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How the Maxblaster Works

A Living Air Filter

Bel-Air Cost to Develop: $236,000 Time: 1 year Prototype | | | | | Product Your home could be emitting toxic gases. Just ask the victims of Hurricane Katrina, whose emergency trailers, made with glue-laden particleboard, let off so much formaldehyde that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that residents should spend time outdoors and make relocating to permanent housing a priority. Even in more expensive new homes, the concentration of emissions from things like furniture, carpet and paint can be two to five times as high as it is outdoors. But most air filters only catch particulates such as dust and pollen rather than organic compounds like formaldehyde and benzene, and the filters that do trap those gases need frequent replacement. So Mathieu LeHanneur and David Edwards built an ultra-efficient filtration system that eliminates toxins using natures own hazmat squad: plants.

The MegaGoods Roundup

Just in time for the holidays, PopSci presents our roundup of the year's must-have products. From high-voltage flashlights and the flattest-screen TV to a waterproof camera and carbon-fiber laptop, it's the best and shiniest of 2007. Enjoy the offerings here.

Post Your Questions for Lawrence Lessig

Lessig at Wikimania 2006. Photo by Gus Freedman.Homepage photo: Lessig.org A few weeks ago I was in Boston for Wikimania 2006, the second annual conference where wiki-folk of all types come together to talk about whats new and exciting in the wiki-world. As you can imagine, it was a veritable Woodstock for the free culture movement—the ongoing mission to provide free and unrestricted access to precious informational commodities (including encyclopedias, textbooks and software) on the Internet. One of the movements most noteworthy proponents is Lawrence Lessig, a professor of cyberlaw at Stanford University and the founder of the nonprofit organization Creative Commons. His speech at Wikimania was among the more inspiring calls to action I have ever witnessed [you can watch it on Google Video below]. Simply put, if youre reading this blog (or any blog, for that matter), you should know Lawrence Lessig. To that end, PopSci.com is giving you the chance to become better acquainted with one of the Internets greatest thinkers. Were sitting down with Lessig on Thursday, August 24, and would love to present him with questions from our readers. Add them in the comments section below, or e-mail them to webmaster@popsci.com by Wednesday, August 23. Lessigs responses will be made available on PopSci.com next week. —John Mahoney Links: Lessigs speech at Wikimania 2006 (Google Video or MP3 audio). Lawrence Lessig: Wikipedia Lessig.org

The Science of Superheroes

Spiderman, Batman, the Fantastic Four, Ironman—seems like every time we go to the movies, there's some guy in a unitard saving the world with acts of unnatural physics. We realize that these are works of fantasy, so we don't get too upset when the science portrayed in them comes from some alternative universe.