From Shaolin to Hollywood – The RZA practices Kung Fu on film

The RZA, you know him as the shadow behind the spotlighted chaos that often encircles the notorious Wu-Tang. He’s always there with his two cents, yet you don’t see him in heavy rotation on TRL. At 38, the prolific hip-hop head is diverging from producing albums, and focusing on film. Already having scored the music for Ghostdog and Kill Bill, he has frequently appeared on Comedy Central’s The Chapelle Show and is now featured in Jim Jarmusch’s Coffee & Cigarettes. Is RZA trying to come up on Mos Def’s movie stardom, or Discover More

USWNT wins Women’s World Cup thanks to Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle goals

Lyon, France – When a novice is faced with a foe as experienced and ruthless as the USWNT at the Women’s World Cup, the outcome is almost inevitable and so it was on a muggy early evening in Lyon when the reigning world champion defended its title with a comfortable 2-0 win over the Netherlands. Competing in its first World Cup final, few gave the Dutch hope. The reigning European champion it may be, but it had not yet come up against the best team in the world, Discover More

Artificial ‘muscles’ achieve powerful pulling force

As a cucumber plant grows, it sprouts tightly coiled tendrils that seek out supports in order to pull the plant upward. This ensures the plant receives as much sunlight exposure as possible. Now, researchers at MIT have found a way to imitate this coiling-and-pulling mechanism to produce contracting fibers that could be used as artificial muscles for robots, prosthetic limbs, or other mechanical and biomedical applications. While many different approaches have been used for creating artificial muscles, including hydraulic systems, servo motors, shape-memory metals, and Discover More