Hamster Power

Researchers believe they have conducted the first instance of an animal producing current with nano-generators, by harnessing the power of exercising hamsters. Plus — the answer to the question that has weighed on the greatest minds for generations: how many hamsters does it take to power a cell phone?

Also in today’s links: where American ideas come from, where methane in the Arctic is going, and more.

• What do you get when you cross water, salt and an electrolyzer? Miracle liquid, used for degreasing; disinfecting; treating burns, acne and athlete’s foot; and cleaning taxis left smelling of vomit due to “Japan’s binge-drinking business culture.”
• A professor sings us the song of the Geo man, using music to teach his geology students at Penn State.
• Two jaguars — the only cats in North America that roar, and the largest cats in the western hemisphere — have been spotted in Arizona and Mexico, where the species has become extremely rare.
• Where are American innovators? Not exactly where they used to be. An interactive map tracks where the most patents were filed in the U.S. between 1975 and 2002 — and which areas have below-average levels of innovation.