Power Show 2008 at Million Dollar Theater LA
Location announcement: The upcoming Biggest Visual Power Show 2008 on Next Nature will take place at the recently renovated Million Dollar Theater on 307 Broadway, Downtown LA. …
Search results for Power Show
Biggest Visual Power Show 2006, Video
At the Biggest Visual Power Show 2006 , held in Zollverein, Germany, over twenty artists, designers, filmmakers and philosophers gave their view on Next Nature. Click to watch the …
NEXT NATURE Biggest Visual Power Show
Dr NaturalThe Biggest Visual Power Show is an intellectual show that blends between a conference and a pop concert. Over twenty arists, filmers, philosophers, politicians and designers …
Biggest Visual Power Show 2008
The Biggest Visual Power Show is an intellectual show that blends between a conference and a pop concert. Twenty filmers, scientists, designers, artist and thinkers present …
Next Nature Power Show 2011 Amsterdam
The Next Nature Power Show is an intellectual spectacle where artists, scientists, designers, filmmakers, architects and philosophers present their radical ideas, visionary …
Biggest Visual Powershow: Photo report
The pictures of the Next Nature Biggest Visual Powershow , in Zollverein are now online! Powershowmaster Koert van Mensvoort and Claudia (most advanced robot in the world). …
Powershow 2011 in Two Minutes
NextNature.netLast November the Next Nature Power Show rocked Amsterdam with a roller-coaster of performances from artists, scientists, designers, writers and architects. This two minute …
Energy Consumption Shown on Power Plant
Koert van MensvoortInformation decoration on a city scale. Every night from the 22 to the 29 of February 2008, the vapor emissions of he Salmisaari power plant in Helsinki will be illuminated to …
After Horsepower Comes Robotpower?
Jack CaulfieldWe fear being replaced by robots. They have the potential to be smarter, stronger and more hardworking than us, but so do horses.
MyPowerbank hacks bicycles so the homeless can juice up their phones
Kelly van GemertLuke Talbot has developed a solution to assist people experiencing homelessness in charging their phones for free by hacking rental bicycles.
Empowered by Robots Event Report
Mathilde NakkenA report on the Empowered by Robots conference during DDW16, demonstrating fruitful collaboration between humans and robots.
Join the Next Nature Talkshow on biodesign!
Next Nature DevA living lamp that you need to feed, a tapestry made of animal waste streams and tableware made from algae. Welcome to the wonderful world of biodesign.
Making Power Stations Part of the Landscape
Margherita OlivoCan we have pretty power stations? The design of power stations is becoming more appealing.
Solar Eclipse May Impact Power Supply Due to Increased Use of Solar Panels
Koert van MensvoortSolar eclipse may impact power supply due to increased use of solar panels
Egypt's First Solar-Powered Village
Ruben BaartThis village is powered by building-integrated solar panels and provides shelter for 350 people, putting sunlight to better use.
Empowered by Robots Design Challenge
NextNature.netWanted: New jobs for humans and robots! Which designers, technicians, robot enthusiasts will help us with innovative, feasible ideas for the new jobs of the future?
First Self Sufficient Solar-Powered Airport
Margherita OlivoThe Cochin International Airport is self-sufficient thanks to its solar power plant.
The Power Amplification Robot
Alessia AndreottiPower Loader: the power amplification exoskeleton robot.
KOBIAN Shows Emotion
Arnoud van den HeuvelMeet KOBIAN, the humanoid robot that is not only able to walk about and interact with humans, but uses its entire body in addition to its facial expressions to display a full …
Water Shows When the Heat is On
Koert van MensvoortDesigner Carlijn Compen upgraded her watertap with some LED's that shift color along with the heat of the water. A simple yet effective example of information decoration that will …
Our Heart as a Power Plant
Marco van BeersNanowire generators could one day lead to medical devices powered by the patient's own heart. A tiny, nearly invisible nanowire can convert the energy of pulsing, flexing muscles …
How rich people used to show off their wealth with pineapples and celery
Lauren Alex O HaganA stack of pancakes ladened with syrup, a frothy latte posed next to a white MacBook, a deep pan pizza oozing with cheese. Instagram has made “food porn” – images that portray …
Solar Powered Electric Cars
Daniel FragaThe sun sustains our planetary system. Its energy fuels life. And in the future, the sun will also fuel our cars. That’s the premise of Dutch startup Lightyear, a startup specialized in solar powered electric cars.
American Power
Rolf CoppensAmos coal powerplant in Raymond, West Virginia. Taken from the series "American Power" by Mitch Epstein .
Moss Table Powers Its Own Lamp
Allison GuyWhen moss photosynthesize, they release nutritious fats, carbs and proteins into their roots to feed colonies of helpful, symbiotic bacteria. In the process of breaking down these …
Solar-Powered Plane Starts its Five-Month-Long Flight Around the World
Yunus Emre DuyarSolar Impulse 2 is a Swiss project with the aim to enable long term flights using solar power.
We could power households from the scraps in our food waste bins
Ananya MukherjeeImagine if you could power your kettle using the energy generated from the vegetable cuttings quietly breaking down in your kitchen’s compost bin. That reality might not be so far …
Breaking News: CNN shows CNN
Koert van MensvoortToday CNN.com shows a picture of a television tuned to CNN, in order to inform its viewers about nuclear tests in North Korea. Somehow I feel this is related to our investigations …
Power Aware Cord
Dr NaturalThe Power Aware Cord transports electrical power while simultaneously visualizing energy usage. Electrical transfer is represented through glowing pulses, flow, and intensity of …
Hacking Human Cells to Use Solar Power
Yunus Emre DuyarA new biotech startup seeks to hack our cells to use solar energy instead of carbon and oxygen.
The Largest Solar Power Plant in the World
Margherita OlivoA floating photovoltaic system will lie on the waters of a Japanese dam, representing the largest solar establishment in the world.
Billboard Show the Landscape They Block
Koert van MensvoortIn the desert landscape of the Californian Coachella Valley, artist Jennifer Bolande installed a series of billboards that camouflage themselves with the surroundings.
Dandella Shows You the Way
Koert van MensvoortHow to navigate the urban jungle? Adopting the metaphorical image of a dandelion in flight, Dandella is a GPS device that shows you the way. Inspired by how young sunflowers …
Power, Water and Shelter from Giant Mushrooms?
Tim HuibertsIn his (fictional!) documentary, designer and artist Tobias Revell sketches the city of New Mumbai powered by giant mushrooms. These genetically-engineered fungal organisms …
The Scandinavian Winds Power Your Internet
Alejandro AlvarezWe may be still far away from pollution-free Internet browsing, but at least the next time you send an e-mail you can feel relief at the thought that the strong arctic winds of Scandinavia are keeping the Google servers cool and running.
Solar-Powered Donkeys to Stay Online
Margherita OlivoTurkish shepherds are installing solar panels on their donkeys to stay connected.
Using Solar Powered Drones as Satellites
Ruben BaartThe experimental solar powered airplane Solar Impulse 2 succeeded its record-breaking journey over the Pacific. The Swiss team is now developing the next step of the project: solar drones.
Power Ivy
Rolf CoppensCochran’s sustainable design group, SMIT (Sustainably Minded Interactive Technology) came up with a project called GROW. It's an Ivy-like covering of a building that generates …
Jet Powered Barbecue
Koert van MensvoortAt first sight it seems plain wrong to roast your burgers on this utterly technological machine: barbecuing is supposed to be a nostalgic low-tech activity that brings us back to …
"Smart Highways" to Power Streetlights and Electric Cars
Allison GuyRoads are a ubiquitous, even defining aspect of our urban and suburban spaces. In the United States alone, parking lots and roads cover 16,000 square kilometers. So why must roads …
The Future of Solar Power? Snail Teeth!
Marco van BeersThe gumboot chiton snail produces the hardest biomineral known on earth - and it may hold the secret to better nanotechnology.
Showcase your work on Next Nature!
Next Nature DevAre you a recent graduate or young maker who feels your work deserves a spotlight? Does your project seek to understand how technology becomes so omnipresent, complex, intimate …
Humane Technology #5: Empower People
Allison GuyPrinciple number five: Humane technology doesn't outsource people, but instead empowers them. How healthy or humane is it to have an escalator to the gym? Humane technology should …
Electrically Powered Vintage Beetle
Koert van MensvoortIndulges your progressive nostalgic lifestyle. Peculiar image of the week. Spotted with NextNature iPhone App in Amsterdam.
Herds of Deer-Shaped Power Lines
Allison GuyNot real, but a far more creative way to deal with unsightly public works than tree-shaped antennas . Via Gizmodo .
Show Dem Guts
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkSexy girls and organ meat was never a good combination to me, but the people from Black Milk Clothing that created this swimsuit seem to think it makes a pretty nice product. Am …
Digital Aquarium Powered by Real Fish
Alessia AndreottiThe fish swimming in this aquarium are unaware part of the Flowers and Fish art installation by Japanese digital studio teamLab.
Hamster Powered Mobile Phonecharger
Michael KluverWe would call this a sustainable technology if only the average pet's carbon footprint wouldn't be comparable to that of an SUV .
Google Birdhouse Shows Birds Their Way
Alessia AndreottiPutting the birds into the bird's eye view of Google Maps.
Balloon-Powered Internet For Everyone
Alessia AndreottiProject Loon by Google has the mission of providing Internet access to rural and remote areas, with a hot air balloon network.
Lunar Solar Power Generation
Alessia AndreottiJapanese engineers plan to turn the moon into a giant solar panel station.
Human-Shaped Power Lines
Alessia AndreottiJust a project for now, but a far more creative way to deal with unsightly public works than tree-shaped antennas.
Next Nature went to China!
Next Nature DevWe are proud to invite you to our largest showcase (so far), currently on display at OCT Art & Design in Shenzhen, China. Spanning across three floors, with a total surface of …
All aboard the world's first hydrogen passenger train!
Selin KirAs the world is trying to keep carbon emissions under control, humans are also looking for viable carbon-neutral transportation options. The people from French rolling stock …
Floating Green Power
Megan Ray NicholsOffshore renewable energy resources, such as floating solar arrays, have begun to pop up around the world.
AI Song Contest: the show must go on!
Ruben BaartThe spread of the coronavirus has led to the cancellation or postponement of many events around the globe. Luckily there are still events we can look forward to, such as the AI …
FluDOC – Glowing Bacteria Show if You Have Influenza
Koert van MensvoortBacteria are traditionally perceived as infectious and unhealthy, but that is about to change. This week designer Jan van der Asdonk graduated from the Next Nature Lab at the TU/e …
Fitness Tracker to Make Happy Meal Healthier
Ruben BaartMcDonald’s provided their Happy Meals with a high-tech activity tracker toy.
GM Ants Show How Insect Societies Work
Julie ReindlScientists gene modify ants in order to find out more about their social behavior.
The remaining numbers of endangered animal species shown in pixels
Ruben BaartToday is World Animal Day , a day to put the spotlight on man's best friends in order to improve their welfare standards around the globe. At Next Nature HQ, we honor this day by …
Simulacra and Simulations
The simulacrum is never that which conceals the truth--it is the truth which conceals that there is none. The simulacrum is true. -Ecclesiastes If we were able to take as the …
One day left: Next Nature in Amsterdam
Buckle up for living architecture, lab grown meat, swallowable perfume, Facebook suicide, Gods browser and antidepressant yoghurt at the Next Nature powershow 2011.
BVPS Next Nature in LA - Pictures!
May 17th 2008. Biggest Visual Power Show: Next Nature in LA . More pictures below. We are all born in a world that has been designed already. BVPS intro video by Floris Kaayk. Big …
Next Generation: Searching for Null Island with Deborah Mora
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
An Ecstatic Dialogue with Richard Doyle
Jason SilvaWhen techno–optimist and fellow at the Hybrid Reality Institute , Jason Silva, meets with Richard Doyle, author of Darwin's Pharmacy: Sex, Plants and the Evolution of the …
The Order Electrus
Koert van Mensvoort"Nature adapts, even to human actions that seem to destroy everything. The amazing power of evolution has given birth to a new species of insect. Their ideal habitats are old …
Next Nature DVD
" A DVD with over twenty visions of artists, scientists, designers, filmmakers and thinkers who present their powerful imagery, radical ideas and visionary statements on how we …
The Playboy Interview
In 1961, the name of Marshall McLuhan was unknown to everyone but his English students at the University of Toronto – and a coterie of academic admirers who followed his abstruse …
Parool Article on Next Nature
Koert van MensvoortDutch newspaper ' Het Parool ' features an article on Next Nature. Great piece. You might want to buy yesterdays newspaper tomorrow. Or you can download the scan .
Here’s how the Dutch are embracing blockchain in the polder
Coen van de VenSmiling broadly and rattling with enthusiasm, the 33-year-old Rylana Doesburg shows off a QR-code on her phone: an angular pattern of black and white squares. “Thanks to this …
Towards collective standpoints on the future of babymaking
Freya HutchingsFor the closing event of Reprodutopia , a true meeting of minds took place as we discussed the social implications surrounding the future of reproductive technologies. Multiple …
The path towards solar democracy with Marjan van Aubel
Meike SchipperSolar cells are often considered an eyesore, used for their sustainability yet not for their beauty. Installed on roofs or in solar parks, they take up precious space. Well that’s …
POND is a symphony of lights and water
Nellie FriedrichHave you ever gone a day without water? Most likely you have experienced low energy levels or fatigue after a few couple of hours. Water gives us energy. More than that, water is …
Why I'm turning my son into a cyborg
Vivienne MingImagine if everyone spoke a language that you don’t understand. It’s not a foreign language–it’s been spoken around you since the day you were born–but where as everyone else …
This satellite generates and sends solar energy to Earth
Kelly van GemertThe next solar farms might be located in space, instead of on Earth. A prototype satellite by Caltech launched in January seems to be up and running, showing its capability to …
Today in Los Angeles...
[flashvideo filename="http://bigboy.nextnature.tv/video/2008/powershow-leader-nextnature.flv" image="wp-content/uploads/2008/05/powershow_leader_baby.jpg" width="530" height="298" …
Next Nature Hands Out Performance-Enhancing Pills
Allison GuyRecently Google slapped our site with a warning that "something's not right here!" It seems that the Drug Enforcement Agency has caught the Next Nature staff handing out baggies …
The Technological Sublime
Jos de MulThe sublime is an aesthetic concept of 'the exalted,' of beauty that is grand and dangerous. Through 17th and 18th century European intellectual tradition, the sublime became …
What is Next Nature?
NextNature.netAt the Next Nature Power Show 2011 our master of ceremony, Koert van Mensvoort gave a mini lecture on our changing notion of Nature.
The Coronation
Charles EisensteinFor years, normality has been stretched nearly to its breaking point, a rope pulled tighter and tighter, waiting for a nip of the black swan’s beak to snap it in two. Now that the …
Recycled Coat
Koert van MensvoortIn the countdown to the Biggest Visual Power Show 2008 in Los Angeles we post some video's of earlier presentations. The Powershow 2003 in Paradiso, Amsterdam had the world …
Browsing the Technological Sublime
Allison GuyIn this video, Geert Mul uses online photos to tap into the divine presence in image search #powershow http://bit.ly/uk79b0
Incredibly Shrinking Humanity
Allison GuyArne Hendricks thinks we can solve the ecological crisis by shrinking every human on earth to 50cm tall: http://bit.ly/sxxNr1 #powershow
On the origin of the e-bike
Huub EhlhardtThe oldest known serious candidate forerunner for the bicycle is the ‘running machine’ built by the German Baron Karl von Drais. His two-wheeled machine became known as the …
Nature Loves Technology
Next Nature DevWe interviewed William Myers and Emma van der Leest, curators of Nature Loves Technology, our exhibition at Floriade 2022
Exploring Next Nature (2004)
Koert van MensvoortThe first essay ever written on Next Nature, published in Next Nature Pocket and in Entry Paradise, New Design Worlds . ( download pdf ) (German version: Erkundungen im Nächste …
Prof. Dr. Jos de Mul's - Poetry of Genetics
Koert van MensvoortIn the weeks towards the Biggest Visual Power Show 2008 we post a few video's of earlier power show presentations. Philosopher Prof. Dr. Jos de Mul – author of countless articles …
Body Manipulation and Music
Allison GuyLucy McRae uses spandex to deterritorialize the body. #powershow #bodyart http://bit.ly/th7KyR
Get Thee Up into a Fake Mountain
Allison GuyIf you felt like building a 2,000 meter mountain in the Netherlands, which features would you like to add? Journalist and accidental landscape visionary Thijs Zonneveld wants to …
The Afterlife of PIG 05049
Allison GuyChristien Meindertsma spent three years tracking down every product made from a single pig. Pork made a showing, but the more strange goods were "ammunition, medicine, photo …
Pyramid of Technology: How technology becomes nature in seven steps
Koert van MensvoortHow technology becomes nature in seven steps
The Pigeon that Shat the Golden Soap
Allison GuyEver wished you could take a shower with pigeon poop? Artist Tuur van Balen proposes changing pigeons from flying rats to cleaning agents. A speculative, specially engineered …
The Enlightenment Is Dead, Long Live the Entanglement
Danny HillisWe humans are changing. We have become so intertwined with what we have created that we are no longer separate from it. We have outgrown the distinction between the natural and the artificial. We are what we make.
Towards a global society as a superorganism
Ruben BaartToday we hold the ability to gather a lot of knowledge, thanks to science. We are able to watch, analyze, manipulate and change matter to the nano-level. This makes it tempting to …
Mojo Visions augmented reality contact lenses kick off a race to AR on your eye
Ruben BaartThe digital world has been creeping closer to your face. Was a time when a laptop was about as personal as you got with a computer. Then came smartphones, and a few years later, …
Billionaire space race: the ultimate symbol of capitalism's obsession with growth
Tim JacksonMars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids, laments the Rocket Man in Elton John’s timeless classic. In fact, it’s cold as hell. But that doesn’t seem to worry a new …
Walking Energy Cells
Arnoud van den HeuvelRemember this one? Body heat is used to power machines in The Matrix . Nine years after the first of the trilogy came to screen, a company comes up with a body-powered-battery. In …
City Planning with Bright Bacteria
Allison GuyRenegade architect and futurist Rachel Armstrong has proposed that our cities, currently constructed of dead trees, baked mud, and refined ore, need to be coated in a layer of …
Mastering Bambi
Allison GuyIn the film Mastering Bambi, artists Persijn Broersen and Margit Lukacs have stripped the landscape of its cuddly, anthropomorphic characters. Over the course of the film, the …
Technology: The 7th Kingdom of Life
Koert van MensvoortKevin Kelly, Senior Maverick at Wired Magazine talks about the nature of technology and propose to define technology as the 7th Kingdom of Life.
The Earth on Loan
Allison GuyChristian Schwägerl is a correspondent for Der Spiegel and the author of Menschenzeit (The Age of Man). He will be presenting his views on the Anthropocene at the Next Nature …
Welcome to Earth, Number 7,000,000,000!
Allison GuyWelcome to earth, #7,000,000,000! Hope you like the #anthropocene. Learn more: http://bit.ly/se1SQc
Who Watches the Watchers?
Allison GuyIn The Watchers , the creative geniuses at Studio Smack picture a world where surveillance systems don't just watch us - they actively judge. Are you a green-coded Conformist or …
Hendrik-Jan Grievink - From Blog to Book
Koert van MensvoortAt the next nature powershow designer Hendrik-Jan Grievink explained how over 1600 blog post on nextnature.net were re-designed & re-edited into a must-read coffee table book.
On the prehistoric origins of modern sexuality
Ruben BaartLet’s talk about the most controversial of "m words"—monogamy. And let’s have this conversation with in mind its prehistoric origins. Our modern picture of prehistoric societies …
Max Liboiron: pollution is colonialism
Ruben BaartWe now live in a world where plastics are becoming a part of our marine ecosystems. As a result, we strive hard to clean the plastics from our oceans. Dr. Max Liboiron ( Michif …
Enter the symbiocene
Glenn AlbrechtWhat if we would use the idea of symbiosis as the basis for the next period of Earth’s history?
Call for Proposals: Designing for Next Nature
Nowadays, children know more corporate logo's and brands than bird or tree species. The average Western person has more worries about the instability of financial markets and …
The World Without Technology
Kevin KellyI remember the smoke the most. That pungent smell permeating the camps of tribal people. Everything they touch is infused with the lingering perfume of smoke – their food, …
What’s the Point If We Can’t Have Fun?
David GraeberSince Darwin we tend to look at the biological world exclusively in economical terms. The idea that monkey's, frogs, or even ants do more than simply propagate, doesn't find much acceptance among scientists. And yet, even crayfishes at times seem to displace objects just for fun.
Hello, superorganism
Koert van MensvoortWhen I was a kid, my parents took me to the beach every summer. We’d swim in the ocean and play on our inflatable raft in the surf. When the tide was low, I’d build a sand castle …
Next Generation: Designing modular fashion with Mathilde Rougier
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
This artist carried 99 smartphones and caused a virtual traffic jam
Claire Ouwejan“ Google choose the fastest route to home.” Today, drivers are better informed about routes and traffic than ever before . Using 'mapping apps', drivers can see traffic before …
Next Generation: Building aquatecture with Shaakira Jassat
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
Dune explores the geopolitics behind resource extraction
Oli MouldDune offers a useful allegorical narrative of the “scramble for Africa”, which saw European empires carve up the continent into colonized powers.
The Institute of Digital Fashion explores what's next in the industry
Ruben BaartTrading animal skins for pixels, our digital selves call for a digital wardrobe. The Institute of Digital Fashion , led by CommuneEast founder Leanne Elliott Young and Digi-Gxl …
Inverting the energy paradigm with Charles Eisenstein
Ruben BaartEnergy policy blah blah blah, life cycle analysis blah blah blah, energy return on energy invested, peak oil, carbon footprint, renewables, hydro, nuclear, blah blah blah blah …
Next n8 Nature
Rolf CoppensDuring the upcoming Amsterdam Museumnight, the Institute for Timebased Arts (Montevideo) will be hosting a show called Natural Habitat, in which artists play with the borders …
The Photoshop Beauties
Koert van MensvoortUsually we don't realize the hours of photoshopping spent on magazine and advertising images before publication. The raw photographic material reveals a lot about the fine craft …
There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkSo you’re triggered by our call for products and now you’re considering to send in one, two or maybe three of your brilliant products for the Nano Supermarket? Good. Or – and this …
Next Nature Book Trailer
Pop the champagne! Our must-read coffee table book was officially launched at the delightful and uplifting Next Nature Power Show in Amsterdam. Pictures and video's of the event …
Bruce Sterling – Next Literature
NextNature.netAt the Next Nature Power Show 2011 American Science Fiction writer Bruce Sterling – 'perhaps the sharpest observer of our media-choked culture working today in any genre' , …
Thijs Zonneveld – Let's build a Mountain
Koert van Mensvoort“God created the world, except for the Netherlands. That the Dutch created themselves” , Voltaire remarked in the eighteenth century already to describe the overly cultivated …
Screw Technology
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkIn this particular piece of video art, loyal readers of nextnature.net might recognise the building as Zeche Zollverein in Germany, where we organized the Biggest Visual Power …
Tracy Metz – Nature is an Agreement
Koert van MensvoortWriter and NRC journalist Tracy Metz dissects our Image of Nature , how it is constructed, by whom and for what reason. Her conclusion: "Nature is an Agreement. Just like the nude …
Clothes that Turn Heat into Electricity
Allison GuyWith rising energy costs and our growing arsenal of iPads, smart phones, and wearable monitors, we're always on the lookout for new ways to power our devices. Perpetua Power , an …
Intimate Technology: the Battle for Our Body and Behaviour
Rinie van EstTechnology is nestling itself within us and between us, has knowledge about us and can act just like us.
The Golden Quarter
Michael HanlonSome of our greatest cultural and technological achievements took place between 1945 and 1971. Why has progress stalled?
A Cryptocurrency Helping to Cure Cancer
Lewis JustPart two of a ten part series exploring the design of an invisible technology: money.
Imported African Sun: Coming Soon
Alejandro AlvarezThe recently opened Noor solar power plant is now the biggest in the world. It will power Morocco and if everything goes as planned imported solar energy can be a reality too.
Solar Energy: the Hottest New Currency
Lewis JustEnergy-backed money could help transition humanity to a more sustainable world, both environmentally and economically.
ECO Coin Award Interviews: Ritsert Mans
Jack CaulfieldWe asked Ritsert Mans, our second ECO coin award nominee about his bike, the technology that fuels it and his hopes for the future.
In conversation with Teresa van Dongen, biodesigner exploring natural forms of artificial light
Kelly van GemertThere was a time when flipping the switch, and seeing a glass bulb light up, was magical to anyone in the world. Today, the presence of a light switch in a room, is something …
Welcome to the CRISPR baby world—here’s what you should know
Vanessa Bates RamirezLast week, the gene editing world was hit by news the equivalent of a nuclear bomb. In a video on YouTube , Dr. Jiankui He at Southern University of Science and Technology in …
Electric cars might not yet be green, but we should buy them anyway
Ranald BoydellTransforming the way we travel is an essential part of tackling the climate crisis. The transport sector contributes about 20% of global carbon emissions . In the UK the figure is …
Animals are shapeshifting to cope with climate change
Sara RydingGlobal warming is a big challenge for warm-blooded animals, which must maintain a constant internal body temperature. As anyone who’s experienced heatstroke can tell you, our …
We’re all radioactive – life isn't possible without it
Marit BeerseMost radiation is natural and life on Earth wouldn’t be possible without it.
How to design a digital democracy
Rinie van Est10 design requirements to fully immerse ourselves into the 21st Century—in which technology makes our world richer, not poorer.
Sneakpreview
This week we are sneak previewing our forthcoming compilation DVD featuring the best of the Biggest Visual Power Shows at the Picnic 08 - E-art event on 24,25,26 September at …
Experiments in the Revival of Organisms
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkExperiments in the Revival of Organisms is a 1940 motion picture which documents Soviet research into the resuscitation of clinically dead organisms by Doctor Sergey Sergeyevich …
Anthropomorphobia
Koert van MensvoortAre you familiar with the affliction? Anthropomorphobia is the fear of recognizing human characteristics in non-human objects. The term is a hybrid of two Greek-derived words: …
Should we clone Neanderthals?
Zach ZorichIf Neanderthals ever walk the earth again, the primordial ooze from which they will rise is an emulsion of oil, water, and DNA capture beads engineered in the laboratory of 454 …
Mark Post - Meet the New Meat
Koert van MensvoortAccording to professor Mark Post, lab-grown meat could become the environmentally friendly alternative for breeding cows and pigs for meat consumption. Watch his talk!
From Eco-Apartheid to Earth Democracy
Vandana ShivaDo humans exist merely to make money and use resources? Vandana Shiva believes humans have a higher purpose.
NNN Movement & the First ECO Coin
Alessia AndreottiWe officially launched the Next Nature Movement in The Netherlands. To seal the beginning of the Next Nature Movement, director Koert van Mensvoort donated the first symbolic ECO coin.
Israeli Tech Turns Any Road Electric
Alessia AndreottiElectRoad developed a unique technology that powers the vehicle wirelessly from the road while driving.
1896 - Baby Incubators in Coney Island
Elle Zhan WeiIn 1896 Dr Couney incubated premature babies. He saved at least 6.500 premature infants from death by putting them on display in Coney Island.
On the origin of the word processor
Huub EhlhardtWriting is recognised as one of mankind’s foremost inventions and the mechanization of writing is one of these developments that typify what is commonly regarded as the work of …
The return of trade: Blockchain technology is enabling trade to make a fierce comeback
Koen WeselBefore money came into existence, trading was all we knew. Farmers in China traded their spades for food and other goods, and this continued up until a point where most spades …
Enter the memesphere
Laura van den BrinkWhy memes might be the next tool to make sense of on our increasingly hybrid virtual and physical environment.
Next Nature: Radikale Mediokrität
Lecture spoken by Henk Oosterling at Biggest Visual Powershow , Zollverein Essen, Germany, 23 June 2006 Damen und Herrn, Next Nature, Nächste Natur ist ein Pleonasmus, ein …
The Animal Sweater
KarlThe pattern on the Animal Sweater suggests a new way to experience commercial imagery. The Animal sweater, designed by Karl Grandin, was first shown at The Biggest Visual Power …
Wood of logo's
Koert van MensvoortA wood of logo's. Installation created by Karl Grandin – yup, same guy made the nextnature.net wallpaper– at the powershow in Paradiso, Amsterdam 2005. See also: Animal Sweater .
A Society of Simulations
Koert van MensvoortAn interviewer once asked Pablo Picasso why he paints such strange pictures instead of painting things the way they are. Picasso asks the man what he means. The man then takes out …
Ecology – A New Opium for the Masses
Marxist philosopher Slavoj Žižek discusses the 'naturalization' of capitalism and how ecology became a new field of capitalist investment. He also argues that the ultimate …
Earth 2.0 with Rachel Armstrong
Koert van MensvoortWhat are the differences between Earth 1.0 and Earth 2.0 technologies? Rachel Armstrong explains.
Everything is an Event on the Skin
Koert van Mensvoortwrote 19th-century scientist and philosopher Hermann von Helmholtz. It was Helmholtz who inspired body-architect Lucy McRae to create Morph?.
Further Incredibly Shrinking Man
Koert van MensvoortArtist Arne Hendriks gave a lustrous talk on the possibilities of downsizing humanity to better fit the earth.
A Stroll Through the Bubbles of Chemicals and Men
Etienne TurpinA stunning pre-history of the anthropocene
Interview: Floris Kaayk, the Visionary Creative Mind Behind Human Birdwings
Alessia AndreottiFloris Kayak discusses online hoaxes and the future of technology.
What Ant Colony Networks Can Tell Us About What’s Next for Digital Networks
Deborah GordonEver notice how ant colonies so successfully explore and exploit resources in the world … to find food at 4th of July picnics, for example? You may find it annoying. But as an …
Facebook's Internet Drone Unveiled
Yunus Emre DuyarFacebook introduced its solar-powered drone project aimed to provide internet access to rural areas.
Disney Lights Up the Sky with 300 Drones
Mathilde NakkenDisney’s latest attraction? 300 drones flying in formation.
I Want Wings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nicholas CarrRead Nicholas Carr's essay on the transhumanist dream of having wings.
The Next Nature Sneaker Series
Mathilde NakkenWe present for the real sneaker heads amongst us, six new futuristic pieces of footwear. Going from pineapple leather to self lacing 'Back to the Future' Nikes.
Priests Bless Server Rooms
Ruben BaartSanctifying servers with knowledge and power from digital demons.
Designer Anouk Wipprecht combines fashion with robotics
Alessia AndreottiWe met Anouk Wipprecht and talked about smart fabrics and accessories that can listen to our body, therapeutic fashion and the future of dressmaking.
