Virtual Reality Dining Experience
Alessia AndreottiUsing immersive virtual reality and aromatics to make the brain believe we are enjoying a delicious dish.
Search results for Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality Meditation
Ruben BaartSpiritual leader Deepak Chopra just unveiled a 20-minute therapy session inviting us to come back to the present moment through virtual reality.
Virtual Reality Treats Nicotine Addicts
Jing GuScientists are using virtual reality environments to help people quit smoking.
Virtual Reality Headset for Chickens
Alessia AndreottiA virtual reality headset could give chickens the freedom to roam without the roaming.
Virtual Reality Can Intensify Emotions
Margherita OlivoResearchers discovered that people's reactions to 3D images of facial expressions are more emotional than the responses to classic 2D images.
The World's First Virtual Reality Park
Alessia AndreottiA virtual reality theme park where visitors can explore the virtual world in a physical environment.
Next hospitals: How virtual reality is shaping the future of medicine
Jack CaulfieldAnd it’s already showing incredible results. VR transports us to faraway worlds without even asking us to leave our chairs. Yet we usually hear about it in the context of video …
3 ways Virtual Reality is revolutionizing teaching
John PickavanceYou’ve probably heard how Virtual Reality (VR) is going to change everything: the way we work, the way we live, the way we play. Still, for every truly transformative technology, …
Experiencing Animal Vision Through Virtual Reality
Margherita OlivoEyes of the Animal is an interactive project that invites the public to an uncommon virtual reality setting conceived especially for experiences in actual forests, giving the opportunity to see the world as an insect would.
Experience Van Gogh in Virtual Reality
Abby QinAmerica artist Mac Cauley created a new way to experience the painting in virtual reality.
Solutions to Virtual Reality's Big Problem
Erik van der VeenIf you experience virtual reality sickness, here some solutions for you.
Here’s what manufacturing enhanced with virtual reality will look like
Megan Ray NicholsRobots are coming for our jobs. Virtual reality is coming to make the jobs that remain easier to accomplish. All of the world’s manufacturing sectors are in the process of …
The Virtual Makes an Entrance into Reality
Alessia AndreottiDraw to unlock, a virtual experience seeping into physical world.
Virtual Networking, the Future Social Media
Megan Ray NicholsVirtual reality is already becoming a part of the conversation surrounding social media. Will it become the next popular social network?
Experience Death with VR
Julie ReindlVirtual reality experiment tries to help people frightened of death with outer-body experience.
Virtual Bedtime Stories
Ruben BaartSamsung just revealed the prototype version of Bedtime VR Stories, a technology that connects parents to their children in virtual reality, right before bedtime.
China limits use of 'virtual' currencies
Dr NaturalBy DAVID BARBOZA SHANGHAI — China made public on Tuesday regulations aimed at cracking down on the use of virtual currencies amid worries that a huge underground economy was …
Virtual makeup: maybe they're born with it, maybe it’s XR
Ruben BaartAs our reality exists increasingly within digital realms, our virtual world demands a virtual identity. Our work is hybrid, our social identity is online and our connection is …
Virtual Money Is a Pleonasm
Koert van MensvoortHave you heard the buzz on virtual money in online games? Some years ago the first virtual millionaire was announced, yet there have also been reports on people being practically …
Virtual Nose for Video Game Players
Stefan FinckenNausea is a common feeling while playing video games. A solution would be to add a virtual nose to VR experiences.
Next Nature Habitat VR Wins Sweden VR Award
NextNature.netOur Next Nature Habitat VR experience has won the Sweden International Virtual Reality Award in the category Best 360 Video!
Printing virtuality
Arnoud van den HeuvelPhone, internet, television, photography, even books or music: today it is hard for the mind to escape from virtual worlds. A day without communication or interaction could make …
Virtual Characters tortured for Science
Koert van MensvoortIn the classic Milgram Experiment conducted in the 1960s, volunteers were told by an authority figure to deliver electric shocks to another person as punishment for incorrect …
Brand Environmentalism: The Augmented Reality Sneaker
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkOnce, we wore footwear to protect our feet from the hostile influences of our natural environment. But with the replacement of our natural environment by a world of design, the …
South Korea Rules 'Virtual' Money on Par With 'Real' Money
Koert van MensvoortOur regular readers know that whenever we write about money in these quarters, we always feel obliged to write the words 'virtual' and 'real' between brackets, as money is by …
A Virtual Cure for the Socially Withdrawn
Julie ReindlUsing alternative reality as a cure for the socially excluded.
Augmented (Hyper)Reality
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkAugmented (hyper)Reality offers a glimpse of an alternate universe, with augmented reality cranked up to the next level.
Smog: an Augmented Reality?
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkA few days ago, these images of iconic buildings in Beijing as they look with and without intense smog have been posted on Weibo, one of China’s most popular social media …
How Rare Is Virtual Gold?
Lewis JustPart one of a ten part series exploring the design of an invisible technology: money.
Meta meta reality
Rolf CoppensTringo is an online multiplayer game created by Nathan Keir (aka Kermitt Quirk) in December 2004 that runs inside the virtual reality platform Second Life. It is described as a …
Virtual missing limb
Arnoud van den Heuvel"Many people who lose a limb experience the sensation that it is still attached to their body. This is also often accompanied by a feeling of pain in the missing appendage. …
"The End": a Virtual Opera Singer, Millions of Fans and the Meaning of Death
Alexandra BremersSixteen-year-old Japanese singer Hatsune Miku grew in short time to a worldwide popstar. With her colourful appearance she counts millions of followers on social media, she …
Pokemon Go and Virtual Property
Alejandro AlvarezWhat happens when someone places a virtual property on top of a physical one?
This artist carried 99 smartphones and caused a virtual traffic jam
Claire Ouwejan“ Google choose the fastest route to home.” Today, drivers are better informed about routes and traffic than ever before . Using 'mapping apps', drivers can see traffic before …
ABN Amro's virtual branch in Second Life
Dutch banking group ABN Amro has set up a virtual financial advice center in Second Life, the Internet-based role playing game. According to a Reuters report ( who recently opened …
Bye Bye Barbed Wire: Cow-Mounted GPS Will Enable "Virtual Fencing"
Allison GuyA device that remotely controls cattle's movements promises to transform the American landscape.
Filling Vacant Lots with Augmented Reality Grocery Stores
Allison GuyA Chinese company wants to transform vacant lots into virtual shopping centers.
Mini's Augmented Reality Driving Goggles
Yunus Emre DuyarThe popular car brand is working on augmented reality goggles that enhance the driving experience.
This electronic skin enhances our virtual tactile perception
Kelly van GemertFrom mouse, to stylus, to finger: our virtual tactile perception has changed a lot over the years, just like our overall virtual experience. With new developments our virtual …
Big Brother enters virtual world
Dr NaturalA version of the hit reality TV show Big Brother is to be staged in the online virtual world Second Life. Fifteen international Second Life residents will occupy a glass house on …
Virtual Offline Shopping
Marco van BeersAs the second most hardest working people on this planet, Koreans obviously dread their weekly shopping for groceries. It is therefore that Home Plus (Tesco in Europe) plastered …
Hospitalised Veterans Experience Virtual Parade
Alexandra BremersGoogle filmed the most recent NYC Veteran’s Day Parade in 360-degree video and created a VR version that would allow disabled or ill-healthed veterans to experience the parade as well.
Father Hires Gamers to Virtually Kill His Son
Margherita OlivoThis father in China hired some professional gamers to find his son on online games and kill his avatar.
Fake for Real: Virtual Miss
Koert van MensvoortWhich of these women do you think is more beautiful? At the 2002 Miss Germany pageant, the eight finalists were photographed from the same angle without makeup. The portraits were …
Indoor sports: the hyper-hyper-reality
Koert van MensvoortAlways wanted to take that parachute jump from the airplane, but never dared to? Why not try an indoor sky dive? Less interesting view, but more floating time. You can jump in …
Dad Hires Virtual Hitman to Kill Son's Online Avatars
Allison GuyA 23-year-old in China was recently puzzled why his online avatars were being killed off at disproportionate rates. After asking around, the young man eventually discovered that …
Virtual Offline Shopping
Koert van MensvoortIf the Korean Virtual Shopping Store becomes a success, all shop shelves will soon be LCD Screens.
Of Outer Space and Virtual Spaces
Daniel FragaOur evolutionary stage does not allow us to physically navigate outer space - at least just yet. In fact, only a tiny, tiny fraction of our species ever ventured beyond Earth's atmosphere.
Your Virtual Midwife Is Here
Charlotte KuijpersAn external device that helps you conceive, carry and raise a child. Too scary? Or extremely useful? It's up to you to decide, your virtual midwife is here!
AR City: Paving the Way for Augmented Reality Navigation
Belen MunozAugmented reality applications are a promising alternative to GPS. At least that is what Blippar’s AR City app claims to be.
Mojo Visions augmented reality contact lenses kick off a race to AR on your eye
Ruben BaartThe digital world has been creeping closer to your face. Was a time when a laptop was about as personal as you got with a computer. Then came smartphones, and a few years later, …
Virtual Miss Germany
basiakScientists are looking for the most beautiful woman in Germany... At the 2002 Miss Germany pageant, the eight finalists were photographed from the same angle without makeup. The …
Augmented Fish Reality
Koert van MensvoortAugmented Fish Reality is an interactive installation of five rolling robotic fish-bowl sculptures. These sculptures allow Siamese Fighting fish (Betta Splendons) to use …
Augmented Reality Maps
Michael KluverSince a few years the internet in combination with mobile phone technology brought us something that we refer to as augmented reality : A digital projection that is placed over …
Millions Mourn After Massacre Leaves City Littered with (Virtual) Dead
Jack"Earlier today, certain realms were affected by an in-game exploit, resulting in the deaths of player characters and non-player characters in some of the major cities," wrote a …
Using a Robot to Virtually Attend School
Tom DerksThere are many people in the world for whom, for various reasons, it is impossible to leave the house or hospital. This means these people are not able to go to work or school. …
This Headset Will Widen Your View of Reality
Margherita OlivoThis augmented reality helmet allows the wearers to see all around them without having to turn their head.
Virtual Baby Acts and Looks Impossibly Real
Charlotte KuijpersA rosy-cheeked kid learns her first words, cries when her babysitter leaves, smiles when she’s happy, but she’s not real. BabyX is an AI research-in-progress by a company named Soul Machines.
Virtual Poetry Museum Opens in Amsterdam
Ruben BaartA virtual museum for poetry opens "its doors" at Museumplein in Amsterdam.
