soon be a reality?Researchers at the University of Sheffield, UK, have teamed up with scientists at the University of Sussex and Université Paul Sabatier in Toulouse, France, in an effort to build an autonomous flying robot with the mind of a honey bee. The research project, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, aims to build an artificial honeybee brain that works like its biological counterpart. Why Bees? Honey bees are equipped with very...

A fish that can see more than red

November 30, -0001 • 12:00 AM

Dogs can hear sounds we can't, and many other animals can see light beyond our human "visual spectrum," such as ultraviolet light waves to help find prey or avoid predators. But until now, the near infrared spectrum was considered off limits to animals. New research, published in the October 21 online edition of NaturWissenschaften, and led by Dr. Sebastian Baldauf from the University of Bonn, reports on the first case of a fish with near infrared vision. The fish, called Pelvicachromis...

The Story Behind the Apple

November 30, -0001 • 12:00 AM

The Apple logo is one of the most well known logos in the world. You can scarcely go a day without coming across it. Millions of people go about their lives, relying on their Macs, iPads, or iPhones to get through the day, all without even a thought about the meaning behind Apple's famous trademark. With the pervasiveness of this symbol, many theories have sprung up, such as relating to Isaac Newton, Adam and Eve and the programming term 'byte'. However, the leading theory involves the darker...

Our unique primate eyes

November 30, -0001 • 12:00 AM

Humans and other anthropoid primates (monkeys and apes) are the only groups of day-active mammals who have not retained the anatomical signs of nocturnal life in their eye structures. The new study, led Dr. Chris Kirk, from the The University of Texas at Austin, compared the eye morphology of 266 mammal species in order to understand the relationship between eye shape and activity patterns in mammals. Most vertebrate groups exhibit eye shapes that vary predictably with their activity pattern....

Test driving the cars of the future

November 30, -0001 • 12:00 AM

Nobody enjoys being stuck in traffic or having to deal with the aftermath of a car accident. Not only are they both irritable and unfortunate in their own ways, but they also cost the country millions, deplete resources, and hurt the environment. Now, technical universities from all around Germany are partnering with giants in the auto industry to bring you the next generation of safe and efficient driving. They are running the simTD (Safe Intelligent Mobility-Field Test Germany), a government...

Extra-terrestrial life may exist just around the corner

November 30, -0001 • 12:00 AM

A new planet, which may have an Earth-like environment, has just been found not too far away from our planet. An international team of astronomers, led by Dr. Mikko Tuomi, from the University of Hertfordshire, UK, and Dr. Guillem Anglada-Escude, from the University of Goettingen in Germany, found this new planet in a six-planet system orbiting around a nearby star, located only forty-four light years away from the Earth. The new planet, so-called super-Earth, is thought to be at least seven...

A frog's mighty thumb

November 30, -0001 • 12:00 AM

New research, led by Dr. Norikio Iwai, from the University of Toky reports on a unique and odd finding. The Otton frog, found only on a group of islands in southern Japan, has an extra thumb, adapted as a sharp, spike-like weapon. Dr. Iwai also found that the weapon was once used for sex. Originally, the male frog embraced the female with its extra thumb. Iwai's study appears in the October issue of the Journal of Zoology.  "While the pseudo-thumb may have evolved for mating, it is clear that...

Spider web electronics

November 30, -0001 • 12:00 AM

Beautiful and exceptionally strong, spider webs help capture food and can make good cocoons, but spiders webs are lesser known for their application in electronics, fiber optics, and medical diagnostics. Now, Nolwenn Huby, a physicist at the Rennes Institute of Physics, in France, found that spider web silks are good at transmitting laser light. Like optic fiber, which can transmit light and enable a wide range of functions such as transmitting television images to detecting tumors and other...

How to Resurrect a Wet Phone

November 30, -0001 • 12:00 AM

It can happen when you least expect it. You could be getting a drink at a bar, having a meal with friends or family, or enjoying a day at the beach. Suddenly, your phone is soaking wet. Whether someone spilled a drink on it or you dropped it doesn't matter; your portable tether to the rest of the universe is gone. But, there are ways to fix it yourself, and avoid having to buying another phone. First, even if you're going through the first stages of grief and want to check to see if your phone...

Munich Musings: The art of flight

November 30, -0001 • 12:00 AM

I know I usually 'muse' about the differences between life in Munich and life at home in Northern Ireland but this was something that occurred to me when I was quite literally between Munich and Northern Ireland. I eagerly await the day when it is financially viable for me, when going home, to select the Aer Lingus Munich to Dublin option over the Ryanair 'Munich West' to Dublin option. As painful as it is to say, I fear this may never be the case and I may be destined to fly Ryanair on any...

German PKV Insurance

German Private Health Insurance

Both private Health Insurance in Germany and public insurance, is often complicated to navigate, not to mention expensive. As an expat, you are required to navigate this landscape within weeks of arriving, so check our FAQ on PKV. For our guide on resources and access to agents who can give you a competitive quote, try our PKV Calculator.

Hospitals

Hospital and Clinic Directory

Germany is famous for its medical expertise and extensive number of hospitals and clinics. See this comprehensive directory of hospitals and clinics across the country, complete with links to their websites, addresses, contact info, and specializations/services.

Events

Upcoming Events

Linkin Park Special Night

Didn't manage to get a ticket for Linkin Park? Or still not enough after the concert? Join us at CRASH on June 12th for our "IN THE END" Linkin Park Special + CORE NIGHT.All night long, we'll be playing Linkin Park's music, along with Nu Metal, Metalcore, and Alternative Rock from bands such as Limp...

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