On inhumane technology
Jack CaulfieldStick-on shoes, wakeup lights, bionic limbs: these are examples of humane technology. But what exactly does this mean? It can best be explained in contrast with its opposite. …
Chernobyl goes green: The ambitious plan to reclaim a nuclear disaster site
Jack CaulfieldChernobyl is famous as the site of the worst nuclear power accidents in history. The 1986 disaster has come to represent the perils of nuclear energy, much as Hiroshima represents …
Why human enhancement requires technological citizenship
Ira van Keulen and Rinie van EstNew technologies – from artificial intelligence to synthetic biology – are set to alter the world, the human condition, and our very being in ways that are hard to imagine. The …
Why electric cars should be allowed to drive faster
Koert van MensvoortIn response to the nitrogen crisis, the Dutch cabinet is planning to reduce the speed limit during the day to 100 kph. In itself a sensible decision. But it is strange that this …
5 must-see exhibitions before the end of the year
Ruben BaartA large-scale asian food market serving in vitro meat, a transatlantic expo on the future of nature and a travelling exhibition that explores our relationship with AI. These five …
Discussing bio-based material experiences with Elvin Karana
Meike SchipperThe world of design is in need of new materials that align with the urgency for sustainability. Issues such as climate change, plastic waste and harmful materials require us to …
Gène Bertrand on design for human needs
Meike SchipperNature has always been a source of inspiration for many artists and designers, yet the urgency to connect to nature is more pressing than ever. Environmental issues such as …
NATURE is an exhibition where biology and design meet
Ruben BaartCube Design Museum in Kerkrade and Cooper Hewitt in New York present the comprehensive exhibition NATURE - in which internationally renowned designers, artists and inventors …
Suzanne Lee wants to live in a world that uses only sustainable materials
Ruben BaartBiotechnology is nearly as old as humanity itself. The food you eat and the pets you love? You can thank our ancestors for kickstarting the agricultural revolution, using …
How memes are evolving beyond the image
Chloë ArkenboutThe times where memes were geeky and funny, somewhat disturbing images have been over for years. Even a simple frog such as Pepe is not innocent anymore. Memes were hijacked by …
Next Generation: Wandering through the post wilderness with Melissa Schwarz
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
Seeking Symbiosis
Ruben BaartVisual artist Heleen Blanken explores the complex relationship between people, nature and technology.
Harddisk tree visualisation
Koert van MensvoortRemember the beautiful sequoiaview harddisk visualisation posted a while ago? Above a more illustrative harddisk tree visualisation by professor Jack van Wijk. Branches are …
10 Biomimic Gadgets
Arnoud van den HeuvelComing across an image like this, makes one wonder at first: is it a giant punch-bag? Some sort of soft water-drop-sculpture? No, it is the Emergency Outdoor Survival Cocoon , …
Breaking Point?
John Zerzan, published in Green Anarchy issue #24 - Spring/Summer 2007 The rapidly mounting toll of modern life is worse than we could have imagined. A metamorphosis rushes …
Paradise by the Laptop Light
Paradise by the Laptop Light is a visual power event with short films, speedlectures, special guests and one laptop. It will be held on 23 November 2007 16:30, as part of STRP Art …
Faustian Bargains and Pineapple Shampoo
Since the early days of the net, the electronic pastoral has lent itself to all sorts of dubious agendas pushed by science, the military and even libertarian tendencies. In the …
ISEA 2010: Artists addressing NextNature
Ties van de WerffAt ISEA 2010 , the International Symposium on Electronic Arts, media artists and media researchers from all over the world present their work in Dortmund (Germany). This year, …
Social Networking with Plants
Ties van de WerffUsing energy is not a social activity. Every electrical device we use has its own carbon “foorpint” which, in excess, can harm other living beings. How and to what extent you’ve …
Toy Emissions
Koert van MensvoortYou know the HeHe collective from their laser projection on a power plant emission cloud . But did you know these folks have a real emission clouds fetish going on? In this …
Back to the Tribe
Koert van MensvoortTraditionally, technology is seen as a force that diminishes our instincts and puts us at a distance of nature. Increasingly however, we realize technology can also energize and …
Activist Release Transgenic Stingrays in the Ocean
NextNature.netThis morning we received an astounding video from a group of animal right activist that broke in at Rayfish Footwear, the Thai based fashion brand that creates $1500 personalized sneakers from genetically engineered stingray leather.
Free Electricity from the Technosphere
Teije OudshoornScientists learn how to harvest electricity from radio waves.
We Feel Empathy for Robots (Even if They Don't Look Human)
Stefan FinckenHuman test subjects felt empathy for dinosaur robots being cuddled or abused.
DIY Wire Networks In India
Robin BergmanIndian fragile DIY electronic infrastructure gives an insight into our complex electronic wire systems.
Which Technologies will 2016 Bring?
Wei Lun WangThe new year is right around the corner, let’s forget about long-term future for a while to check out what new tech trends will hit it big in 2016. At the end of every year, …
A Step Further in the Race Against AI
Alejandro AlvarezToday, we all have superpowers. It may not seem like it because we are attached to our physical devices to use our powers, but with a Neural Lace that may soon change.
Welcome to Chanel Data Center
Mathilde NakkenTwo robots opened the show of Chanel during the Paris Fashion Week of 2017. Well robots, two models dressed up like humanoid robots entered the catwalk. Is Chanel going Next Nature?
Bionic Leaf Helps Vegetables to Grow
Julie ReindlBionic leaf fertilizes crops to make them weigh 150 percent more
Sustainable Flying with Electric Planes
Elle Zhan WeiGerman company revealed fastest electric plane.
Jobs for Facilitators - Robots at Work #3
Mathilde NakkenThis is post number three of our serie 'Robots at Work'. In this episode we present you five jobs for facilitators, the ones who love to work with technology.
Jobs for the Extraordinary-Robots at Work #5
Mathilde NakkenThis is post number five of our serie 'Robots at Work'. In this last episode we present you five jobs for the extraordinary, the ones who won't let themselves be categorized.
Virtual Networking, the Future Social Media
Megan Ray NicholsVirtual reality is already becoming a part of the conversation surrounding social media. Will it become the next popular social network?
Wind Turbines Threatens Birdlife
Elle Zhan WeiA wind farm in Scotland is on hold because of its lethal killing power towards seabirds.
Ermi van Oers wants to bring living light to your living room
Jack CaulfieldThe Living Light harnesses plant energy to provide light. We spoke to its designer, Ermi van Oers, to find out more about the unique product.
Flock of Drones fly over Amsterdam
NextNature.netTonight a flock of drones can be seen in the skies of Amsterdam.
Face the future of intimacy with Kiiroo
Ruben BaartMeet the teledildonics, an ingenious species of bi-directionally controlled sextoys from the future, available today. These touch emulating vibrators find each other on social sex …
People are less likely to turn a robot off if it asks them not to
Tristan GreeneA team of German researchers published a study earlier this week indicating people can be duped into leaving a robot turned on just because it “asks” them to. The …
Discover the art of the living at Centre Pompidou
Ruben BaartGo forward to nature at the La Fabrique du Vivant (the Factory of Life), the newly opened exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Exhibiting the recent works of fifty …
Social animals are the inspiration for robot swarms
Edmund HuntFrom flocks of birds to fish schools in the sea, or towering termite mounds , many social groups in nature exist together to survive and thrive. This cooperative behaviour can be …
How technology keeps us connected
Britta de VriesAt this moment in time, many people are staying at home in order to flatten the curve . It is times like these that we realize how vital technology is to us and our societies. It …
Check your technoprivilege!
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkTechnology is not neutral; the same tech might empower some and disempower others. It is time to check our Technoprivilege, argues author Hendrik-Jan Grievink.
How to turn your 3D printer into a food printer
Saumil VadodariaWhile the pandemic has restricted us from doing many activities we like, household hobbies such as DIY , baking and crafts have become more popular. Now there’s a way to combine …
Next Generation: Exploring non-binary futures with Lena Kuzmich
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
We sequenced DNA from a million-year old mammoths
Ruben BaartMost people think of mammoths as the iconic woolly species from the last Ice Age, which ended around 12,000 years ago. But mammoths originated in Africa around 5 million years …
When will the first baby be born in space?
Chris ImpeyWhen the first baby is born off-Earth, it will be a milestone as momentous as humanity’s first steps out of Africa . Such a birth would mark the beginning of a multi–planet …
How technology will help us adapt to climate change
Ruben BaartClimate change will transform how we live, but these tech and policy experts see reason for optimism
Growth is not the problem, but the solution
Ruben BaartIf we want to bring down global CO2 emissions to zero, we will need technological innovation and massive infrastructure projects.
The Moon Gallery: the first museum in space
Ruben BaartThe Moon Gallery aims to set up the first permanent museum on the Moon. Soon launching to the International Space Station, full of ideas worth sending to the Moon. The gallery is …
Next Generation: Writing a design manifesto with Pleun Wilting
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
Why Borghildur Indriðadóttir wishes to perform on the Moon
Kelly van GemertWhat is the meaning of art on the moon? Artist on the Moon is the latest project from Icelandic visual artist Borghildur Indriðadóttir , who aims to perform for the stars and …
How to control electronic devices with your mind
Ghizlane OughzifControlling devices with your mind. Unreal? Think again. Brain-computer interfaces have been changing the game in healthcare, gaming, and accessibility lately.
Nurturing architecture
Ruben BaartThe way we currently build is not sustainable. We will have to develop a sustainable living environment that matches our human needs, intuitions and potential.
Are we living in a superorganism?
Ruben BaartThe coverstory of Next Nature Magazine investigates how the rise of virtual influencers on social media reveals a superorganism.
Entry 2006 exhibition opened
Koert van MensvoortToday the Entry 2006 exhibition opened in the coalwashe building, Zollverein. For 100 days 'perspectives and visions in design' with over 300 exhibits from more than 20 countries …
Call for Proposals: One Day left!
One week left to send in your Designing for Next Nature proposals in round #1 . A selection of the proposals of round#1 is invited for a 5 minute presentation on 23 November 2007 …
Next Nature Interview
For the Venezuelan Magazine Platanoverde , Gabriela Valdivieso y Lope Gutiarrez-Ruiz interviewed artist/scientist Koert van Mensvoort and discussed some of the idea's behind Next …
Today: Paradise by the Laptop Light
Eat the fruit. Kiss the Snake. Today 16:30-18:00: Paradise by the Laptop Light at STRP Festival .
Biomechanical Energy Harvesting
Arnoud van den HeuvelLet's face it: every time your cellphone battery runs empty you feel amputated and you quickly run back to your house to connect to a powering-adapter. Bionic Power Inc. is now …
Designing for Next Nature: selected proposals
Some months ago we sent out a call for proposals asking for visions, statements & ideas on we how we can design, build and live in next nature. We received an overwhelming …
Today: Paradise by the Laptop Light
Koert van MensvoortEat the fruit. Kiss the Snake. Today 16:30-17:30: Paradise by the Laptop Light is the opening event of the Wereld van Witte de With Festival .
Battery-Free Implantable Neural Sensor
Koert van MensvoortThe shrinking size of electronics allows for the implantation of increasingly sophisticated electronic devices in the human body, paving the way for new prosthetics and …
BioStream
Arnoud van den HeuvelA renewable energy technology company in Australia designed this power generation system inspired by the shape of the tailfins of sharks, tuna and mackerel. The currents on the …
Energy-aware Internet-routing
Arnoud van den HeuvelData-hungry companies like Google, Microsoft and Amazon could reduce their energy consumption with 40% by rerouting data to locations where electricity prices are lowest on a …
Steam Horse
Koert van MensvoortThis remarkable proposal for a steam powered street locomotive was invented by Mathewson in 1876. According to the inventor the goal was to make a machine resembling a horse in …
Ars Electronica 2010: Artists Adressing NextNature
Ties van de WerffSind wir noch zu retten? That was the slogan of this year’s Ars Electronica festival in Linz (Austria). Titled ‘REPAIR’, the media art festival urged to leave our scepticism and …
Next Nature Movie #5: American Beauty
Koert van MensvoortDuring the selection of the top ten of next nature movies we’ve doubted quite a bit between the Truman Show (1998) and American Beauty (1999). The Truman Show tells the story of a …
Birdfeeders spit Blackcaps in two species
Koert van MensvoortUntil now, most people have likely regarded bird-feeders as merely a pleasant addition to their gardens. But scientists have now discovered that bird-feeders in the UK are …
Electric Topiary
Allison GuyHas this tree gone Pac-Man on the power lines? In truth, the slice through the side of the tree is the work of 'utility pruning.' Topiary was once determined on entirely aesthetic …
Manufactured Rainbows
Bastiaan EkelerWhy wait for old nature to give us rainbows when we have so many ways of making our own? The image above shows solar-powered installation that uses recycled rainwater to create …
Razorius Gillettus in NRC Next
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkDutch newspaper NRC Next features a shortened version (in dutch) of the Razorius Gillettus essay, written by Koert van Mensvoort. Download the scan . A longer version of the essay …
Start the Presses!
Koert van MensvoortHooray! The long awaited Next Nature book is currently being printed and can now be pre-ordered for 37,50 euro . The Book launches at The Next Nature Powershow on 5 November in …
Bacteria "R" Us
Rachel ArmstrongThere is a domain of creatures that diffusively encircles an entire planet. There are so many of them that they occupy every conceivable ecological niche. Yet, despite their …
Enjoy Udder Milk
Koert van MensvoortImaginary infomercial on the hypernatural udder cows, optimized for milk production
Lucy McRay - Swallowable Parfum
Koert van MensvoortKnow garlic? Now imagine we could make something that functions alike, but smells a lot better. That's what Swallowable parfum is about.
Rachel Armstrong - Living Architecture
Koert van MensvoortVenice, Italy is sinking. To save it, Rachel Armstrong says we must develop living technology.
Regine Debatty – Onstage Book review
Koert van MensvoortAt the Next Nature Power Show 2011 Regine Debatty, art critic and famed blogger at www.we-make-money-not-art.com , presented a live on stage review of the Next Nature book .
Anthropo-scene #1: From Rocks to Thoughts
ChristianHow geology and humanity turn ancient algae into high-tech gadgets.
Gathering Electricity from the Atmosphere
Stephen Perry"Atmospheric energy" has the power to revolutionize the production of electricity.
Kitchen of 2001 – Envisioned in 1967
Koert van MensvoortRetro futuristic vision from the sixties: "The menu is given to the automatic chef via typewriter or punched computer cards."
World's First In Vitro Hamburger Arrives
Allison GuyBreak out the ketchup: Mark Post has grown the world's first entirely artificial burger from cultured beef cells.
Yes, Naturally
Ine GeversThe introductory essay from the Yes, Naturally book - available in our store!
Professions Of The Future
Francesca BarchiesiAs technology evolves, what today seems like science fiction may be the job market of tomorrow: 11 professions of the future.
Could Biomimicry Help us Solve the Refugee Crisis?
Daniel FragaFrom nutrients within an organism, to organisms within collectives, to populations within a territory and so on - nature offers models on how to deal with highly complex systems.
Our Bodies, Our Fuel
Adriene LillyThis piece from Ars Technica details the breadth in the variety of energy sources emitting from our every day interactions.
Interview: Leanne Wijnsma, Designer for the Instinct Who Uses Smell as Medium
Ruben BaartDutch experience designer Leanne Wijnsma designs for the human instinct and puts the sense of smell back to where it belongs, as modern hazards have shifted to the digital realm.
Lunar Insurrection Vol.2: Harvest Moon
Daniel FragaLunar Insurrection is a group of architects that explores the creative possibilities of the moon as a potential territory for human activity and inhabitation. In Vol.2 , their …
Facial Recognition Replaces Passports
Ruben BaartBiometric technology replaces passports in Australian airports.
Energy Generated from Polluted Air
Elle Zhan WeiScientists developed a device that converts polluted air into clean air while generating power.
A Floating Gym in Paris
Ruben BaartThis floating gym harnesses human energy to sail down the Seine River in Paris.
Jobs for Creators - Robots at Work #2
Mathilde NakkenHave a look at our series Robots at Work! In this episode we present you five jobs for creators, the ones that build with their hands.
Stay Young with Millennial Blood
Ruben BaartA clinical startup sells millennial blood to reverse aging.
Your Next Nature guide to Dutch Design Week 2018
Meike SchipperOver time, our bodies, our food and our environment have become more and more subject to design. As designers, we hold the responsibility and have the unique chance to envision …
The future infrastructure of the blockchain might be green and humane
Koen WeselThe connection we share through the Internet has laid the foundation for a whole new digital infrastructure, in which blockchain technology is heralded by many believers for being …
Maurizio Montalti talks about the cycle of life
Meike SchipperAs modern humans, we are out of balance with our natural environment. With use of technology, we try to prolong our human lifespan and create materials that live longer than we …
How biotechnology could shape the future of product design
Ruben BaartHumans have been manipulating living things for thousands of years. Examples of early biotechnologies include domesticating plants and animals and then selectively breeding them …
Next Generation: Visualising the diversity of microbial species with Valerie Daude
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your coordinates as we …
Next Generation: Shimmering nature with Elissa Brunato
Freya HutchingsThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Would you like to see your work here? Get in touch …
Next Generation: Speculating about the future with Deborah Rhyner
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your coordinates as we …
Talking non-human nonsense with Nonhuman Nonsense
Ruben BaartNonhuman Nonsense is a research-driven design and art studio existing somewhere between utopia and dystopia. They wonder upon our relationship with the non-human, embracing …
Design your Self!
Next Nature DevWho are you, who do you want to be, and what do you need to do to get there? We are constantly pushed to lead the perfect life. The media present us with a picture of an existence …
What we can learn from The Social Dilemma
Vanessa Bates RamirezIs social media ruining the world? Dramatic political polarization. Rising anxiety and depression. An uptick in teen suicide rates. Misinformation that spreads like wildfire. The …
Explore the future of nature at IDFA Festival
Kelly van GemertHumans often claim to be at the top of the food chain, but is that really the case? We are experiencing – now more than ever – our own fragility: an increase in natural disasters, …
Humans could recolonize Earth after mass extinctions with ectogenesis
Matthew EdwardsLately it seems that every movie, book and video game we see is about future apocalypses. Science articles are also painting a grim future for Earth and its inhabitants. If it’s …
Why we need to get better at predicting space weather
Koert van MensvoortThe Sun is the most important source of energy for sustaining life on Earth, but it gives us a lot more than just light and heat. It also gives us solar storms.
The Embassy of Health is designing a chronically healthy society
Eloise MaraisHow will we stay healthy in the future? Can we utilize the power of design to move towards a more healthy society?
From Megabytes to CO2
Marit BeerseThijs Biersteker has designed an art installation that shows the carbon dioxide emission of the internet.
Paco Rabanne's AI-designed perfume can connect with your phone while making you smell sexier
Selin KirPaco Rabanne already positioned himself as a cutting-edge designer by establishing his reputation as one of the trailblazers during the space age movement of the 1960s. With his …
Cleaning water with magnets
Kelly van GemertWhat if we could clean our water with magnets? Wageningen University & Research, introduces the Magnetic Adsorption-Desorption (MAD) project.
Using bacteria to create self-fired and biologically glazed ceramics
Kelly van GemertEmbracing nature's ingenuity, designer Nicole Chrysikou harnesses the power of bacteria for her pottery practices.
Building the farm of tomorrow
Kelly van GemertSeven examples of how design will help us built the farm of tomorrow.
The fantastical living landscapes of AUSGANG Studio
Kelly van GemertAUSGANG Studio combines art, technology, and living materials to tell stories of our world's trajectories.
Nature So-called
Michiel SchwarzNature is not what it used to be. Or at least that is what we may think, when we look at the way humans and their technologies have treated nature. When we speak of "nature", …
Crop Circles
Arnoud van den HeuvelIn the UK farmers recall simple circles appearing on their land for generations. The British media first reported on the circles in the early 1980s. By 1990 crop circles had …
Die Hard - Vilcus plug dactyloadapter
Koert van MensvoortMany people get a kick out of a direct contact with AC power supply. To that end, people normally use U-shaped fragments of bare wire, paper clips or even usual metal forks. All …
Modernistic Vaginas
Dr NaturalThe influence of modernism and its trend of thought that affirms the power of human beings to create, improve, and reshape the world, along with its clear universal style of …
The 21th Century Paradigm
The history of art through the ages reveals a constancy that, by conscious or unconscious applications, provides us with an omnipresent correlation dealing with the …
Vanity ring
Rolf CoppensFor all you self-Googlers out there. And yes.. that means you too! Back in the old days (pre-next-nature) you used to wear gold rings and lots of bling you show off your wealth …
Amsterdam Weekly on the Natural Revolution
The free cultural paper Amsterdam Weekly discusses the Natural Revolution of and includes tree tips for successful living in the next version of nature. Download PDF (148kb) . …
Genetic Map of Europe
Koert van MensvoortEuropean biologists have constructed a genetic map of Europe showing the relations between its various populations. The right part of the map shows the location in Europe where …
Let the Dutch bury the Carbon
Koert van MensvoortToo much carbon emissions warming up the planet? No problem: just bring the stuff back to where you got it from in the first place. Experts have been advising to bury carbon …
Not just Second Life, but Multiple Lives
MTHow real is World of Warcraft? When lines get blurred and people voluntarily throw themselves in a state of digital schizophrenia; current values and norms change in ways …
A Future Love Story
By MARCEL VAN DER DRIFT. Ten years from now, a cell phone gently sinks to the bottom of the river. It's one of the latest models. The clever design, trendy colours and nifty …
Hollywood Nature
Arnoud van den HeuvelFor those who feel like the world is heading for economical malaise and financial disaster: cheer up! there's always a worse scenario. End sequence of our 2008 show in LA, by Luke …
Reprogramming Skin Cells into Stem Cells
Arnoud van den HeuvelA major breakthrough in the world of genetics: Researchers have successfully reprogrammed skin cells into stem cells. Using a technique called iPS cell reprogramming (developed in …
Sunlight-shaped Furniture
Arnoud van den HeuvelAustrian designers Katharina Mischer and Thomas Traxler have created a solar powered machine that makes arrays of furnishings that vary based on how much sunlight it receives over …
The Uncanny Valley of the Pussycat Dolls
Koert van MensvoortMake no mistake, you're not looking at the latest Barbie line: These are the The Pussycat Dolls. Formerly an LA stripper show burlesque show, now upgraded to be pop music …
Douglas Coupland: A radical pessimist's guide to the next 10 years
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkDouglas Coupland is a writer and artist based in Vancouver. For the canadian newspaper Globe and Mail, he wrote The ‘radical pessimist's guide to the next 10 years’ a dystopian …
Nano Supermarket – Jury Report
Nanotechnology is an important emerging technology of our time – it radically intervenes with our sense of what is natural – yet most people are still relatively unaware of its …
Razorius Gilletus – On the Origin of a Next Species
Koert van MensvoortIs the evolution of the single bladed razor into an exorbitant five–bladed vibrating gizmo the outcome of human needs, or is there another force in play? Say hello to Razorius …
Search Stories
TimoOnce upon a time humans told stories by painting on cave walls, showing plays in an amphitheater, pressing text on paper and shining light trough pieces of film. Today we tell our …
Allergen Beagle – A Home Foodscanner
Koert van MensvoortNo shellfish, no peanuts, no soy, no milk, no eggs. An increasing number of people suffer from various food allergies, which force them to constantly scan food packages for …
Disaster Edens: The Anti-Tourist Attraction
Allison GuyImagine your cruise to the Galapagos came with a ghoulish warning: "Your hair will fall out, your skin will blister, you'll probably get cancer and your children's children might …
![Visual of Manko & Time [#13, The End]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2011/manko-time-13-the-end/ad243e97e0-1602632753/manko13-868x486.jpg)
Manko & Time [#13, The End]
Aston RevolaMany things have been rumored about the artist called Manko since he vanished about a year ago. Some even went so far as to claim he had died. So it was all over the news when …
Morphing Cutlery
Koert van MensvoortImagine a world where the shapes of all objects around you would be able to change on the fly. Envision a future where nanotechnology and morphing become ubiquitous and blend in …
Can Life Be a Technology?
Rachel ArmstrongIn 2009 the Initiative for Science, Society and Policy coined the phrase ‘living technology’ [1] to draw attention to a group of emerging technologies that are useful because they …
Fly like a Bird? Get Human Birdwings
Koert van MensvoortDutch mechanical-engineer Jarnos Smeets dreams of flying like bird. Nothing new really, many people have had this dream for ages. Yet being an engineer and all, Jarnos is seriously propelling his dream towards a reality.
Next What?
John ZerzanIn this essay, anti-civilization, anarchist philosopher John Zerzan critiques the concept of 'next nature.' He argues that rather than freeing us, our self-domestication through …
To Generate Electricity, Just Tap on this Virus
Allison GuyIs your friend impatiently tapping on her phone, or is she just charging the battery? Researchers at the Berkeley Lab have produced the first virus-powered generator that runs off …
"Algae Opera" Nourishes Algae with a Singer's Breath
Silvia CelibertiAre you blessed with a Maria Callas kind of voice? If, like us, you don't go beyond croaking the occasional " I want to break free" in the shower, watch out. If the artists of …
Jason Silva and the Dawn of Nanotech
Alessia AndreottiBuckle up for a new series of videos from performance philosopher Jason Silva.
Moral Shortcomings in the Technology Debate
Rinie van EstDigital and genetic techniques increasingly influence life. Our belief in progress through technology stands in the way of a moral debate on this development. By Rinie van Est We …
Rubber Duck XL: the Bath is Over
Alessia AndreottiThe gigantic rubber duck created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman floated on Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour, with the island skyline in the background. The XL duck showed up in …
Toss the Brita: Bacteria Can Filter Antibiotics from Water
Fan ChenFilter and recover antibiotics from drinking water using only bacteria, water and sunlight.
Treating Mental Illness with Video Games
Ken ChenNeurofeedback shows promises in treating a range of mental ailments.
BAT Flies High in the Sky to Make Energy
Francesca BarchiesiBuoyant Airborne Turbine is a giant high altitude wind turbine that brings low cost energy to remote areas and off-grid sites.
Blaming Car Technology for Dumb Drivers
Alessia AndreottiCars increasingly rely on technology designed to make driving easier and safer. But are these improvements creating less-skilled drivers?
Electricity From Plants
Lotte BiesheuvelA new technology enables us to produce electricity from living plants at practically every site where plants can grow.
Faking a Holiday on Social Media
Alessia AndreottiDutch girl fakes an exotic holiday with the power of Photoshop and Facebook.
Technology Costs Evolution
Alessia AndreottiProducing an iPhone in 1991 would have cost 3,56 million of dollars.
Art Experiment Allows to Kill with a Click
Hessel HoogerhuisFlorian Mehnert, A German artist, has launched an experiment that will give internet users the power to shoot a rat with a single click on their keyboard or smartphone. A …
DOUG: the First Robot Able to Draw
Margherita OlivoRobots can already read, talk and reason. Yet, they do not seem to have found limits to their artistic skills either. Meet DOUG_1, first the drawing robot.
Fast Food = Lower Test Scores
Alessia AndreottiThe amount of fast food children eat may be linked to how well they do in school, a study suggests.
Art Installation Submerges Amsterdam
Hessel HoogerhuisWaterlicht shows how the Netherlands would look without waterworks — a virtual flood.
Seeing the Sun Through Data
Adriene LillyThe Smithsonian’s National Air and Space museum has taken the sun observation to the next level with a giant public display of images and data that show the sun in hyper-real detail.
The Biosphere Code Manifesto
NextNature.netDuring the event The Biosphere Code, Stockholm University researcher Victor Galaz and colleagues outlined a manifesto for algorithms in the environment.
The Drone Circus
Alessia AndreottiThe first ever circus consisting entirely of drones is coming to Amsterdam. This fall the Amsterdam Arena will host a choreographed airshow using nothing but drones combined with …
Tourism's Impact on Indigenous Tribes
Wei Lun WangHow does an indigenous culture sustain, extend, and evolve nowadays? Probably, it mainly depends on the preferences of the tourism industry. Here is an example from the Mursi, one …
AI Outsmarts Face Masking Methods
Monika KozubThe latest researches showed how AI can recognize human faces even if pixelated and meant to be incognito.
Bringing Augmented Reality to Fitness
Ruben BaartFitbit just released a new motivational feature that aims to trigger their users to go out and exercise more.
Facebook Provides a Suicide Prevention Tool
Ingmar NieuweboerFacebook provides a new tool for suicide prevention
Body hair helps animals stay clean – and could inspire self-cleaning technologies
David HuWatch a fly land on the kitchen table, and the first thing it does is clean itself, very, very carefully. Although we can’t see it, the animal’s surface is covered with dust, …
Designer Dave Hakkens is putting plastic waste to better use
Ruben BaartWe recently handed this year’s ECO Coin Award to Dutch designer Dave Hakkens, founder of the Precious Plastic movement. With his open sourced recycling machines, he provides people around the world the knowledge to start recycling plastic locally.
Nature-Inspired Nano-Robots
Ingmar NieuweboerResearchers developed tiny, autonomous robots able to repair circuits.
The Office of the Future on Four Wheels
Alejandro AlvarezNissan created the e-NV200 workspace: an electrical van with zero emissions that is packed with everything you need to work efficiently.
Rainforests Regrowth Boosts CO2 Capture
Margherita OlivoNewly grown rainforests can absorb 11 times as much carbon from the atmosphere as old-growth forests, a study has shown.
The Autonomous Tractor Is Here
Ruben BaartCase IH debuted their autonomous farm tractor that plants, monitors crops and harvests, all without a driver.
Fake Grass Covered Roofs to Produce Energy
Margherita OlivoThe concept of using our rooftops to produce green, renewable energy for our houses is already very common if we look at solar panels. Now an international team of scientists is …
Artificial Sun Tested in Germany
Julie ReindlThe biggest artificial sun was set up in Germany to find out how carbon neutral fuel can be produced.
HUBOT: Meet the Focused Assembly Worker
NextNature.netAs a focused assembly worker, you are a real go-getter thanks to your smart tools. Wearing smart factory goggles and using a transparent LED screen, these give you direct …
Grow Your Own Bio Bot
Julie ReindlResearches at the University of Illinois released a step by step guide to build 3D printed bio robots with living muscles.
HUBOT: Meet the Exoskeleton Mover
NextNature.netA job from HUBOT: as an exoskeleton mover, you wear a motorized exoskeleton suit that gives you the muscular power of a gorilla.
Will Kites Provide Wind Energy in the Future?
Megan Ray NicholsIf you’ve watched clouds roll by, you know wind moves more steadily in the upper atmosphere. Turbines just can’t reach high-altitude wind energy. Kites can!
The making of the Modular Body
Jack CaulfieldRemember the Modular Body? Curious about how OSCAR was really created or keen to know more about the project as a whole? Check out the making of videos!
Opening HUBOT at DDW
NextNature.netThe robots have arrived! Yesterday we celebrated the launch of HUBOT , job agency for people and robots at MediaMarkt , as part of the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven. Our virtual …
Refreezing the Arctic
Ruben BaartA team of scientists developed a peculiar strategy to counter the Arctic ice melting.