Car tech makes reality look like a game
Rolf CoppensTech company Fuijtsu released a new way to look around you while driving a car. Following the old fashioned neck turning and mirroring this tech has cameras around the vehicle to …
Virtual Transgender Suit
Koert van MensvoortA study by psychologists at Nottingham Trent University has found that 54 percent of all males and 68 percent of all females "gender swap" – or create online personas of their …
Beware of the Virtual Squirrels
Koert van MensvoortKasey McMahon and Derek Doublin demonstrate the tension between people and their environment through the eyes of its non-human inhabitants. Beware of the Virtual Squirrels ! The …
Virtual | Real pet
Minke KampmanIn the 70's we had the pet rocks that have gotten lost over the years in drawers and attics. The 90's gave us Tamagotchi's to look after, which we could reset if all else failed. …
Virtual Realities by NL Architects
Rolf CoppensSome beautiful "visual thoughts" by NL Architects . On the left: Minimum Speed 200 kh/h. On the right: United Airlines. On the left: desert irrigation made beautiful with this …
Analogue vs Digital: Augmented Reality
NextNature.netNo longer is the perception of the analog limited to its physical elements.
Artworks that Look Virtual, but Are Completely Hand Painted
Alexandra BremersThese paintings by Johnny Abrahams look almost computer made - except they are not. Working mainly with black and white acrylic paints and with a lot of patience, the American …
Bringing Augmented Reality to Fitness
Ruben BaartFitbit just released a new motivational feature that aims to trigger their users to go out and exercise more.
Digital Lemons to Make Virtual Lemonade
Ruben BaartWhen life gives you digital lemons, make a virtual lemonade!
A Virtual Counselor for Mental Health
Siebren de VosA Facebook chatbot that offers interactive cognitive behavioral therapy. It’s called Woebot and it's your personal virtual counselor.
Meet Indonesia's virtual news anchors
Kelly van GemertVirtual news anchors seem to spread like wildfire across Asia. We've witnessed Xinhua present the news from China and applauded Lisa on becoming India’s first regional AI news …
Fake for Real: Actress Plays Virtual Character
Koert van MensvoortTomb Raider, featuring superwoman Lara Croft, was one of the most successful video games of its generation. Although many computer games had previously been created as spin-offs …
Occasionally Extinct and Virtually Alive
Allison GuyJapanese researchers are currently working on cloning a mammoth, and plan to produce a fluffy new prehistoric calf within four or five years . The bucardo, an extinct subspecies …
Can This Virtual World Save the Real One?
Alessia AndreottiA Dutch artist designs a Utopian eco-socialist online society.
Fiction to Reality: Invented Traditions
Alejandro AlvarezIt’s true that mexicans celebrate Day of the Dead dressing as skeletons and setting shrines to death, but the carnivalesque parade with giant puppets was a surprise to every local who watched the movie.
Cultured Meat Closer to Reality
Alejandro AlvarezMany companies are seeing the potential of this technology to solve food scarcity, reduce pollution and offer cruelty free meat. One of these firms is Tyson Foods, the meat giant.
Augmented Reality Girlfriend
Arnoud van den HeuvelUsing the special cube, stick, and web camera, ARis will appear and move around in the monitor of your PC. When you touch her by the AR Stick, she shows various reactions. You can …
The Virtual Lives of Extinct Animals
Allison GuyWhat happens when next nature dreams of old nature? Such is the case with extinct animals that have ever come in contact with humans, particularly the dinosaurs, our own …
Twitter Implant becomes a Reality
Marco van BeersYou all probably know the ' Twitter implant ' from the Nano Supermarket . Scientist at the University of Princeton now created the first working prototype. The implant is actually …
The Twitter Tooth Implant Becomes a Reality (Again)
Allison GuyAn implant equipped with an accelerometer can tell when you're chewing, chatting, smoking or sipping.
Plant virtual flowers with Pikmin Bloom
Kelly van GemertSoon it will be possible to grow flowers with your phone. Niantic and Nintendo joined forces to create a new mobile game connected to the Pikmin franchise. In this augmented …
Welcome in the Real Unreality
NextNature.netThis Sunday next nature maven Koert van Mensvoort is interviewed in what is arguably the finest show on Dutch television: VPRO Tegenlicht.
China's state news agency has unveiled a virtual newsreader
bryan clarkDon’t adjust your TV set, that’s just a new computer-generated news anchor working out the bugs. Xinhua, a Chinese state-run media company, and Sogou, a Beijing-based search …
Microsoft Is Betting on Mixed Reality
Ruben BaartThe Microsoft HoloLens is a holographic computer that enables you to interact with high-definition holograms through augmented reality.
Dancing at the intersection of natural and virtual worlds
Eleni MaragkouExploring the intersection of technology and art, a team of creatives presents a virtual performance that pushes the limits of human expression.
The Dictionary of Online Behavior adds a virtual layer to your vocabulary
Ruben BaartTo some extent, it's a chicken-and-egg question: Are you unable to think about things you don't have words for, or do you lack words for them because you don't think about them? …
Farming in Silico
Jack CaulfieldFarming is more than manual labor. The hard part is knowing how to get the best yield. Thankfully, there’s an app for that: growing crops in silico.
An Ecstatic Dialogue with Richard Doyle
Jason SilvaWhen techno–optimist and fellow at the Hybrid Reality Institute , Jason Silva, meets with Richard Doyle, author of Darwin's Pharmacy: Sex, Plants and the Evolution of the …
Cyborg Cabin Crew
Ruben BaartAir New Zealand is equipping its flight attendants with AR headsets to explore in-flight optimization, giving its passengers a glimpse of what the future air travel service might look like.
Fake for Real: A Memory Game about Reality
The Fake for Real Memory Game playfully visualizes the classical theme of Fake vs Real. Is everything that was once directly experienced, in our media society now replaced by …
When FB Told Everyone They Were Dead
Ruben BaartDue to an algorithmic error, Facebook mistakenly "memorialized" vital user accounts with a banner announcing the user’s passing – turning their friend walls into memorial walls.
Men Pregnancy: Reality or Science-fiction?
Margherita OlivoThe first uterus transplant in the United States raises the question: could uterus transplants allow men to get pregnant too?
Simulacra and Simulations
The simulacrum is never that which conceals the truth--it is the truth which conceals that there is none. The simulacrum is true. -Ecclesiastes If we were able to take as the …
A Society of Simulations
Koert van MensvoortAn interviewer once asked Pablo Picasso why he paints such strange pictures instead of painting things the way they are. Picasso asks the man what he means. The man then takes out …
Interview: Jeremy Bailenson on his latest book "Experience on Demand"
Katherine Oktober MatthewsVirtual reality has come a long way. Like most technological leaps, it’s had a huge push from the entertainment industry, but current applications span a wide range of social and …
The long history of the metaverse
Tom BoellstorffMany aspects of the current metaverse were already familiar 143 years ago.
Are we living in a superorganism?
Ruben BaartThe coverstory of Next Nature Magazine investigates how the rise of virtual influencers on social media reveals a superorganism.
Make the World Your Office
Megan Ray NicholsImagine being able to enter your office through a digital representation of reality. It sounds crazy, but it’s possible with augmented and virtual reality.
Next Nature Habitat VR at SXSW17
NextNature.netThis week our virtual reality experience landed at the inaugural VR program of SXSW festival.
Metaverse: 5 things you need to know
Steve BenfordWhat is the metaverse and to what extent should we believe that the vision being presented to us is really going to be central to our daily lives?
Explore Mars with NASA's VR Experience
Margherita OlivoExploring the surface of Mars at least 15 years before a human being in flesh and blood will be able to, this is the new ambitious idea of the people at NASA.
Researchers are using VR to help teachers understand autism
Rachel KaserResearchers are using VR as an empathy tool to help neurotypical teachers understand their students with autism. There have already been attempts to use VR to help autistic …
Next Generation: Simulating textile ecosystems with Scarlett Yang
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your coordinates as we …
Drone Contest Winner: VR Drone for Elderly
NextNature.netThe lucky winner of our What’s Flying There? contest is Jiska, Dutch 10-year-old who imagined a virtual reality drone for the elderly and won an actual drone for herself.
Next Senses
Ruben BaartNext Senses explores the unchartered territory of how we could experience the world with technology
Ecology – A New Opium for the Masses
Marxist philosopher Slavoj Žižek discusses the 'naturalization' of capitalism and how ecology became a new field of capitalist investment. He also argues that the ultimate …
AI & VR Impact on Architects and Engineers
Megan Ray NicholsFuture workspace, human interaction and unique experiences: here’s how artificial intelligence and VR impact on architects and engineers.
Entryparadise
Written by Werner Lippert & Peter Wippermann, Curators of the Entryparadise exhibition (26/8 until 3/12, 2006, at Kohlenwäsche, Zollverein) Design is about to undergo a …
Enjoying Nature in the Cave
Koert van MensvoortNow let us analyze this setup for a moment: You are looking at an avatar character inside a 3D model of a virtual reality cave, enjoying a 'natural' landscape – welcome in the …
Diseases Of The Future
Alessia AndreottiNowadays humans suffer from diseases that didn't exist in the past, a trend that will probably continue into the future. A wide range of new disorders, especially related to the …
Which Technologies will 2016 Bring?
Wei Lun WangThe new year is right around the corner, let’s forget about long-term future for a while to check out what new tech trends will hit it big in 2016. At the end of every year, …
Synthetic skin is bringing the sense of touch to VR
Britta de VriesCurrent social distancing measures are all about keeping a physical distance from each other in order to flatten the curve. But this does not mean we have to keep a distance from …
Next Generation: Pursuing digital tactility with Studio PMS
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
Next Generation: illustrating the remains of the anthropocene with Louise Silfversparre
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
On the prehistoric origins of modern sexuality
Ruben BaartLet’s talk about the most controversial of "m words"—monogamy. And let’s have this conversation with in mind its prehistoric origins. Our modern picture of prehistoric societies …
Second life prostitute
Koert van MensvoortThe world's oldest profession has made quick inroads into virtual life. You can make a quick buck if you're willing to accept in-game money for sexual services -whether that's …
The Institute of Digital Fashion explores what's next in the industry
Ruben BaartTrading animal skins for pixels, our digital selves call for a digital wardrobe. The Institute of Digital Fashion , led by CommuneEast founder Leanne Elliott Young and Digi-Gxl …
Doctors Used VR to Save a Baby's Life
Margherita OlivoGoogle Cardboard was used by a cardiologist to train for a very risky heart surgery on a four months baby.
King Bee Inspecting His Drones?
Koert van MensvoortFacebook boss Mark Zuckerberg at the Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona.
