LEGOs in the Lab, Product Labels, & Massive Wind Turbines (Patreon)

Read This Label Carefully

A study led by UCLA psychologists has revealed that consumers often not only misremember product label marketing claims, but also overestimate their significance. In a study of about 300 students and adults, 74% were unable to distinguish between “scientifically studied” and “scientifically proven” when remembering labels presented. Furthermore, participants tended to recall the word “proven” instead of "studied,” thus overestimating the strength of product claims.

The researchers suggest that consumers should critically examine scientific claims, read labels carefully, and be wary of exact meanings. If only there weren’t so many things that we should be doing already.

Press release here. Paper here.

LEGOs in the Lab

Image Credit: Sentosa et al, PLoS ONE 18(7): e0283134 (2023).

Biophysicists at Arizona State University created a gradient mixer made of LEGO pieces as part of a process to purify DNA nanostructures. The team started with a simple LEGO base and then assembled a LEGO robot arm on top of it. The only additional piece needed was the platform that held the tubes, which the group 3D printed.

The LEGO robot was able to mix and separate the materials just as well as expensive commercial robots, and the researchers say that many commercial lab machines could actually be replaced by LEGOs.

Press release here. Paper here.

World’s Largest Wind Turbine Now in Operation

The largest offshore wind turbine is now in operation. MySE 16-260 delivers 16 MW and is produced by the Chinese Company Mingyang Smart Energy. The turbine is now operating at full capacity and has just withstood Typhoon Talim's maximum winds of 136.8 km/hr (85 mph).

The turbine is part of Mingyang Qingzhou 4 offshore wind farm in the South China Sea. It has a rotor of 260 meters (853 feet) and a swept area of 53,902 square meters (580,196 square feet). The turbine can produce 67 million kWh of power annually, enough for an astonishing 80,000 households, reducing CO2 by 56,000 tons.

The MySe 16-260 has knocked the previous record holder, from the Chinese company Goldwing, out of the “world’s largest” spot. However, not to be outdone, Goldwind China has just announced an even larger onshore turbine model.

Video from the company here.