Replacing Fireflies with Lasers
Alec SchellinxAfter mounting criticism from environmentalists, a firefly-themed park in China announced that the glowing bugs will be replaced by lasers.
Robotization Makes Work More Human
Koert van MensvoortImagine being 16 and studying for a job that soon won't exist. What kind of future is that? New occupations will come thanks to robotization.
Jobs for Caretakers - Robots at Work #1
Mathilde NakkenThis is post number one of our serie 'Robots at Work'. In this episode we present you five jobs for caretakers, the ones that work with their hearts.
Jobs for Entrepreneurs - Robots at Work #4
Mathilde NakkenThis is post number four of our serie 'Robots at Work'. In this episode we present you five jobs for entrepreneurs, the ones who love doing big business.
Sexy Cyborg Sports Her Prosthetic Limb
Koert van MensvoortThe Brazilian model Paola Antonini uses her Instagram to show off her prosthetic limb.
This artwork lets trees tell the story of climate change
Linda ValentaIn our ongoing battle against climate change, it's hard to transcend from our human position and ‘think’ like nature. Given, nature doesn't think the way humans do, but it does …
Getting rid of that bit of unspoiled green
Sanne vander BeekThere it is. A hefty hen, with its head up high and its beak out. And a gigantic VR headset over its beady little eyes. What does this battery hen see? ‘An experience of a free …
How this self-sustainable microhome may change the future of housing
Belen MunozLooking for a self-sustainable mobile microhome? Ecocapsule got you covered. This cute-as-pie capsule pod allows you to live completely off the grid in a low-energy, mobile …
Scientists accidentally create mutant enzyme that eats plastic bottles
Damian CarringtonScientists have created a mutant enzyme that breaks down plastic drinks bottles – by accident. The breakthrough could help solve the global plastic pollution crisis by enabling …
3D-printing food waste into tasty products
Meike SchipperGlobally, humans produce enough food to feed 10 billion people (we are only 7 billion now) yet somehow we waste a third of this. Food waste is one of the biggest climate …
Next Nature is hiring an army of bots
Next Nature DevAs we showed with HUBOT , we can use new technologies and robotics to make our work more enjoyable, interesting and humane. Aside from our speculative jobs, a lot of robotic …
Beyond biomimicry: a new urgency
William MyersDesigners face an unprecedented urgency to alter their methods and reprioritize their goals to address the accelerating degradation of the environment. This new …
Can technology be humane?
Koert van MensvoortWe must be mindful about how we engage with technology: what we use it for, why, and whether it helps us or hinders us. Sometimes our tech seems to be flowing in inhumane …
How cities are cutting out cars
Vanessa Bates RamirezIt’s common consensus in the tech industry that the days of cars as we know them—powered by gas, driven by humans, and individually owned by all who want and can afford one—are …
Exploring body architecture with Lucy McRae
Meike SchipperAs evolution goes on, the human body is evolving too. What does it mean to be human in times of advanced biotechnology and genetic engineering? Are our bodies ready for our …
3 ways Virtual Reality is revolutionizing teaching
John PickavanceYou’ve probably heard how Virtual Reality (VR) is going to change everything: the way we work, the way we live, the way we play. Still, for every truly transformative technology, …
How Amazon trees write their own autobiographies
Chris HuntTropical forests are one of the world’s largest carbon stores and they help regulate the global climate. But they’re being erased at a terrifying rate. Deforestation claimed an …
How climate fiction novels allow us to imagine possible futures
Adeline Johns-PutraEvery day brings fresh and ever more alarming news about the state of the global environment. To speak of mere “climate change” is inadequate now, for we are in a “ climate …
Next Generation: Growing technology with Prosthetic X
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
With this technology we can shake hands during the pandemic
Claire Ouwejan“Please refrain from hand shaking" is a common sign we now see as a result of public health organizations advising people to avoid shaking hands as a greeting. As people still …
Her is an outlook on the possible future of dating a chatbot
Ruben BaartWith most of us stuck at home because of lockdown, for the singles around us intimacy may have turned into a distant dream. Could we find our salvation in technology? And what …
Next Generation: Cooking with viruses with Pei-Ying Lin
Britta de VriesThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Want to see your work here? Get in touch and …
Next Generation: listening to ultrasound waves with Sheng-Wen Lo
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Would you like to see your work here? Get in touch …
Next Generation: Combining AI with human creativity with Sofia Crespo
Freya HutchingsThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Would you like to see your work here? Get in touch …
Next Generation: Hearing the first breath of Earth with Dora Lionstone
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
Next Generation: illustrating the remains of the anthropocene with Louise Silfversparre
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
Next Generation: Moving towards the plastic human with Max Ahluwalia
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
Why physical distancing feels so unnatural to us
Isabelle Catherine WinderFor many people, the most distressing part of the coronavirus pandemic is the idea of social isolation. If we get ill, we quarantine ourselves for the protection of others. But …
A message from volcanic rocks
Laura van den BrinkAlthough it’s seductive to think of human beings as the dominant species on earth, many others play important roles too. Bacteria, insects, algae colonies, rocks and the …
How cyborg soil reveals the secret microbial metropolis beneath our feet
Edith HammerDig a teaspoon into your nearest clump of soil, and what you’ll emerge with will contain more microorganisms than there are people on Earth. We know this from lab studies that …
Beijing's dust storm: part human, part nature
Ruben BaartThe skies in Beijing turned orange recently, thanks to what was widely reported as a massive sandstorm . The problem, at least in terms of public health, is that it was not …
Can microbes communicate with alien species?
Ruben BaartAre we alone in the universe? The famous Seti (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) programme has been trying to answer this question since 1959. American astronomer Carl …
Discovering AI generated species
Marit BeerseSofia Crespo and Feileacan McCormick have made an AI-generated endangered species installation on Times Square.
Jurassic World scientists still haven’t learned
Ruben BaartJust because you can doesn’t mean you should – real-world genetic engineers can learn from the cautionary tale. “ Jurassic World: Dominion ” is hyperbolic Hollywood entertainment …
Next Generation: Tasting Landless Food with Malu Luecking
Kelly van GemertRegeneration of extinct flavor families via microalgae
Next Generation: Experiencing neo-robophilia with Hye Hyun Song
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
This expo explores technological nature and indigenous insight
NextNature.netTechnology brings us closer to nature, and indigenous insight reconnects us to our roots.
Next Generation: Changing the oceans chemistry with Santa Ramaherison
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
The information age is starting to transform fishing worldwide
Ioana TomiciPeople in the world’s developed nations live in a post-industrial era, working mainly in service or knowledge industries. Manufacturers increasingly rely on sensors, robots, …
Next Generation: Designing a living menstrual cup with Lucrezia Alessandroni
Kelly van GemertWhat if living objects could re-connect humans with their menstrual cycle and change the way we perceive it?
THRIVE: an expo in designing nature and growing technology
Ruben BaartTHRIVE expo showcases the latest works at the convergence of art, design, and biology, which examine current and future uses of biotechnology.
Tesla enhanced Lotus, now Lotus returns the favor
Koert van MensvoortLo and behold the new Lotus Eletre Hyper SUV car. It shouldn't be allowed to exist, yet you may meet it in traffic soon.
How to design your future family
Ruben BaartImagine a place called Reprodutopia. How would such a place look like?
A new mythology of technology
Ruben BaartIn conversation with architect Julia Watson, a leading expert on Indigenous technologies and author of 'Lo-TEK, Design by Radical Indigenism'.
Next Nature's must reads
Ruben BaartTen books that continue to inspire the next nature philosophy—gathered for you to read this summer.
Meet the BAD Awards winners of 2023
Kelly van GemertThe annual Bio Art & Design (BAD) Award encourages new artists and designers to explore the world of bio art and design. Let's have a look at the three winning projects of this year.
Entry 2006 closing weekend
This weekend is the last change to visit the Entry 2006 exhibition in the coalwashe building, Zollverein. Over 300 exhibits from more than 20 countries are on display. Next nature …
Entryparadise
Written by Werner Lippert & Peter Wippermann, Curators of the Entryparadise exhibition (26/8 until 3/12, 2006, at Kohlenwäsche, Zollverein) Design is about to undergo a …
Real Nature is not Green
Koert van MensvoortAt the edge of the woods along the motorway near the Dutch town of Bloemendaal, there stands a mobile telephone mast disguised as a pine tree. This mast is not nature: at best, it …
Skinover
Arnoud van den HeuvelIn "Dutch dress up" (a travelling exhibition of accesoires by 40 Dutch designers), Silvia B is presenting new glove-models showing a specific skin peculiarity. In general clothes …
Brain-computer interface for Second Life
Dr NaturalWhile recent developments in brain-computer interface (BCI) technology have given humans the power to mentally control computers, nobody has used the technology in conjunction …
Cleanbits - indulgences website C02
Koert van MensvoortWhat has a virtual world got to do with CO2 emissions? Yes. Electricity. Computers are getting increasingly more powerful and thus, using increasingly more power. Cleanbits (Dutch …
Digizerk
Arnoud van den HeuvelHenk Rozema displaying his invention (2006), the digital tombstone "Digizerk". It was only a question of time that global digitalization would be introduced on cemeteries. The …
Haptic technology
Arnoud van den HeuvelHaptic technology refers to technology which interfaces the user via the sense of touch by applying forces, vibrations and/or motions to the user (Just think of the Wii ). At the …
Human Tetris
Dr NaturalA tribute to the virtual world boomeranging back to the physical world by Mega64 . Or do you rather prefer the corny japanese gameshow version? Via Engadget ,
Humans to Blame for Global Warming
Koert van MensvoortGlobal warming is "very likely" a human-caused problem that will last for centuries and require concerted international action to reduce its potentially devastating impacts, a …
Out of Control
The Made and the Born: Neo-Biological civillization, written by Kevin Kelly, excerpt from Out of Control : The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems and the Economic World, …
Printing virtuality
Arnoud van den HeuvelPhone, internet, television, photography, even books or music: today it is hard for the mind to escape from virtual worlds. A day without communication or interaction could make …
Sao Paulo vs Billboards
Rolf CoppensThe mayor of Sao Paulo decided that he was tired of the wildgrowth of billboards in the city. So he decided to take them all down (not personally). This creates a very pre (or …
Switch Critters - Can you make them switch?
Koert van MensvoortEarlier we discussed the Magical Interaction project, in which Joris van Gelder rethought the boring activity of switching on/off a light by transforming it into a magical …
Rotating Skyscraper
Koert van MensvoortRemember the wind shaped pavilion ? In Dubai they do it bigger. Architect David Fisher designed a skyscraper that rotates by wind power. Each floor rotates independently at …
Flatscreen TV Now Required for Survival?
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkGRONINGEN (NL) – Low-income people in the Dutch city Groningen should be able to buy a flatscreen television, according to the alderman of social affairs Peter Verschuren. The …
Hail Control Gun
Arnoud van den HeuvelA single hail storm can destroy the year's harvest. For over 25 years, this gun has been used by vine and fruit growers in France, Spain, Austria and Belgium for one purpose: …
Italians Do It Better
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkTERRACINA, Italy: Before Michele Assunto hauls in his fishing net from the banks of a reed-lined canal here, he uses a pole to push the garbage out of the way. "They really need …
Let the plants do the dirty work.
Koert van MensvoortMathieu Lehanneur created a plant-powered indoor filtration system, that pulls in filthy air to be processed through a plant's leaves, roots, and humidity, reintroducing purified …
Photoshop terrorism
Rolf CoppensSome months ago Iran did a test to show off their missile power which turned out to be quite embarrassing because one out of three did not work. Fortunately, they had a good copy …
Scientists Extract Images Directly from Brain
Arnoud van den Heuvel(Extracted directly from Pink Tentacle , thanks!): Researchers from Japan’s ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories have developed new brain analysis technology that can …
Smart Forests - EWAN
Arnoud van den HeuvelAt Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Christopher Love and colleagues are working to find out whether energy from trees can be used to prevent forest fires. A sensor system …
Solar Trees
Arnoud van den HeuvelWelsh designer Ross Lovegrove ('Captain Organic') placed several glowing Solar Trees in the streets of Vienna (October 2007). These solar powered streetlights could save cities …
The Internet's presidential attention
Koert van MensvoortNow that we've recognized the internet as a living entity , we can begin to wonder what the internet is thinking of. Would it be possible to communicate? Ask questions? Read its …
Voyage of the Bacteria Bots
Dr NaturalThe 1966 science-fiction movie Fantastic Voyage famously imagined using a tiny ship to combat disease inside the body. With the advent of nanotechnology, researchers are inching …
Augmented Phone Browsing
Arnoud van den HeuvelThis video shows the first beta version of TwittARound – an augmented reality Twitter viewer on the iPhone 3Gs. It shows live tweets around your location on the horizon. Because …
Bacteria that Turn CO2 into Energy
Koert van MensvoortWe’ve written earlier about man–made bacteria that eat waste & shit petrol . How about a genetically modified bacteria that can eat CO2 and excrete methane that could power …
Brain Needs 'Nature'
Arnoud van den HeuvelScientists have begun to examine how the city affects the brain, and the results are chastening. Just being in an urban environment, they have found, impairs our basic mental …
Eyeborg
Arnoud van den HeuvelThe Eyeborg Project is the work of Rob Spence, a 36 year old filmmaker residing in Toronto, Canada and Kosta Grammatis – an unemployed engineer from San Francisco, California. …
Five strategies of Biomimicmarketing
Koert van MensvoortGreen electricity, Organic Shampoo, Jaguar convertibles, Red Bull, Bio Beef, Alligator gardening tools, Camel cigarettes and Puma sneakers. Once you develop an eye for it, it is …
Fresh from the Pharm
Gordon TiemstraWill we in the future still buy several needs according food in shops, or will we grow M&M’s ourselves? There is a lot happening on in the field of food technology , think for …
How to Grow your Own Toaster
Koert van MensvoortNow here is an experiment any one can do at home: Look around in your house and try to find a consumer product of which you know where it was made and by whom. Got any? Indeed, …
Placebo Buttons
Koert van MensvoortButtons are everywhere: throughout your day you press them on phones, alarm clocks, keyboards, elevators, dishwashers and of course on the computer screen. Although buttons did …
Strategy #4: Brand It ‘Eco Friendly’
Koert van MensvoortThe products in the fourth category don’t necessarily provide the consumer with a natural feeling. Their biomimicmarketing revolves around the claim to be ‘friendly towards …
Time pilots us...
Lizette ReitsmaYou step out of bed. Why? Because your alarm clock tells you it is time. A quick glance at the alarm clock tells you that you are still on schedule. First you take a shower and …
Unfolding the Earth - Myriahedral projections
Koert van MensvoortHow can we unfold the Earth? Making a map of the earth is an ancient problem. For thousands of years cartographers, mathematicians, and inventors have developed methods to …
Why are carrots orange? It is political
Koert van MensvoortNo, the image above does not some show some collection of freshly genetically designed hypercarrots in various colors of the rainbow. This is the spectrum of colors carrots used to have.
Wifi Dowsing Rod
Koert van MensvoortToday's technology advances so rapidly that people are often unable to update their media schemas in time and as a result are left cluelessly in awe of it all. Mike Thompson's …
1962 Oil Company Advertisement boasts about ability to Melt Glaciers
Koert van MensvoortIf this gasoline advertisement would be submitted to our infotizement contest , we would probably dismiss it for being too cynical and far fetched. Nonetheless, this ad was …
Europe airspace reboot
Rolf CoppensAfter a ban on flying last weeks due to the volcanic eruption in Iceland, the European airspace was slowly rebooting to its old state of activity. This movie shows the movement of …
From Analog to Digital, back to Analog
SandraSuijkerbuijkBitquid is an installation by Jeroen Holthuis which shows digital information transferring in an analogue way, through the use of fluorescent liquid. Nowadays the use of internet …
Nature as a building
Rolf CoppensAs the world is preparing to show off at the World Expo in Shanghai, their pavilions are nearing their final stage. To me, it feels like a lot of them are making references to …
Next Nature Movie Top 10
Koert van Mensvoort1. Quest for Fire / La Guerre du Feu (1981) 2. Being There (1979) 3. Koyaansiqatsi (1983) 4. Blade Runner (1984) 5. American Beauty (1999) 6. The Matrix (1999) 7. Grizzly Man …
Reading the Body: Finger Length Ratio Predicts Athletic Ability
Martijn van MensvoortThe human body is increasingly recognized as a biometric source of information for a wide spectrum of issues, including security, psychopathology, personality and health. Earlier …
The Buttons
Koert van MensvoortNowadays buttons are completely mundane and natural objects in our environment. You find them on phones, alarm clocks, keyboards, elevators, dishwashers and of course on the …
A day made of glass
DesignDirkThis video shows the design vision of Corning, a company that specializes in glass. Not just any glass, but glass incorporating technology, electronics and displays. And it sure …
Brainscan App
Arnoud van den HeuvelBy hooking up a commercially available EEG headset to a Nokia N900 smartphone, Jakob Eg Larsen and colleagues at the Technical University of Denmark in Kongens Lyngby have created …
Facing your Car
MattijsDo cars have a face? You would be inclined to say yes immediately. And you would be right as well, because they do. Study has confirmed through a complex statistical analysis that …
Flap to Freedom
It works like this. Position yourself with a friend in front of a battery hen and flap your arms as fast as you can when the music sets in. The harder you flap the faster your …
It's a plane!
Arnoud van den HeuvelBy nature, man is not meant to fly. But while we're at it, we may as well turn it into an experience . Charles Champion, Airbus Executive Vice President Engineering, envisions a …
![Visual of Manko & Life [#8]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2011/manko-life-8/f762250e48-1602632753/manco-8-868x486.jpg)
Manko & Life [#8]
Aston RevolaManko sighed. Nada: 'Did you like it?' Manko: 'I have to admit that if this is the starter, I'm not sure I'll survive the main course.' Everyone at the table laughed. Manko: 'Let …
Monkey See, Monkey Buy
Allison GuyYale researchers and advertising executives have created the first ad campaign aimed at animals. The targets in question are a group of captive capuchin monkeys with a taste for …
Next Nature Book Sample
Koert van MensvoortTry before you buy. Browse the sample excerpt of the lustrous Next Nature book containing material from chapter 1 & chapter 3. Books bricks are currently being shipped across the …
Next Nature Kills
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkToday, 122 years ago, on 13 september 1899, Henry Bliss became the first pedestrian known to be killed by an automobile in North America. Although not the first, he was certainly …
System Animals
Koert van MensvoortWhat animal is so naive to come into this world as a naked and crying infant, completely vulnerable, helpless, and an easy prey for any predator? Newborn lamb or giraffe’s babies …
Take your transgenic kids to the CPNH
Allison GuyThe Center for PostNatural History doesn't house the dinosaurs or dioramas of your run-of-the-mill natural history museum. Instead, it's the first museum dedicated exclusively to …
The AI Revolution Is On
Ruben DaasSteven Levy writes in Wired on the unexpected turn of the Artificial Intelligence revolution: rather than whole artificial minds, it consists of a rich bestiary of digital fauna, …
The Monsters We Deserve
Allison GuyRecently, a video clip has been circulating the web that purportedly shows a rabbit born earless due to the radiation at Fukushima. BoingBoing has a convincing take-down of the …
The Sound of the Blue Canary
Berry EggenBlue is a beautiful color, but its sound is simply irresistible. It is the song of the unhappy and the depressed. It is a sound that touches people. It was also the sound of a …
Tokyo Nightscape – Before and After
Koert van MensvoortBy fading between scenes of pre- and post-quake Tokyo, this time-lapse video shows how Tokyo's nightscape has been affected by ongoing conservation efforts and power shortages. …
Urban Birds
TimoIt's been known for a while that birds increase their singing volume to make themselves heard in the big city, but recent studies show that the city birds might even be evolving …
YouTube preserves unmediated Nature
Allison GuyOn Youtube, there's a whole sub-genera of safari videos that show, in gruesome detail, what exactly it means to live and die in Old Nature. The above film is a particularly …
A Space-Faring Backup for Earth's Biota
Allison GuyElon Musk, the chief executive of spacecraft company SpaceX, believes we need to reinvigorate popular interest in space colonization, not just to boldly go where no man has gone …
Bonobos (And Maybe Baboons) Domesticated Themselves
Allison GuyWhile evidence indicates that humans domesticated themselves , we're not the only primates capable of self-domestication. Bonobos and baboons have shown they are just as capable …
Brain Implant Restores Memory to Cocaine-Addled Monkeys
Allison GuyA team of researchers from three universities have succeeded in creating the first device that boosts the brain power of primates. In the study, five rhesus macaques were trained …
Fake Leaf is Twice as Efficient as the Real Thing
Allison GuyImproving on photosynthesis has long been a dream for scientists. The so-called artificial leaf – which wouldn't necessarily look like one – would run on only solar energy and …
Four Objections to Lab-Grown Meat
Allison GuyIn vitro meat has been billed as a way to end animal suffering , put a stop to global warming , and solve the world's insatiable demand for animal protein. There's no doubt that …
Goats Replace Lawnmowers in San Francisco
Allison GuyThey might not be as fast, but goats offer several advantages over diesel-powered lawnmowers. They're quieter, they emit fewer greenhouse gases, and they fertilize soil as they go …
Is the Human Body Redundant?
Rachel ArmstrongThe increasing ‘liveliness’ of machines and accessibility to the virtual world has raised questions about whether it is possible to uncouple the mind from the body in through a …
Latro Algae Lamp
Koert van MensvoortAs advances in nanotechnology bring us increasingly energy efficient products, plant life such as algae could become attractive sources for tapping energy. The Latro lamp by …
Let the Robotic Farmers feed the World
Koert van MensvoortThe future of farming is not to be found in further mass-industrialization nor in the return to traditional farming with man and horse power, but rather in swarms of smart, cheap robotic farmers that patiently seed, tend and harvest fields one plant at a time without the need for damaging pesticides.
Man-Made Coral Reefs
Koert van MensvoortLast week I had the pleasure of being the studio guest at the Earth Beat radio show. I was treated with examples of 'artificial nature' and asked to respond from a Next Nature …
Natura Prossimo a Milano
NextNature.netThis week our NANO Supermarket will be visiting Milan as part of the Salone Internazionale del Mobile.
Rural Energy: From Kerosine to LED
Koert van MensvoortWhile for most of us, happy blog readers, access to electricity is taken for granted, things are quite different in developing regions of the world. In India for example, over 65% …
Structuring biomimicry, improving building's resiliency
Wilfredo Mendez VazquezThe same way Einstein assumes the speed of light to be a constant of reference for his Theory of Relativity, the philosophy of biomimicry assumes Nature as a constant of reference …
The NBIC Convergence: When Machines and Matter ‘Have Sex’
Rachel ArmstrongThe Singularity , as popularized by Ray Kurtzweil, refers to a near term, theoretical time when machine intelligence greatly surpasses our own. At this point we will experience a …
Transparent Smart Window
Arnoud van den HeuvelDisplays have been on our desks for too long. Samsung makes space and introduces the Transparent Smart Window . This LCD touchscreen is powered by the sunlight shining from the …
Artifice Earth: Adam Rutherford on the Promises of Synthetic Biology
NextNature.netAn interview about the history and promises of synthetic biology, and the problem with the word "nature".
Bionic man
Marco van BeersAn showcase of what we are currently capable of installing in human beings.
Building Grows Its Own Energy from an Algae-Farming Facade
Hanna ZoonAlgae panels make a German building completely energy independent.
Death Watch Marks the Time of Your Life
Alessia AndreottiTikker, the watch that counts down your life, shows the amount of time you are estimated to have left.
Did Booze Make Us Modern?
Allison GuyA psychiatrist argues that beer gave us civilization - but do intoxicants play a deeper evolutionary role than that?
Get Your One Way Ticket to Mars
Alessia AndreottiWhat to do when earth is not enough? Thousands of people, tired of their life on Earth, are ready to emigrate to Mars. Since subscriptions opened on April 22, 80,000 people have …
High-Priced Honey from Parisian Rooftops
Allison GuyFamous Parisian landmarks are home to hundreds of thousands of bees.
Homemade Robot Designed from Recycled Scraps
Alessia AndreottiA Chinese inventor created a $24,500 robot from junkyard scraps.
Innovative Nostalgia
Koert van MensvoortWe humans simply feel more comfortable with technological change when it comes in a familiar form that refers to an existing and accepted object, habit, value, tradition or intuition.
Interview: Arne Hendriks, Researcher and "Father" of The Incredible Shrinking Man
Alessia AndreottiHendriks’s activity explores the positive transformative power of creative impulses and the importance of fundamental free scientific research.
Interview: Rachel Armstrong, Innovative Scientist Who Wants to Grow Architecture
Alessia AndreottiRachel Armstrong discusses living buildings, Venice's foundations, millennial nature and how to improve our future.
Living Among Pests – Designing the Biosynthetic City
Joyce HwangJoyce Hwang discusses the challenges for designers, and gains for citizens, of living in a truly biosynthetic city.
Nanosponges "Soak Up" Toxins and Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
Jordy RooijakkersNano-scale sponges show promise for defeating a variety of bacteria and toxins.
Next Natural Goats Adapt to Climb Trees
Alessia AndreottiThanks to evolution goats can climb, shifting their ecosystems to the trees.
"Responsive Typography" Tracks Your Location to Automatically Resize Text
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkA new website changes the text's font size depending on your distance from the computer.
Totem Animals for the Anthropocene
Ted HeistmanInvasive species become the animal symbols for a man-made world.
Virtual Reality Treats Nicotine Addicts
Jing GuScientists are using virtual reality environments to help people quit smoking.
All-Natural E-nemies
Silvia CelibertiChemistry teacher, James Kennedy, shows us that Mother Nature's products are far sneakier and complex than the lab's.
Austrian TV Crew visits Next Nature Lab
NextNature.netAustrian TV show TM Wissen visited the Next Nature Network to report on the "verstörende visionen und unberechenbare technologien".
Bionic Plants
Alessia AndreottiScientists designed a way to improve the efficiency of plants light harvesting during the photosynthesis, using nanotechnology.
GMO Trees to Simplify Paper Production
Alessia AndreottiResearchers engineered poplar trees for an easier production of paper and biofuels.
Growing the Future of Meat
Christina AgapakisOutside of the limits imposed by the edges of an animal’s body, the cells can reproduce and multiply until they exhaust the nutrients and space provided, filling petri dishes and vats to grow the future of meat.
H / AlCuTaAu: a New Artificial Mineral
Lotte BiesheuvelA new artificial mineral made of technological artifacts, such as computers, tools and machinery.
High-Tech Cemetery
Alessia AndreottiIn the Ruriden cemetery, in Tokyo, over 2.000 Buddhas statues are illuminated by high-powered color changing LED lights.
How Technology becomes Nature
NextNature.netIn this talk at TEDxGhent, our own Dr. Van Mensvoort shows how technology becomes nature in seven steps and what engineers, inventors, designers and entrepreneurs can learn from that.
Indomitable Flock of Balloons Got Wild
Francesca Barchiesi1.5 million balloons were released in once to create a spectacular show becoming uncontrollable and dangerous.
Next Nature and the Curse of Oil
Tere VadénThe next step is to embrace and celebrate how cultural artifacts are escaping control, becoming autonomous, and forming the “next nature”.
Painting the Anthropocene
Alessia AndreottiGovedare paints the human impact on natural environments, showing how nature has become a subset of culture.
Pixel Space
Lotte BiesheuvelIf the moon were only one pixel: a scale model of the solar system that shows how big our milky way actually is.
Razorius Gilletus Flexball Subspecies
Koert van MensvoortThe latest subspecies in the Razorius line is the Razorius Gilletus Flexball. While Gillete proclaims they reinvented shaving, others argue Gillette's new razor is everything that's wrong with America.
Solaris: Mind-Controlled Magnets
NextNature.netSolaris gives participants the power to control a pool of magnetic fluids with their brainwaves.
Transportations Of The Future
Francesca BarchiesiA selection of nine enthralling and striking concepts of future way of transportation.
Welcome in the Real Unreality
NextNature.netThis Sunday next nature maven Koert van Mensvoort is interviewed in what is arguably the finest show on Dutch television: VPRO Tegenlicht.
A Pop-Up Forest in Times Square
Yunus Emre DuyarA new Kickstarter project aims to bring the forest into Times Square.
Analogue vs Digital: Messenger Service
NextNature.netSocial media empowered the mass by providing them with a tool to spread their voices.
Anthropo-scene #7: Anthropocene Bird
ChristianDue to human action, 1300 bird species are seriously in decline. Other birds have learned to live with humans and profit from their presence.
Bistro In Vitro to Be Launched
NextNature.netInspired by the award winning In Vitro Meat Cookbook , Next Nature Network and Submarine Channel present Bistro In Vitro : an online design fiction documentary about the future …
Cities Evolve in Similar Ways as Galaxies
Koert van MensvoortScientists think the laws governing the structure of galaxies in outer space are the same laws underlying the growth of cities.
Communicating with City Infrastructures
Yunus Emre DuyarA recent project, named GENESI, might make it possible for city infrastructures to communicate with us.
Diseases Of The Future
Alessia AndreottiNowadays humans suffer from diseases that didn't exist in the past, a trend that will probably continue into the future. A wide range of new disorders, especially related to the …
Eco Currency Questions
Billy SchonenbergDiscussing the possibility to put a price-tag on nature, and what this would implicate.
"The End": a Virtual Opera Singer, Millions of Fans and the Meaning of Death
Alexandra BremersSixteen-year-old Japanese singer Hatsune Miku grew in short time to a worldwide popstar. With her colourful appearance she counts millions of followers on social media, she …
First Entirely Transparent Solar Panel Could Transform our Cities
Margherita OlivoOur constant need of new, cleaner energy led a Michigan State University research group to conceive a fully transparent solar panel that could replace ordinary windows.
Human-Like Robot Makes Freaky Joke About the Future of Mankind
Daniel FragaTo thread the uncanny valley is a conscious choice for many artists and enthusiasts, as a means to evoke, through their work, powerful emotions, thoughts and everything in between.
IBM Predicts Artificial Intelligence Future
Koert van MensvoortWhile the Watson technology is exponentially increasing its processing power on an annual basis and steadily moving from answering trivia questions, to cooking advice, onto medical advice, it is about time we confront it with the million dollar question: "Watson, what do you want?".
Interview: Liam Young on Speculative Architecture and Engineering the Future
NextNature.netInterview with Liam Young on his work in speculative architecture, the future, and our role in nature as humans.
Mark Zuckerberg Discovers 'Books'
Koert van MensvoortBooks allow you to fully explore a topic and immerse yourself in a deeper way than most media today.
Robot’s Best Friend
Alessia AndreottiFrom chef, to nurse, and also lover. Get ready, a new generation of robots is going to invade our lives!
Solar Tree That Provides Electricity
Louise HuyghebaertA tree, made with 3D printed leaves that contain solar cells.