The Next Nature Guide to Games in 2017
Jack CaulfieldIn the next nature, many people spend as much time in the digital world of gaming as they do in the real world. We have covered video games before, but this year we thought it …
You only live Twice
Koert van MensvoortYes, I understand the media interest in Second Hype (Of course we don't take it serious as a virtual reality concept. Steering a mouse, sitting behind a flat screen, moving 3D …
Follow The Money
Koert van MensvoortIf you happen to be in the neighborhood, you may want to attend the lecture I will be throwing at the Follow the Money – The database as a narrative form conference this Thursday …
Experience a Real Safari, Google-Style
Margherita OlivoGoogle launched the Mzansi Experience, a virtual tour to South Africa through Street View.
Bringing The Web into Real Life
Margherita OlivoWeb 0.0 is sa project by street-artist Biancoshock where web apps are contextualized in real life.
Smartphones Will Soon Be a Thing of the Past
Megan Ray NicholsSmartphones have become almost a part of who we are. According to tech industry experts, however, the smartphone's days are numbered and that number is lower than you might expect.
The next sexual revolution is going to be all about technology
Peter DiamandisSex is one of the most powerful, fundamental human drives. It’s caused wars, and built and destroyed kingdoms. It occupies a significant percentage of most people’s thoughts. As …
How to design a digital democracy
Rinie van Est10 design requirements to fully immerse ourselves into the 21st Century—in which technology makes our world richer, not poorer.
The 21th Century Paradigm
The history of art through the ages reveals a constancy that, by conscious or unconscious applications, provides us with an omnipresent correlation dealing with the …
Fake for Real
Koert van MensvoortFakeness has long been associated with inferiority. Fake Rolexes that break in two weeks, plastic Christmas trees, leaky silicone breasts that cause cancer, imitation caviar. Even …
Hire a Hyperreal Girlfriend to Look Better on Facebook
Insoo HwangBaudrillard intersects with social media in the world of fake online girlfriends.
Work Remotely in VR Nature
Julie ReindlBreakroom is a VR app that lets you fill your daily working tasks in a simulated nature surrounding, enhancing productivity and mental balance.
Gamers are the new athletes: Sports in video games from Pong to VR
Jack CaulfieldSports have always had an important place in human societies, providing entertainment, exercise, and a demonstration of the exceptional things the human body can achieve. But in a …
Have you thought about your social media death?
Freya HutchingsRecently, Twitter announced it would be clearing all inactive accounts in an effort to free up dormant usernames and prevent the risk of old accounts being hacked. The new policy …
Enter the memesphere
Laura van den BrinkWhy memes might be the next tool to make sense of on our increasingly hybrid virtual and physical environment.
Next Nature Interview
For the Venezuelan Magazine Platanoverde , Gabriela Valdivieso y Lope Gutiarrez-Ruiz interviewed artist/scientist Koert van Mensvoort and discussed some of the idea's behind Next …
Spatial planning - Learning from Second Life
Written by Joop de Boer from Studio Golfstromen - strategy, planning and design on the city. In the virtual world 'Second Life' everything is possible. That's most obvious in the …
The Story of our Food
Maartje SomersEvery time we eat a piece of food, we take a bite out of the world. All these small bites tell a dozen stories. A carton of eggs presents the story of contented hens, a bottle of …
Tangible Money in Digital Currency Era
Alejandro AlvarezThe Scrip, a new universal cash device is bringing back the old metallic sparkle of the money and mixing it with today’s technology in order to fill the deficiencies of our credit and debit cards.
Next Generation: Speculating about the future with Deborah Rhyner
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your coordinates as we …
Next Generation: Launching the Eva Biodesign Lab with Carlos Silveira
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
First Second Life Millionaire announced
Koert van MensvoortAnshe Chung is an avatar, or onscreen graphic character, created by a Chinese-born language teacher living near Frankfurt, Germany has proclaimed herself the first second life …
The World is not a Desktop
Mark Weiser (originally written for ACM Interactions ). What is the metaphor for the computer of the future? The intelligent agent? The television (multimedia)? The 3-D graphics …
Breaking Point?
John Zerzan, published in Green Anarchy issue #24 - Spring/Summer 2007 The rapidly mounting toll of modern life is worse than we could have imagined. A metamorphosis rushes …
Car Navigation - Just Follow the Red Cable
Koert van MensvoortJust follow the yellow brick road ... thin red cable and you know where to go! Instead of looking at a small 6 inch screen, or listening to less than exact turn by turn …
Faustian Bargains and Pineapple Shampoo
Since the early days of the net, the electronic pastoral has lent itself to all sorts of dubious agendas pushed by science, the military and even libertarian tendencies. In the …
Third Life
Diogo CorreiaLong after Second Life servers have been shutdown, Augmented Reality is a common place . Thanks to our bioengineered eyes, or our electronic contact lenses , and years of data …
Games Become Jobs: Gold Farming in China
Koert van MensvoortChinese workers slaying monsters to earn gold for western consumers. It sounds surreal, but it is a far from virtual reality for the so-called 'gold farmers', who are working in …
![Visual of MANKO & Plagiarism [#1]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2010/manko-plagiarism-1/b50dcc7ae7-1602632753/manco-530-868x486.jpg)
MANKO & Plagiarism [#1]
Aston RevolaIn this first review of the works of Manko, we'll discuss the complex sorts of plagiarism in Augmented Reality art that are typical for our contemporary art scene. This introduces …
Pregnant Avatars
Arnoud van den HeuvelThis interview from 2008 is exemplary for a time when people started experimenting on humanizing anonymous avatars in the virtual realm. Shopping, building, going on holiday, …
Twitter Gets Real in the Form of a Hotel
Alessia AndreottiA hotel where all communication is conducted by Twitter hashtag.
Digital Mountains Shouting Your Tweets
Yunus Emre DuyarEver feel the need to hear two digital mountains read your tweets aloud with deep and sonorous voices?
Mapping the Online World
Ingmar NieuweboerThe world looks quite different online, based on the country-code domains
Simulated Kissing Over the Internet
Nadine RoestenburgAfter calling, texting, chatting, video chatting, teledildonics (interactive and touch emulating sex toys) and sync-watching TV series while miles apart, you can kiss your beloved one over the Internet from wherever you are with Kissenger.
Visit the Modernist Dream
NextNature.netDiscover the Next Nature Habitat VR and explore four future environments we might live in someday.
Next Generation: Searching for Null Island with Deborah Mora
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
Design your Self!
Next Nature DevWho are you, who do you want to be, and what do you need to do to get there? We are constantly pushed to lead the perfect life. The media present us with a picture of an existence …
The Invention of Morel is a techno-lovestory from the future
Ruben BaartOctavio Paz says calls The Invention of Morel , “ without exaggeration… a perfect novel. ” According to Borges, “ to classify [it] as perfect is neither an …
In conversation with cyborg musician Kai Landre
Ruben BaartWhat does the merge of bodies and technology mean for the human? For cyborg Kai Landre, cybernetic extensions become body parts and not technology. Kai began his transition to a …
Gear up for our VR timemachine!
Next Nature DevTravel to big future in our VR timemachine at the Evoluon in Eindhoven
Sónar Lisboa: a festival for body and brain
Ruben BaartSometimes a festival can be so much more. Tapping into arts, design, and electronic and experimental music festival, Sónar Lisboa (8-10 April) is one for the body and for the …
Furniture futures
Nellie FriedrichWondering how next natural furniture may change your way of life? Will we feed our lamps? Grow chairs? Talk with our tables?
Enter Spa Sybarite: the luxury wellness center of our dreams and nightmares
Kelly van GemertIn conversation with film director Joshua Ashish Dawson about the future of wellness, climate anxiety and healthy cynicism India-born, Los Angeles-based film director Joshua …
Playing Dreams
Rolf CoppensJayne Gackenbach, a professor of psychology and sociology at Grant MacEwan College, Canada has completed research which claims that video games alter the way the brain works. …
Fake for Real: Man in the Mirror
Koert van MensvoortSome days when we look in the mirror we like what we see, some days less so. Would it not be great to be able to tweak the image a bit? After all, it is our main manifestation to …
BitFriday - First Crash for Digital Currency
Allison GuyOn June 10, the digital currency Bitcoin lost 30% of its value in a few hours, dropping from US $28.92 to $20.01 per coin. Bitcoins are a largely untraceable form of money, …
Next What?
John ZerzanIn this essay, anti-civilization, anarchist philosopher John Zerzan critiques the concept of 'next nature.' He argues that rather than freeing us, our self-domestication through …
Exploring the Offline World, if It Still Exists
Bram de VogelThe surprising results of a year offline in the "real" world.
Professions Of The Future
Francesca BarchiesiAs technology evolves, what today seems like science fiction may be the job market of tomorrow: 11 professions of the future.
What Will Life Be Like Inside A Computer?
John MesserlyMany scientists believe that we will soon be able to preserve our consciousness indefinitely. This could be done by copying and transferring these contents into a computer, or by piecemeal replacement with parts of the brain gradually replaced by hardware.
What’s the Point If We Can’t Have Fun?
David GraeberSince Darwin we tend to look at the biological world exclusively in economical terms. The idea that monkey's, frogs, or even ants do more than simply propagate, doesn't find much acceptance among scientists. And yet, even crayfishes at times seem to displace objects just for fun.
How Is Hi-Tech Changing Sports?
Margherita OlivoHitech is changing sports, but what are the consequences?
Pokémon Go Improves Players' Mental Health
Ruben BaartPokémon Go is shaping social relationships amongst individuals.
Anime Characters at Your Service
Alejandro AlvarezTake a look at this video to get an idea of what life with a virtual anime assistant would look like.
Ad Blockers Go Real Life
Koert van MensvoortThe Brand Killer augmented reality headset boomerangs ad blocking into the physical realm.
FarmVille Turns into Real-Life Agriculture
Julie ReindlA Japanese Start up brings Farmville back into real life by letting players grow physical food.
Jobs for the Extraordinary-Robots at Work #5
Mathilde NakkenThis is post number five of our serie 'Robots at Work'. In this last episode we present you five jobs for the extraordinary, the ones who won't let themselves be categorized.
Hello, superorganism
Koert van MensvoortWhen I was a kid, my parents took me to the beach every summer. We’d swim in the ocean and play on our inflatable raft in the surf. When the tide was low, I’d build a sand castle …
Suzanne Lee wants to live in a world that uses only sustainable materials
Ruben BaartBiotechnology is nearly as old as humanity itself. The food you eat and the pets you love? You can thank our ancestors for kickstarting the agricultural revolution, using …
How technology keeps us connected
Britta de VriesAt this moment in time, many people are staying at home in order to flatten the curve . It is times like these that we realize how vital technology is to us and our societies. It …
What we can learn from The Social Dilemma
Vanessa Bates RamirezIs social media ruining the world? Dramatic political polarization. Rising anxiety and depression. An uptick in teen suicide rates. Misinformation that spreads like wildfire. The …
Can AI become addicted?
