Consumers who reach for decaffeinated coffee may not know how much of a carbon footprint their choice leaves behind.  To decaffeinate, coffee beans are transported to a specialized plant and treated either by organic chemical solvents or by a steam and water process, then shipped again to be processed and packaged. What if producers could […]

The Science Center of Iowa has released its schedule of events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, NASA’s first successful mission landing astronauts on the moon. Events include the viewing of a worldwide celebration coordinating mass rocket launches on July 16; a moon landing-themed Mixology Night on July 19; and the […]

Anthony Paustian, provost of the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) West Campus and founder of Celebrate! Innovation Live (ciLive) at DMACC, has been named chair of the 2020 International Space Development Conference. ISDC is the annual conference of the National Space Society, bringing together leading managers, engineers, scientists, educators and business professionals from space […]

The Technology Association of Iowa will host the first Iowa High School Technology Summit, presented by Principal Financial Group, on Sept. 30 at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center, TAI announced this week. The Iowa High School Technology Summit will expose high school students to technology companies and careers across Iowa, with three presentations […]

Four Iowa students recently received top marks at the fourth annual Invention Convention U.S. Nationals, held at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, Mich. Charles Smith of Ottumwa won first place in the kindergarten grade category for “Benge Beacon,” which can be used by fire departments to mark exits in residential buildings […]

If there is any place you might half-expect an alien encounter, camping in the South Dakota Badlands might be on the list. Yet, my skeptical partners and I were floored when we looked up from the campfire over Memorial Day weekend and saw a thin line of interconnected lights too fast to count, trailing tightly […]

Des Moines-based Quester is introducing a new Amazon Alexa skill researching consumer food preferences in partnership with Conagra Brands, Quester announced on Monday. The AI-backed software asks Alexa users open-ended questions, then analyzes the respondent’s language to create follow-up questions. The Quester Alexa skill can be accessed with the command, “Alexa, open Quester Conversation.”