Bacteria and Drones: New Ways to Collect Samples
Erik van der VeenWhile a hipster-drink bacteria are hunting space organisms, robots are catching whale snot in the open ocean.
Visualizing the World Economy
Koert van MensvoortThis Is What $15.3 Trillion of World Trade Looks Like.
Wireless Controlled Mouse, the Animal!
Alessia AndreottiA remote-controlled LED chip can make a mouse walk in circles.
Artificial Northern Lights
Monika KozubSwiss artist Dan Acher created a replica of the Northern Lights by way of high-powered lasers.
Bringing the Camera Back to Our Eyes
Monika KozubThe new Spectacles by Snap Inc. allow you to actually "make memories" (as their slogan claims) while capturing them.
Bringing In Vitro Meat to the Market
Margherita OlivoMark Post is planning to bring lab-grown meat on the market shelves within five years at a reasonable price.
Circular Economy
Koert van MensvoortThe uncomfortable watering can ironically shows us that the size matters in a circular economy.
Edible Battery for Ingestible Devices
Ruben BaartResearchers at Carnegie Mellon University are developing edible batteries to power ingestible medical devices for diagnosing and treating disease.
eHighway: a Fossil-Free Alternative
Margherita OlivoSweden hosts the World's first electric highway for trucks, giving hope for the future of fossil free transportation.
The Bioengineered Elixir of Life
Mathilde NakkenScientists say they can reverse aging by reprogramming the genome.
Growing Potatoes at JFK Airport
Ruben BaartThe 5th largest airline in the United States, JetBlue, is growing potatoes at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.
Hyperloop Set to Change Mass Transit
Megan Ray NicholsThe Hyperloop is a future transportation means that is safer, faster, and cheaper than current forms of mass transit.
Robot Babies to Prevent Pregnancy
Ruben BaartAn Australian study has shown the use of lifelike robot babies increased teen pregnancy, rather than discouraging it.
Interview: Pauline Van Dongen, Designer Merging Fashion and Technology
Margherita OlivoDutch fashion designer specialized in wearable technology, Pauline van Dongen researches the human body in relation to its surroundings.
Legally Stealing $60Million of Cryptocurrency
Lewis JustAll it takes to steal $60million worth of cryptocurreny is to create a child DAO. Sounds too good to be true...
Mapping the Online World
Ingmar NieuweboerThe world looks quite different online, based on the country-code domains
Meat the Future Exhibition
NextNature.netFrom October 11 to June 11 we will discuss the future of meat at Cube Deign Museum in Kerkrade (The Netherlands) with the exhibition Meat the Future.
“Next Tokyo” City Plan Unveiled
Ruben BaartA proposal for a residential skyscraper in Tokyo Bay as part of “Next Tokyo”, takes into account the recurrent threats of rising sea levels, seismic activity and typhoons.
Plastic Pod Beetles
Alejandro AlvarezArtist Alex Aebi' s collection of insects made of recycled plastic pods show us an alternative way in which this waste can inhabit our natural world.
Photoshop Hacks Become In Real Life Art
Nadine RoestenburgUV Production House reflects on popular online platforms for maker culture.
New Diets for Cows Can Stop Gas Emissions
Mathilde NakkenYearly 90 million metric tonnes of methane are burped and farted into the atmosphere by cattle with effects on climate change. Researchers are looking for ways to change the cow's diet, feeding it oregano, seaweed and super grass.
Racist Robots and Bloodthirsty Crowds
Daniel FragaIt took less than 24 hours for Twitter to corrupt an innocent AI bot and teach it morally repugnant things.
How Rare Is Virtual Gold?
Lewis JustPart one of a ten part series exploring the design of an invisible technology: money.
Talking Contact Lenses
Ruben BaartResearchers at University of Washington have introduced a new wireless communication method that allows small wearable devices to ‘talk’ to everyday devices.
The Interactive Supermarket
Ruben BaartCoop Italia has opened a flagship store in Milan to present their vision of what grocery shopping might hold for us in 2050.
Turn Your Cursor into a Songbird
Alejandro AlvarezThe Bird Sounds experiment, powered by Google Creative lab, is a visualization of thousands of bird songs organized by their similarities.
Old Cellphones to Fight Deforestation
Margherita OlivoA Californian engineer is using old cellphones and solar panels to save the rainforest ecosystem against deforestation.
1916 - Artificial Womb Appeared in Cinema
Elle Zhan WeiIn 1916 the artificial womb made its first appearance on the big screen in the movie "Homunculus" by Otto Rippert.
1999 - Ectogenesis Enters The Matrix
Elle Zhan WeiThe movie The Matrix brought ectogenesis to the public eye.
Visualize the Hidden World of Digital Networks
Nadine RoestenburgHave you ever wondered what the infosphere looks like? Dutch designer Richard Vijgen’s app Architecture of Radio is a field guide to the hidden world of digital networks.
Antarctica Is Turning Green
Ruben BaartRising temperatures have boosted the growth rates of seasonal mosses on Antarctica, turning the continent green.
The Digital Mythology of... Super Mario
Daniel FragaMythology still surrounds us, we just relate to it differently. Games and movies have replaced pantheons and folk tales. Fairies and gnomes left the forests and the rivers and moved to virtual realities.
Cyborg Cabin Crew
Ruben BaartAir New Zealand is equipping its flight attendants with AR headsets to explore in-flight optimization, giving its passengers a glimpse of what the future air travel service might look like.
Fungal Futures: the Mushrooms Utopia
Federico AndreottiExhibition Fungal Futures: design with mushrooms.
Hoverboarding Over the Atlantic
Elle Zhan WeiIn 2017, a hoverboard can fly 164 feet above earth and able to hover over the Atlantic Ocean.
Conversation with Dutch Philosopher Bas Haring: Robot, Colleague or Foe?
Ruben BaartWe talked with Bas Haring to discuss the conception, image and will of the robot. Read our conversation with him and update your ideas about robots.
Interview: Curator Ilari Laamanen on Momentum9, the Nordic Biennial
Ruben BaartWe recently spoke to Ilari Laamanen, to peel the outcrops of Momemtum9, and unveil the overlapping themes to the next nature philosophy.
An afternoon with Josh Tetrick: The man who wants to bring in vitro meat to the market by 2018
Ruben BaartMeet Josh Tetrick, entrepreneur who wants to reinvent the food industry and plans to launch lab-grown meat on the market by the end of 2018.
Letter to Humanity
Koert van MensvoortNNN director Koert van Mensvoort writes a letter to humanity.
A Robot Will Spark the Next Avant-Garde
Nadine Roestenburg “An illegal theme park exposing the ideology of the aesthetics of hacking”. “A hybrid drone targeting technological domination”. “A psychedelic fridge to raise doubt about fake …
The Next Nature Guide to Games in 2017
Jack CaulfieldIn the next nature, many people spend as much time in the digital world of gaming as they do in the real world. We have covered video games before, but this year we thought it …
Orange Petunias Banned in Europe
Julie ReindlGM varieties of petunia are not authorized for cultivation in the EU.
Smartflower Solar Device
Elle Zhan WeiPOP is an all-in-one solar energy system that hold visible benefits for humans.
Scientists Create Ghost Heart
Julie ReindlThe Texas Heart Institute researches in the field of organ transplantation. With the “ghost heart” — an heart organ scrubbed clean of all its former cells, the researches are on the verge of creating a sustainable and effective way of transplanting organs.
Speech Development Lost in Screens
Elle Zhan WeiA study shows that screen time for kids between six months and two years triggers expressive speech delay.
Bacteria Are the New Hard Drives
Daniel FragaDNA is the densest known storage medium in the universe - and Harvard University researchers have managed to use it to store GIFs inside bacteria.
The Economy of Ecology
Lewis JustWhat if we could redesign the system to work for humanity and the planet we call home? What would the economy of ecology look like?
Tinder for Orangutans
Ruben BaartThe Apenheul primate park in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, has launched a four-year experiment to study how the primates make their mating choices.
Turning Air Pollution Into Ink
Elle Zhan WeiIntroducing world's first ink completely made from air pollution.
Virtual Baby Acts and Looks Impossibly Real
Charlotte KuijpersA rosy-cheeked kid learns her first words, cries when her babysitter leaves, smiles when she’s happy, but she’s not real. BabyX is an AI research-in-progress by a company named Soul Machines.
A Virtual Cure for the Socially Withdrawn
Julie ReindlUsing alternative reality as a cure for the socially excluded.
MIT's new voiceless interface can read the words in your head
Vanessa Bates RamirezThe way we interact with the technology in our lives is getting progressively more seamless. If typing terms or addresses into your phone wasn’t easy enough, now you can just tell …
Slowing down to start up: Here's the first chapter of our crypto deep dive series
Koen WeselIt takes years to design a new banknote, having hundreds of people working on every little detail, all done under the watchful eye of governments and professionals. However today, …
Three scenarios for the future of farming
Kelly van GemertAgriculture may be one of the oldest of our technologies. Over time it has developed, changed, revolutionized, industrialized - or simply put, it has evolved . Today’s farms are …
Interview: Huub Ehlhardt on the evolution of products
Kelly van Gemert"To understand why a product is the way it is today, you need to learn about its evolutionary background." Meet Huub Ehlhardt, an engineer with a PhD in product design . Huub …
Lucas Foglia's photography explores the uneasy relationship between humans and nature
Laura MalloneeThere’s no place on earth untouched by human activity: This was clear as Lucas Foglia whizzed across the vast, white expanse of Alaska's Juneau Ice Field last summer. He was …
Next hospitals: How virtual reality is shaping the future of medicine
Jack CaulfieldAnd it’s already showing incredible results. VR transports us to faraway worlds without even asking us to leave our chairs. Yet we usually hear about it in the context of video …
Your next doctor might just be a robot
Jack CaulfieldConventional wisdom says that you can’t replace the human touch in terms of medical care, but in our rapidly changing technological environment, it appears that this perception …
The next sexual revolution is going to be all about technology
Peter DiamandisSex is one of the most powerful, fundamental human drives. It’s caused wars, and built and destroyed kingdoms. It occupies a significant percentage of most people’s thoughts. As …
Robo Wunderkind is a modular robot even a five-year-old can program
Kelly van GemertMeet the Robo Wunderkind, a new breed of smart toys that introduces children to the basics of coding and robotics in a playful way. Advanced technologies are increasingly embedded …
Making Seawater into Clean Fuel
Jack CaulfieldScientists have been hard at work searching for renewable energy sources. Now, a new breakthrough: the ability to produce hydrogen fuel from seawater.
Struck by lightning: Shipping emissions double frequency of lightning storms
Jack CaulfieldThey say lightning never strikes twice, but it appears to be striking a lot more often in some areas of ocean than others. New research published in Geophysical Research Letters …
Smartphone app helps indigenous communities fight deforestation
jeannedjawadiFive people suspected of illegal gold mining in Peru are in custody after indigenous community members used a system called ForestLink to alert authorities to the activity. …
This tiny tooth sensor tracks what you eat, and it could help you be healthier
Vanessa Bates RamirezThe South Beach diet. The Atkins diet. Eating paleo. Cutting out gluten. Going vegan. The list of fad diets and health crazes goes on, yet health statistics in the US and around …
Researchers are using VR to help teachers understand autism
Rachel KaserResearchers are using VR as an empathy tool to help neurotypical teachers understand their students with autism. There have already been attempts to use VR to help autistic …
Explore your relationship with AI
Ruben BaartWhat makes us human? And why do we sometimes fear artificial intelligence? And what about technological singularity - the moment in time when artificial intelligence outperforms …
Air pollution may be making us less intelligent
Barbara MaherNot only is air pollution bad for our lungs and heart , it turns out it could actually be making us less intelligent, too. A recent study found that in elderly people living in …
An introduction to biomimicry
Janine BenyusThe first time I explained biomimicry to a stranger was not in a talk or a workshop but in a big-box bookstore just after Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature had come out. I …
Join us for the closing event of Reprodutopia!
Next Nature DevShould men be able to give birth to children? Should we externalize pregnancy with artificial wombs? And are these feminist dreams or frankenstein nightmares? Welcome to …
5 things to do at DDW19
Freya HutchingsLining up plans for Dutch Design Week ? Once more, 2600 designers gather in over 120 locations during 450 events. So whether you're a local, new in town, or just passing through, …
4 visions about the future of public transportation
Marcus EnochThe way people get around is starting to change, and as a professor of transport strategy I do rather wonder if the modes of transport we use today will still be around by the …
Enter the Future Food Formula
Ruben BaartImagine, it’s 2050 and you are feeling hungry. What will be on your plate? Where will your food come from, and how will it be produced? It may be juicy ants from the nearest …
This exhibition investigates how humans will live tomorrow
Ruben BaartOccupying the 52nd floor of Tokyo’s Mori Tower, Mori Art Museum is internationally renowned for its visionary approach and highly original curation of contemporary art. The …
How technology bridges the generational communication gap
Freya HutchingsEmoji, Skype, Selfies - can these communication technologies close the generation gap? In part, yes! Young people are teaching senior citizens how to use technology, and it’s …
The Pyramid of Technology: How will we co-evolve with technology?
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkThis question is an excerpt from the Pyramid of Technology toolkit Cooking is a process through which humans outsource part of their bodily functions to technology (think …
Lessons in bio design from Emma van der Leest
Meike SchipperAs a young bio designer at the start of your career, you'll have to overtake all kinds of obstacles. From the collection of living materials to working in a laboratory and …
Oded Ezer discusses the future of typography and the importance of dreaming
Freya HutchingsOded Ezer is a typographer from Israel who never fails to push boundaries, or rather, discard them altogether. Ezer is a rebellious force that swings between commercial and …
The Pyramid of Technology: Is the technology outside or inside your body?
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkThis question is an excerpt from the Pyramid of Technology toolkit The first computers barely fit in your living room. This all changed with the introduction of the desktop …
How modern technology is inspired by the natural world
John NychkaWhat do a kingfisher, cocklebur pods and a Namibian beetle have in common? Besides being living organisms, they have all served as inspiration for creative human technologies to …
Next Generation: Thinking about the future of food with Annie Larkins
Freya HutchingsThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your coordinates as we …
Pack your bags: Next Nature is going to China
Next Nature DevTo our Chinese friends (and beyond)! From 2 November 2019 to 1 February 2020, we'll be crossing the globe for a large showcase at the OCT Art and Design Gallery in Shenzhen, …
The origin of the LED lamp
Huub EhlhardtFor thousands of years people used oil lamps and candles to illuminate their homes during the hours of darkness. Neither produced much light and both were inconvenient in use as …
The Coming World: ecology as the new politics
Ruben BaartIn science fiction and popular science, 2030 is often suggested as the year in which our planet will run out of oil. Similarly, 2100 will be the year that, according to …
3 future farms that can feed the planet and heal it too
Karen Rial-LoveraIntensive agriculture may be nourishing most of the Earth’s inhabitants, but it’s doing the opposite to earth itself. Its dependence on singular crops, heavy ploughing machinery, …
3 exhibitions that explore the relationship between humans and the environment
Freya HutchingsAs we go about our daily activities, we may lose sight of our connections with nonhuman life. Here are three exhibitions to encourage you to step outside of your everyday and …
A guide to parenting with AI Barbie
Siri BeerendsThe rise of artificial intelligence has brought us more advanced toys. If AI Barbie and her talking robotic friends are going to raise our kids, what would their parenting style …
Why half of the world's beaches could disappear by 2100
Simon BoxallUp to half of the world’s sandy beaches are at risk of disappearing by the end of this century if no action is taken to limit greenhouse gas emissions. That’s according to a new …
Build an organisation that lasts by creating a superorganism
Tamsin Woolley-BarkerFor the past 25 years, I’ve studied everything from baboon cooperation in Ethiopia and orca whale innovation in the Bering Sea, to the Argentine ant invasion in my kitchen, and my …
It could be time to start thinking about a cybernetic Bill of Rights
Mike RyderLike it or loathe it, the robot revolution is now well underway and the futures described by writers such as Isaac Asimov , Frederik Pohl and Philip K. Dick are fast turning from …
(Im)possible bodies: responsiblity and care in our cyborg future
Koert van MensvoortWhat does it mean to become a cyborg? Better yet, aren't we cyborgs already? What then, does it mean to have a body? Is a 'standard' desirable, what does that even mean, and what …
In vitro meat (finally) hits the market
Nellie FriedrichHumanity has an insatiable hunger for meat. Since 2013 we have been researching, developing and campaigning for a humane and eco-friendly way to get our protein fix. Since day one …
Next Generation: Creating utopian and dystopian futures with Bas Jansen
Freya HutchingsThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Want to see your work here? Get in touch and …
How future fashion could help us cope with isolation
Ruben BaartToday we cannot meet, touch or hug our loved ones. And while we all like the feeling of the touch of another human being, physical contact does not just feel nice, it is crucial …
The new Next Nature book is here!
Next Nature DevWe live in a world in which we control the biology of a tomato at such precision, you could think of it as a product of technology, instead of a product of nature. Think about it, …
The six principles of humane technology
Allison GuyWe must be mindful about how we engage with technology: what we use it for, why, and whether it helps or hinders us. Sometimes our tech seems to be flowing in inhumane directions, …
Why superhuman technologies will affect us all
Ruben BaartWhen you look through a super-telescope, you can still see the planet Earth. Once called the blue planet, she now looks red and parched. We had no choice but to abandon her… On a …
How a giant robot learns its true nature
Ruben BaartAt first glance, the premise of the film 'The Iron Giant' (1999) seems to be a total failure. An animation film set in the United States in 1957; while the Russian satellite …
COVID-19 is a virus, corona is a meme
Ruben BaartAs the viral pandemic continues to spread, so too does the world’s collective uncertainty. As a result, people are turning to media for some levity. And can you blame them. …
We are all parent Earth
Ruben BaartLast week I was strolling through the aisles of the supermarket when I heard a buzzing sound coming from my pocket. I looked up from my cart and saw it was a message from …
What will COVID-19 teach us about life?
Koert van MensvoortWe live in turbulent times. Thanks to science and technology, we are able to perceive our environment down to the atomic level. We can read DNA, manipulate cells, cut and paste …
Why screen games are still real play
Marcus CarterPlay is a core part of a healthy childhood , through which children develop social, communication, cognitive and physical skills. Children’s play adapts to its circumstances. …
Why your pets can't spread the coronavirus
Sarah CaddyA Pomeranian dog in Hong Kong grabbed the international media’s attention this week after scientists found traces of coronavirus in the canine. Following confirmation that the …
It's been fifty years since we took the first full photo of Earth from space
Robert PooleThe image of the whole Earth as seen from space has become a symbol of the environmental movement. Time for an update?
How can Big History help us think about the future?
Noriko Wynn'Big History' is a multidisciplinary study that seeks to put the human story into the context of a 13.8 billion-year story from the Big Bang to now.
Can AI become addicted?
Thomas MoynihanIn 1953, a Harvard psychologist thought he discovered pleasure – accidentally – within the cranium of a rat. With an electrode inserted into a specific area of its brain, the rat …
Cooling buildings with ultra-white paint
Andrew ParnellFrom icy tundras to billowing clouds, the colour white crops up repeatedly in our planet’s palette. This colour provides a natural way for light from the sun to reflect back from …
Cyborg mythologies #3: in god we trust, all others bring data
MaithriThis is #3 in our cyborg mythologies series, where we explore the cyborg as a historical being intertwined within mythologism, ancient religion and sacred iconology. A way to …
A digital twin of the Earth could make the planet climate-neutral
MaithriWhile Elon Musk may be trying to initiate efforts to colonize Mars, scientists on Earth are attempting to build an accurate digital twin of the planet to simulate in the future. …
Elephants are geodesigners
Jeppe Aagaard KristensenImagine you’re in a hot air balloon flying over an African savanna in the late growing season. Below, herds of elephants, zebras, wildebeests and rhinos roam a mosaic landscape …
Fish-inspired soft robot takes a deep dive
Dimitris TsakirisThe deepest regions of the oceans still remain one of the least explored areas on Earth, despite their considerable scientific interest and the richness of lifeforms inhabiting …
5 unusual technologies for harvesting water in dry areas
Manzoor QadirWater scarcity is among the top five global risks affecting people’s wellbeing. In water-scarce areas, the situation is grim. Conventional sources like snowfall, rainfall, river …
Future cities: why we need to reimagine the look of urban landscapes
Ruben BaartIn imagining future urban landsapes, we need to answer questions about what can be sustained and what cannot, where cities can be located and where they cannot.
This exhibition explores the open ends of the apocalypse
Ruben BaartThe exhibition "Apocalypse - End Without End" shows that the end is a human invention
La Belle Verte imagines a world of harmonious existence
Leanne VoshellUtopianism and dystopianism are themes often found in today’s movies, especially considering the increased awareness of the damage done to the Earth by human activities. Often …
Knitting sweaters from human hair
Kelly van GemertThe textile industry is the second largest polluter in the world that leads to a chain reaction of nasty results: loss of biodiversity, water pollution and soil erosion are just a …
Next Generation: Shaping intimacy through objects with Pleun van Dijk
Ruben BaartPleun van Dijk is a speculative artist/designer who investigates the intimate relationship between human and technology.
The Next Nature gift guide 2021
Next Nature DevAs winter arrives, so does the season of giving. Good gift giving is an art and can be quite the endeavor at times. But don’t worry, Next Nature is here to help! We present to you …
How plastic waste is hurting women in developing countries
Kutoma WakunumaIf we are to build a greener, fairer and more equal society in the wake of COVID-19, it’s time for rich countries to end their practice of dumping plastic waste in developing …
Screen mutations and reframing perspectives with Louisa Zahareas
Ruben BaartIn the digital era of a globalized world, our screens have become a second set of eyes. Communication has advanced leaps and bounds, to a point where we cannot imagine a world …
This documentary tells the story of Biosphere 2
Ruben BaartCan we create a new biosphere on another planet? Documentary "Spaceship Earth" shows how - in the Arizona desert.
That modernist dream of the house as butler is not going to happen
Helmke van GeelLooking at evolution, we see that there’s always a next nature. Nature changes along with us. How will that influence our way of life in the future?
The Internet of Mycelium
Kelly van GemertA lot of the ground we live on is polluted. More than a third of our soils are moderately or heavily degraded; heavy metals such as lead are increasingly found in urban soils, …
The Next Nature book is now available in Chinese
Next Nature DevIn Next Nature: Why Technology Is Our Natural Future , Koert van Mensvoort takes us on an epic exploration through the wonderful world of culturally emerged nature. It offers a …
This year's electronic waste weighs more than the Great Wall of China
Vanessa Bates RamirezIt’s widely known that the world has a plastics problem. What’s less widely known is that we have a similar problem with another kind of waste: electronics
Working with microbes to clean up electronic waste
Sebastien FarnaudIf you were to stack up all the electronic waste produced annually around the world it would weigh as much as all the commercial aircrafts ever produced, or 5,000 Eiffel towers. …
What Rachel Armstrong is reading this summer
Ruben BaartArchitect Rachel Armstrong establishes an alternative approach to sustainability. Through a close reading of computational properties of the natural world, Armstrong develops a …
The next generation xenobots are here
Simon CoghlanIn 2020, scientists made global headlines by creating “ xenobots ” – tiny “ programmable ” living things made of several thousand frog stem cells. These pioneer xenobots could …
Five things not to miss at Floriade
Veronica FanzioHere are 5 things you cannot miss at Floriade Expo 2022
Next Generation: Producing glass from ashes with Benedikt Peirotén
Marit BeerseBenedikt Peirotén has started a project called ‘From the Ashes’ proposing using waste streams to replace the energy-intensive ingredients in glass.
The GeneSprout Initiative: cultivating new plant breeding techniques
Ruben BaartSome 10,000 years ago humans began to domesticate plants and animals. The birth of agriculture, one of the earliest technologies available.
Growing artificial muscles
Marit BeerseA team of researchers from Freiburg University has developed an artificial muscle that may result in improvements in medicine, prosthetics, and implants.
Driving solar with Lightyear: the world's first solar car
Ruben BaartImagine driving along in your car, powered by the same solar energy that nourishes the landscapes around it. Lightyear 0 is the world's first solar powered car, charging itself …
Next Generation: Designing ecological webs with Miriam Lellek
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
Next Generation: Emptying Out with Natasja Bökkerink
Kelly van GemertThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
The prehistoric importance of trading technology
Nicholas R. LongrichThen, as now, one person could literally change the course of history, with nothing more than an idea.
Next Generation: Redesigning Burberry with Jiyong Lee
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
Sónar Lisboa: a festival for body and brain
Ruben BaartSometimes a festival can be so much more. Tapping into arts, design, and electronic and experimental music festival, Sónar Lisboa (8-10 April) is one for the body and for the …
Next Generation: Designing ecosystems of technology with Maike Gebker
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
The Solar Biennale brings new perspectives on the energy of the sun
Ruben BaartThe sun lies at the heart of our solar system, providing life-giving light, heat and energy to Earth. The sun always gives, without asking for anything in return. In the …
Afrofuturism explained by Professor Julian C. Chambliss
Ruben BaartThe new sci-fi musical “ Neptune Frost ,” set in a Rwandan village constructed with computer parts, tells the story of an intersex hacker and a coltan miner who lead an anarchist …
ChatGPT is getting stupider and we don't know why - so I asked ChatGPT
Kelly van GemertAI language model ChatGPT has hit the mainstream last year when it became widely accessible to everyone. Next to doing our (home)work, it became also a D&D Dungeon Master , …
Dubai will soon house the world's largest artificial coral reef
Kelly van GemertA floating sustainable city where humans can live, work and study while supporting aquatic ecosystems. Soon this will become a reality in Dubai, as sustainable real estate company …
A Dutch startup is saving the banana from extinction
Selin KirThere is a banana crisis happening right now. Our beloved yellow fruits are being threatened with extinction due to a fungal infection called Panama disease, which can wipe out …
Hurray! There are now vaccines for honeybees
Kelly van GemertA significant milestone has been reached as the US Department of Agriculture has granted approval to a vaccine for insects for the very first time. An important breakthrough, …
NASA's 'Human Computers' helped land the first human on the moon
Kelly van GemertNowadays mechanical intelligence is often chosen over that of our own human capabilities. But there was a time where our computers were still not always a match against our own …
Next Generation: Going viral with lab-grown meat and Leyu Li
Kelly van GemertTo explore the public opinion towards cultured meat, speculative food designer Leyu Li created fictional influencer “Meaty Auntie” and turned to TikTok.
How to plant seeds with your shoes
Selin KirImagine helping nature restore itself simply by going for a run. In a fusion of fashion and conservation, London-based designer Kiki Grammatopoulos has introduced her concept …
How WhatsApp voice memos help Senegal's farmers
Selin KirWithin the digital realms of our smartphones, WhatsApp groups cater to diverse intents: exchanging witty dad jokes, soliciting style counsel ahead of night-outs with friends, or …
Carnerie is the grow your own meat device of the future
Kelly van GemertThis speculative kitchen device shows us a future where growing meat at home is not just a possibility but a reality.
I'm not a robot: AI better at proving to be human than humans
Kelly van GemertResearchers at the University of California discovered that bots now excel at solving CAPTCHAs faster and more accurately than humans.
What food design can do
Kelly van GemertFood design gives us a taste of innovation. It visualizes, speculates, challenges and problem-solves.
Furniture futures
Nellie FriedrichWondering how next natural furniture may change your way of life? Will we feed our lamps? Grow chairs? Talk with our tables?
Cooking with mycelium
Ruben BaartResearchers from the University of Colorado created a recipe book to cook with mycelium.
The Material Futures of Central Saint Martins
Zeynep KunduracilarMeet United Matters, a London collective exploring how we might live in the future by blurring the boundaries between craft, science and technology.
Wild wild space
Veronica FanzioWhen Earth goes south, cowboys go all the way up. The Space Rush of 2020s has something to do with settler colonialism.
The Petunia Carnage
Kelly van GemertTo pay tribute to the destroyed orange petunias during the Petunia crisis, Klaus Pichler has composed an illustrative book.
Next Gen: De-exctincting the mammoth with Wendi Yan
Kelly van GemertWhat if an ancient mammoth found herself resurrected by humans into our modern age?
24 hours economy
Rolf CoppensCould the biggest, most successful discount store in the world really meet your every need? Twenty-four hours a day? That's what the TV spots are saying. Really living there. …
20 years after Chernobyl
Rolf CoppensPripyat was built as a town for workers at the Chernobyl power station, where the world's worst nuclear accident occurred 20 years ago. The town was abandoned 36 hours after the …
Anybody else hear that ringing?
