Forget about rubber duckies – showers will be way more entertaining if you can get your hands on these color-changing tiles from Inventables. Similar to mood rings (remember those?), this temperature-sensitive glass shifts colors depending on the ambient temperature and when it comes into contact with warm or cold water (or body heat).

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Tags: Materials

How would you like to turn your notebook paper into an instant battery? Now, thanks to researchers at Stanford, with a little carbon nanotube ink such a thing might be possible. Not only does the specially coated paper last longer and conduct electricity more efficiently than traditional lithium batteries, but it even works after being crumpled into a ball and soaked in acidic solutions.

Watch above as Yi Cui, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering, explains his creation. [Stanford News]

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A couple of creative engineering students at The University of British Columbia have turned a holiday treat into an A+ science project with their report Structural Analysis of Gingerbread. Experiments included subjecting gingerbread to a multitude of stress tests to measure qualities such as density, tensile strength (how well it performs under tension), and flexibility.

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Tags: Architectural, Chemical, Materials, Mechanical

Ecovative Design: COO Ed Browka, Chief Scientist Gavin McIntyre, and CEO Eben Bayer

Eben Bayer invented biodegradable packaging material and building insulation made from mushrooms and other agricultural byproducts.

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Tags: Agricultural, Environmental, Green Technology, Industrial / Manufacturing, Materials

The new X-Flex Blast Protection wallpaper, created Berry Plastics and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, promises to help walls keep their shape and guard against flying debris in the face of explosions. Watch as a heavy wrecking ball fails to tear down a brick wall lined with a single sheet of this amazing stuff. [PopSci]

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Tags: Materials, Mechanical, Mining, Technology