Thomas MoynihanIn 1953, a Harvard psychologist thought he discovered pleasure – accidentally – within the cranium of a rat. With an electrode inserted into a specific area of its brain, the rat …
Science Friction explores living among companion species
Ruben BaartIs it possible to imagine other earthly stories? Can we conceive of other ways of living among different species? This exhibition explores these issues with the help of a …
Nature Loves Technology
Next Nature DevWe interviewed William Myers and Emma van der Leest, curators of Nature Loves Technology, our exhibition at Floriade 2022
Exploring Next Nature (2004)
Koert van MensvoortThe first essay ever written on Next Nature, published in Next Nature Pocket and in Entry Paradise, New Design Worlds . ( download pdf ) (German version: Erkundungen im Nächste …
Better than the real thing
Written by Debbie Mollenhagen PART 1: FROM LINEAR TO CIRCULAR Designer living has become designing life. I often ask myself: did it taste like the real thing? But when I open my …
Designing for Next Nature (workshop report)
Koert van MensvoortThe extent to which new technologies are intervening with everyday life can hardly be underestimated. Virtual realities, nano- and biotechnology are increasingly providing new …
Keyboard beam
Arnoud van den HeuvelThanks to this device our pda's may become even smaller. Also piano's and dance clubs are made redundant. All you need is a charged battery. virtualdevices.net
Fake for Real: The Money Matrix
Koert van MensvoortIt's fascinating how stock traders can get so excited about a few abstract numbers on an electronic display. These numbers represent real money, and every small fluctuation can …
Fake for Real: Walking Leaf
Koert van MensvoortAlmost by default, we associate simulation with modern media: games and virtual reality. But what about the Phyllium giganteum ? It is not a leaf but an insect disguised as one. …
Out of Control
The Made and the Born: Neo-Biological civillization, written by Kevin Kelly, excerpt from Out of Control : The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems and the Economic World, …
The Metaverse Roadmap
Koert van MensvoortIn ancient times heroes like Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus explored the unknown territories of the globe. Today world traveling has become a teenage tourist activity, but …
Consuming Illusions
Koert van MensvoortSo you thought the 'consumption of illusions' was a typical digital world activity of second life residents and gaming addicts? Never underestimate virtuality in everyday life. …
Not just Second Life, but Multiple Lives
MTHow real is World of Warcraft? When lines get blurred and people voluntarily throw themselves in a state of digital schizophrenia; current values and norms change in ways …
Second Skin Trailer
Arnoud van den HeuvelSecond Skin takes an intimate look at computer gamers whose lives have been transformed by the emerging genre of Massively Multiplayer Online games (MMOs). World of Warcraft, …
Self Control Freak
Koert van MensvoortWARNING: Spending too much time behind the computer, may cause the leaking of elements from the digital environment into everyday life. Self control freak Olivier Otten is …
Ear on your arm? Why not?!
ewesFor over 40 years Australian artist Stelios Arcadious Stelarc has made art with medical instruments, prosthetics, robots, virtual reality systems and biotechnology to investigate …
Happy Nature, Serious Business
Arnoud van den HeuvelThere's no reality gap. There's no reality gap. There's no reality gap. Related: Hate Something | Deforestation in China Threatens Giant Pandas
Fat/slim magnifying label
Arnoud van den HeuvelWith an optical trick, this German bottle of water is trying to prove its effectiveness for the body. Though drinking water is a necessity for life, the downside of this product …
![Visual of Manko & The Children [#9]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2011/manko-the-children-9/3d8fe20352-1602632753/manko9-868x486.jpg)
Manko & The Children [#9]
Aston RevolaAs they went down the elevator shaft, going deeper underground, neither Nada nor Manko spoke a word. To Manko it seemed to take forever. In his mind, he went over the long …
Next Landscapes
Natalie DixonQuoted in a recent interview about his work, Landscapes without Memory , artist Joan Fontcuberta asked, “Could a natural nature exist? The answer is no, or at least, not anymore: …
Video Game Logic Wins This Round
Allison GuyAdapting video games to real life has become a fairly common, jokey way of exploring the games' surreal aspects. I saw kids with balloons playing Mario Kart on my college campus, …
Sight – As Second Life becomes First Life
Koert van MensvoortSo you thought your live was already pretty much media-saturated? Indulge in the design fiction film Sight and you'll realize you ain't seen nothing yet.
A Stroll Through the Bubbles of Chemicals and Men
Etienne TurpinA stunning pre-history of the anthropocene
From Eco-Apartheid to Earth Democracy
Vandana ShivaDo humans exist merely to make money and use resources? Vandana Shiva believes humans have a higher purpose.
Gamers Care as Much for Their Avatar as for Their Best Friend
Koert van MensvoortEmotionally the avatar has a similar position as ones best friend, despite its "virtual" presence and the often longer lasting relationship with ones best friend.
Interview: Arne Hendriks, Researcher and "Father" of The Incredible Shrinking Man
Alessia AndreottiHendriks’s activity explores the positive transformative power of creative impulses and the importance of fundamental free scientific research.
Spy Agencies Infiltrate in Online Games
Koert van MensvoortFor NSA, spying on you isn't enough, they monitor your avatar too.
The World Responds to Bitcoin
Rick Dutour GeerlingFrom small stores to the US government, what the world thinks of bitcoin.
Faking a Holiday on Social Media
Alessia AndreottiDutch girl fakes an exotic holiday with the power of Photoshop and Facebook.
Falling in Love According to Facebook
Alessia AndreottiFacebook data science analyzed what happens to our virtual life when we fall in love.
Hunger Games for Robots
Yunus Emre DuyarHow would you feel if robots inherited ethical complications of existence?
Should Intelligent Sex Robots be Banned?
Daniel FragaThe Campaign Against Sex Robots, recently launched, is pushing towards banning the continuation of sex robots development.
Empowered by Robots Design Challenge
NextNature.netWanted: New jobs for humans and robots! Which designers, technicians, robot enthusiasts will help us with innovative, feasible ideas for the new jobs of the future?
Robot Babies to Prevent Pregnancy
Ruben BaartAn Australian study has shown the use of lifelike robot babies increased teen pregnancy, rather than discouraging it.
VR Days Europe: Next Nature Habitat
Monika KozubNext Nature Habitat premiered at VR Days Europe in Amsterdam last weekend.
VR Surgery and Live Stream Operations
Mathilde NakkenThere is a new breakthrough coming from the operating room: an app, called MDLinking, that connects 8.5 million doctors world wide.
AI Draws New Worlds from Its Artificial Memory
Siebren de VosAn AI draws streets and spaces stitching together its artificial memories of real places.
The Digital Mythology of... Super Mario
Daniel FragaMythology still surrounds us, we just relate to it differently. Games and movies have replaced pantheons and folk tales. Fairies and gnomes left the forests and the rivers and moved to virtual realities.
Intimate Technology S01E06: Also, the Dichotomy of Pragmatism and Perversion
NextNature.netDo we treat our technologies with more care and sentimentality these days than we did in the past?
Space Television Network
Julie ReindlSen is a space television network that provides visuals from other planets in order to prepare us for our multi-planetary life.
Robotization Makes Work More Human
Koert van MensvoortImagine being 16 and studying for a job that soon won't exist. What kind of future is that? New occupations will come thanks to robotization.
Sleep and Dream Controller
Lydia HaldersDevelopers at Dutch-based company Arenar have designed a device that not only claims to improve the quality of sleep, but also induces lucid dreams.
The Posthuman Farm
Ruben BaartWu Tzu-ning presents a posthuman reality from genetic engineering to digital afterlife.
How a museum encourages its visitors to examine their relationship with their environment
Linda ValentaLast month I had the opportunity to immerse myself in Tokyo’s newly opened digital art landscape, the Mori Digital Art Museum. The museum stands out for it enables virtual …
Reimagining popular apps with the Pyramid of Technology
Alejandro AlvarezToday, there's an app for everything. They help us satisfy our cravings, allow us to communicate at all times and make it easier to share special moments. But the dark, cold …
Games become jobs: Looking through the eye of the submarine with an X-Box controller
Kelly van GemertSubmarines feature a special device called a periscope that allows people inside the submarine to see what's going on above water. Controlling such an eye requires hours of …
How Pokémon are affected by climate change
Ruben BaartYou know climate change is real when dead coral Pokémon start to wash up on (virtual) beaches. Behold, Cursola, world’s first dead coral Pokémon. On the origins of Cursola While …
3 exhibitions that explore the relationship between humans and the environment
Freya HutchingsAs we go about our daily activities, we may lose sight of our connections with nonhuman life. Here are three exhibitions to encourage you to step outside of your everyday and …
Swiping is the new touching
Nadine RoestenburgFrom all the memes that have reached me through my screen since the outbreak of the corona pandemic, there is one that perfectly reflects my thoughts in the beginning of March …
The Coronation
Charles EisensteinFor years, normality has been stretched nearly to its breaking point, a rope pulled tighter and tighter, waiting for a nip of the black swan’s beak to snap it in two. Now that the …
It's been fifty years since we took the first full photo of Earth from space
Robert PooleThe image of the whole Earth as seen from space has become a symbol of the environmental movement. Time for an update?
Next Generation: Exploring non-binary futures with Lena Kuzmich
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
The Next Nature gift guide 2021
Next Nature DevAs winter arrives, so does the season of giving. Good gift giving is an art and can be quite the endeavor at times. But don’t worry, Next Nature is here to help! We present to you …
That modernist dream of the house as butler is not going to happen
Helmke van GeelLooking at evolution, we see that there’s always a next nature. Nature changes along with us. How will that influence our way of life in the future?
Next Generation: Redesigning Burberry with Jiyong Lee
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
Carnerie is the grow your own meat device of the future
Kelly van GemertThis speculative kitchen device shows us a future where growing meat at home is not just a possibility but a reality.