Koert van MensvoortAn actress in Atlanta, has tried to answer her phone to the thrrrrup, thrrrrup, thrrrrup of a truck bouncing down a pothole-pocked street. Others say they thought they heard …
Avian Android
jdthSculpture, android bird's voices, a mechanical reconstruction of organic life-forms, electronically controlled by Judith Fegerl Taking "The Chinese Nightingale", a tale of Hans …
Better than the real thing
Written by Debbie Mollenhagen PART 1: FROM LINEAR TO CIRCULAR Designer living has become designing life. I often ask myself: did it taste like the real thing? But when I open my …
Big Brother enters virtual world
Dr NaturalA version of the hit reality TV show Big Brother is to be staged in the online virtual world Second Life. Fifteen international Second Life residents will occupy a glass house on …
Biosphere 2
Koert van MensvoortBiosphere 2 is a manmade closed ecological system in Oracle, Arizona. Constructed between 1987 and 1989, it was used to test if and how people could live and work in a closed …
Cameleon concept car
Rolf CoppensThe GloCar uses LED lights to change body panel colours, intensity and frequency. A driver can thus choose at will to either stand out or blend in. Alongside the cosmetic value …
Dataplant: Money translated to plants
Koert van MensvoortRemember the datafountain ? Of course there are many other applications of information decoration: datawallpaper, datasounds, datafurniture and dataclimate. The picture above …
Digital Stock Market Garden
KarlThe Ticker Garden is a stand-alone data visualization application that monitors a stock portfolio. Different flowers represent the real-time performance of selected stocks via the …
Dock painting
Rolf CoppensThe new Bob Ross has arrived: his name be Gautam Rao. This painting shows a magnified part of the dock in OSX. I especially wanted to highlight the Picassoesque face on the Mac …
Erkundungen im Nächste Natur (D)
Die Natur verändert sich mit uns (English version: Exploring Next Nature ) by Koert van Mensvoort , published in Entry Paradise, Neue Welten des Designs, Gerhard Seltman, Werner …
fully automated news bulletin
Arnoud van den HeuvelNews at Seven is a set of preferences for what a newsreport should be about. Using keywords entered by the user, the program selects news site RSS feeds and specific stories to …
GPS Drawing - Global Positioning System
oustamanGPS drawings over land , on water , and in the air were created to investigate principles and techniques of geodesic drawing. The maps were made to measure travels and tracks and …
Green Electricity
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkElectricity itself is a natural phenomena, but as regular AC/DC currency it becomes a commoddity. But Green Electricity is a strange thing. You pay more money for your electricity …
3D rendered bunnies prefer calm diesels
Koert van MensvoortKenichi Nagahiro, Honda's chief engine designer, hated diesel engines. When asked to design Honda's first diesel he flatly refused - unless he was allowed to start completely from …
Kernwasser Wonderland
Dr NaturalThe construction of this nucleair powerplant near Kalkar (DE) started in 1973. After the build was finished, in 1991 it was decided not to use it for political reasons. The …
NOT (Natural) AND NOT (mechanical) = human
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkEric Hoffer (1902-1983) You dehumanize a man as much by returning him to nature - by making him one with rocks, vegetation, and animals - as by turning him into a machine. Both …
Online RPG Funeral Gets Ambushed
Koert van MensvoortSince its launch in November 2004, World of Warcraft (Wow) has become the most widely played massively multiplayer online (MMO) game in the world. When a popular WoW player died …
Rock, paper, scissors
Arnoud van den HeuvelA robotic hand controlled by the power of thought alone has been demonstrated by researchers in Japan. Subjects lay inside an MRI scanner and were asked to make "rock, paper, …
Sketch furniture
Rolf CoppensIs it possible to let a first sketch become an object, to design directly onto space? This is a question that Front Design have just asked in their project Sketch Furniture. "The …
The Living Tower
Arnoud van den HeuvelAccording to Environmental Health Science Department of Columbia University, nearly 80% of the earth's population will, in the year 2050, reside in urban centers. At present, …
The World is not a Desktop
Mark Weiser (originally written for ACM Interactions ). What is the metaphor for the computer of the future? The intelligent agent? The television (multimedia)? The 3-D graphics …
USB Tanner
Rolf CoppensDon't let the sun have the monopoly on making people love you more. Get the USB Desktop Tanning center and, in the comfort of your own cubicle, a scrumptiously golden tone can be …
Virtual missing limb
Arnoud van den Heuvel"Many people who lose a limb experience the sensation that it is still attached to their body. This is also often accompanied by a feeling of pain in the missing appendage. …
Typing With Water
KarlA technique developed by the German Claus Winterfor an installation artist makes whatever word you type into a computer visible by a "water-curtain". The video shows the World …
Wind Shaped Pavillion
Koert van MensvoortThe Wind Shaped Pavilion is a design proposal for a large fabric structure that can be used as a public or private pavilion. As a lightweight fabric structure, the wind slowly and …
my death space
Rolf CoppensWhat happens to your digital presence when you die? Does your website, MySpace and Second Life live on? Nope, it goes to mydeathspace.com Funny enough, the Amsterdam based …
Biotypography
Rolf CoppensIsraelian typographer Oded Ezer looks at the world from his point of view, through letters and numbers. So why not turn the world into typography. A short interview taken from …
Bisected Brontosaurus in a Water-Filled Case
Koert van MensvoortChinese artist Xu Zhen created the monumental untitled sculpture depicted above (sorry I am such a bad photographer) for "NONO", a show without explanations or preconceptions, I …
Blinkybugs
Arnoud van den HeuvelBlinkybugs are small, simple, electromechanical bugs that respond to stimulus such as movement, vibrations, or air currents. They are constructed by hand from LEDs, wire, and …
Can crushing Frog
Dr NaturalJoyful recycling from Japan, comes this powerful frog that can crush cans! You can buy it from this Japanese store . A less whimsical can crusher can be found at Amazon for $20. …
Car Navigation - Just Follow the Red Cable
Koert van MensvoortJust follow the yellow brick road ... thin red cable and you know where to go! Instead of looking at a small 6 inch screen, or listening to less than exact turn by turn …
Cockroach Controlled Mobile Robot
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkBy putting this cockroach in control over a mobile robot, our perception of the animal is changed. Technology empowers the little creature you would normally squash under your …
Coexist
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkDonna Conlon is a Panama-based artist who often uses the relation between man and environment in her work. In her short film "Coexist" we get a close-up look at leaf cutter ants …
Confetti chicken
Arnoud van den HeuvelThis weeks peculiar image was taken this summer by a friend of mine. He went to a birdmarket in Esfahan, Iran and noticed that discrimination takes many forms; only blond chicks …
CrackBerry addicts are suing their Employers
Dr NaturalNo self-respecting manager would be without a BlackBerry. But now these handheld gadgets, which provide workaholics with constant email updates, are being blamed for chronic …
Deep in the Forest : Owls, Logs and Noise
SaraStarting as noise makers, the owlproject work on different products which are deeply rooted in nature. And electronics.With their logs the owlproject travel around the world, …
Fake for Real: Phone Trees
Koert van MensvoortFor a long time in the history of painting, the landscape functioned merely as a backdrop for people, buildings or symbols. But in the 17th century, artists started making …
Fake for Real: Romantic Sunsets
Koert van MensvoortSunsets are loved by people all around the globe. Could this universal aesthetic preference be linked to a deeply rooted understanding of the sunset's importance? Life on earth …
First A4 colour e-paper unfurled
Koert van MensvoortPhilips presented an A4-sized colour electronic paper . A paper-thin and bendable viewing panel. "This represents the next generation in display technology," Chung In-Jae, chief …
Furry Display
Koert van MensvoortI applaud any new display technique that isn't emitting light. A recent patent application by Philips for a new type of screen based on "furry" pixels , or physical pixels made …
Information Decoration: Our Environment as an Information Carrier
Koert van MensvoortPicture this: it's 40,000 years ago, and you are an early Homo sapiens. You are standing on the savanna. Look around you. What do you see? No billboards, no traffic signs, no …
Intelligent Documentary Making
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkOur image of nature is permanently under construction. For Dutch biologist Gerdien De Jong , this became al too clear after watching The Life of Mammals , a series of nature …
IVY - hard disk cover evolves with your data
Koert van MensvoortIVY is an external hard disk which shows the content of the hard disk on its skin. When no data is stored on IVY, its skin will remain blank. When you purchase IVY, it appears to …
Kite ship
Rolf CoppensThe world's first commercial merchant ship using a high-tech kite system will sail across oceans - and help fight climate change. "MV Beluga Skysails" cargo ship has been fitted …
Manufactured landscapes
Rolf CoppensEdward Burtynsky is a photographer that makes pictures scarred or altered landscapes, changed by industrial activities. His work shows the disappearance of nature and the …
MDI Air Car
Arnoud van den HeuvelWill the oil-driven car grow extinct in the decades to come? Guy Negre (Fr) thinks so, for he invented: THE CLEAN GREEN DRIVING MACHINE! Utopia is near; this (toy ) car runs on …
Modernistic vs Nextnature Architecture
Koert van MensvoortWhile the Freedom tower , replacing the WTC twin towers, is being constructed at ground zero, I still enjoy looking at some of the earlier submitted proposals. They tend to be …
Summit of the Mount Everest on Tour
Koert van MensvoortMount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth, as measured by the height of its summit above sea level. In May 2005, artist Xu Zhen led an ascent on Everest, and succeeded in …
Next Friday: Paradise by the Laptop Light
Paradise by the Laptop Light is a visual power event with short films, speedlectures, special guests and one laptop. It will be held on Friday 23 November 2007 16:30 - 18:00, as …
Observe/me Bags
Koert van MensvoortNo, these aren't X-ray pictures, these are designers bags! Part of the Observe/me fashion line of bags, wallets, gloves and coats created for the modern observed people. …
Pixel shirt
Rolf CoppensThe Ironic Sans blog brings you Pre-Pixelated clothing! Stop worrying about whether or not the producer of that Reality TV show you're on will pixelate your carefully chosen …
Review Paradise by the Laptop light
Rolf CoppensA review by Djbroadcast on the Paradise by the Laptop Light event last week. Sorry it is all so Dutch. Wat betekent het begrip natuur voor ons vandaag de dag? We zien 'de groene …
Robots in disguise
Rolf Coppens"Every year, in Germany alone, around 7000 people wait for a new cornea to save their eyesight. But donor corneas are in short supply. In an EU project, researchers have developed …
Skyscreen - largest urban LED screen in Asia
Koert van MensvoortAlright, we can agree most of old nature has been altered by human activity. We're not just talking rain forest, icecaps and genetically modified fruit and kittens . Now you might …
Sleeping beauty
Rolf CoppensWhere there is light, there is life. When you switch on the lamp, it provides you with light. You provide it with the generating power it needs togrow. Similar to living …
Spatial planning - Learning from Second Life
Written by Joop de Boer from Studio Golfstromen - strategy, planning and design on the city. In the virtual world 'Second Life' everything is possible. That's most obvious in the …
The things we design end up designing us
Dr Natural"While battling the forces of nature, man has become more and more independent of physical conditions. At the same time, however, he has become more and more dependent of …
The Tissue Engineered Meat of Tomorrow
Koert van MensvoortThe meat in the supermarket is abstract, square and habitually made from wickedly manufactured animals. A friend once told me he only eats meat if he "can not recognize the animal …
The Top 10 New Organisms of 2007
Dr NaturalGenetic engineering isn't just for scientists in ivory towers or corporate R&D labs anymore. Researchers are still creating new mice and crops every week, but the tools and …
What does 200 Calories look like?
Koert van MensvoortEveryone knows some foods have more calories than others. For many people eating turned into an information science, having to continuously read the amount of calories of the …
Worm-storm weather report
Koert van MensvoortA short video showing a live o utbreak of malware named Small.DAM. Are we looking at the weather report of the future here?
You only live Twice
Koert van MensvoortYes, I understand the media interest in Second Hype (Of course we don't take it serious as a virtual reality concept. Steering a mouse, sitting behind a flat screen, moving 3D …
All the water and air on earth..
Dr Natural... gathered into spheres and compared to the Earth. The water sphere (blue) in this computer visualization measures 1390 kilometres across and has a volume of 1.4 billion cubic …
Ambient Umbrella
Koert van MensvoortThe Ambient Umbrella shows when rain or snow is in the forecast by illuminating its handle. Light patterns intuitively indicate rain, drizzle, snow, or thunderstorms. Local …
Augmented Reality Girlfriend
Arnoud van den HeuvelUsing the special cube, stick, and web camera, ARis will appear and move around in the monitor of your PC. When you touch her by the AR Stick, she shows various reactions. You can …
Bananawall
Koert van MensvoortWho would not need a bananawall in their officegarden? This modular freestanding, indoor/outdoor bananawall system was designed by Stefan Sagmeister . It is made of 7200 banana's. …
Barcode Tiger
Arnoud van den HeuvelPeculiar image found at: leoburnett.com Barcode zebra via: photochopz.com Barcode bottom via: jetcityorange.com Found another barcoded animal? Please post below. Related: Barcode …
Consuming Illusions
Koert van MensvoortSo you thought the 'consumption of illusions' was a typical digital world activity of second life residents and gaming addicts? Never underestimate virtuality in everyday life. …
Fake for Real: Cartoon Rats
Arnoud van den HeuvelIn 2000 on a Japanese auction site , 20 real live Pokemon Pikachus were offered for 925 million dollars. Roughly translated: We capture each one after your order, so we guarantee …
Fight climate change: Hack the Planet
Dr NaturalLots of clouds this week. The peculiar picture above shows the eruption of mount Pinatubo in 1991, which apparently resulted in a certain amount of global cooling (next to some …
Green Roofs for Living
Arnoud van den HeuvelThis impression shows the ambitions of the city of Rotterdam for the coming decade. The city is supposed to have an image problem concerning its greenlife; as a big industrial …
Humans Are the Sex Organs of Technology
Written by Kevin Kelly , published in The Technium . I claim that technology has its own agenda. What is the evidence that technology as a whole, or the technium as I call it, is …
Hurricane Control Causes a Storm of Lawsuits
Koert van MensvoortControlling hurricanes could save lots of lives and dollars. According to a study published in by climate physicist Daniel Rosenfeld , adding dust to Hurricane Katrina's base …
Organic Coca-Cola
Koert van MensvoortWhoever you are, whatever you do, wherever you may be. You can’t beat the real thing. It really refreshes and brings real satisfaction in every glass. It was not until America’s …
If the earth is not round..
Sara://nextnature.net The convincing tone of the Iraqi Astronomy researcher Fadhel Al-Sa'd in his elaboration on the shape of the earth in an Iraqi television show, is just as …
If the Implications of Global Warming Were Fair
Koert van MensvoortContrary to popular belief, global warming is not simply a bad thing: there are winners and losers. While low-lying countries, like Bangladesh, are expected to suffer extensively …
Light weeds
SaraLightweeds is a project by Simon Heijdens and currently exhibited at the MoMA - part of the Design and the Elastic Mind exhibition . The organisms - plants, weeds, trees - exist …
Louis Vuitton VS Fake for Real
Koert van MensvoortThe Fake for Real Memory Game – consisting of 60 cards that playfully visualize the classical theme of fake and real in our society – has temporarily been taken offline due to …
Meet the Worms, Viruses and Trojans
Koert van MensvoortNow there is an interesting biomimicmarketing technique we had not seen before. For their new marketing campaign internet security company Messagelabs worked with digital artist …
Nobuo Takahashi's Exploding City (video)
Koert van MensvoortIn 2008, for the first time in history, more than half of the world's population will be living in towns and cities . By 2030 this number will swell to almost 5 billion, with …
Oil Price Threatens Biofuel Firms
Dr NaturalEconomy is ecology? Technology Review writes the price of oil has dipped to levels that could be far too low for many advanced-biofuel startups to succeed, especially those that …
Puppy Bag
Koert van MensvoortWherever you go, always carry your puppy with you. In the category 'absurd-products-that-show-our-consumptive-attitude-towards-animals'. Buy one here , or here . See also: Catbag …
Roboswift, Eyes in Disguise
Arnoud van den HeuvelWith its 50 cm wing span and 80 grams of weight, this high tech bird is ready to infiltrate swift surveillance squads next summer. Aerospace engineering students at TU Delft , …
Space Station
Koert van MensvoortIf you would have shown this picture to people 50 years ago, they might have imagined it to be one of those promised 21th century space stations encircling some alien planet in …
Speaking at the Wall
Koert van MensvoortI used to hear voices in my head, but now they seem to be coming from the walls – am I back in to the womb? No wait.. it's a wall that reacts to the spectators voice (quicktime) . …
The first map of the internet
Arnoud van den HeuvelIts simplicity is one of a kind and it takes my breath when I realize that this little drawing is actually the internets Big Bang point of origin. It shows the first node on the …
The First Pregnant Man
Koert van MensvoortAt first I thought this first pregnant man was a hoax, but after I saw it on Oprah I realized it must be 'real'. Well, the pregnant man is actually a former woman who had a sex …
The Invisible Movie
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkIn the Netherlands, there is a raging debate about a movie nobody ever saw. It seems that images have become so powerful, we don't even need them anymore to scare the hell out of …
The Love Boat
Arnoud van den HeuvelThis is Petra. In 2006 she fell in love with a peddle boat designed to look like a swan and has never left its side. In winter, when swans should be flying southwards, the peddle …
The mobile evolution
Arnoud van den HeuvelIn our NextNature event BVPS (May 2008), Kevin Kelly spoke of technology as the 7th kingdom of life : a form of evolution whithout the nasty side–effect of dying (Every object …
Third Life
Diogo CorreiaLong after Second Life servers have been shutdown, Augmented Reality is a common place . Thanks to our bioengineered eyes, or our electronic contact lenses , and years of data …
Voodoo Communication Device for Lovers
Koert van MensvoortVoodoo is an ancient religion, originating from Africa, who’s mystical practice is believed to bring reward to those who are willing to place their destiny in the hands of loving …
Water in my phone
Koert van MensvoortWater inside your phone used to be rather devastating, but with the NEC FOMA N702iS (only in Japan) , designed by Oki Sato, it is turned into a joy. Watch the faked fluid move on …
Wear Your Social Network
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkGet Wickd (props for the name boys – totally wicked!) is a tech-fashion brand that sells basic clothes with barcodes that can link your mobile phone to any page on the web, from a …
Where it came from
Rolf CoppensProcessed lunch meats etched with a laser cutter. The images show the source of the meat, making you more aware of where that great taste comes from. Link
Your grand-grand-parents new media
Koert van Mensvoort19th century people needed some explanation to understand the difference between the regular candlelight and the electrically simulated candlelight. Note the disclaimer at the …
A day in the Dutch dunes
Koert van MensvoortRecently, I had a nice day in the Dutch dunes with the people of Blocter.com , who show the people behind blogs. We closely investigated the Scottish highland cattle that acts as …
'Atlantis' Turns out to be Interfacial Artefact
Koert van MensvoortSince the days of Plato, the lost city of Atlantis has captivated the imagination of many. The city, if you don’t already know, was said to be a naval power located roughly 600 …
A.T.R.E.E.M.
Arnoud van den HeuvelMeet A.T.R.E.E.M. (acronym for Automated Tree-Rental for Emission Encaging Machine), a device that compares daily activities, energy and products to the growth of a tree. "From an …
Beaming Up Business
Arnoud van den HeuvelThis report on spooky showhost holograms appearing on national TV might be a bit of old news..., but I guess still worth posting. The word "hologram" CNN uses in this Youtube, is …
Brain Scan Replaces Job Interview in 5 Years?
Dr NaturalForget about palmistry! MRI scans for candidates in top jobs such as bank directors could soon become part of the job-application package, says Erasmus University researcher Prof …
Computational Wood
Koert van MensvoortDr. Herb Smokler teaches us how to husband and harvest Computational Wood. Omitting he jerky production value of the video, one has to appreciate the inventive idea of treating …
Controlling the Uncontrollable
Arnoud van den HeuvelIt is a home to crawlers, virusses, search engines, gamers, spammers, chatters, twitters, bloggers, worms and spiders. If calling it alive goes too far, it's still safe to say …
Crowdsourced drink
Koert van MensvoortRemember the days when the flavor of a fruity drink was simply connected to an apple, orange, strawberry, kiwi, or perhaps – if you felt really exotic – an acai berry? Nowadays we …
Deliver us from Skeuomorph Prosthetics
Koert van MensvoortNo, this is not another example in our fake for real series , comparing an artificial with a human hand. Rather, you are looking at twice the same hand: with and without its …
Exmovere Chariot: the wearable wheelchair
federicaExmovere Holdings , a biomedical engineering company, is focused on government and consumer applications for healthcare, security and mobility. This company developed Exmovere …
Feeding the world: oh not organic
Koert van MensvoortDaring talk by agriculture expert Louise Fresco , who has the guts to break the organic trance of the fashionably-natural-farmers-market people at TED . During her talk she is …
Forefather Ox cloned to revive delicious Steak
Koert van MensvoortDelicious retro-future meat from Japan. Food technology in the overdrive. Japanese researchers successfully cloned what is believed to have been the forefather ox of Gifu …
Four environmental 'heresies'
Koert van MensvoortTED talk by Steward Brand – the man who helped usher in the environmental movement in the 1960s and '70s – has been rethinking his positions on cities, nuclear power, genetic …
Google Ads talk back!
Hendrik-Jan Grievink‘Advertising is the cave art of the 20th century’, Marshall McLuhan said. Advertisings are mythical depictions of hunting and gathering rituals, that don’t take place on some …
Growing a nano forrest
Koert van MensvoortJohn Hart, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan, is inventing techniques for growing carefully structured forests of high-quality carbon …
Houston, We've Got a Dome!
Jeffrey BraunA 2 million-square-meter dome should protect Houston from hurricanes and regulate the climate.
How to print a building
Koert van MensvoortIn the nineties laser printers revolutionized graphic design. Currently 3d desktop printers are revolutionizing industrial design. Next we will be printing buildings and …
Hyperfins
Tijn KooijmansThe next step in biomimetic body extentions for propelling yourself through water. Man moves on from copying ducks to become a dolphin-like cyborg. With these fins you can be …
Implantable Silicon-Silk Electronics
Koert van MensvoortScientists of the University of Pennsylvania are creating electronics that almost completely dissolve inside the body, through the use of thin, flexible silicon electronics on …
Doggerland – Mapping a Lost World
Koert van MensvoortSo you think climate change is new? So you think the flooding of landmass by the oceans is a new? So you must have not heard of the times when people walked from London to …
Modern Fossils
Arnoud van den HeuvelRemember the Gameboy Bricks by Gijs Gieskes? The same vibe must have been picked up by Christopher Locke (Chicago, US) as he opened his Modern Fossils Shop with many more peculiar …
Natural chairs?
Koert van MensvoortThe image above shows the chair design from the Nature v2.01 project by draw me a sheep . As we struggle to find a new relation with nature, the difference between nature and …
Where cavemen live?
JurrianRock 2007. Peculiar image of the week by Hans Wilschut . Made in Shanghai. If you know more about the orgins of the building: let us know. Thanks to Vivid Gallery , Rotterdam, NL.
Real Mario (video)
Koert van MensvoortThese college students perform a "live-action" skit of the old school Super Mario Brothers video game at a talent show. Virtual for real in a high school musical (hilarious …
Robot hand meets Sushi
Arnoud van den HeuvelWe are anxiously waiting for the robot that makes the sushi, but at Squse , they have created the hand that can carefully place the delicacies in a box without crushing them. …
Running on non-newtonian fluid
Koert van MensvoortThese dudes from the Spanish TV show El-Hormiguero mixed cornstarch and water made on a concrete mixer truck, effectively creating a pool of non-newtonian fluid – which is almost …
Scientists 'grow' pork
SelbyScientists at the Eindhoven University of Technology are creating artificial pork. Prof. Dr Mark Post and his colleagues of the department of Biomedical Engineering have extracted …
Second Sight - Augmented Contacts
Arnoud van den HeuvelGetting information as fast as possible and on the spot is the trend. So what could be more direct than having information fired directly into the eye? Today - together with his …
Supermarket – Our Next Savanna
Koert van MensvoortWe are living in the future and we find it boring. The best place to gather evidence for this claim is the supermarket. To begin with, try and have a fresh look at the word: …
The Eye of a Cyber Sapien
BartAn earlier post on this blog already displayed the possible future of sight using augmented contact lenses. Researchers at MIT take this second sight to a next level by …
Skin Suit
Arnoud van den HeuvelThe general assumption about sports, is that it's healthy to exercise for a fit and nicely-shaped -- perhaps muscular body. Such a body could be a sign of good health and is being …
The World's first Refrigerated Beach
Koert van MensvoortConspicuous consumption in the overdrive: The world's first refrigerated beach is to be built at a luxury hotel in the Dubai (aka the new Las Vegas) so the tourists don't burn …
Virtual Money Is a Pleonasm
Koert van MensvoortHave you heard the buzz on virtual money in online games? Some years ago the first virtual millionaire was announced, yet there have also been reports on people being practically …
Wrapping Greenland
kbohreThe Discovery series 'Ways to save the planet' the episode 'Wrapping Greenland ' shows how Dr. Jason Box uses reflective blankets to cover glaciers in Greenland. Due to global …
8-bit Icon Watch
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkRemember that aggravating 8-bit pixeled watch icon that used to replace your mouse cursor whenever your Apple computer was ‘taking time’ to finish a task? Displaying a wristwatch …
Adaptive Bloom
Michael KluverThis interactive installation came out of the Postgraduate Certificate Course in Advanced Architectural Research of the Bartlett School of Architecture in London. Graduate Justin …
Augmented Reality Maps
Michael KluverSince a few years the internet in combination with mobile phone technology brought us something that we refer to as augmented reality : A digital projection that is placed over …
BMW's Flexible Skin Concept GINA
Michael KluverThis extraordinary concept model that came out of the batcave of BMW shows how textile might be the future of car design. By replacing metal bodywork with a strong but flexible …
BP logo redesign
Koert van MensvoortOver the past few months there has been a lot of commotion about the BP oil spill that happened in the Gulf of Mexico. It is considered as the largest offshore spill in U.S. …
Clouding the brain
Ties van de WerffMan is a flexible species. We tend to adapt quite rapidly to new environments. But how fast can these adaptations turn to new evolutionary traits? For instance: to what extent is …
Design Fiction – Medical Bill of the Future
Koert van MensvoortAccording to this fictitious future medical bill almost every part of the human body will be repairable in 2028. Gut bacteria replacement, Bone tissue growth for skull repair, …
Dog Modding in China
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkAs a child, I already saw some great tiger potential in my cat and some shark-ish attitude in the behaviour of my goldfish. Personally, I think that since we started domesticating …
Dutch start Hunting again thanks to Supermarket Soccer Mascotte
Teun CasteleinIn Holland people go crazy for soccer, especially now that the national team has reached the World Cup final. We gather everything that's orange – our shirt color – as the …
ECO Currency – A Proposal to Balance Economical and Environmental Value
Koert van MensvoortImagine we would have an alternative monetary currency for environmental value. Would the rain forest still be destroyed if there existed an ECO–currency to express its value and …
First man infected with computer virus
Arnoud van den HeuvelDoctor gets chip. Chip gets virus. Virus infects other devices... Dalek shoots doctor? Dr. Mark Gasson of Reading University implanted a RFID chip under his skin last year. It is …
First tweet from space
Arnoud van den HeuvelThat's one small tweet for man, one giant tweet for mankind. The virtual realm has physically expanded once again as Timothy Creamer a.k.a. Astro_TJ made Twitter history by being …
Genetically Modified Salmon moves to Kitchen Table
Koert van MensvoortThe US Food and Drug Administration is considering whether to approve the first genetically engineered animal that people would eat — salmon that can grow at twice the normal …
Goodbye, Nature vs Nurture
Talking about nature and nurture as separate, clear-cut forces is far adrift from the complexities of developmental science, says Evelyn Fox Keller in NewScientist . ONE of the …
Grapple – a Grape flavored Apple
Koert van MensvoortThey say “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”, but now we wonder what this keeps away, the Grapple , a hyperfruit that "Grunches like an Apple. Tastes like a Grape." The …
HappyLife
Koert van MensvoortAs our everyday living spaces are packed with electronics and become increasingly sentient, we might one day wake up in a house that knows more about your family's state than you …
Having Invented the Gods, Perhaps we can Turn into Them
Jason SilvaMy name is Jason Silva. I've spent the last 5 years hosting and producing a tv show on Al Gore's Emmy-winning Current TV network and I'm a fellow at the Hybrid Realities …
Here Comes the iPhone Virus
Koert van MensvoortBy analyzing billions of phone calls, researchers at Scandinavian telecom company Telenor , mapped how social connections between people – measured partly by how often they called …
Hydrogel Heals Injured Brain & Bone-Tissue
Nicolas NelsonA new nano-particle-infused hydrogel, developed by scientists from Clemson University, should be able to heal scrambled brains and broken bones. The gel creates new blood vessels …
iBookshelf: Simulation before Extinction
Koert van MensvoortAs technology progresses we constantly have to adapt ourselves to an ever changing media landscape. Designers try to smooth the changes with a ' progressive nostalgic ' strategy: …
Intimacy Dress
Koert van MensvoortThe Intimacy dress takes our notion personal space to a next level: the closer someone approaches, the more transparent the dress becomes. As such, the garment becomes a sort of …
Kosher Coke
Arnoud van den HeuvelLast week I opened a bag of potato crisps that read: "We know the origins of all our ingredients" . As some crisps had already disappeared down my throat, this made me suddenly …
Mad Cow Motorcycle
Koert van MensvoortWhat do you get when you combine bike parts, an electric motor, and a cow skeleton? Our peculiar object of the week was created by artist Billie Grace Lynn . Seen at Museum of Art …
Making a Telegraph with Stone Age Tools
Koert van MensvoortThe suited guy in the video is an employee from the office of materials that goes into the wilderness to test if it would have been possible to create a fully functioning …
![Visual of MANKO & Plagiarism [#1]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2010/manko-plagiarism-1/b50dcc7ae7-1602632753/manco-530-868x486.jpg)
MANKO & Plagiarism [#1]
Aston RevolaIn this first review of the works of Manko, we'll discuss the complex sorts of plagiarism in Augmented Reality art that are typical for our contemporary art scene. This introduces …
![Visual of Manko & The Invitation [#3]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2010/manko-the-invitation-3/a58a0af2b6-1602632753/manco-2-530-868x486.jpg)
Manko & The Invitation [#3]
Aston RevolaLast month we discussed how the vacuum played a big role in Manko's life since he lost his right leg. Soon he developed this idea further, beyond the mere notion of extensions …
![Visual of MANKO & Vacuum [#2]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2010/manko-vacuum-2/3276be3198-1602632753/manco-3-530-868x486.jpg)
MANKO & Vacuum [#2]
Aston RevolaI should tell you the story of how Manko lost a leg. You need to know about this incident to understand his recent works. So please forgive me, I first have to go back to that …
![Visual of Manko & Zero [#4]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2010/manko-zero-4/c2cefab16a-1602632753/manco-51-868x486.jpg)
Manko & Zero [#4]
Aston RevolaThe way down was slow and somehow greasy. Total darkness surrounded them. Gill turned on the car radio and the LED's lit up their faces in a green pulsating glow. 'Jovi Rocks!', …
Meet the Cellphone that drinks Coke
Koert van MensvoortChinese designer Daizi Zheng created a conceptual mobile phone for Nokia that could be powered by cola. The idea is the phone could run on a battery that uses enzymes to generate …
MyWebwill.com – Serving your last online wishes
Koert van MensvoortWe live an increasing amount of our lives online, but what happens to our digital identity after we are gone? Until now our blogs, photos and social network accounts have lived …
NANO Supermarket – Introducing the Jury
Ten days left to submit your speculative product idea for the Nano Supermarket . The jury that will select the finest submissions – to be exhibited in the Nano Supermarket this …
Nanoparticles in Sunscreen Damage Microbes
Koert van MensvoortNanotechnology has been hailed for its benefits because of the potential ability to create drugs that could cure cancer and radiation poisoning, make miniature pollutant filters …
Nature Preservation: The Literal Version
Minke Kampman* warning: high doses of irony detected in this article * Method #01: Canning Promotional gift 'Nature in a can' complete with soil and bean plant seeds (from DKNY , 2010). Method …
Next Nature Introduction
Bruce SterlingThis project - the Next Nature Network - is about Nature's brand image. One might surmise that "Nature," being 100 percent all-natural, can't have any brand image. The facts …
Next Nature Movie #1: Quest for Fire
Koert van MensvoortThe Quest for Fire (1981) shows the Next Nature of 80.000 BC. Set in a world without highways, supermarkets, airports, Internet, television, farming, money or written language, …
Next Nature Movie #3: Koyaanisqatsi
Koert van MensvoortKoyaanisqatsi (1982) is a film with no actors, no storyline, and no dialogue. The only things we see are landscapes, images of cities, and people going about their regular lives. …
Next Nature Movie #9 – The Terminal
Koert van MensvoortViktor Navorski is an Eastern European traveler – portrayed by Tom Hanks, who in the movie ‘Cast Away’ already played a man stranded on an uninhabited island – that finds himself …
Outer-Space as Local-Space
Florian Conradi and Michelle ChristensenIn 1977, NASA launched Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, two unmanned interplanetary space probes that were sent out to explore the outer space. Aboard each was a record which intended to …
Palmtree Drilling Platform
Koert van MensvoortIn our ‘ under the beach lies the pavement ’ series. Already in 1973, Steven M. Johnson drew cartoons of oil drilling platforms disguised to look like palm trees, in an attempt by …
Smart vending machine
Arnoud van den HeuvelAt Tokyo's Shinagawa Station visitors can now select beverages from a 47-inch touch panel. An embedded camera will recognize your gender and age, allowing the machine to …
The Anthropocene Debate: Marking Humanity’s Impact
Elizabeth KolbertIs human activity altering the planet on a scale comparable to major geological events of the past? Scientists are now considering whether to officially designate a new …
The most expensive liquid
Arnoud van den HeuvelPrinter ink is assumed to be the most expensive liquid on Earth. If you believe the many websites that quoted the figure above. But little research learns that this is figure is …
Who wants to Bike on Bamboo?
