Clark Boyd

is associated with 203 posts

Clark Boyd


Podcast: Spider Web Strength – It’s More Than Just the Silk

Common garden spider, underside, spinning web. (Photo: Wiki Commons)

Technology Podcast 356: Spider silk is as strong as steel. Literally. But some new research shows that a spider web’s power lies in more than just strength. There’s also its stretchiness…

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Carpooling the German Way

(Photo: carpooling.com)

Carpooling has been popular in Germany for decades. One German-based web company is betting that it will catch on in the US, where your car is your domain.

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Europe’s Frigid Temps May Mean First Elfstedentocht Skating Race in 15 Years

Elfstedentocht 1954 (Photo: Polygoon Hollands Nieuws/Wiki Commons)

Freezing temperatures across Europe continue to wreck havoc with travel schedules, and sporting schedules. But in The Netherlands, where speed-skating is one of the country’s most popular sports, 14 below Fahrenheit is a temperature reading to be welcomed.

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Following Cremation, Recycling Surgical Implants

OrthoMetals Co-Founder Ruud Verberne (Photo: Clark Boyd)

Advances in medical technology, combined with the fact that people are living longer, means that more and more of us pass away with some kind of surgical implant. Have you ever wondered what happens to those metal implants after die? A Dutch company has been recycling them, giving the bulk of the proceeds to charity.

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Turkey Calls French Genocide Bill ‘Racist’

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan (Photo: Agencia Brasil/Wiki Commons)

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan says a bill passed by the French parliament on the mass killing of Armenians under Ottoman rule is “racist.”

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East African Officials in Europe to Learn from Euro’s Successes and Failures

East Africa is considering to model a currency on the euro.

Representatives from the East African Community are in Brussels to learn from the successes and failures of the attempts at political and economic integration in Europe.

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Video: Scientists Developing New Tech to Fly Through Ash Clouds

A jet flying over Mount Etna to test ash detection technology. (Photo: mv.fh-duesseldorf.de)

Scientists are working to develop a better system for determining whether planes can fly through ash clouds.

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Why GOP Presidential Contenders are Bashing Europe

European Parliament (Photo: European Parliament/Flickr)

Many of the Republican presidential candidates have taken swipes at Europe on the campaign trail. The World’s Clark Boyd looks at how that’s playing on the continent.

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Podcast: B-Sides – The Diamond Light Source

Diamond Light Source (Photo: diamond.ac.uk)

New Year, New Podcast. In this B-side episode, we take you inside the UK’s national synchrotron – the Diamond Light Source. Epic.

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Belgian Nurse Honored For WWII Bravery

Augusta Chiwy (Photo: Clark Boyd)

Augusta Chiwy, a 90-year-old Belgian Congolese nurse who saved hundreds of wounded American soldiers during WWII received an award for valor from the US Army earlier this week.

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A Turkish Song About Visa Hurdles

Schengen passport stamp from Helsinki, departure by ferry. (Photo: krif/Wikipedia)

A Turkish musician decided to tackle the matter with humor and wrote a song about the visa hurdles.

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Podcast: Helping Amputees Fight Phantom-Limb Pain

kbomkamp

This week you’ll get to meet Katherine Bomkamp, who at the age of 16 was inspired to find a way to help amputees suffering from phantom limb pain. Now she’s 20, and she tells you about the Pain Free Socket. Also, the changing rules of Cyberwar.

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Eurozone Deal Reached Without UK

Nicolas Sarkozy at Brussels Summit (BBC Video)

All the countries of the European Union except the UK have backed a tax and budget pact to tackle the eurozone debt crisis, European leaders say.

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France’s Sarkozy Warns EU Risks Disintegration

Nicolas Sarkozy in Marseille (BBC Video)

French President Nicolas Sarkozy warns of the risk of Europe “disintegrating” if a solution is not found to the eurozone debt crisis at the summit in Brussels.

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Why Some Dutch Have Had Enough of the Euro

Euro banknotes (Illustration: Andrew Netzler)

European leaders are meeting this week to save the common currency but in the Netherlands, some say enough is enough – it’s time, they say, to ditch the euro and go back to the guilder.

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