Augmented Christmas
Arnoud van den HeuvelThe AR+RFID Lab at KABK (Royal Academy of Art, The Netherlands) sends this marker card, wishing an Augmented Christmas. Funny they need a real tree for hanging those markers... …
Brain-computer interface for Second Life
Dr NaturalWhile recent developments in brain-computer interface (BCI) technology have given humans the power to mentally control computers, nobody has used the technology in conjunction …
Fake for Real: Reflections in the Cave
The Lascaux cave conserves some of the first images created by man, dating back to around 15,000 BC. The depiction of large animals on the cave walls is considered as a …
Information Decoration: Our Environment as an Information Carrier
Koert van MensvoortPicture this: it's 40,000 years ago, and you are an early Homo sapiens. You are standing on the savanna. Look around you. What do you see? No billboards, no traffic signs, no …
Pixel shirt
Rolf CoppensThe Ironic Sans blog brings you Pre-Pixelated clothing! Stop worrying about whether or not the producer of that Reality TV show you're on will pixelate your carefully chosen …
Vanity ring
Rolf CoppensFor all you self-Googlers out there. And yes.. that means you too! Back in the old days (pre-next-nature) you used to wear gold rings and lots of bling you show off your wealth …
Avatarian Graveyard
Koert van MensvoortAvatarian Graveyard supplies a service for virtual addicts – people who excessively or compulsively spend time in virtual environments – to help them reintegrate into everyday …
Catch and eat fishing by phone
Dr NaturalFor mobile gamers in western Japan, a hearty seafood dinner awaits just a few key clicks away, thanks to a unique new cellphone fishing game that rewards successful players with …
Cell Phone Minutes: the Next Currency
Koert van MensvoortIt might just be my old nature mind, but I still find it a daily miracle: being able to walk into the bakery around the corner and trade a piece of paper – called money – for a …
Design Your Sims
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkIKEA is going to sell furniture with Electronic Arts via The Sims 2 game. Soon, it will be possible for you game addicts, to refurbish your Sims living room into your own …
Fake-Space Race
Koert van MensvoortSome weeks ago we pondered over the oddity of a space race in cyberspace . Rockets and jet-packs –so cool in the previous century– don't make sense in a virtual environment. The …
Tail communicator
Sara'The LED Dog Tail Communicator' is an initiative of James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau, and it is part of the larger 'Augmented Animals' project. Its focus points to technological …
Wear Your Social Network
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkGet Wickd (props for the name boys – totally wicked!) is a tech-fashion brand that sells basic clothes with barcodes that can link your mobile phone to any page on the web, from a …
World of World of Warcraft (WOWOW)
Arnoud van den HeuvelVideogame players celebrated this week as a hotly anticipated sequel to the popular online video game World of Warcraft hit the shelves. The nine million gamers can now play a …
Boomeranged Metaphors
Koert van MensvoortAt the start of the digital era, metaphors from everyday life were used – in what was then the new computer environment – in order to make otherwise incomprehensible technology …
Everything is Fake
Rolf CoppensThis is the first viral internet movie I've seen that's actually aware of being a viral. I just can't wait until this happens for real -including the car stunts- when will virals …
How to Grow a Sneaker
Koert van MensvoortNo silly. Of course sneakers can't be grown from transforming Koi Karpers. This is merely an fictional piece by Yoske Nishiumi. But then again, do you have any idea where your …
LHC – How physics becomes metaphysics
Koert van MensvoortLittle over a week after the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) became operational it broke down. As the world's largest particle accelerator isn't working, c omputer simulations are the …
Tangible hologram projector
Koert van MensvoortUsing ultrasound technology, researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a holographic projector that displays three-dimensional virtual objects you can feel with your …
The Eye of a Cyber Sapien
BartAn earlier post on this blog already displayed the possible future of sight using augmented contact lenses. Researchers at MIT take this second sight to a next level by …
The Uncanny Valley of the Pussycat Dolls
Koert van MensvoortMake no mistake, you're not looking at the latest Barbie line: These are the The Pussycat Dolls. Formerly an LA stripper show burlesque show, now upgraded to be pop music …
Time pilots us...
Lizette ReitsmaYou step out of bed. Why? Because your alarm clock tells you it is time. A quick glance at the alarm clock tells you that you are still on schedule. First you take a shower and …
Wallpaper Escape
Arnoud van den HeuvelFound sportswear a d, will be reality some day... (with magical goggles of some sort) Related: Recreation in NextNature | Big Ass Search Engine | If Giraffes lived in the US | …
Invisibility Cloak Hides Objects Visible To The Naked Eye
Koert van MensvoortSome years ago scientists managed to build a rudimentary invisibility cloak, which was an impressive device but it had some important limitations, not least of which was that it …
![Visual of Manko & The Invitation [#3]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2010/manko-the-invitation-3/a58a0af2b6-1602632753/manco-2-530-868x486.jpg)
Manko & The Invitation [#3]
Aston RevolaLast month we discussed how the vacuum played a big role in Manko's life since he lost his right leg. Soon he developed this idea further, beyond the mere notion of extensions …
Next Nature Introduction
Bruce SterlingThis project - the Next Nature Network - is about Nature's brand image. One might surmise that "Nature," being 100 percent all-natural, can't have any brand image. The facts …
Games become punishment: Gold farming in prison
Allison GuyRemember the gold farmers in China who put in eye-straining hours to earn virtual money in World of Warcraft? Gold farming has now made the leap to the country's corrupt penal …
![Visual of Manko & Nothing [#5]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2011/manko-nothing-5/8f13acd5d1-1602632753/manco-4-868x486.jpg)
Manko & Nothing [#5]
Aston RevolaManko was completely cut off from everything around him, virtually dead, buried alive inside of his own body. He remembered Zero's advice not to panic, but to no effect. He had no …
Sin free for just €1.59
Marco van BeersFor just £1.19 ($1.99, €1,59) you can download an app for your iPhone which offers tips and guidelines with the sacrament, "the perfect aid for every penitent" as the description …
What do AR-Burgers taste like?
Arnoud van den HeuvelAugmented Reality is supposed to be just over the "Peak of Inflated Expectations" of Gartner's hype cycle . This video, however, is vaulting the technology directly onto the …
Artifice Earth: Adam Rutherford on the Promises of Synthetic Biology
NextNature.netAn interview about the history and promises of synthetic biology, and the problem with the word "nature".
Now Dads Can Experience Pregnancy Too
Alessia AndreottiA new device replicates the kicking and moving of a baby inside a mother's womb.
From Street View Pics to Real-Life Ghosts
Alessia AndreottiThe pictures of Google Street View come to life.
Innovative Nostalgia
Koert van MensvoortWe humans simply feel more comfortable with technological change when it comes in a familiar form that refers to an existing and accepted object, habit, value, tradition or intuition.
Interview: Floris Kaayk, the Visionary Creative Mind Behind Human Birdwings
Alessia AndreottiFloris Kayak discusses online hoaxes and the future of technology.
Interview: Rachel Armstrong, Innovative Scientist Who Wants to Grow Architecture
Alessia AndreottiRachel Armstrong discusses living buildings, Venice's foundations, millennial nature and how to improve our future.
Killing Cancer Cells, Arcade-Style
Alessia AndreottiA speculative nanotech pill that lets you virtually rove your body, zapping cancer cells as you go.
3D Print Your Thoughts
Alessia AndreottiHow incredible would it be to imagine a thing and have it magically appear in concrete form? After food , organs and virtuality , here comes the thought printer! Thinkerthing , …
Nature through the Windshield
Brendan CormierVolume magazine interviews Next Nature founder Koert van Mensvoort.
The Anatomy of Mickey Mouse
Koert van MensvoortFinally a full anatomical model of the renowned comic figure.
Totem Animals for the Anthropocene
Ted HeistmanInvasive species become the animal symbols for a man-made world.
OpenWorm: The First Digital Organism
Alessia AndreottiThe first digital life form is an interactive worm based on its real biology.
The Evolution Of The Desk 1980 - 2014
Francesca BarchiesiObjects that normally used to surround us became more and more virtual, radically changing the aspect of our workplace.
3D Printed Eyes with WiFi Connection
Alessia AndreottiItalian research studio is working on EYE: a 3D bioprinted sight augmentation.
Analogue vs Digital: Digital Value
NextNature.netCommon currencies – like the Euro – are almost all controlled by federal institutions.
Analogue vs Digital: Innovative Nostalgia
NextNature.netBrowsing through your virtual bookshelf gives you the feeling of having an easily accessible collection of books, just like your good old analog one.
Interview: Liam Young on Speculative Architecture and Engineering the Future
NextNature.netInterview with Liam Young on his work in speculative architecture, the future, and our role in nature as humans.
Art Installation Submerges Amsterdam
Hessel HoogerhuisWaterlicht shows how the Netherlands would look without waterworks — a virtual flood.
The Candle of the Future
Alessia AndreottiMy New Flame uses LED technology to faithfully recreate the experience of light from the ancient past
Feeling Lonely with 1000 Facebook Friends
Ingmar NieuweboerLoneliness is a major social issue and can only be 'cured' with real world interaction.
Let's Talk About Virtue Signalling
Daniel FragaWith virtue signalling, the joys of moral superiority are just one click away!
Racist Robots and Bloodthirsty Crowds
Daniel FragaIt took less than 24 hours for Twitter to corrupt an innocent AI bot and teach it morally repugnant things.
Solar Energy: the Hottest New Currency
Lewis JustEnergy-backed money could help transition humanity to a more sustainable world, both environmentally and economically.
The Interactive Supermarket
Ruben BaartCoop Italia has opened a flagship store in Milan to present their vision of what grocery shopping might hold for us in 2050.
VR as a Tool for Social Change
Monika KozubUnited Nations aims at turning a playful technology into a serious medium.
Ectogenesis, Artificial Womb, Human Egg?
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkThe artificial womb is on the verge of becoming a reality, but how it will affect our culture is for us to decide.
The Idea for Lab-Grown Meat Was Born in a Prisoner-of-War Camp
Chase PurdyThe phone call was as unexpected as the American accent at the other end of the line. And when she hung up a few moments later, Ira van Eelen had to stop to catch her breath. More …
Selfie Time with Your Dead Beloved One
Julie ReindlForever by your side. Elrois a South Korean firm developed an app that allows you to engage with your dead friends lovers or idols.