Andrea ReidlCarbon fiber and aluminum are so 2009. This year's best bicycling model is made out of bamboo and hemp. A new generation of manufacturers are coming up with some of the most …
American Hyperbodies
Allison GuyLady Gaga is famous for fashion that exaggerates or obscures her body, but a few months ago, she made a foray into 'actual' body-modification. Gaga appeared on Jay Leno's talk …
Apes Like Cooked Food, and What that Means for Human Evolution
Allison GuyHumans are the only species on earth that cooks its food. Not only do we cook our food, but we usually find the flavor of cooked foods preferable to the raw version. Compare the …
BitFriday - First Crash for Digital Currency
Allison GuyOn June 10, the digital currency Bitcoin lost 30% of its value in a few hours, dropping from US $28.92 to $20.01 per coin. Bitcoins are a largely untraceable form of money, …
Catalytic Clothing
Koert van MensvoortCatalytic Clothing is a fashionably calm technology that aims to tackle air pollution by embedding a substance in the clothing that purifies air when you wear it. The purifying …
Cheiracanthium drives a Mazda
Allison GuyIn March, Mazda recalled 65,000 cars, not because of any structural faults in the vehicle, but because the engineers had inadvertently created the perfect habitat for a tiny …
City Rats Love Ethnic Food
Allison GuyCity rats, it seems, prefer the same foods that humans do: Greasy, fatty, sweet, and salty. Although rats are usually seen as the billy goats of city life, ready to chow down on …
Conquering the Skies
Luc de SmetEverywhere we go, we conquer the land and shape it to our preferences. The next place to build might as well be the clouds. Tiago Barros , designer and architect, has decided to …
Crows crack nuts... and traffic patterns
Allison Guyhttp://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=BGPGknpq3e0 Narrated by the incomparable David Attenborough, this footage goes to show that urban birds really are smarter . The cross-walking …
Deus Ex: The EyeBorg Documentary
Marco van BeersBack in 2009 Rob Spence, a cyborg film maker, worked together with a team of ocularists, inventors, engineering specialists on a prosthetic eye which can capture and stream video. …
Drugs are Nuts
Stefan FinckenThinking about Next Nature can sometimes result in a feeling of vertigo. Normal standards are eroded and slowly replaced by next natural ones. A bewildering example can be found …
Effortless Learning
Stefan FinckenMatrix-style learning sounds like an impossibility, yet new research suggests it might become reality. Boston University and ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories in Kyoto …
Fly Paper Clock
Koert van MensvoortBionic horror by designers James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau , who have created a clock that traps insects on flypaper before depositing them into a vat of bacteria. The resulting …
Ghosts with Shit Jobs
Rolf CoppensThis trailer for the mockumentary Ghost With Shit Jobs shows a could-be-future in which the role of the West and the East is reversed. Very good timing I would say. More on: …
Growing Cement like Coral
Allison GuyCorals are the master builders of the animal kingdom. Powered on plankton and their symbiotic algae, hard corals extract the carbon dissolved in seawater and turn it into their …
Hallucinogenic Reindeer Moments
Natalie DixonCan art change perceptions more than drugs? An art project which was on show in Berlin’s Hamburger Bahnhof allowed 12 free-roaming reindeer in the former railway station creating …
Michael Najjar – High Altitude
Koert van MensvoortThe rock formations in the High Altitude photo series don't exist physically, yet they are very present in our society of simulations . The photos visualize the development of the …
Holland Gets an Unnatural High
Allison GuyWhen the Dutch built the Netherlands , they forgot to add any mountains. The highest point in Holland is a measly 323 meters, compared to 2,962 meters for the highest mountain in …
I am not a Robot. I am a Unicorn.
Arnoud van den HeuvelAt Cornell Creative Machines Lab they were curious to see how two "chatbots" would make conversation. Powered by Cleverbot , created by AI researcher Rollo Carpenter, the robots …
Live a happy life!
Marco van BeersRemember the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, where Jim Carrey removes his memories of a relationship with Kate Winslet? According to researchers at the University of …
![Visual of Manko & Nothing [#5]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2011/manko-nothing-5/8f13acd5d1-1602632753/manco-4-868x486.jpg)
Manko & Nothing [#5]
Aston RevolaManko was completely cut off from everything around him, virtually dead, buried alive inside of his own body. He remembered Zero's advice not to panic, but to no effect. He had no …
![Visual of Manko & The Children [#9]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2011/manko-the-children-9/3d8fe20352-1602632753/manko9-868x486.jpg)
Manko & The Children [#9]
Aston RevolaAs they went down the elevator shaft, going deeper underground, neither Nada nor Manko spoke a word. To Manko it seemed to take forever. In his mind, he went over the long …
![Visual of Manko & The Earth [#12]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2011/manko-the-earth-12/b1f1cf8f03-1602632753/manko12-868x486.jpg)
Manko & The Earth [#12]
Aston RevolaZero: 'Where to begin? We've had many discussions in our Lab about the future of the children. The plan was simple: to raise the kids to the physical age to be 'frozen' in. Then, …
Mapping the Utilisphere
Allison GuyEarth has had a geosphere, atmosphere and biosphere for a few billion years. Only within the last several thousand years has earth gained a global noosphere, the intangible …
Meet the New Meat
Koert van MensvoortWhat do you think of lab-grown meat? "Yuck" might be your first reaction. One day, however, it could become the environmentally friendly alternative for breeding cows and pigs for …
Monsanto's Technorhetoric Kills Corn
Allison GuyMega-agro-biotech corporation Monsanto recently denied that insects have developed resistance to their patented Bt corn . Injected with a bacterial gene toxic to corn rootworms, …
Mushrooms in the Mokum
Allison GuyMediamatic is hosting a pop-up urban mushroom farm in the middle of Amsterdam. Rows and rows of shiitake, oyster, and the elusive almond-flavored Agaricus subrufescens are …
My Blackberry is Not Working
Koert van MensvoortBiomimic marketing brought back into the fruit shop. Hilarious sketch from BBC's The One Ronnie . Thanks Jeroen van Meij.
Nano Supermarket @ TEDx
Koert van MensvoortLast week our NANO Supermarket was presented at TEDxBrainport in Eindhoven. A good opportunity to show some of our speculative nano products and explain a bit of the why & how …
(Nano)technology imitating Nature
Koen BeumerOver the coming years, nanotechnology will invade our everyday lives. Nanotechnology, usually defined as the control and manipulation of matter at the nanoscale, will be …
Next Nature Server Dementia
Over the last few days the Next Nature website has been suffering symptoms of dementia due to a hardware failure at our very fancy and luxurious web hosting provider Media Temple …
Next Nature Services
Bas HaringIntentionality separates culture from nature. A dog is intentional, a fox is not; a park is intentional, a forest is not. Since trash, ruined buildings, and automated computer …
Playing with Microbes – Biotic Games
Koert van MensvoortStanford researchers are developing 'biotic games' involving paramecia and other living organisms. So far, they have created three games that mimic classic video games. The …
Policing Genes
Rolf CoppensThe genetics of the plants in your garden could become a police matter. Pharmaceutical companies are experimenting with genetically engineering plants to produce useful and …
Retro-futuristic Weather Machine
Koert van MensvoortGeo-engineering avant la lettre. This is what 19th century people thought a 21th century weather machine would look like. This retro-futuristic postcard was produced around 1900 …
Robo-teacher
Arnoud van den HeuvelSay hello to teacher Engkey ! The city of Daegu — South Korea, introduced 29 robot teachers in 19 elementary schools as part of a large scale project to robotize teaching. The …
Rule #2: Different People Anthropomorphize Differently
NextNature.netFor past entries and an introduction to the 11 Golden Rules of Anthropomorphism and Design, click here. What people experience as anthropomorphic is highly personal. Tests have …
Selective Shopping
Koert van MensvoortIn a cheerful attempt to investigate and subvert the image consumption power structures of the contemporary supermarket , designer Marco Ugolini and photographer Pedro Motta went …
Skyscrapers for Pandora
Erik SwaagstraWe've previously featured architecture that imitates nature by opening its walls like a flower , or drifting like a cloud . However, maybe this is not imitation enough. The next …
Snapshots from the Next Nature Lab
Koert van MensvoortLast week, the young and talented designers of the Next Nature lab at the Eindhoven University of Technology presented their end of term works in an internal exhibition. There are …
Spidergoats & Superskin
Stefan FinckenWhile some of us might have heard of the humorous but fictional ' spider pig ,' spidergoats are the real deal. Although you might expect to see them lounging in giant webs or …
Street View of the United States
Koert van MensvoortThe All Streets map visualizes of all the 240 million individual road segments in the United States. Although no other features — outlines, cities, or types of terrain — are …
Tattoo 2.0
Marco van BeersAs a child you probably had one of those temporary tattoos that come packed with over-sweetened chewing gum. It was a nice decoration, and a way to stand out. Recently researchers …
The Amazing Technicolor Dream Ant
Allison GuyA scientist in Mysore, India has figured out how to color-code his backyard ants. Mohamed Babu's wife noticed that the ants' abdomens turned white after drinking milk, so it was …
The Non-Human Noosphere
Allison GuyThe definition of the noosphere as "the sphere of human thought on earth" is woefully anthropocentric. It ignores that fact that our fellow sentient organisms have noospheres of …
The Search for the "Real" Thanksgiving
Allison GuyThanksgiving is fake-for-real. While it's true that there was a minor harvest feast in 1621, held by English immigrants and Wampanoag Indians, the event was never celebrated …
The Story of our Food
Maartje SomersEvery time we eat a piece of food, we take a bite out of the world. All these small bites tell a dozen stories. A carton of eggs presents the story of contented hens, a bottle of …
Trips to the Moon
Billy SchonenbergWhen watching a science fiction flick, it can be hard to determine what time in the future it is set, although this is a usually an integral part of the movie. However, it is …
Unboxing Artificial Intelligence
Arnoud van den HeuvelDid you know that phones were once used for calling up our (human) friends? Researching the beginning of it all, we came accross demo video's on the cloud called "internet" where …
Urban Birds have Bigger Brains
Koert van MensvoortResearchers learned that city birds have larger brains relative to their body size. No, they are not getting big-headed from their exposure to big-city sophistication, but rather …
Video Game Logic Wins This Round
Allison GuyAdapting video games to real life has become a fairly common, jokey way of exploring the games' surreal aspects. I saw kids with balloons playing Mario Kart on my college campus, …
Voodoo Phone
Koert van MensvoortJapanese professor Hiroshi Ishiguro from Osaka University has quite a track record of threading the uncanny valley. Remember his Doppelgänger Robot and Geminoid Female ? His …
When Siri met Siri…
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkLike with pets and babies, we seem to like it when devices mimic our behaviour and social patterns. In the process of domesticating technology, we teach products to behave like …
White Blood Cell War/Game
SelbyBlood Wars is an art-science installation that will pit white blood cells from two different people against each other in a "tournament" that aims to see which person has the …
Would you care more if I was a Panda?
Erik SwaagstraA smart campaign by Ogilvy Paris for WNF shows that also the ‘non-cute’ animals need our help. via Fubiz
#11: Don’t Use Anthropomorphism if it Does Not Serve Any Purpose
NextNature.netPart 11 of the series 11 Golden Rules of Anthropomorphism and Design Anthropomorphism can be a powerful tool in product design. But there are also risks involved that urge …
'Alp' Turns Containers into Refrigerators
NextNature.netTransporting and displaying cold food is an incredibly wasteful and inefficient process. Current display refrigerators, like those that display meats or cheeses in supermarkets, …
Amazon Tribe lacks concept of Time
Koert van MensvoortA study, in Language and Cognition has shown that time does not exist as a separate concept for the Brazilian Amondawa – an Amazon tribe first contacted by the outside world in …
Antifreeze from Fish Blood Keeps Low-Fat Ice Cream Rich and Creamy
Allison GuyFat is what makes ice cream taste rich and creamy. It's called ice cream, after all, not ice skim milk. So how have some manufacturers managed to make reduced fat ice cream that …
As Corn Withers in the Drought, Farmers Fatten Their Cows on Candy
Allison GuyFarmers have long made frugal use of their table scraps, feeding their leftovers to hogs, dogs and now, cows. In a bizarre sign of our cash-strapped and climate-changing …
Automotive Monsoon – Reign or Rain of the Cars?
Jules FrintsTry it once. Go stand near a highway, close your eyes and listen carefully. Hear the sound of tires on the asphalt, hear the rhythmic ‘sshhh’, focus on this particular sound. And …
Bioinspired Robojelly Can Swim Forever
JenniferScientists have developed a biomimetic robot that will be able to swim forever, since its artificial muscles are powered by water. And since Robojelly lives underwater, it will …
Budweiser Cans Water for Storm Victims
Allison GuyIn more next natural news from Hurricane Sandy, Anheuser-Busch, parent company of the American beer brand Budweiser, has been canning water for victims of the disaster. The …
Caterpillar in the Grass
Daniel den BoerHow natural it is to travel with the train. The flat screens in the trains of Dutch Railways almost makes you believe that it is a yellow, blue spotted caterpillar in the long grass.
Cellphone Masts Disguised as Trees are Outdated
Marco van BeersThere is a new version of the well-known cellphone masts disguised as trees. Instead of adding fake nature to these masts, ChamTech Operations wants to put a layer of invisible …
Cigarettes: Bad for You, Good for Birds
Allison GuyBirds use whatever they can get their beaks on to build nests, including cigarette butts. Surprising new research from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México shows that …
Does Chocolate Milk Come From Brown Cows?
Gillis van de ZandeAlthough chocolate milk producing cows may sound silly, scientists are seriously analyzing the feasibility of the idea. Why not add genes of cocoa and sugar to a cow, in order to create a cow that produces sweet chocolate milk?
Dolphin Wannabe
Arnoud van den HeuvelSame article , different example: Water Powered JetPack by Jetlev . (Thanks: Marlies Peeters)
Lions Relocate to the Suburbs
Allison GuyAs cities push to the edges of the wilderness, wild animals are increasingly com
Meat, the Expectations
Koert van MensvoortAs the planet’s population speeds towards 9 billion, it’s becomes impossible to continue consuming meat like we do today. Will we all be eating rice and beans? Grasshoppers …
Escaped Pet Birds Teach Wild Cockatoos how to Talk
Koert van MensvoortIn some parts of Australia it is no exception to hear voices when there are no people near. The voices are the chatter of wild cockatoos that where taught words and sentences from escaped domesticated cockatoos.
Featured Page #02: Google Nature
NextNature.netDuring the coming weeks, we will present a selection of our favourite pages from the Next Nature book . This week the second one in this series: Google Nature. Imagine you are an …
Featured Page #04: The McWorld Map
NextNature.netDuring the coming weeks, we will present a selection of our favourite pages from the Next Nature book . This week a tool that encourages us to experience local specialties through …
Photoshop Your Way to Beauty
Lisa van der VoortFilmmaker Jesse Rosten shows his critical views on body standards by presenting the exclusive beauty breakthrough Fotoshop by Adobé. This revolutionary product features pro-pixel …
Glass Gem Corn Looks Like Jewelry
Allison GuyMost corn has been selectively bred over the centuries to be a single color: yellow, white or blue. Glass gem corn, a varietal grown by Greg Schoen , harkens back to the days when …
Growing Fruit into Its Own "Juice Box"
Allison GuyBrazilian ad agency AGE Isobar spent two years experimenting in order to grow fruits into the shape of Camp's juice boxes. Immature limes, guavas and passionfruit were packed …
Human Barbie
Koert van MensvoortJust when you thought the Second Life hype was long gone, meet Ukrainian body artist Valerie Lukyanova who aims to turn Second Life into First Life. They call her the Human …
Humans Caused Mass Extinctions Before There Were Even Humans
Allison GuyHumans and other hominids have a reputation for bringing about mass extinctions. Homo erectus has been blamed for the disappearance of many African carnivores, our ancestors …
Illiterate Kids Learn to Hack Tablet Computers with No Outside Help
Allison GuyThe One Laptop Per Child program is experimenting with what at first seems to be the lazy way to philanthropy: dropping off tablet computers in remote Ethiopian villages and then …
Jellyfish built from Rat Cells
Koert van MensvoortAnother step in the fusion of the made & the born: Researchers at Harvard University managed to make an artificial jellyfish using a sheet of silicone and rat heart cells. The …
Muscle Milk. Contains No Milk.
Allison GuyPump yourself up the "natural" way: Muscle Milk contains no milk, and hopefully no muscles either. Just goes to show that nature is the most successful marketing trope of our …
Nano Product: Energy Belt
NextNature.netWith Energy Belt, stop treating your excess fat like a liability, and instead embrace its untapped potential. Artificial protocells in the belt mimic natural brown fat, taking …
NANO Supermarket at Lowlands Festival
Koert van MensvoortThis weekend some of our sustainable, energy related, NANO Supermarket products are exhibited at the lustrous Lowlands popfestival . Come visit us at the Llowlab to charge your …
NANO Supermarket in RTL Koffietijd
NextNature.netDesign fiction for the masses. Our NANO Supermarket was presented in the Dutch television show RTL Koffietijd (coffeetime). If you belong to the exquisite 5% visitors of this …
NANO Supermarket Jury Report 2012
NextNature.netAfter the successful introduction of the NANO Supermarket in 2010 it became even more clear that the contest and the presented results produced discussions and many challenges to …
Nanotech Diatoms
Allison GuyNo, those aren't plastic trinkets or beads from a craft store. They're diatoms, a group of single-celled algae, and unlike almost all of our current technologies, they can rapidly …
Nanotech Generates the Blackest Black
As the NANO Supermarket opens discussions on the ethics, purpose and usability of nanotechnology, Frederik De Wilde is researching its artistic possibilities. De Wilde is a guest …
New Robot Turns Poo into Energy
Allison GuyThough disgusting, sewage is an abundant, nutrient-rich resource. Researchers at the University of West England have taken advantage of this fact by creating a robot that turns …
Raise Crops on the Moon with Plant-Growing Jelly
NextNature.netIn dry areas like the desert, on mountain tops or on the moon it’s impossible to grow anything. Or is it? A rain in the desert sparks extreme plant growth from the moment the …
Regrowing Bones with Silk
Allison GuyTime to add another superpower to insect silk, which already includes bulletproof skin and implantable microelectronics . Recent research indicates that silk may be an ideal …
Salad Dress
Koert van MensvoortPush your organic-sustainable-veggie-lifestyle in the overdrive with the Salad Dress.
Spray On Liquid Glass
Koert van MensvoortNow here is a product that should soon find its way into the NANO Supermarket soon. At least, if supermarkets are willing to put it on their shelves, as they currently make huge …
The Action Plant Runs Away from Your Touch
Allison GuyPlants have it tough. They're tasty, silent, and stuck to the spot. With Jurema Action Plant, artist Ivan Henriques has given plants the mobility they deserve . Henriques' pieces …
The Relative Size of Old Nature
Allison GuyCreated by Cary Huang, this interactive scale of the universe shows the relative sizes of everything from quarks to the Hoover Dam. Be prepared for some cosmic gee-whiz moments …
Using a Robot to Virtually Attend School
Tom DerksThere are many people in the world for whom, for various reasons, it is impossible to leave the house or hospital. This means these people are not able to go to work or school. …
Using Simple Scents to Trick Shoppers into Buying
Allison GuyRetailers have long known that certain smells get us into the buying mood – cinnamon or warm cookies around the holidays, for instance – even if we're shopping for completely …
Video Game-Playing Robot Acts More "Human" than Humans
Allison GuyComputer-controlled players in video games can usually be spotted for their repetitive, illogical or unemotional behavior. Unlike humans, non-player characters (NPCs) don't get …
When Biomimicmarketing Kills
Allison GuyLoosely regulated and largely untested in clinical trials, herbal medicines nonetheless do big business based on their image of being wholesome, natural, and backed by millennia …
Where Have All the Cucumbers Gone?
Allison GuyThis stunning graphic, courtesy of Nature & More , shows the astonishing drop in food crop diversity from 1903 to 1983. Lettuces available from commercial seed houses now …
Why It's Time to Calm Down about "Invasive" GM GloFish
Allison GuyIs the neon green tetra GloFish soon to be the florescent, transgenic terror of America's waterways? The internet hype machine has repeated ad infinitum the Washington Post's …
“Soccket” Ball Generates Free Electricity
Alessia AndreottiIt looks like a normal soccer ball, but Soccket has a secret: a hole for a charging cable. Designed by two Harvard students, the ball has a pendulum-like mechanism inside that …
A Frankenstein-esque System
Fenna Klein TuenteThe boundary between humans and machines is slowly but steadily blurring. The Immortal is a machine which exists out of several life-support machines connected with wires and electric cords.
Animals Mistaken For Spies
NextNature.netEgyptian authorities detained a stork last week on suspicion of espionage.
Anthropo-scene #4: Longing for Nature
ChristianWhat one ugly overpass in Berlin reveals about our attitudes towards nature.
Anthropocene Art – Amazon Abstraction
Koert van MensvoortA false-color image of Amazon deforestation reveals surprisingly beautiful patterns.
Birdhouse Sweet Birdhouse
Alessia Andreotti3D printer company MakerBot recently launched a contest inviting designers to create the birdhouse of the future. The winner is The American Craftsman Bungalow by Brent J. …
Bizarre Retro-Futuristic Visions of Meat
Jonathon MarkowskiIllustrators from the 1800s to the 1950s offer strange prediction for the future of meat.
Bored with Sex? There's a Pill for That
Allison GuyTrials for new drugs hold promise for a "cure" for female boredom in the sack.
Bright Streetlights Make Us No Safer, and Why That's Good News
Allison GuyArtificial lighting at night makes us fat, depressed and sick. What are the alternatives?
Chinese Whisper Challenge Pits Man Against Machine
Jort BandEver played "telephone" or "chinese whispers" as a kid? Now, you can pit your speech recognition skills against a computer.
Cow Poower! Bacteria Turn Poo into Fuel
Silvia CelibertiFarmers in the US are producing fuel and high-quality fertilizer from their cows' manure.
Now Dads Can Experience Pregnancy Too
Alessia AndreottiA new device replicates the kicking and moving of a baby inside a mother's womb.
Disney Princesses Fight Against Cliché
Alessia AndreottiWatch your back: the Disney princesses are feeling murderous.
Our Image of Nature is Naïve
Koert van MensvoortA while ago I tried to make a landscape paintings as seen on the Bob Ross television show, yet thing turned out a little bit different in my wilderness. Nature is perhaps the most …
Food Familiarization #2: Celebrity Endorsement
Allison GuyHow "celebrity endorsements" transformed the potato from the devil's tuber into a global staple.
Ghost Imaging: Taking Pictures of the Invisible Thanks to a New 3D Technique
Alessia AndreottiBritish research group created anew scanning technique permits to obtain 3D images and detect wavelengths that our visual system is not able to see.
Google's Shoes Talk to Runners
Alice FumeyNeed a personal trainer? Google's new sneakers fulfill the role of a human coach.
Hire a Hyperreal Girlfriend to Look Better on Facebook
Insoo HwangBaudrillard intersects with social media in the world of fake online girlfriends.
Hong Kong Says "Cheese" to Pollution
Alessia AndreottiHong Kong has a rather cynical solution to the problem of ugly air pollution.
How to Turn Pork in to Beef
Koert van MensvoortNext, we are anticipating recipes on how to turn pork into dinosaur filet.
I’ll Take A Variety of Fried Gadgets, Please
Alessia AndreottiIs a deep-fried iPad as unhealthy as a McDonald's meal?
Interview: Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, Designer and Synthetic Biology Expert
Alessia AndreottiAn interview with Daisy Ginsberg, artist and synthetic biologist.
Interview: Jason Silva, Media Artist and Curator of Awe-Inspiring Ideas
Alessia AndreottiMedia artist, filmmaker and wonderjunkie Jason Silva talks about technological evolution and why humans are gods with anuses.
Why Meat Grown in Labs is the Next Logical Step for Food Production
Avy RoyLab grown meat is part of the trajectory that agricultural technology is already following.
More than Fake Nature: The Surprising Sociology of Museum Taxidermy
Allison GuyThe greatest taxidermy in the world reveals a great deal about our changing notions of nature.
Mutation Furniture: Your Living Room Comes Alive
Silvia CelibertiBeautiful Mutation series from Belgian designer Maarten De Ceulaer show how herpes would dramatically enhance the look of your Yves Klein blue sofa. Indeed the velvety series …
NASA Solves the Toxic 'New Car Smell'
Jonathon MarkowskiA new material can stop toxic off-gassing from plastics, but the 'new car smell' is so valuable the car industry might not change.
Next Nature Interview on London Real
NextNature.netLondon Real interviewed Koert Van Mensvoort on the concept of Next Nature and its implications on our planet.
Next Nature saves Old Nature
Koert van MensvoortConservation workers ask synthetic biologists to help them save the world's endangered creatures and habitats.
Now Your Smartphone Can Smell Like Barbecue and Buttered Potatoes
Alessia AndreottiAn olfactory device for Smartphones that spreads the aroma of barbecue using an app.
Offshore Wind Farms Generate Their Own Microclimates
Patty ChanAs we strive to milk all available energy from nature, we not only harvest but alter our surroundings in the process. By mixing the warm sea air with cooler air above, offshore …
Sitting on Tofu
Alessia AndreottiItalian Designer discovers new material. A ideal throne for a vegan king.
Sniffer - Meet the Google Nose
Koert van MensvoortThe Sniffer – aka Google Nose – visualizes odors using a smell sensor, which is as good as a dog’s nose, and a glass in front of your eyes.
Swallow a Pill to Turn Your Body into a Living Password
Jonathon MarkowskiNeed a password that you'll never forget and can never be stolen? Try storing it in a pill in your gut.
Take a Walk on the Fake Side
Alessia AndreottiWhen you look into the anamorphic abyss, the anamorphic abyss also looks into you.
The "Actroid" Lives in the Uncanny Valley
Allison GuyThe Actroid robot holds clues for climbing out of the uncanny valley.
The Bottom-Up Bitcoin Revolution
Silvia CelibertiIn a recent feel-good article, WIRED wrote about a special group of homeless friends in Florida who, equipped with laptops, phones and free WiFi, manage to make ends meet making …
The First Recorded Attack on a Cyborg
Stefan FinckenLooking back on the first recorded attack on a human cyborg.
The Only Blue Sky in Beijing is Fake
NextNature.netBlade Runner becomes reality in China. Just try not to breathe.
The Six Epochs of Evolution
Koert van MensvoortBuckle up for a cinematic espresso show from Jason Silva on the various epochs of evolution.
The Smart Desk: Exercise While Working
Alessia AndreottiA "breathing" desk that reminds you to change positions throughout the day.
The World Responds to Bitcoin
Rick Dutour GeerlingFrom small stores to the US government, what the world thinks of bitcoin.
Tykkään or En tykkää? Digital Voting Takes to the Streets
Silvia CelibertiHelsinki tested out a Facebook-like interface to get public opinion on a new construction project.
Visualizing Drone Attacks
Alessia AndreottiThe visualization of every known drone attack in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Win the Next Nature iPad Appzine
NextNature.netThink you know your corporate animals? Show off your knowledge and win our Next Nature app!
With "Stealth Wear", Hide from Unmanned Drones in Style
Daniel van PaesschenTired your ugly duds? Sick of surveillance drones? Does Adam Harvey have the clothing for you!
You Can Never Go Back To Nature
Annalee NewitzOne of the arguments that environmentalists use against factory farming and burning fossil fuels is that these activities are "unnatural" or that they "go against nature." But …
50 Years Ago Asimov Predicted WiFi, Smartphones and Today's World Features
Alessia AndreottiIsaac Asimov predicts in 1964 what the world will look like today, in 2014.
A Jet without Windows for a Better View
Alessia AndreottiSupersonic jet replaces windows with massive live-streaming screens.
A Jewel That Stops You From Checking Your Phone
Rolf CoppensFor every smartphone user to recognize, is that merely the lighting of your screen, a vibration or ring distracts you from almost every activity. Even when you are spending time …
Anthropocene: the Shrinking of Aral Sea
Alessia AndreottiAs a consequence of a big water diversion project to irrigate surrounding areas the Aral Sea is drying up.
Bioluminescent Forest
Alessia AndreottiTwo artists transformed the forest into a bioluminescent wonderland.
BrainDriver: the Mind Controlled Car
Alessia AndreottiImagine you could drive your car using only your thoughts. It is now possible!
Divine Nature
Alessia AndreottiPhotographer Holly Wilmeth seeks to capture the encounter between women and nature, symbolized into animal form.
Drones Could Be the Next Dog Sitters
Alessia AndreottiA drone take a dog out for a walk, guiding and monitoring the pet.
E.T. Video Games are Real Modern Fossils
Alessia AndreottiAn unsuccessful piece of video gaming history became an archeological record.
Emoticons Among US
Alessia AndreottiWhat if emoticons were not just a replacement for the written word, but creatures looking for a place in society?
eTree – Electric Gardening
Alessia AndreottiAn eco-sculpture that looks like a tree. Its foliage is made of solar panels able to produce energy.
First Completely Artificial Heart Transplant
Alessia AndreottiWorld's first self-regulating artificial heart transplanted in France.
Food To Eat With Your Eyes
Francesca BarchiesiIn Japan, fake food industry represents a century of old crafting tradition and a multi billion business.
How a Self-Driving Car Sees the World
Lotte BiesheuvelThe Google self-driving car has driven 700.000 miles by itself, and now it can drive through busy city streets.
How Google Maps Solves Borders Issues
Alessia AndreottiGoogle Maps drew up three different topographical plans of Crimea: one for visitors from Ukraine, another one for Russian users; and the third on the international version of the …
In Vitro Meat: Animal Liberation?
NextNature.netMany people welcome in vitro meat because of what it may mean for animals. Even though they often find the idea strange, the promise for animals is widely felt as a source of hope.
Interview: Chloé Rutzerveld, Designer Who Wants to Grow Healthy 3D Printed Food
Alessia AndreottiFood and Concept designer, Chloé Rutzerveld, explains her 3D food printing project Edible Growth.
