Food contamination. Food insecurity. GMOs. Frankenfoods. Synthetic products. What’s next to find its way onto our dinner plates? Could it be ‘cultured meat,’ a product that’s disrupting the conventional paradigm of animal agriculture? From Maastricht to Silicon Valley, ‘clean meat’ is the next Big Idea, but what is it and why do we need it? [Read More…]
In our high-tech age where each generation is glued to a screen – texting, surfing, Instagramming, Snap-Chatting, tweeting – it’s refreshing to reflect back on earlier times. To recall the low-tech pastimes that did not rely on zeroes and ones, bits and bytes, but more on the innocence of childish wonder and learning. We’re thinking [Read More…]
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to our astute readers that here at Berkshire we love technology. All kinds of high tech – from the nanotech of graphene to the mega-tech of MarsOne. And, as a corollary, we also love the trivia that comes with it. So, ahead of next week’s other-worldly excitement of the [Read More…]
Civets and coffee cherries, pachyderms and poop – can the artificial fermentation of coffee beans mimic the digestive effects that produce the world’s most expensive – and arguably most unusual – cup of joe? To learn more about kopi luwac, the morning caffeine hit that’ll set you back $60 per cup click over to Food-Contact-Surfaces.com
Flatland: A Romance in Many Dimensions is a novella exploring the world through the eyes of ‘A Square,’ a character who exists in only two dimensions. A Square lives in Flatland, a world conceptualized by writer Edwin A. Abbott in 1884 as a critical commentary upon the hierarchical nature of the rigidly stratified society of [Read More…]
A United Nations study on global food insecurity estimated that the world’s population will reach 9 billion people by 2050. Already over 1 billion individuals live with chronic hunger so how are we going to feed the increasing population? Given that the insect to human ratio is around 200 million to one, perhaps it is [Read More…]
Here at Berkshire, we love technology. From the AI of semi-autonomous cars to the bug-zapping power of the IV hospital robots, we are inspired and motivated by the creative ways in which technology is positioned to improve our lives. And it’s not just in industrial settings. We also have a passion for technology in the [Read More…]
There is no such thing as a free lunch, isn’t that how the saying goes? And it might also be true of dinner – even at a wedding reception. If you are one of the unfortunate guests to be sickened while attending the celebration of nuptials, food poisoning can put a dent in your view [Read More…]
It’s the middle of the year, summer has just kicked off, and many of us are stocking up in preparation for our July 4th celebrations. Just around the corner are pool parties, dogs and burgers on the grill, and firework displays to light the balmy night red, white, and blue. With summer fun ahead, few of [Read More…]
The heat index is rising. The mercury is heading skyward. And we are all searching for ways to cool off this summer. So inevitably our thoughts turn to ice-cream – what could be better? Soft and creamy, pure white with speckles of vanilla bean. Or how about onyx black? In a black waffle cone? It’s [Read More…]
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