I like my steak lab-grown, not-grass fed
Angus HerveyRight now, somewhere in a laboratory in California, the Netherlands or Japan, a technician is taking a few thousand skeletal muscle cells from a living animal, and placing them in …
Space Tourism: Your next vacation destination might not be on Earth
Jack CaulfieldBack in the mid-twentieth century, before the first moon landing, people had all sorts of ideas about the golden age of space travel in front of them. Colonize the moon! Fly …
Face the future of intimacy with Kiiroo
Ruben BaartMeet the teledildonics, an ingenious species of bi-directionally controlled sextoys from the future, available today. These touch emulating vibrators find each other on social sex …
How animal filters unmask the estranged relation to our wild self
Meike SchipperWould you like a dog snout, cat eyes or fluffy bunny ears? The choice is yours. Virtual selfie filters have become a widespread phenomenon on social media platforms such as …
Why human enhancement requires technological citizenship
Ira van Keulen and Rinie van EstNew technologies – from artificial intelligence to synthetic biology – are set to alter the world, the human condition, and our very being in ways that are hard to imagine. The …
How technology bridges the generational communication gap
Freya HutchingsEmoji, Skype, Selfies - can these communication technologies close the generation gap? In part, yes! Young people are teaching senior citizens how to use technology, and it’s …
10 Next Nature dinner table conversation starters
Ruben BaartSummer is here and the sun is out, and yes, this is awesome. After a long day in the sizzling summer sun, you get a group of people together to share some delicious food, …
How emojis represent the past, present and future within Next Nature
Britta de VriesIt's that time of year again; the Unicode Emoji 13.0 has announced that 117 new emojis are to be implemented in the second half of 2020. It got us curious of what these new emojis …
Next Generation: Designing modular fashion with Mathilde Rougier
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
Why screen games are still real play
Marcus CarterPlay is a core part of a healthy childhood , through which children develop social, communication, cognitive and physical skills. Children’s play adapts to its circumstances. …
Next Generation: Building aquatecture with Shaakira Jassat
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
Cyborgnest: redefining human senses
Liam BekaertNature provided humans with an extensive set of sensory modalities, allowing our brain to constantly gather sundry inputs from the outer world. These sensory inputs help us …
Next Generation: Shaping intimacy through objects with Pleun van Dijk
Ruben BaartPleun van Dijk is a speculative artist/designer who investigates the intimate relationship between human and technology.
The Cyborg Foundation is fighting for cyborg rights
Marit BeerseCyborgs - part human, part machine - are becoming more present in society, but their rights are not yet established.
Next Generation: Fantasising about fashion with ShirpShiro
Kelly van GemertFinding realistic solutions to the humanitarian and environmental issues in the textile and fashion industries.
How to teleport sushi
Selin KirSushi designed in Japan, printed in Texas. This might sound like a wild dream, but actually became a reality during interactive media festival South by Southwest (SXSW) that took …
From Silver Screen to Computer Screen
KarlFans of The Sims video game spent the Oscar Sunday evening making virtual copies of the red carpet fashions worn by Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon, contender Keira Knightley and …
Google Mapping in Physical Space
Koert van MensvoortAram Bartholl's Map project converts Google map markers into physical objects that can be moved around public spaces. The size of the rebuilt red Marker in reality corresponds to …
Need for Speed
Rolf CoppensA transformation of the big flashing arrows from the computer game Need for Speed Underground 2, NFSU 2 to physical space. Although computer games generally try to imitate the …
Pushing the Desktop Metaphor
Koert van MensvoortDespite the metaphor, current virtual desktops (a) have little resemblance to the look or feel of real world desktops (b). Bumptop explores making virtual desktops behave in a …
Second Life
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkSecond Life is a privately owned, subscription based virtual world created in 2003 by San Francisco-based Linden Lab. Founded by former RealNetworks CTO Philip Rosedale, Second …
my death space
Rolf CoppensWhat happens to your digital presence when you die? Does your website, MySpace and Second Life live on? Nope, it goes to mydeathspace.com Funny enough, the Amsterdam based …
Avatar machine
Rolf CoppensThe virtual communities created by online games have provided us with a new medium for social interaction and communication. Avatar Machine is a system which replicates the …
Delete-Key-Eraser
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkRemember no-tech? Back in the days, we would ocassionally write down things with a pencil on paper. If we made a mistake, we would rub something that looks like an delete button …
Email Flight Sim
Rolf CoppensThis must be the best worst software concept I've seen this year.. An email mailbox represented as a 3D, virtual LAX airport. in this world's coolest email program, based on the …
Fake for Real: Digital Trashcan
Koert van MensvoortAt the beginning of the digital era, several metaphors from the physical world were transferred to the digital environment in order to make, otherwise incomprehensible, technology …
Fake for Real: Disasters like from a Movie
Koert van MensvoortTwo disasters in New York, with the Emirpe state in view. In The Day After Tomorrow, a Hollywood blockbuster about climate change, New York is submerged by a catastrophic flood. …
Fake for Real: The Real Life of flat Characters
Cartoon characters fuel our imagination. For the duration of the book or movie, they supply us with an alternative playful identity; an escape from the dull monotonous everyday …
Friending, Ancient or Otherwise
By ALEX WRIGHT, Published in NY Times December 2, 2007 The growing popularity of social networking sites like Facebook , MySpace and Second Life has thrust many of us into a new …
Future Beauty: Hyperbreasts?
Koert van MensvoortLet's talk about hyperbreasts. Have you ever wondered why men like women with large breasts? Historically large breasts are presumably sexually attractive for men because they …
Human Tetris
Dr NaturalA tribute to the virtual world boomeranging back to the physical world by Mega64 . Or do you rather prefer the corny japanese gameshow version? Via Engadget ,
Out of Body Experience
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkDid you have your Out of Body Experience today? We knew already that our nature is merely how we perceive it, but now scientists from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale in Lausanne …
Second Life is not Sustainable
Koert van MensvoortWhat has a virtual world got to do with CO2 emissions? Electricity. Second Hype creator Linden Lab consumes an enormous amount of electricity on its 4,000 servers that support …
Simulacra for Dummies
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkAnyone can explain Baudrillard with this move. After the recent passing-away of this philosopher, it seems appropriate to post this movie as an ultimate "Simulacra for Dummies". …
To boldly Google...
Hendrik-Jan Grievink...where no one has googled before! Of course this would be possible one day: browsing the universe from your desktop. Google did it again and unlocks space, the final frontier …
Victoria 4.0
Arnoud van den HeuvelVictoria has great realism, perfect imperfections, and incredible ease of use. Based on live human models she is trying to close the gap between real life and models typically …
Feelings Translated to Plants
Koert van MensvoortAmbient Biomedia is an investigative project about using living beings, in particular plants, to display human lifestyle problems information. The working principle of our systems …
Build a better being
Koert van MensvoortWill Wright's hugely successful games SimCity and The Sims let players shape the structure of urban areas and the lives of virtual humans; his upcoming game, Spore , lets them …
Face swapping for privacy
Rolf CoppensFace swapping software finds faces in a photograph and swaps the features in the target face from a library of faces. This can be used to "de-identify" faces that appear in …
Fake for Real: Fantasy Castle
Koert van MensvoortDisney's Sleeping Beauty Castle could be the single best-loved structure in the world. Ever wondered where Walt Disney got his enchanting fairytale aesthetic? The castle, which …
Faked Fireworks at Beijing Olympics
Koert van MensvoortA local Chinese newspaper, The Beijing Times , revealed some of the staggering fireworks at the opening of the Beijing Olympics were actually not fireworks, but computer graphics. …
How to build yourself a night elf
Koert van MensvoortArtist Max Kor, built himself a World of Warcraft Night Elf from scratch. Check his tutorial for an inside peek in surreal beauty construction. We are waiting for night elves to …
Hyper Fish
Koert van MensvoortWhile swimming in second life, India Leigh came across this cool lion fish. See also: Redefining Nemo , Augmented Fish Reality , Who wants to drive a fish? .
In My Language
Arnoud van den Heuvel(Please don't click this video away too soon; it's self–explanatory and your time will be rewarded). mindhacks.com
Reconstructing Faces
Arnoud van den HeuvelThe video below is featuring a computer-generated replica of actress Emily O’Brien’s face at high-definition resolution. The Image Metrics process takes a captured video and …
Remember nature? Fake or real?
SaraVisiting the American Natural History Museum in New York, I pictured myself in about, let's say 150 years from now, trying to explain my younger family members what nature looked …
Scientists Extract Images Directly from Brain
Arnoud van den Heuvel(Extracted directly from Pink Tentacle , thanks!): Researchers from Japan’s ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories have developed new brain analysis technology that can …
Search Engine
Arnoud van den Heuvel"Google has stationed approximately a million computers worldwide to be able to process the 40 billion searches per month. One search request uses as much energy as a low-energy …
Software that Ranks Female Beauty
Koert van MensvoortEarlier we reported software that predicts how a wine will rate in reviews even before it is made . Now, for puber-geek delight, lets try that for women. Tel Aviv University …
Space Race in Cyberspace?
Koert van MensvoortAfter having build nightclubs, shopping malls and natural resorts, second hype residents have constructed a spaceport in their metaverse. They sure have a lot of different rockets …
The copypaste Bird
Koert van MensvoortOne might think this video is just another witty flick made by some media artist. It is not. This is a real bird living in Southern Australia. In order to attract females, the …
The Evolution of the Richer
Diogo CorreiaAre we on the verge of a future human evolution, one that isn’t, at least in it’s very core, “the survival of the fittest”, but rather “the evolution of the richer”? Think about …
Augmented Phone Browsing
Arnoud van den HeuvelThis video shows the first beta version of TwittARound – an augmented reality Twitter viewer on the iPhone 3Gs. It shows live tweets around your location on the horizon. Because …
Beauty kit for little girls
Koert van MensvoortPlastic fantastic starts at an early age. Created by Pleix . Related: Photoshop Beauties , Software that ranks female beauty , Virtual Miss , Natural Breasts .
How do Bacteria Communicate?
Arnoud van den HeuvelSo here we are; bragging about our discoveries and great new ways of living... meanwhile we tend to forget that we are NOT the dominant species on the surface of the earth. …
How will Michael Jackson appear in heaven?