McDonald’s Is Eating The World
Alessia AndreottiA map showing the endless expansion of McDonald’s restaurants.
Modern African Classics
Robin BergmanTextiles manufacturer 'Vlisco' updates African classic pattern to represent personal educational preferences.
Modern Society Contradictions
Alessia AndreottiPawel Kuczynski portraits the contradictions of today’s world.
Our Tribal Gut Bacteria Are Disappearing (And Why We're Getting Fat)
Allison GuyHealthy gut bacteria may hold the key to weight loss – but only isolated communities may preserve "natural" intestinal biomes.
Rainbow Station
Alessia AndreottiStudio Roosegaarde created a giant rainbow of light for the Amsterdam Central Station east side.
Raptor Aircraft Paints Rainbows in the Sky
Francesca BarchiesiNext Nature Rainbow painted by F-22 Raptor Jet.
Retro-Futuristic Smartwatch
Alessia AndreottiIn 1981 the idea of what we call smartwatch was nothing more than a funny joke.
Robotic Furniture puts IKEA to Shame
Koert van MensvoortScience Fiction taught us to think of robots as human-like beings, yet the robots that actually make it into your home are more likely to look like furniture.
Salmon Cannon Shoots Fish Over Dams
Alessia AndreottiA cannon that sucks salmon up and “shoots” them out in a different body of water.
Save the Humans - Call for Quotes
NextNature.netFor our new book "Save the Human" we invite you to submit quotes that question the autonomy of mankind in the digital computer era and study the future of the independent creative spirit.
Scientists Created "Alien-DNA"
Julia WeberUS-scientists extended the DNA alphabet with two new created 'foreign' building-blocks.
Shark Deterrent Wetsuits
Lotte BiesheuvelA new way to project yourself against sharks while enjoying your favorite watersport!
Shock Therapy for a Better Self
Julia WeberThe Pavlok wristband gives its wearers an electric shock if they fail at hitting work deadlines or completing fitness goals.
The Anthropocene Explosion
Koert van MensvoortWe have entered the Anthropocene epoch, in which humanity and its instrumentalities are the most potent and influential geological force.
The Earth As You've Never Seen It Before
Alessia AndreottiBreathtaking satellite images that will change how you see the World.
The Evolution Of The Desk 1980 - 2014
Francesca BarchiesiObjects that normally used to surround us became more and more virtual, radically changing the aspect of our workplace.
The Smartest Artificial Skin
Alessia AndreottiStretchy artificial skin lets prosthetic hand sense heat, humidity, and pressure.
The Tribes We Lead
Koert van MensvoortSeth Godin argues the Internet has ended mass marketing and that it brings us back to the tribe.
Top 100 Economies: 37 are Corporations
Koert van Mensvoort37 of the world’s 100 largest economies are corporations.
Urban Green
Alessia AndreottiThese pictures by photographer Jacob Gesink show how the urban green is carefully manufactured.
3D Holography: the Future of Medicine
Yunus Emre DuyarA new technology aims to provide doctors with a true hologram of organs.
A Wind Turbine That Looks Like a Tree
Yunus Emre DuyarThe wind turbines of the future will look like post-modern tree sculptures.
Analogue vs Digital: Never Lost with GPS
NextNature.netBefore global positioning systems, we all used maps. And they could be very annoying.
Analogue vs Digital: Self-Driving Cars
NextNature.netThe image on the left is a car, as we know them. It has a lot of digital technology in it already, but not nearly as much as the other one.
Analogue vs Digital: War at Home
NextNature.netFirst-person shooter games let you immerse in a battlefield from the moment you press play.
Anthropo-scene #10: From Thoughts to Geology
ChristianIt's more than two years since I have started this exploration of the Anthropocene for Next Nature for you. We have visited many places together, places I have traveled to as a …
Apple Watch Evolution
Alessia AndreottiIn 1992, decades before the era of wearable technology, Apple produced its first watch: no apps and vintage design.
Artificial Brain Able to Perceive, Learn and Forget
Alexandra BremersScientists in Russia have taken a next step in the development of artificial intelligence by creating a "brain" that is able to educate itself.
Artworks that Look Virtual, but Are Completely Hand Painted
Alexandra BremersThese paintings by Johnny Abrahams look almost computer made - except they are not. Working mainly with black and white acrylic paints and with a lot of patience, the American …
Technology and Emotions
Margherita OlivoA wearable lighting device that changes color and shade according to movement, facial expressions, weather and mood.
Do Kids Know Where Dinner Comes From?
Wei Lun WangSwimming salmon fillets confuse educate children about where dinner comes from.
Computer Generated… Errrmm?
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkThis image, generated by a computer, portrays a representation of what seems to be some kind of squirrel-meets-sea-lion-meets-slug-type of creature.
Converting Gestures into Concrete Action
Yunus Emre DuyarFrancesca Barchiesi's glove concept allows the user to translate hand gestures into images and information.
Death Threat by a Twitter Bot
Louise HuyghebaertDutch developer Jeffrey van der Goot got questioned by the police after one of his Twitter Bot released a tweet containing a death threat.
Designing Cars with Synthetic Biology
Louise HuyghebaertDesigner and artist Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg explains how synthetic biology inspires her for designing the cars of the future.
Experimental Office: No Chairs, No Desks
Koert van MensvoortTo counter the sitting dogma, design firm RAAAF and artist Barbara Visser created a dynamic office concept, entirely based on movement and leaning.
A Wooden Floor that Follows the Curves of the Tree it's Made of
Koert van MensvoortA wooden floor that follows the curves of the tree it's made of, thanks to smart milling techniques.
From the Super Muscular Pig to the Hypoallergenic Cow: New GMOs May Soon Be on Your Plate
Alessia AndreottiThe acronym that keeps Europe awake at night is TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), a trade and investment deal that the EU is negotiating with the US. From …
Gene-Edited Micropigs Will Be Soon Sold As Pets
Wei Lun WangEarlier this year, a group of Chinese scientists published a paper about the modification of the genome of human embryos with the cutting-edge powerful technique called CRISPRs. …
Genetic Modification Could Prevent TB
Yunus Emre DuyarIt was announced this week that genetic modification allowed scientists to produce cattle resistant to tuberculosis.
Genome Editing - Bringing the Übermensch to a Shelf Near You
Daniel FragaLast April, a Chinese group of researchers published a paper that set the scientific world ablaze in a fierce debate. The paper was about their attempts to edit the DNA of a human …
Google's Smart Interactive Clothing
Alessia AndreottiProject Jacquard makes it possible to weave touch and gesture interactivity into any textile.
This Headset Will Widen Your View of Reality
Margherita OlivoThis augmented reality helmet allows the wearers to see all around them without having to turn their head.
Holiday in a Bird's Nest
Alessia AndreottiThe exterior of the this hotel room is constructed with branches, sticks and twigs intertwined to create the look and feel of a real bird nest.
Hospitalised Veterans Experience Virtual Parade
Alexandra BremersGoogle filmed the most recent NYC Veteran’s Day Parade in 360-degree video and created a VR version that would allow disabled or ill-healthed veterans to experience the parade as well.
Should Intelligent Sex Robots be Banned?
Daniel FragaThe Campaign Against Sex Robots, recently launched, is pushing towards banning the continuation of sex robots development.
Interview: Nadine Bongaerts, Synthetic Biologist Bridging Science with Society
NextNature.netWe recently talk to Nadine Bongaerts about the role and impact of synthetic biology, the gap between biosciences and society and the importance of communication to overcome the fear of new technologies.
Interview: Suzanne Lee, Fashion Innovator Who Grows Clothing in the Laboratory
Alessia AndreottiWe recently talked with Suzanne Lee about the textile industry and technology, growing leather in the lab, and the use of new alternative materials in the future of fashion.
Intimate Technology Evening at Droog
NextNature.netDroog Foundation and Next Nature Network invites you to join the conversation about Intimate Technology: April 23, in Amsterdam.
Forget Google Street View, Here's Cat Street View
Wei Lun WangJapan city has launched an online street view map to introduce the view of the city by a cat's perspective.
Meet the Modern Miners
Koert van MensvoortA visit to a massive, secretive Bitcoin mine that is said to make 800.000 Euro per month.
Meet Yangyang, Actroid From China
Alessia AndreottiThe humanoid robot Yangyang can function autonomously, talking and gesturing while interacting with people.
Mini's Augmented Reality Driving Goggles
Yunus Emre DuyarThe popular car brand is working on augmented reality goggles that enhance the driving experience.
MIT Lets Robot Cheetah Off Leash
Hessel HoogerhuisRobot Cheetah has grown up! Scientists at MIT's Biometrics Robotics Lab have now trained their robo-feline Cheetah to detect obstacles and jump over hurdles as it runs, making it …
Neon Waterfalls
Alessia AndreottiTransforming Northern California waterfalls into a psychedelic scenery using a colorful range of glow sticks, lasers, road flares, headlamps.
First Testings of Google's Project Loon Announced
Margherita OlivoGoogle plans to connect more than 100 million people in a cheap, new and sustainable way, in a territory where only one person on three has access to the Internet.
Next Nature Book Second Edition
NextNature.netAfter it sold out, the Next Nature book has been reprinted with a brand new cover.
Next Nature Talk at IoTx in Dubai
NextNature.netGoing to the lustrous IoTx conference in Dubai this year? Don’t miss out the Next Nature lecture.
Next Nature Talk at SXSW
NextNature.netGoing to the lustrous SXSW festival in Texas this year? Don't miss out on the Next Nature presentation!
Puppy Delivery Drones
Yunus Emre Duyar3 Million Dogs released a funny video, which shows puppies delivered by drones.
Seaweed Farms to Solve the Problem of Ocean Acidification
Margherita OlivoBy burning fossil fuels we are responsible for the increase of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere. Aside from raising temperatures globally, this is also affecting our …
Seconds for Sale: Domestication of Time
Sander DijkhuisTime Ingot is a solid piece of lead alloy, its mass can slow down time in the immediate vicinity.
Should We Fear Thinking Machines?
Maria RamosIt seems thinking machines could put the human race in danger. How realistic these fears are?
Smog: an Augmented Reality?
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkA few days ago, these images of iconic buildings in Beijing as they look with and without intense smog have been posted on Weibo, one of China’s most popular social media …
Teasing the Internet of Things
Yunus Emre DuyarWhen there is such abundance of areas where IoT could be applied, several ridiculous, unnecessary products are inevitable.
The World’s Largest Indoor Farm
Alessia AndreottiThe world’s largest indoor farm in Japan is 100 times more productive than traditional agriculture.
Virtual Reality Can Intensify Emotions
Margherita OlivoResearchers discovered that people's reactions to 3D images of facial expressions are more emotional than the responses to classic 2D images.
Watch out for Bullied Robots
Alexandra BremersDystopian future scenarios filled with evil robots are everywhere. We are afraid of robots treating us badly, but what will happen if it'll be the other way around? According to …
Welcome to the Hearth of the Sun
Alessia AndreottiSolarium, a video installation by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), puts visitors in the hearth of the sun.
Gameplay of the Crowds
Len KromkampAustralian programmer started a social experiment called “Twitch Plays Pokémon”. Over a Million People Play Pokémon in Social Experiment
When Was the Last Time you Were Bored?
Alessia AndreottiThe Bored and Brilliant project asks people to measure their smartphone use take some conscious steps to limit the digital interactions.
You Can Be the Avatar by 2040
Yunus Emre DuyarAlthough it still is a theory, nanotechnology might enable us to control the elements, except fire.
72h Offline Challenge for Teenagers
Monika KozubAround 100 Polish teenagers aged between 12 and 18 agreed to withstand 72 hours totally offline: no phone, no computer, no TV. What were the results?
Adblock Plus Now Sells Acceptable Ads
Ruben BaartAdblock Plus, world’s most popular ad-blocking tool, just announced they are launching an advertising service for “acceptable” ads.
The Advent of Connected Toys
Margherita OlivoIt is the era of smart toys, but they certainly raise difficult questions for parents.
AI Teenage Girl Hit by Depression
Ruben BaartAn AI was intended to improve human-like experiences in regards to the company’s customer service chatbots, but has fallen into a suicidal depression instead.
Animal Fauxtography
Alejandro AlvarezFake photography, or fauxtography, has been around since the invention of cameras and nature is one of the most popular subjects of dishonest photographers.
Anonymity Becomes the New Privacy
Ioana TomiciArtists respond to biometric technology and data collecting software through subversive projects.
Are These the Headphones of the Future?
Monika KozubNo matter which brand is going to rule the wireless headphones scene, it's time to get used to have a computer in our ear that we never need to take out. Until it may grow into it someday!
The First Beauty Contest Judged by AI
Ruben BaartThe first beauty contest judged by complex algorithms has sparked controversy after biased results.
Bees to the Rescue of Their Queen
Margherita OlivoThousands of bees chased a Welsh woman's car for two days looking for their queen.
Begging Ghetto Blasters Hack the System
Ingmar NieuweboerBegging ghetto blasters in Utrecht are making you question poverty.
Who Are These Trolls Invading China?
Margherita OlivoChina's government fabricates about 488 Million social media posts every year as a strategy to distract from critics to the regime.
Brexit: the Cultural Climate Warms Up
Daniel FragaOn the aftermath of such a historic day for Britain and the EU, it's easy to get swayed into the polarities of political discourse, particularly on social media and the Internet, where things heat up and move fast. The results of the referendum have just come out, and the Internet is already burning with tension. This is called "climate change" - just not the one you are used to hear about.
C-Sections Caused an Evolutionary Change
Mathilde NakkenC-sections have an unexpected side effect on human evolution. Newborn heads are getting bigger, while the mothers birth cannals are becoming smaller.
Fighting Photo Overflow with a Camera
Monika KozubWhat if a camera would say "no" when you press the shutter because there are already too many similar photos on the internet?
Cars Are Ready to Recognize Us
Alejandro AlvarezWe already recognize faces in our cars, now it is time for our cars to recognize our faces.
Cats Take Over London Underground
Ruben BaartLast week nearly 70 portraits of cats replaced all advertisements at the Clapham Common tube station in London.
Coming Soon: Video Face Hacking for All
Alejandro Alvarezteam of computer scientists at the universities of Germany and California has created what they call photoshoping videos in real time.
The Coywolf: 65% Wolf, 25% Coyote, 10% Dog
Margherita OlivoThe coywolf: an animal that has the DNA of the wolves, coyotes and dogs.
Creating a Second Skin to Look Younger
Elise MarcusScientists managed to create what every woman has been dreaming of: a second skin to reduce wrinkles and tighten the skin.
The Danger of a Plastic Sea
Margherita OlivoBy 2050 plastic waste will outnumber the number of fish in the sea. These Surfers are taking action and raising awareness.
Difficulty in Voting for Trump or Hillary?Elect an Artificial Intelligence for President
Koert van MensvoortWould you vote for an artificial intelligence to govern our society?
Doctors Used VR to Save a Baby's Life
Margherita OlivoGoogle Cardboard was used by a cardiologist to train for a very risky heart surgery on a four months baby.
People, Use Your Drone to Map El Niño!
Margherita OlivoHow to monitor the effects of El Niño ? The Nature Conservancy wants to take advantage of the massive image production that can be collected using smartphones and drones. From …
Enlisting Eagles to Take Down Drones
Margherita OlivoAn eagle clutching a flying drone is probably not a show that you see everyday, unless you live in the Netherlands.
Eating Plastic or Krill: a Smelly Story for Birds
Mathilde NakkenSeabirds eat floating plastic debris because it smells like food, study finds.
But will lab-grown meat be kosher?
Benjamin Aldes WurgaftRead Benjamin Aldes Wurgaft's essay on judaism in relation to the production of laboratory-grown meat.
Evolution Will Change the Way We Sleep
Margherita OlivoA group of researchers is working to optimize the way we sleep, increasing our relaxation, and therefore reducing the time devoted to our naps.
A Film to Double the Shelf-Life of Food
Margherita OlivoThe eco-friendly food packaging material able to improve food safety, conservation and quality.
Fake-for-Real: Who Is Lil Miquela?
Ruben BaartThis Instagram model makes her fans wondering whether she is fake or real.
The First Fully Autonomous Soft Robot
Ruben BaartThe Octobot is the first of its kind made fully of soft materials and is aimed to pave the way towards a more safely interaction with humans.
Lost in the Forest? The Drones Will Find You
Daniel FragaResearchers are teaching drones to recognize and follow forest trails.
Foster’s Prototype for a Droneport
Margherita OlivoNorman Foster's project for a Droneport that will give a valid, affordable alternative to reach and bring help to remote areas.
Safe Driving Rewarded with Free Coffee
Ruben BaartAs part of a new traffic safety initiative, a car manufacturer, a telecommunications operator, and a coffee chain have joined forces to develop a new app designed to promote safer driving.
Future Architecture: Digesting Walls
Mathilde NakkenThe University of West England is developing living bricks, turning your walls into a digesting organism.
Future of Feelings: Emotion Reading Radio
Mathilde NakkenResearchers have the developed the EQ-Radio: a tool to read people emotions from a distance.
Future of Food: Eating From the Ditch
Mathilde NakkenFor years scientist and farmers are researching the possibilities of eating duckweed, shoveling it out of the ditches onto our plates. This proteinrich plants can be used in animal fodders or be eaten by humans.
Traffic Lights for Smartphone Zombies
Ruben BaartGround Level Traffic Lights For Smartphone Zombies
Growing Drones From Chemicals
Ruben BaartResearchers are experimenting with a new technology that would be able to grow drones from chemical compounds.
Harvesting Water from Thin Air
Margherita OlivoScientists in Harvard University have designed a new material inspired by organisms, such as cacti, that can effectively harvest water from thin air.
How Is Hi-Tech Changing Sports?
Margherita OlivoHitech is changing sports, but what are the consequences?
Holland Before the Dikes
Koert van MensvoortA speculative rendering of a climate change catastrophe? Is this our future? Or our past, long before people starting building dykes in the low lands?
How Data Reformed Politics
Ingmar NieuweboerBig data is reforming politics, but is it for the better?
How We Domesticated Food
Margherita OlivoWe tend to believe that the fruit and the vegetables we eat today are "natural" and the same as they always were. It turns out that in the past this familiar food didn't look like this at all.
Internet Open Daily from 7:00 to 22:30
Koert van MensvoortSymbol of the stalled development in the socialist state, or design for silence, quietude and meditation?
Interview: Agi Haines, Speculative Artist Who Wants to Redesign the Human Body
Ruben BaartSpeculative designer Agi Haines' work focuses on (re)designing the human body, and speculates upon future scenarios.
Designer Govert Flint applies motion to everyday life
Ingmar NieuweboerInterview with Govert Flint, designer, architect and self-taught artist.
Interview: Mike Thompson and Susana Cámara Leret, Designers Exploring Alternative Ways of Thinking & Doing
Ingmar NieuweboerInterview with Mike Thompson and Susana Cámara Leret.
Japan Is Ready to Pay Bills with Bitcoins
Alejandro AlvarezJapan is the first country to accept the bitcoins as payment method for basic services.
Landfills Cause Changes in Bird Migration
Margherita OlivoGarbage dumps may not be very attractive places for us but they sure are for animals. A study published in Science Advances shows how certain groups of storks modified (and …
The Lightest Solar Cell Ever Made
Margherita OlivoResearchers created solar cells as light as a soap bubble.
Lilou the Airport Pig Will Soothe Your Travel
Monika KozubIf you happen to be at San Francisco International Airport on the hectic Holiday time, LiLou, the airport's pig can help you alleviate the stress.
Luminous Bike Lane Opened in Poland
Monika KozubThe first self-sufficient luminous bike lane opened last week in Poland.
Computers Need Domestication
Alejandro AlvarezSoon we won’t program computers anymore, we’ll train them like dogs.
Making King's Day More Sustainable
Margherita OlivoOn King's Day the water board of Amsterdam wants to collect urine and use it as fertilizer.
Meat-Eating Made Us Humans
Margherita OlivoEating meat has made us who we are today: evolved, intelligent humans, able to use a verbal language.
Meet the Farmer Drone
NextNature.netThe Farmer Drone is a hardworking drone that ploughs land, grows crops and milks the cows, all on the same day.
Meet the Weather Drone
NextNature.netThe Weather Drone controls the weather, it makes sure the sun will shine on your birthday, or that the rain will fall during a period of drought.
Natural Ice Sculpture in North Carolina
Ruben BaartWhat happens when nature and culture team up to create an ice sculpture?
What Is Next Nature? #11
Ingmar NieuweboerBeing reminded by Facebook that it's your best friends' birthday.
Who Owns the Map?
Ruben BaartIn their pursuit of mapping the physical world online, mapping services simultaneously shape our understanding of it too.
Photoshop for Voice on Its Way
Monika KozubWhat if we can no longer rely on authenticity of voice recordings? A demo software to alter them premiered recently.
More People Are Too Fat Than Too Thin
Ingmar NieuweboerFor the first time in history the world population counts more people who are too fat than too thin.
Pokemon Go and Virtual Property
Alejandro AlvarezWhat happens when someone places a virtual property on top of a physical one?
An Edible Drone for Humanitarian Aid
Ruben BaartNigel Gifford is developing a drone that will be relatively inexpensive, disposable and edible.
Preventing Data Leaks with Smell
Ruben BaartThe Smell of Data alerts Internet users in any case of data leakage and communicates digital hazards by means of smell.
ReGen, the Autarchic Off-Grid Village
Margherita OlivoUtopian off-grid ReGen Village produces all of its own food and energy is being implemented in Almere.
Reversing Evolution with a Legless Mouse
Mathilde NakkenAt a lab in Berkeley, California, there’s a mouse with no legs. Its head, torso, and tail are normal. It just lacks limbs. It didn’t lose those limbs; it just never grew them originally.
Robots Taking Government Jobs
Ruben BaartMeet Amelia, the first robot to work along with human coworkers in a council job.
A Search Engine for Satellite Imagery
Margherita OlivoTerrapattern is a search engine that gathers similar elements of satellite imagery, giving surprising results.
Self-Driving Cars Are Here to Stay
Megan Ray NicholsThe first time you switch on your self-driving car, punch in your coordinates and cruise off to the soulless thrum of an electric motor you’ve got to wonder: does this thing know what it’s doing?
Self-Driving Trucks Hit the Highways
Margherita OlivoA driverless convoy of trucks drove through Europe and safely arrived in Rotterdam yesterday.
Bodily Currencies: Blood, Sweat and Tears
Lewis JustWelcome to the access and experience economy. Currency: sweat, blood and action.
A System that Predicts Crime
Ingmar NieuweboerAn experiment tries to prevent crime by identifying aggressive behavior with new surveillance technology before actual violence is used.
This Indestructible Micro-Animal Will Help Us
Monika KozubWill a small step for Ramazzottius Varieornatus be a giant leap for mankind?
A Temporary Tattoo That Heals
Monika KozubMoving tattoos from purely aesthetic crave to a healing method thanks to nanotechnology.
The Supermarket with No Employees
Alessia AndreottiThis automated store in Sweden doesn’t have any human employees, only a smartphone app.
'Thinking Soil' Will Change the Way We Build
Monika KozubSelf-constructing foundation thanks to genetically modified microbes.
Towards a Post-Animal Bioeconomy
Ruben BaartAs emerging biotechnologies are blurring the lines between synthetic food and natural food, who will regulate cellular agriculture?
Turning Leaves into Batteries
Margherita OlivoOther than decompose and give nutrition to the soil, leaves can be used to store energy, becoming the raw material of batteries.
We Are more Bacteria than Human
Ingmar NieuweboerOur bodies are microbiomes, suffering from our habit of cleanliness.
Untouched Nature Is Entirely Gone
Margherita OlivoResearchers prove that pristine landscapes haven’t existed for thousands of years, therefore we should change or mindset before trying to save the planet.
Virtual Bedtime Stories
Ruben BaartSamsung just revealed the prototype version of Bedtime VR Stories, a technology that connects parents to their children in virtual reality, right before bedtime.
VR as a Tool for Social Change
Monika KozubUnited Nations aims at turning a playful technology into a serious medium.
Waiter, There's a Pig in My Soup!
Monika KozubA miniature piglet staring at you from a soup, to remind you the origins of your meal.
The World's First Invisible Train
Margherita OlivoJapanese architect Kazuyo Sejima is designing the world's first invisible train.
1978 - World’s First ‘Test Tube Baby’ Born
Elle Zhan WeiIn 1978, the world's first test-tube baby was born, her name is Louise Brown.
2016 - Human Embryo Lives 13 Days in Lab
Elle Zhan WeiIn 2016 a team of biologists has successfully kept a human embryo alive in the lab for 13 days, breaking the previous record of nine days.
Animal Tsunami Alerts from Space
Alejandro AlvarezGlobal data about animal movements are indispensable in our today international networked world to understand how to safe human health and wildlife simultaneously.
Ectogenesis, Artificial Womb, Human Egg?
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkThe artificial womb is on the verge of becoming a reality, but how it will affect our culture is for us to decide.
Artificial Womb Workshop at BioClub Tokyo
NextNature.netOn August 8, NNN gave a workshop at BioClub Tokyo to share some insights on the future of technologies concerning human reproduction, sexuality and relationships.
Bacteria Use Electronic Messaging
Julie ReindlBacteria use electronic messaging system to recruit new workers.
Boat Noise Makes Fish Bad Parents
Julie ReindlA study revealed that the sound of motorboat engines disturbs coral reef fish so acutely it changes their behavior, making them bad parents.
1932 - "Brave New World" Published
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkAldous Huxley published Brave New World in 1932, bringing the idea of the artificial uterus to the big audience.
A Whole Forest on a Surface Area of 3.5m2
Julie ReindlUsing moss cultures, the "CityTree" captures and filters toxic pollutants from the air, with the same environmental impact of 275 trees.
Climate Change Turns Leaves into Junk Food
Julie ReindlClimate change turns rainforest leaves into junk food.
Tap Your Milk from a Cow Around the Corner
Ruben BaartTurning cows into walking vending machines for milk.
Cyborg Dragonfly for Special Service
Ruben BaartA Biomedical solutions company is developing a system for insects to wear, allowing engineers to steer it remotely.
App Activates Cells That Manage Diabetes
Julie ReindlScientists develop engineered cells to be implanted in patients with diabetes to regulate blood sugar levels, controlled with a smartphone app.
Disruptive Roombas Reflect on the IoT
Nadine RoestenburgInternet of Things installation reflects on the adjustments we make to the environment in our attempt to save time and be more productive.
Drones and Robots Co-Work in Solar Farms
Alessia AndreottiBladeRanger might have found the ultimate solution for solar panels cleaning putting drones and robots together at work.
ECO Coin Award Interviews: Shubhendu Sharma
Jack CaulfieldWe asked Shubhendu Sharm, our first ECO coin award nominee about his method, business and hopes for the future.
ECO Coin Goes to DGTL Festival 2017
NextNature.netThis year the ECO coin will run its first community experiment with our partners at DGTL festival. Come and earn your first ECO!
The Birth of a Digital Nation in Estonia
Daniel FragaDue to its digital citizenship program, something interesting is happening in Estonia. In July there were more new applications for e-citizenship than newborn babies. Are we …
Experience Death with VR
Julie ReindlVirtual reality experiment tries to help people frightened of death with outer-body experience.
A Fake City for Real Self-Driving Cars
Siebren de VosUber built a fake city called Almono to train self-driving cars. This town is full of fake houses, mannequins and chaotic intersections.
Fighting Plastic Waste Together
NextNature.netEco Coin Award winner Dave Hakkens is upgrading his Precious Plastic recycling machines, and you can help him do it!
Longest Lived Human Embryo in a Lab
Elle Zhan WeiScientists keeping a human embryo alive in lab for 13 days for the first time.
Flying Car Modular Transport System
Elle Zhan WeiAirbus and Italdesign unveil modular urban land and air transport system.
How to Fool a Neural Network
Jack CaulfieldA neural network helps computers with image recognition. It is usually tough to fool. But one group of researchers has found a way to reliably trick it.
HUBOT: Take the Jobtest!
NextNature.netThe robots are coming! They’re getting smarter, cheaper and more reliable. How long will I have my job before a robot steals it? The industrial revolution made muscular power …
The Idea for Lab-Grown Meat Was Born in a Prisoner-of-War Camp
Chase PurdyThe phone call was as unexpected as the American accent at the other end of the line. And when she hung up a few moments later, Ira van Eelen had to stop to catch her breath. More …
In Conversation with Yoyo Yogasmana, Winner of the First ECO Coin Award
Ruben BaartRead our conversation with the ECO Coin Award Winner of 2015: Yoyo Yogasmana.
Intimate Technology S01E05: The Modular Body
NextNature.netThe body, like any technology, is made up of countless individual components. Yet, apart from dire medical emergency, have you ever thought about mixing and matching these …
Intimate Technology S01E06: Also, the Dichotomy of Pragmatism and Perversion
NextNature.netDo we treat our technologies with more care and sentimentality these days than we did in the past?
Intimate Technology S01E08: Scroll
NextNature.netThe last episode of our Intimate Technology series follows a minute in the life of a hyperconnected family in the digital era.
Intimate Technology Series on NNN
NextNature.netWe called upon artists, filmmakers and film enthusiasts around the world to create a one-minute videos for the intimate technology series.
Lazy Worker Ants
Charlotte KuijpersA study reveals that about 40% of "worker" ants spend most of their days doing nothing, but those lazy ants make themselves useful in unexpected ways.
Lego Bricks Come Alive
Ruben BaartLego announced the next generation of building bricks, bringing the creations to life.
Looking into the Artificial Eye
Elle Zhan WeiSensor specialists recently developed a sensor that mimics the mammalian eye.
Supermarkets Are Our New Savannah, Especially During Natural Disasters
Megan Ray NicholsBefore a natural disaster hordes of people crowd in supermarkets and fight over the last supplies. It mirrors the savannah with cliques and groups trying to get the available food, water or shelter.
The New Gold: Honey!
Ruben BaartA ‘gold rush’ is haunting New Zealand’s beekeepers, as beehive and honey thefts are continuing to rise.
New in: Next Nature Memory Game
NextNature.netWe are pleased to announce the launch of the Next Nature Memory Game. Now available in our web shop, it playfully explores the shifting borders between biology and technology.
Otra Nation: Make Walls Great Again
Elle Zhan WeiThis group of 14 designers, engineers, builders and architects make a proposal of a wall for Trump's ambitious project.
A Panda Shaped Solar Plant
Alejandro AlvarezChina recently built a panda shaped solar plant to get kids interested in green energy.
Payment by Wedding Ring
Ruben BaartThe Tappy 'smart ring' is a wedding ring connected to your bank account.
Plants + Science = Meat!
Daniel FragaWhat if you could have the taste of a juicy, sizzling burger without the destructive impact of using animals for meat? That is what Impossible Foods wants to do with its new burger.
Robot Librarians Instruct Young Generations
Ruben BaartThe Dutch province Gelderland-South uses two educational robots to increase kids' knowledge on such a technology.
