Spring-loaded screw could be a cheaper form of soundproofing

Nobody likes hearing their neighbors' music or loud conversations. Soundproof wall materials, however, can be quite expensive. Swedish scientists have developed a thinner, less costly alternative, in the form of a spring-loaded sound-damping screw.

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Apple and Foster + Partners restore 1920s glamor to LA movie theater

Originally opening back in 1927, the Tower Theatre was Los Angeles' first movie theater to show "talkies" and even served as a filming location itself. Now, it's been given a new lease of life as an absolutely stunning Apple Store.

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Student designs device to save stabbing victims’ lives

When someone is suffering from a deep stab wound, it's important to apply pressure within that wound. A new student-designed device is intended to let first responders do just that, potentially saving lives that might otherwise be lost.

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“Hearing contact lens” claimed to outperform regular hearing aids

In most hearing aids, sounds emitted by a tiny speaker are directed down the ear canal. The "alpha" hearing aid is different, however – and reportedly better – in that its speaker actually sits directly against the wearer's eardrum.

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MVRDV describes upcoming LAD HQ as a “sustainability machine”

If you're going to call your building a "sustainability machine," you'd better back that up with some energy efficient features. MVRDV has done just that with its LAD HQ, which is being designed to be "almost" energy neutral in operation.

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Prototype tiny house slides open its walls to let the outside in

Casa Ojalá defies easy classification, but is a definite departure from the shed-on-wheels design of most tiny houses. It features a flexible interior layout and space-saving furniture, as well as sliding walls that open it up to the outside.

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Edward S. Curtis’ ‘The North American Indian’ fetches $950,000

An important copy of one of the most significant American publications of all-time sold earlier this week when a 20-volume quarto set of The North American Indian by Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952) fetched $895,000 at Santa Fe Art Auction.

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Kiriform tech allows flat objects to be twisted into 3D shape

Ordinarily, if you're building something, you don't want the materials to buckle under pressure. In a new Harvard University-designed system, however, that buckling action allows flat-packed objects to be twisted into useful three-dimensional forms.

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Asymmetrical tower wears core on the outside to make more room inside

Rising to a height of 359.8 m, the Hanking Center stands out even in the skyscraper-packed Shenzhen, China, thanks to its extraordinary form. The asymmetrical tower is defined by a detached core that allows for greater flexibility inside.

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Europe’s biggest department store gets a new office with a green heart

Heatherwick Studio continues its run of greenery filled buildings with Castellana 69, which is conceived as an office with a "green heart" and will boast sustainable design, including solar panels which will produce more electricity than it needs.

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