Koert van MensvoortOur beloved King of Pop, Michael Jackson, who died tragically at the age of fifty after suffering cardiac arrest, was one of the most widely beloved entertainers and influential …
Pantonebow
Arnoud van den HeuvelNever believed in pots of gold anyway. Related: Credit on Color - rainbow of credit cards | Datafountain - money translated into water | Ceci n'est pas une Roche | Faked Fireworks …
Real Mario (video)
Koert van MensvoortThese college students perform a "live-action" skit of the old school Super Mario Brothers video game at a talent show. Virtual for real in a high school musical (hilarious …
Second Sight - Augmented Contacts
Arnoud van den HeuvelGetting information as fast as possible and on the spot is the trend. So what could be more direct than having information fired directly into the eye? Today - together with his …
Sion Chicken
Arnoud van den HeuvelHow SecondLife ends up to be a virtual chicken farm? Watch Patrick Davison explain about the rise of Next Nature on the social platform. Image by Kaie Magic | Related: Confetti …
The Internet Mapping Project
Arnoud van den HeuvelKevin Kelly -- senior maverick at Wired -- asks people how they see the internet and if they can, visualize it. Here is how: "The internet is vast. Bigger than a city, bigger than …
The Playboy Interview
In 1961, the name of Marshall McLuhan was unknown to everyone but his English students at the University of Toronto – and a coterie of academic admirers who followed his abstruse …
Ars Electronica 2010: Artists Adressing NextNature
Ties van de WerffSind wir noch zu retten? That was the slogan of this year’s Ars Electronica festival in Linz (Austria). Titled ‘REPAIR’, the media art festival urged to leave our scepticism and …
Clouding the brain
Ties van de WerffMan is a flexible species. We tend to adapt quite rapidly to new environments. But how fast can these adaptations turn to new evolutionary traits? For instance: to what extent is …
Cultivating the Money-verse
Orestis TsinalisAlright, we were mistaken. Money isn't virtual after all. A recent TV commercial of a Greek bank shed light on the issue. Your money lives, is anthropomorphic and inhabits an …
Digital Trashcan in a Physical Office
Koert van MensvoortThe Swedish design group Front brings the principle of the digital computerdesktop trashcan back to the physical world. When your trashcan basket is full it bulges outward. When …
Digitally Enhance your Ego
Tomas PietersAvatars, almost every internet user has at least one of them running around somewhere on the web. We control then in numerous games and forums, but do they also control us? …
From Main Street to the Mansion: Disney, Playboy and the Next Nature of Sex and Death
Peter LunenfeldNature demanded that we make a choice between immortality and sex, but the Next Nature of the 21st century may not. For help, we can look back to the 20th Century, which had many …
Having Invented the Gods, Perhaps we can Turn into Them
Jason SilvaMy name is Jason Silva. I've spent the last 5 years hosting and producing a tv show on Al Gore's Emmy-winning Current TV network and I'm a fellow at the Hybrid Realities …
Kapitaal
Koert van MensvoortSo you thought augmented reality is something new? Guess you are so attuned to the already existing augmentation of reality that you don't even notice it anymore. The short film …
MyWebwill.com – Serving your last online wishes
Koert van MensvoortWe live an increasing amount of our lives online, but what happens to our digital identity after we are gone? Until now our blogs, photos and social network accounts have lived …
Razorius Gilletus – On the Origin of a Next Species
Koert van MensvoortIs the evolution of the single bladed razor into an exorbitant five–bladed vibrating gizmo the outcome of human needs, or is there another force in play? Say hello to Razorius …
Social Avatar Beats Death
Arnoud van den HeuvelAvatars are commonly known as virtual characters in the digital realm representing a user. But what if avatars could house personal history, profile and ideas? Could that enable …
To Milk the Cows, Click here
Koert van MensvoortIn millions of offices and homes around the world, people are hard at work planting crops, feeding cattle and tilling their land. Welcome to Farmville , the digital rural world …
When Dreams become a Commodity
Koert van MensvoortAs neuroscience progresses, we gain access to previously inaccessible and unexplored areas of the human mind. Consequentially the intricate processes in our brain are cultivated …
Alex Gross
Koert van MensvoortIndulge in the paintings by Alex Gross . There is 'something' next nature about them... If happen to have more information on what that 'something' is, feel free to enlighten us …
Browsing the Technological Sublime
Allison GuyIn this video, Geert Mul uses online photos to tap into the divine presence in image search #powershow http://bit.ly/uk79b0
Effortless Learning
Stefan FinckenMatrix-style learning sounds like an impossibility, yet new research suggests it might become reality. Boston University and ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories in Kyoto …
Gaming Glitches
Rolf CoppensSome beautiful images from games gone wrong. If you have more of them, post a link in the comments Via
Let the Algorithms Roam Free
Bastiaan EkelerIn this TED talk, Kevin Slavin explains how computer algorithms are breaking free of their virtual habitats and changing the physical world to their liking. Through algorithms, …
![Visual of Manko & Dinner [#7]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2011/manko-dinner-7/fa6279d39a-1602632753/manko9-868x486.jpg)
Manko & Dinner [#7]
Aston RevolaManko blinked. Then blinked again, and again and again. While he did, he went through various layers at once and he was dazzled and amazed, his jaw dropped at all that he saw. He …
![Visual of Manko & Life [#8]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2011/manko-life-8/f762250e48-1602632753/manco-8-868x486.jpg)
Manko & Life [#8]
Aston RevolaManko sighed. Nada: 'Did you like it?' Manko: 'I have to admit that if this is the starter, I'm not sure I'll survive the main course.' Everyone at the table laughed. Manko: 'Let …
Mastering Bambi
Allison GuyIn the film Mastering Bambi, artists Persijn Broersen and Margit Lukacs have stripped the landscape of its cuddly, anthropomorphic characters. Over the course of the film, the …
Morphing Cutlery
Koert van MensvoortImagine a world where the shapes of all objects around you would be able to change on the fly. Envision a future where nanotechnology and morphing become ubiquitous and blend in …
Physical Scrollbars
Koert van MensvoortScrollbars is a series of installations and physical scrollbar-representations created by Dutch artist Jan Robert Leegte. According to the artist, most of us consider the …
Remote Kissing Device
Arnoud van den HeuvelNobuhiru Takahashi, student at the Kajimoto Laboratory of the University of Electro-Communications in Chofu City, Tokyo, invented this Internet French kissing device. When a …
The Woods Smell of Shampoo
Koert van MensvoortNamed after the story of a city girl that washes her hair with pine-needle shampoo and one day walks in the woods with her daddy says "Daddy! The Woods Smell of Shampoo", this …
Theriomorphous Cyborg
Allison GuyThe Animal Architecture Awards have just announced the winners of their 2011 contest. Taking first place is Simone Ferracina's Theriomorphous Cyborg , a (speculative) augmented …
Timon and Pumbaa
Koert van MensvoortMore real than you think. Peculiar image of the week. Via . Thanks Ton .
Fly like a Bird? Get Human Birdwings
Koert van MensvoortDutch mechanical-engineer Jarnos Smeets dreams of flying like bird. Nothing new really, many people have had this dream for ages. Yet being an engineer and all, Jarnos is seriously propelling his dream towards a reality.
Is the Human Body Redundant?
Rachel ArmstrongThe increasing ‘liveliness’ of machines and accessibility to the virtual world has raised questions about whether it is possible to uncouple the mind from the body in through a …
Pantone SkinTone
Rolf CoppensShould made-to-order babies become a reality in the near future, one piece of the design puzzle has been solved now Pantone has release their SkinTone system. Indexing 110 skin …
Plastic Junk Helps Ocean Animals (Sometimes)
Allison GuyWhile the Pacific garbage patch is often characterized as a dense, Texas-sized island of plastic, in reality it's an area of 2,736 square km scattered with tiny, floating bits of …
Spray On Liquid Glass
Koert van MensvoortNow here is a product that should soon find its way into the NANO Supermarket soon. At least, if supermarkets are willing to put it on their shelves, as they currently make huge …
That Website Smells!
Jesper van den ToornDo you ever miss being able to smell the woods in an online travel journal? The odor of a new leather jacket in an online shop? Or perhaps you just couldn’t find the words in an …
Where Games are Made
Rolf CoppensFor his Made of Myth series, Marc Da Cunha Lopes goes back to the places where the elements of great game classics were made. You really didn't think it was all virtual, right? …
3D Pizza Printer for Astronauts
Alessia AndreottiPrintable pizza. The next big food innovation after sliced bread.
Deliver us from Digital Bluntness
Stephen PerryPeoples attitudes online are wholly different from their behaviours in real life
Digital Sharing Becomes Physical
Wout KregtingThe embedded "share" button in the new Playstation assumes that sharing is at the center of our existence.
Get Your One Way Ticket to Mars
Alessia AndreottiWhat to do when earth is not enough? Thousands of people, tired of their life on Earth, are ready to emigrate to Mars. Since subscriptions opened on April 22, 80,000 people have …
Google Birdhouse Shows Birds Their Way
Alessia AndreottiPutting the birds into the bird's eye view of Google Maps.
Implanted into Bacteria, Synthetic DNA Functions as a Diagnostic Computer
Jiwon KimIn the movie Fantastic Voyage, a submarine and its crew were shrunk and injected into the body of a sick man in an attempt to save his life. Despite the fictional nature of this …
Interview: Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, Designer and Synthetic Biology Expert
Alessia AndreottiAn interview with Daisy Ginsberg, artist and synthetic biologist.
Join the Buckminster Fuller Challenge
Koert van MensvoortPick up your $100,000 to materialize your revolutionary vision. This is not a spam message.
"News Machine" Illustrates the Effects of Media Distortion
Alessia AndreottiThe News Machine is a contraption that explains the news distortion that happens when a message is broadcast through different media. The starting point is a tweet sent from a …
Out of Network
Santiago ZabalaArtist Filippo Minelli aims to point out the gap between the reality we still live in and the ephemeral world of technologies.
Roulette for Your Facebook Account
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkA new game lets you play chicken with your life on Facebook.
Six Tweet Under: Live Forever via Twitter
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkA new company analyzes your personality and writing style in order to keep producing tweets after you die.
Sniffer - Meet the Google Nose
Koert van MensvoortThe Sniffer – aka Google Nose – visualizes odors using a smell sensor, which is as good as a dog’s nose, and a glass in front of your eyes.
The Only Blue Sky in Beijing is Fake
NextNature.netBlade Runner becomes reality in China. Just try not to breathe.
The Prefuture of Synthetic Biology
Alexandra Daisy GinsbergAlexandra Daisy Ginsberg discusses the promises and realities of synthetic biology.
Hangout for Digital Natives
Koert van MensvoortThe Progress bar is where digital natives, icon fetishists , gold farmers , sufferers of augmented reality disease and other lovers of boomeranged metaphors meet. Via The …
Wi-Fi Visualization: Surrounded by Waves
Alessia AndreottiAn artist visualizes WiFi waves across landmarks in Washington, DC.
Yes, Naturally
Ine GeversThe introductory essay from the Yes, Naturally book - available in our store!
Angry Birds in Real Life
Koert van MensvoortEvery bird spotter that encounters the real Northern Cardinal bird nowadays, at least for one second will think: "Hey! Isn't that the one from angry bird?".
Drone Diver's License? Get it Online!
Alessia AndreottiThe online course to get your drone driver’s license for civil use.
Electronic Make Up
Koert van MensvoortIf this technique become widely accessible it could allow you to regain anonymity in webcam and facetime conversations.
In Vitro Celebrity Meat, for Real this Time?
Allison GuyA company is working on culturing celebrity stem cells for cannibal cuisine.