FarmVille Turns into Real-Life Agriculture
Julie ReindlA Japanese Start up brings Farmville back into real life by letting players grow physical food.
Our Relationship with Tech Is Growing Stronger
Megan Ray NicholsIt's getting difficult to discern what's technology and what's not.With wearable technology becoming more and more integrated into society, our lives become infused with more technology.
Rent a Rain Room
Elle Zhan WeiRent a rain room with simulated rain with a motion sensor to go through the rain without getting wet.
The Solution to Nuisance Birds? The Robird
Jack CaulfieldBirds are fascinating creatures, but for farmers, airport staff, and waste management specialists, they can prove to be a profound nuisance. How to deal with a flock of birds …
Robotic Pillow Breathes to Help You Sleep
Charlotte KuijpersA smart, huggable bed partner, who also improves your sleep quality. Sounds great, right? Soon, you might be able to order one yourself: Somnox is a soft robotic pillow that gently breathes as you hold it.
Selfie Time with Your Dead Beloved One
Julie ReindlForever by your side. Elrois a South Korean firm developed an app that allows you to engage with your dead friends lovers or idols.
From Shopping Center to Urban Farm
Alessia AndreottiRooftop farm takes over Israel’s oldest mall to grow thousands of organic vegetables.
Skyscraper Hanging from the Sky
Elle Zhan WeiWhat if we rethink the system and instead of building from earth to sky, we do it the other way around?
Slaughterbots Video Depicts Killer Bots Nightmare
Koert van MensvoortThis seven-minute video, titled 'Slaughterbots', shows a future in which palm-sized autonomous drones commit untraceable massacres.
Sophia: World's First Robot with a Citizenship
Jack CaulfieldSophia the Humanoid, a human-like robot in appearance and mannerisms, was granted citizenship by Saudi Arabia and became the first robot with citizenship.
Swap Your Smartphone for a Pineapple
Nadine RoestenburgDutch commercial telecom provider Ben recently launched an advertising campaign to sell smartphone plans by promoting disconnection.
Your Smartphone Is Your New Eye Doctor
Ruben BaartThe EyeQue personal vision tracker is a smartphone app that allows you to test your eyes from the comfort of your couch.
The Posthuman Farm
Ruben BaartWu Tzu-ning presents a posthuman reality from genetic engineering to digital afterlife.
Intimate Technology Series: Watch the Trailer
NextNature.netWe are happy to announce our new upcoming weekly video-series on the 'Intimate Technology' theme.
Using Spinach to Detect Explosives
Ruben BaartIntroducing nanobionic spinach plants that can detect explosives.
Plastic-Eating Worm Can Help Ease Pollution
Elle Zhan WeiA recently discovered plastic eating worm could be used to safely digest our massive plastic waste.
How to Train Your Robot
Alejandro AlvarezHumans and robots can work together to maximize the potential of both and boost productivity to new levels.
This 3D-Printed Structure Can Fold Itself
Charlotte KuijpersResearchers at the University of Technology in Delft have created flat structures able to fold themselves into three-dimensional constructions.
The age of cyborgs has arrived
Vanessa Bates RamirezHow many cyborgs did you see during your morning commute today? I would guess at least five. Did they make you nervous? Probably not; you likely didn’t even realize they were …
How AI could revolutionize the teaching profession
Jack CaulfieldIn various parts of the world, access to education is, or risks becoming, a huge crisis. UNESCO estimates that around 20 million new teachers are needed worldwide - and that's not …
AR City: Paving the Way for Augmented Reality Navigation
Belen MunozAugmented reality applications are a promising alternative to GPS. At least that is what Blippar’s AR City app claims to be.
The bananaphone, part deux
Kelly van GemertFeeding our decades old bananaphone kidsplay , Nokia just reintroduced their banana phone. Once again, this shows that Nature is the most successful product of our time. We call …
Chinese farmers are using AI to help rear the world’s biggest pig population
James VincentIt’s been called China’s “pork miracle.” For centuries, pig-rearing in the country was predominantly a backyard occupation. (The etymology of the Chinese character for “home” …
Call for projects: bring your groundbreaking creativity to tackle pressing energy issues
NextNature.netWe need to change the way we power our daily lives. Burning fossil fuels is the primary cause of climate change, yet this is still our main source of energy. Much of this energy …
Counteracting Climate Change with Geoengineering
Jack CaulfieldA respected astrobiologist argues that a radical new process called geoengineering might be the only way to save us from climate change.
Custom-grown bones, and other wild advances in regenerative medicine
Vanessa Bates RamirezThe human body has always been an incredible machine, from the grand feats of strength and athleticism it can accomplish down to the fine details of each vein, nerve, and cell. …
The return of direct democracy: Introducing a digital agora to the crypto-world
Koen WeselIn Ancient Greece the people were part of a direct-democracy, this means that they would directly vote for policies and laws. Nowadays, it seems as though this horizontal approach …
Digital islands: How this tiny country is embracing e-governance
Gudrun JakupsRecent years have proved that if you want to look for which countries are adopting innovative digital governing solutions, you don’t look at the usual tech suspects like the US or …
E-Skin Makes You Control Objects Without Touching Them
Charlotte KuijpersScientists developed an e-skin that lets the wearer manipulate virtual objects without touching them, by using magnetic fields.
Earth is so strongly impacted by its human inhabitants that it's now a “hybrid planet”
Jack CaulfieldHumanity has for a long time considered itself the most important species on the planet. We are quite happy to share the world with other species, but we think we know who's in …
100.000 ECOs earned at ECO coin's Living Lab with Booking.com
NextNature.netAfter last year’s successful Living labs at DGTL and Welcome to the Village we started 2018 with another. This time with Booking.com at their Annual Meeting in January where over …
Elzelinde van Doleweerd wins the ECO Coin Award 2018
The ECO Coin Award honours outstanding ecological heroes. In 2015, we handed out our first ECO Coin award to Yoyo Yogasamana for his digitalization of sustainable knowledge to …
Is eSports really sport?
Jack CaulfieldeSports is the huge industry that’s growing up around competitive online gaming. Let’s take a look at how this cyberpunk sporting world came to be.
Future AI may hallucinate and get depressed — just like the rest of us
Tristan GreeneScientists believe the introduction of a hormone-like system, such as the one found in the human brain, could give AI the ability to reason and make decisions like people do. …
The future of the ECO Coin
Koen WeselHow can we design a cryptocurrency for the better of humanity and ecology? In this last chapter of the crypto deep dive series , we will dissect two kinds of blockchain …
Give AI curiosity and it plays video games all day
Tristan GreeneIf you teach a robot to fish, it’ll probably catch fish. However, if you teach it to be curious, it’ll just watch TV and play video games all day. Researchers from Open AI …
A happy birth day to Louise Brown
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkDear Louise Brown, On behalf of the future I would like to congratulate you on your birthday. It has been 40 years that you where born into this world on July 25th 1978, …
HUBOT: Meet the Street Knitter
NextNature.netBricklayer, a physically heavy occupation, becomes a lot more bearable with the street-knitting robot. The street knitter is a job from HUBOT.
Interview Mark Wigley: "We are living in an ecology of antenna"
Ruben BaartWith the invention of the radio antenna in the late 19th century, we became a different species: Introducing the human insect. A species, able to communicate across oceans using …
I like my steak lab-grown, not-grass fed
Angus HerveyRight now, somewhere in a laboratory in California, the Netherlands or Japan, a technician is taking a few thousand skeletal muscle cells from a living animal, and placing them in …
How in vitro meat became a subject of debate in the Dutch parliament
Ruben BaartTo all in vitro meat optimists, hear hear! In May 2018 we launched the petition ' In vitro meat is here. Let us taste it. ' We proudly announce that this petition led to …
How the Dutch government is obstructing the advent of in vitro meat
Ruben BaartIn 2017, two years after her father died , Ira van Eelen decided to call the Dutch Arable Farming Union. She couldn't help but wonder how come the Netherlands was still not …
Interview: Designer Shahar Livne is geomimicing the future of plastics
Kelly van GemertWe sat down with Shahar Livne, an Israeli-born designer who graduated from the Design Academy in Eindhoven to talk about her vision on the future of plastics.
How a museum encourages its visitors to examine their relationship with their environment
Linda ValentaLast month I had the opportunity to immerse myself in Tokyo’s newly opened digital art landscape, the Mori Digital Art Museum. The museum stands out for it enables virtual …
Next Nature baby care
Charlotte KuijpersBabies' needs aren't complex. And yet, they are. Over the years, parents have found some tricks to ease their babies as well as themselves. Taking a baby for a drive to make them …
The Great Pacific garbage "patch" is now three times the size of France
Ruben BaartMon dieu! The swirling pile of trash in the Pacific Ocean is growing at an exponential rate. A recent study has estimated that the mass of the garbage island is four to sixteen …
The return of Rayfish Footwear?
NextNature.netRayfish Footwear was a fictional company that offered personalized sneakers crafted from genetically modified stingray leather. This online science fiction story allowed customers …
Sandra Rey wins ECO Coin Award
NextNature.netThis year we are proud to announce that, with her ambitious work within the field of bioluminescence for Glowee, Sandra Rey is the ECO Coin Award 2017 winner.
Skiing on Mars? It's possible!
Kelly van GemertFor those experiencing symptoms of motion sickness in VR , it’s now possible to step inside a real-life simulation of what it could be like to ski on mars. Last week, desert dust …
Welcome spring with this selection of NANO Supermarket products
NextNature.netWell, we finally made it. After a long, cold, dark winter, spring has officially started today. And guess what it's bringing with it? Nope, not spring flowers: Love flowers! …
Celebrate 10 years of Studio Drift at the Stedelijk Museum
NextNature.netTonight, Studio Drift is launching their debut museum solo exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam: Coded Nature . As NNN Fellows , this Dutch duo is showcasing a …
The New Technology in Agriculture: Trees
Jack CaulfieldNew technologies are changing the landscape, but the latest trend reshaping rural environments and agriculture is agroforestry: the art of planting trees.
Technology and Sports: Nutrigenomics
Megan Ray NicholsWe’ve been told since grade school that what we eat is important, but we’ve all been told to eat the same sort of healthy things. This isn’t bad, but with the up-and-coming …
How animal filters unmask the estranged relation to our wild self
Meike SchipperWould you like a dog snout, cat eyes or fluffy bunny ears? The choice is yours. Virtual selfie filters have become a widespread phenomenon on social media platforms such as …
How an app is helping restaurants cut food waste
Meike SchipperGlobally, humans produce enough food to feed 10 billion people (we are only 7 billion now) yet somehow we waste a third of this. Food waste is one of the biggest climate …
Managing the data deluge: Twitter as a tool for ecological research
Marianne MessinaAs early as 2009-10 , researchers were looking at Twitter data mining as a way to predict the incidence of flu. At the time, the H1N1 virus, or “swine flu,” had made the jump from …
Your Next Nature guide to Unseen 2018: When Records Melt
Meike SchipperImages largely shape our experience of reality. Just consider how imagery of nature continues to rise in popularity: only a society no longer grounded in their natural landscape …
Turning cities into parks: In conversation with Raymond Brouwers on Urban Street Forests
Jack CaulfieldUrban neighborhoods with high-rise concrete buildings are often dreary and gray. Therefore, the Urban Street Forest project aims to color our cities with the planting of vertical …
Games become jobs: Looking through the eye of the submarine with an X-Box controller
Kelly van GemertSubmarines feature a special device called a periscope that allows people inside the submarine to see what's going on above water. Controlling such an eye requires hours of …
How AI is reshaping electronic music
Linda ValentaThe idea that AI can compose electronic music may sound a little off to people. It raises essential questions about creativity as a product exclusive to humans: can an AI be …
The artificial womb: are we ready?
Ruben Baart“Within a few years it will be possible for a premature baby to continue to mature in an artificial womb,” says gynecologist Guid Oei. It is therefore that the Artificial Womb: …
The Artificial Womb project receives funding to develop a prototype
Freya HutchingsHooray! The team of researchers at the Eindhoven University of Technology (whom we previously collaborated with to design a prototype for an artificial womb ) has been awarded a …
How to bingewatch the Intimate Technology series
Next Nature DevTechnology is coming closer to us. In the form of decades old headphones or state-of-art devices. It has always been a part of our lives and this only seems to develop further: …
Next Generation: Delving into biophilic design with Daniel Elkayam
Freya HutchingsThis story is part of Next Generation, a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your coordinates as we …
This brain-controlled exoskeleton allows a paralyzed man to walk again
Freya HutchingsA breakthrough technology that responds to signals from the brain has transformed the life of a paralyzed 28-year-old man called Thibault. Four years after the initial incident …
How to play e-dead
TeyoshPlaying e-dead means to avoid being visibly active online because of not having answered to someone’s message or comment. This is a part of a social media code of conduct; if you …
Next Nature Night: Future food is on the menu
Next Nature DevAlways thinking about food? What about food that doesn’t exist yet? On the 18th of September at De Studio, Next Nature Network will host a night of talks on the future of food and …
Genetically engineered plants do it better
Ruben BaartWelcome to the conversation! Every week, we’ll open up a new conversation among members of the network about next nature topics we've encountered around the globe. We hope …
Why not all buildings have sustainable green roofs
Michael HardmanRooftops covered with grass, vegetable gardens and lush foliage are now a common sight in many cities around the world. More and more private companies and city authorities are …
Human-animal hybrids could be used for growing organs
Mackenzie GrahamAround the world thousands of people are on organ donor waiting lists. While some of those people will receive the organ transplants they need in time, the sad reality is that …
In conversation with Jalila Essaïdi
Freya HutchingsWhat do in-vitro human skin, spider silk and cow manure have in common? They are all unlikely materials that can cloth, protect and inspire humans, as realized by award-winning …
These are the meltwater lakes of Antartica
Jennifer ArthurDuring the Antarctic summer, thousands of mesmerising blue lakes form around the edges of the continent’s ice sheet, as warmer temperatures cause snow and ice to melt and collect …
This exhibition looks at how robots are changing the world we live in
Ruben BaartDelve into the science and fiction of robots at V&A Dundee’s latest exhibition: Hello, Robot . Contemplate the existence of robots and how they have both shaped, and been …
Next Generation: Unleashing nature’s untapped potential with Amelie Unger
Freya HutchingsThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your coordinates as we …
Why some plastic packaging is necessary to prevent food waste
Manoj DoraThere has been a surge in awareness of the damage that plastic pollution does to our planet in recent years. It has spurred a number of campaigns to remove single-use plastics …
Watch this robot fish swim through the ocean
Vanessa Bates RamirezEarth’s oceans are having a rough go of it these days. On top of being the repository for millions of tons of plastic waste , global warming is affecting the oceans and upsetting …
Not a babysitter, but a social media sitter
Ruben BaartIbis, A popular European hotel chain, just introduced the world to the “social media sitter.” It’s the answer to a problem few knew existed, and even fewer though we needed …
Taco futures: In vitro meat in Mexico City
Alejandro AlvarezOur In Vitro Meat Cookbook has inspired many people around the world. Just recently, we had the BBC over at our headquarters to see what makes us thick. This idea of in vitro meat …
Why there is a new urgency for speculative design
Freya HutchingsPink chickens, synthesized tiger penises and salads grown from bodily fluids - how could they shape our future? In a Next Nature collaboration with the Gogbot Festival, the …
A vegan meat revolution is coming to global fast food chains
Malte RodlA few years ago, convincing meat-free “meat” was nothing more than a distant dream for most consumers. Meat substitutes in supermarkets lacked variety and quality. Plant-based …
Who should win the ECO Coin Award 2019?
Next Nature DevEach year we celebrate ecological heroes as part of our ECO Coin Award and this year is no different. Have you seen an inspiring person who is making the world a more …
Cooking and chemical engineering with the CHEMARTS Cookbook
Ruben BaartIn the coming years, our material world will change dramatically. In parallel with climate change, our lifestyles will also change. It is becoming increasingly important to ask …
How China is enjoying blue skies thanks to COVID-19
Britta de VriesSurrounded by greyness and with the air around you having a dusty, burnt taste; for a long time this is what it has been like to live in many of the world’s highly polluted …
Five ways AI could make your car as smart as a human passenger
Max EizaDriving long distances without a passenger can be lonely. If you’ve ever done it, you might have wished for a companion to talk to – someone emotionally intelligent who can …
How a 6.000-year-old fruit fly gave us cheese
John MorrisseyHistorians often trace the dawn of human civilisation back 10,000 years, when Neolithic tribes first settled and began farming in the Fertile Crescent, which stretches through …
How fungi can help create a green construction industry
Ian FletcherThe world of fungi has attracted a lot of interest and seems to be becoming very fashionable of late. A new exhibition at Somerset House in London, for example, is dedicated to …
How my chatbot fell in love with me
Tim DaalderopThe virus is forcing all of us to sit at home. While we are allowed to have social contact—albeit at an appropriate distance, intimate contact is hard to find. How to cope with …
How public camera recordings domesticate us
Janina SteinmetzFacial recognition is increasingly being used in many countries around the world. In some cases the take up has been dramatic . As a result, people are being observed by cameras …
‘Optimism is our duty’: in conversation with Koert van Mensvoort
Ruben BaartWe live in a world in which we control the biology of a tomato at such precision, you could think of it as a product of technology, instead of a product of nature. Think about it, …
Matilde Boelhouwer wants to make urban environments flower again
Ruben BaartMatilde Boelhouwer is a designer whose work speculates between art, design, science, biology and food. Matilde shapes this obligation into a studio which mainly focuses on the …
Embracing the Future with Patricia Piccinini
Freya HutchingsPatricia Piccinini is an artist interested in the relationship between humans and non-humans, the natural and the artificial, science and storytelling. Working with silicone, …
Marjan van Aubel wins ECO Coin Award
Next Nature DevEach year we search the globe for people and projects that have outstandingly contributed to make this planet a more sustainable place and honor them with our ECO Coin Award . We …
How emojis represent the past, present and future within Next Nature
Britta de VriesIt's that time of year again; the Unicode Emoji 13.0 has announced that 117 new emojis are to be implemented in the second half of 2020. It got us curious of what these new emojis …
Next Generation: Exploring the vegetal cyborg with Marie Declerfayt
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Want to see your work here? Get in touch and …
Next Generation: Simulating textile ecosystems with Scarlett Yang
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your coordinates as we …
9 creatives in biotech you need to know right now
Ruben BaartThe field of biofabrication is still new to most people. As founder and CEO of Biofabricate, Suzanne Lee shared with us this exciting online event series Creatives in Biotech . If …
A countryside dweller's guide to the future
Ruben BaartThe current lockdown in much of Europe has city-dwellers flocking to the countryside to wait out the outbreak sweeping the continent. Seeking relief from coronavirus, urbanites …
7 ways to connect with your loved ones
Ruben BaartDuring these challenging times, we have tried to find happy moments together where we could find them. From weekly Zoom lunches to having online wine tastings, still, it doesn't …
Have you thought about your social media death?
Freya HutchingsRecently, Twitter announced it would be clearing all inactive accounts in an effort to free up dormant usernames and prevent the risk of old accounts being hacked. The new policy …
Nadine Bongaerts: 'We’re attempting to make foie gras based on stem cells'
Ruben BaartBiosensors, cultivated meat and spider’s silk. For synthetic biologist and Next Nature ambassador Nadine Bongaerts, these are all advances towards a new world, where polluting …
Swiping is the new touching
Nadine RoestenburgFrom all the memes that have reached me through my screen since the outbreak of the corona pandemic, there is one that perfectly reflects my thoughts in the beginning of March …
Team Human is a manifesto for humankind
Ruben Baart' Team Human ' is a manifesto—a fiery distillation of media theorist Douglas Rushkoff’s most urgent thoughts on civilization and human nature. In one hundred lean and incisive …
The technosphere is outweighing the biosphere
Ruben BaartOur deficiencies have always driven us, even among our distant ancestors, back in the last Ice Age. Having neither the speed and strength to hunt large prey, nor sharp teeth and …
The Invention of Morel is a techno-lovestory from the future
Ruben BaartOctavio Paz says calls The Invention of Morel , “ without exaggeration… a perfect novel. ” According to Borges, “ to classify [it] as perfect is neither an …
Virtual makeup: maybe they're born with it, maybe it’s XR
Ruben BaartAs our reality exists increasingly within digital realms, our virtual world demands a virtual identity. Our work is hybrid, our social identity is online and our connection is …
14 Golden Rules of working with a robot
Next Nature DevThe 14 Golden Rules of HUBOT are rules of conduct which must be followed and which everyone needs to hold each other to account. Themes like respect, teamwork, creativity, and …
A button that tells your boss you're unhappy
Ruben BaartWith gyms closed and millions cooped up and restless at home, it’s little wonder that “healthtech” is now being billed as the next big battleground over which the likes of …
How bacteria can recover precious metals from EV batteries
Sebastien FarnaudThere are more than 1.4 billion cars in the world today, and that number could double by 2036 . If all those cars burn petrol or diesel, the climate consequences will be dire. …
To decarbonize flying, we need biofuels
David Simon LeeWhile aviation accounts for 2.4% of all emissions from fossil fuel use globally, two-thirds of the sector’s warming effect depends on something other than its CO₂ emissions. And …
Blocking the sun with dust
Vanessa Bates RamirezIn the past few years, scientists have hatched some pretty crazy-sounding schemes in the name of protecting Earth and its inhabitants. From building an underwater wall 120 …
This book explains why cooking food was essential to human evolution
Ruben BaartA must-read to the Next Nature fan: Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human (2009). Written by British primatologist Richard Wrangham, the author shares his hypothesis that …
Cyborgnest: redefining human senses
Liam BekaertNature provided humans with an extensive set of sensory modalities, allowing our brain to constantly gather sundry inputs from the outer world. These sensory inputs help us …
Evolving In Vitro with Yuval Yancovitch
Kelly van GemertWith 7.9 billion people and counting, the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations predicts that by 2050, food supply needs to grow by 70% in order to accommodate …
What will your future supermarket look like?
Ruben BaartWhat will the supermarket of the future look like? And what kind of food will you be able to buy there? That is what the Embassy of Food is researching. The production and …
Next Generation: Pursuing digital tactility with Studio PMS
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
Leonardo DiCaprio is investing in future meat startups
Leanne VoshellGlobally, humanity consumes almost 350 million tons of meat a year. In the next 10 years, this number is expected to increase by a significant percentage. Scientists believe that …
Next Generation: Exploring cybernetic ecologies with Marie Walker-Smith
Liam BekaertThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
Metaverse: 5 things you need to know
Steve BenfordWhat is the metaverse and to what extent should we believe that the vision being presented to us is really going to be central to our daily lives?
Next nature disasters: the Facebook outage of 2021
Veronica FanzioWhere were you on the 4th October 2021? During the day that will be remembered for the Facebook outage, not everyone was equally impacted.
Science Friction explores living among companion species
Ruben BaartIs it possible to imagine other earthly stories? Can we conceive of other ways of living among different species? This exhibition explores these issues with the help of a …
How a starfish inspires robotic design
MaithriIn a feat of biomimicry that seamlessly marries biology with physics, tests carried out at the University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering made fascinating …
Roman Krznaric contemplates on becoming a good ancestor
Ruben BaartRoman Krznaric's ultimate guide to radically change our perception of time and become good grand-grandparents
To save forests, researchers are hooking trees up to Twitter (again)
Ruben BaartIn July 2018, a century-old red oak went live on Twitter. The account @awitnesstree , tweeting from the Harvard Forest in Petersham, Massachusetts, introduces itself in its bio: …
Next Generation: Exploring blood, salt and iron as biomaterials with Hedwich Rooks
Kelly van GemertThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch: magazine@nextnature.net. …
Exploring public spaces, landmarks and landscapes in Beneath the Surface expo
Marit BeerseThe ‘Beneath the Surface’ exhibition organized by Taiwan Designers’ Web at the Chiayi Art Museum teaches us about unconventional connections, past and future.
Bio, Art & Design (BAD) Award Winners
Next Nature DevThe three winners of the Bio, Art & Design (BAD) awards have been announced.
Next Generation: Adorning bio embellishments with Aradhita Parasrampuria
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
Chloé Rutzerveld designs the food of tomorrow
Eleni MaragkouYou are in for a surprise when you look at food and concept designer Chloé Rutzerveld 's portfolio. It is hard to believe that somebody so young - she is just 25 - has already …
Next Generation: Sensing the critical zone with Menno Brouwer
Kelly van GemertThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your coordinates as we …
Visit the Embassy of Food conference during DDW22
Eloise MaraisWill there still be a supermarket as we know it today in 2050?
Next Generation: Launching the Eva Biodesign Lab with Carlos Silveira
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
Fermenting Futures and the beauty of biotechnology
Kelly van GemertExploring the co-evolution of yeast and humans, while discovering the aesthetic value of yeast biotechnology, is what designers Anna Dumitriu and Alex May have been concocting. …
FIBER Festival 2022: an exploration towards an alternative future
Marit BeerseFIBER Festival explores the future of a changing world through audiovisual art, daring conversations, and experimental electronic music.
The long history of the metaverse
Tom BoellstorffMany aspects of the current metaverse were already familiar 143 years ago.
Time gets bendy in Disney Pixar's new film
Marit BeerseSpoiler alert: this article explains a key plot point, but we don’t give away anything you won’t see in trailers. At the beginning of the new Disney Pixar film, Lightyear, Buzz …
The Limits and Beyond: A report about the future
Marit BeerseIn 1972, the Club of Rome published The Limits to Growth, a report about the future of the world. They described the limits of the world’s resources and what it is capable of …
Using tattoos in medicine
Marit BeerseWhat if we can use tattoos to measure the concentration of certain components in your blood? Scientists developed a film that can detect the amount of oxygen.
Next Generation: Mending mycelium with Emma Huffman
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
Personalise your gut health with Microbiota To Go
Ruben BaartIn the supermarket of the future, part of the Embassy of Food at Dutch Design Week, designer Merle Bergers will present her project Microbiota To Go.
Next Generation: Demonstrating non-human narratives with Lindsey Bundel
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
Next Generation: (Un)learning Time By Light with Valentine Maurice
Kelly van GemertThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
Next Nature Gift Guide 2022
Kelly van GemertThe most wonderful time of the year can turn stressful quite easily when you run out of exciting gift-ideas. Don't worry, we got you covered.
Next Generation: Fantasising about fashion with ShirpShiro
Kelly van GemertFinding realistic solutions to the humanitarian and environmental issues in the textile and fashion industries.
The carbon footprint of space tourism
Eloise MaraisThe commercial race to get tourists to space is heating up between Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson and former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. On Sunday 11 July, Branson ascended …
The sense of privacy
Marit BeerseHumans’ natural sense of privacy helps them regulate the boundaries of public and private, but fail when trying to identify privacy risks in the online world.
Next Generation: Unlearning botanical narratives with Nina Škerjanc
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
Building Floriade 2022
Next Nature DevWe met at the Floriade grounds in Almere with Xander de Bruine, program manager Floriade Expo 2022, with project manager Jennifer Palumbo. Along with head curator William Myers we …
Are plants our new co-composers?
Lucas ZarzosoMusicians have stumbled upon an unconventional and intriguing creative partner: plants. Yes, that's right, plants. Through the use of advanced sensors and software, …
Fashion brand Ganni grew leather with bacteria
Kelly van GemertDanish fashion brand Ganni proposed a post-leather future: they grew imitation leather with bacteria.
Dancing at the intersection of natural and virtual worlds
Eleni MaragkouExploring the intersection of technology and art, a team of creatives presents a virtual performance that pushes the limits of human expression.
The Biofabricate Summit '24 is coming to Paris!
Kelly van GemertBiosequin, seaweed textiles, and microbe sunscreen: these ideas and more are marking the next wave of bio-innovators during the Biofabricate Summit 2024.
Next Generation: Designing chairs with mealworms and Will Eliot
Kelly van GemertWilliam Eliot designs chairs while collaborating with mealworms.
Whoops! Our sustainability efforts are warming the oceans
Koert van MensvoortCleaning up ships' pollution is making the ocean warmer than expected. Less pollution means less cooling clouds, heating up the Atlantic.
With this sound recognition technology scientists can eavesdrop on nature
Lucas ZarzosoWhat if humans would be able to listen to what nature has to say? Conservationists are trying to grasp non-human sounds , which might help us to better understand environmental …
Gigantic lab-grown mammoth meatball feeds an entire family
Saskia WesselingResearchers used genetic information from an extinct mammoth to create a lab-grown meatball.
Making prosthetic nipples out of human hair
Kelly van GemertDesigner Arianna Pezzano creates prosthetic nipples using keratine coming from the hair that cancer patients lose during chemotherapy.
This coffee is prepared without coffee beans
NextNature.netThe Netherlands is a real coffee country. With the amount of coffee Dutchies drink per year, they have been in the top 10 of most coffee drinkers for years. Drinking so much …
Food after flood: what's on the menu when sea levels rise?
Kelly van GemertAs sea levels climb, coastal communities brace for floods and erosion. Artist Allie Wist asked herself: what will we eat in a flood-filled future?
How to calculate your biological age
Kelly van GemertComputational Biologist Jing-Dong (Jackie) Han and her team uncovered a technology to interpret signs of biological aging directly from facial characteristics.
Playing Pong with lab-grown brains
Kelly van GemertBiotechnology startup Cortical Labs successfully guided human brain cells in a petri dish through a simulated game of Pong.
Merging AI with human brain cells
Kelly van GemertA team of researchers are currently investigating the fusion of human brain cells with artificial intelligence. Creepy or innovative?
Next Gen: Watching our collective heartbeats with Nino Basilashvili
Kelly van GemertHeartsync is an interactive art installation crafted by artist Nino Basilashvili that syncs up your heartbeat with others.
Why looking at beaver dams might save the world
Méline MaquartEddie Corwin studies beaver dams and ponds from satellite images in order to restore watercourses and wetlands, and establish nature reserves.
How to design your (home)office
Govert FlintDesigner Govert Flint proposes a new office concept, entirely based on movement and play.
Next Senses
Ruben BaartNext Senses explores the unchartered territory of how we could experience the world with technology
5 must see exhibitions in 2023
Selin Kir1. THE FUTURE IS PRESENT Design Museum Danmark How will contemporary design define the future? THE FUTURE IS PRESENT grasps the very essence of Danish artistry of material …
Next Nature is ancient
Ruben BaartUli Westphal's Seed Series is an ongoing attempt to document the seeds of all edible plants, one seed at a time.
Potatoes from Mars
Ruben BaartIt might sound like the title of a bad horror movie. But cultivating potatoes in space may soon be more than just fiction. Scientists and biologists are currently using simulated Mars and moon soil to experiment with space farming. One of them is space farmer Wieger Wamelink.
Sonograms of planet earth
Eleni Maragkou, Kelly van GemertTechnology can help us to connect with our surroundings. Think about the microscope: it revealed ecosystems beyond our visual reach allowing us to look at the smallest inhabitants …