Land Art in Minecraft
Koert van MensvoortIf Mindcraft is our next landscape, should do land art there as well?
Modern Society Contradictions
Alessia AndreottiPawel Kuczynski portraits the contradictions of today’s world.
Now Wait, Did Tanks Have Lasers WWII?
Koert van MensvoortRealistic WOII movie Fury had to cater to the gaming generation with hyperrealistic Star Wars style laser shooting tanks.
Signs From The Near Future
Lotte BiesheuvelWill these futuristic signs become part of our near future?
The Carnery - A Cultured Future with In Vitro Meat
NextNature.netIn vitro meat has the capacity to transform meat production as we know it, introducing an entirely new way of thinking about and interacting with food.
Turning Objects into Musical Instruments
Alessia AndreottiMogees: the device that can turn everyday objects into unique and unusual musical instruments.
WikiGalaxy
Alessia AndreottiTurning 100,000 entries from the Wikipedia into a growing nebula of human knowledge.
3D Holography: the Future of Medicine
Yunus Emre DuyarA new technology aims to provide doctors with a true hologram of organs.
Analogue vs Digital: All Art in the World
NextNature.netVisit a couple of museums from all over the world in a single day. The world’s most famous paintings are just one click away.
Analogue vs Digital: Digital Pets
NextNature.netIn 1996 Tamagotchis were the most bought pets in the world. More than 40 million(!) were sold.
Analogue vs Digital: Los Santos
NextNature.netLos Santos is a big, fictional city in the state of San Andreas inspired by the City of Los Angeles.
Artificial Intelligence Able to Create Music
Tijs DuelEmily Howell is an interactive interface able to compose and perform her own pieces of music.
Death Threat by a Twitter Bot
Louise HuyghebaertDutch developer Jeffrey van der Goot got questioned by the police after one of his Twitter Bot released a tweet containing a death threat.
FB Graffiti: Reviving Ancient impulses
Alessia AndreottiFB Graffity: the extension that lets anyone “vandalize” the pictures shared by other users on Facebook
Gamers Stuck in Traffic Jam for Ten Minutes
Koert van MensvoortGames are typically played to escape our dull or stressful everyday reality, yet they are also made to become increasingly realistic.
Interview: Suzanne Lee, Fashion Innovator Who Grows Clothing in the Laboratory
Alessia AndreottiWe recently talked with Suzanne Lee about the textile industry and technology, growing leather in the lab, and the use of new alternative materials in the future of fashion.
Forget Google Street View, Here's Cat Street View
Wei Lun WangJapan city has launched an online street view map to introduce the view of the city by a cat's perspective.
Living Underground with Fake Sunlight
Rolf CoppensCoelux skylight recreates natural sunlight using Nano Technology.
Meet the Modern Miners
Koert van MensvoortA visit to a massive, secretive Bitcoin mine that is said to make 800.000 Euro per month.
Recreating Woolly Mammoth DNA
Yunus Emre DuyarScientists at Harvard University inserted wooly mammoth DNA into the genome of the Asian elephant.
The Risk of Technological Unemployment
Daniel FragaStephen Hawking gives his opinion on what technological unemployment, aka machines taking over our jobs, can represent for future human societies.
We Have Moved...
NextNature.netWhile you were on holiday we moved both virtually and physically. We are pleased to reveal our newly designed nextnature.net . We hope the updated design makes our website more …
We Are What We Like
Alessia AndreottiAccording to a study our PC, equipped with a list of things we "Like" on Facebook , knows us better than our friends.
Are There Pokémon on the Moon?
Ruben BaartPokémon Go is slowly taking over our planet. People know more Pokémon than bird or tree species. However, avid players will have noticed that some of the first-gen Pokémon are not available in the game yet.
The Complex Networks of Our Planet
Margherita OlivoThis video by Nature explains the complexity of networks on our planet.
Disney-Themed Prosthetics for Children
Ruben BaartOpen Bionics is helping children in need for bionic hands. With Iron Man, Frozen, or Star Wars-themed prosthetics, their fantasies become reality.
Geography Class via Smartphone
Ruben BaartA new Google Maps app is designed to get kids exploring the Himalayas without having to actually go outside.
How Data Reformed Politics
Ingmar NieuweboerBig data is reforming politics, but is it for the better?
Technology: Intrusive or Supportive?
Ioana TomiciIs the use of personal devices becoming a replacement for the spectrum of emotions that make us all humans?
Hyperloop Set to Change Mass Transit
Megan Ray NicholsThe Hyperloop is a future transportation means that is safer, faster, and cheaper than current forms of mass transit.
Imported African Sun: Coming Soon
Alejandro AlvarezThe recently opened Noor solar power plant is now the biggest in the world. It will power Morocco and if everything goes as planned imported solar energy can be a reality too.
Designer Govert Flint applies motion to everyday life
Ingmar NieuweboerInterview with Govert Flint, designer, architect and self-taught artist.
Interview: Mike Thompson and Susana Cámara Leret, Designers Exploring Alternative Ways of Thinking & Doing
Ingmar NieuweboerInterview with Mike Thompson and Susana Cámara Leret.
The New Era of Tourism is Underwater
Margherita OlivoSleeping underwater has always been your dream? Thanks to an ambitious project it will be soon reality.
Robots Taking Government Jobs
Ruben BaartMeet Amelia, the first robot to work along with human coworkers in a council job.
Solving Crimes Thanks to Amazon Echo
Ruben BaartAmazon's Echo smart speaker may have witnessed a murder. But will it talk?
The Wordless Language
Margherita OlivoEmoji are taking our communication to a faster, simpler level.
Fellow Day 2017: Next Habitat
Ruben BaartLast week, our NNN fellows gathered to discuss the Next Habitat; how will we work in the future? And how does this affect our personal lives?
Conversation with Dutch Philosopher Bas Haring: Robot, Colleague or Foe?
Ruben BaartWe talked with Bas Haring to discuss the conception, image and will of the robot. Read our conversation with him and update your ideas about robots.
Next Nature Gift Guide 2017
NextNature.netThe gift giving season is once again upon us and to help out those who are struggling to find that perfect gift for that special someone we have brought together a collection of Next Nature inspired gifts.
E-Skin Makes You Control Objects Without Touching Them
Charlotte KuijpersScientists developed an e-skin that lets the wearer manipulate virtual objects without touching them, by using magnetic fields.
Researchers are developing a device that can edit brain activity
Tristan GreeneNeuroscientists at the University of California Berkely are building a device that’ll hack our brains so we can ‘edit’ what we feel and remember. It looks like we’ve drawn “ Total …
Skiing on Mars? It's possible!
Kelly van GemertFor those experiencing symptoms of motion sickness in VR , it’s now possible to step inside a real-life simulation of what it could be like to ski on mars. Last week, desert dust …
Managing the data deluge: Twitter as a tool for ecological research
Marianne MessinaAs early as 2009-10 , researchers were looking at Twitter data mining as a way to predict the incidence of flu. At the time, the H1N1 virus, or “swine flu,” had made the jump from …
Your Next Nature guide to Unseen 2018: When Records Melt
Meike SchipperImages largely shape our experience of reality. Just consider how imagery of nature continues to rise in popularity: only a society no longer grounded in their natural landscape …
Microbiocene: the microbiological archeology of the future
Linda ValentaIn configuring our next nature, artists and scientists explore new languages that move beyond the Anthropocene - the era of human beings. These semantics would bridge the gap …
Electric cars might not yet be green, but we should buy them anyway
Ranald BoydellTransforming the way we travel is an essential part of tackling the climate crisis. The transport sector contributes about 20% of global carbon emissions . In the UK the figure is …
The Next Nature guide to Transmediale 2019
Ruben BaartBerlin is kicking off its cultural season with the not-to-miss 23th installment of Transmediale . This year the digital art/culture festival focuses on how feelings are made into …
A guide to parenting with AI Barbie
Siri BeerendsThe rise of artificial intelligence has brought us more advanced toys. If AI Barbie and her talking robotic friends are going to raise our kids, what would their parenting style …
Her is an outlook on the possible future of dating a chatbot
Ruben BaartWith most of us stuck at home because of lockdown, for the singles around us intimacy may have turned into a distant dream. Could we find our salvation in technology? And what …
(Im)possible bodies: responsiblity and care in our cyborg future
Koert van MensvoortWhat does it mean to become a cyborg? Better yet, aren't we cyborgs already? What then, does it mean to have a body? Is a 'standard' desirable, what does that even mean, and what …
Next Generation: Creating utopian and dystopian futures with Bas Jansen
Freya HutchingsThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Want to see your work here? Get in touch and …
How future fashion could help us cope with isolation
Ruben BaartToday we cannot meet, touch or hug our loved ones. And while we all like the feeling of the touch of another human being, physical contact does not just feel nice, it is crucial …
‘Optimism is our duty’: in conversation with Koert van Mensvoort
Ruben BaartWe live in a world in which we control the biology of a tomato at such precision, you could think of it as a product of technology, instead of a product of nature. Think about it, …
Netflix is the new symbol of quarantine
Claire OuwejanSince the 16th of March 2020, the government of the Netherlands applied new measures to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Schools, cafes, restaurants and sport …
Next Generation: Exploring the vegetal cyborg with Marie Declerfayt
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Want to see your work here? Get in touch and …
Talking non-human nonsense with Nonhuman Nonsense
Ruben BaartNonhuman Nonsense is a research-driven design and art studio existing somewhere between utopia and dystopia. They wonder upon our relationship with the non-human, embracing …
Perfect Sense explores what it means to love in turbulent times
Ruben BaartImagine you are single and you finally meet that someone you like. You are in the early stages of dating, but then a virus appears and compromises everything. For some of us this …
Why I'm turning my son into a cyborg
Vivienne MingImagine if everyone spoke a language that you don’t understand. It’s not a foreign language–it’s been spoken around you since the day you were born–but where as everyone else …
An artificial skin to breathe underwater
Leanne VoshellThe human world often sees itself as separate from the rest of the natural world. Because we have deemed ourselves, ironically, as higher functioning beings over all others on …
When will the first baby be born in space?
Chris ImpeyWhen the first baby is born off-Earth, it will be a milestone as momentous as humanity’s first steps out of Africa . Such a birth would mark the beginning of a multi–planet …
Billionaire space race: the ultimate symbol of capitalism's obsession with growth
Tim JacksonMars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids, laments the Rocket Man in Elton John’s timeless classic. In fact, it’s cold as hell. But that doesn’t seem to worry a new …
FIBER Festival 2022: an exploration towards an alternative future
Marit BeerseFIBER Festival explores the future of a changing world through audiovisual art, daring conversations, and experimental electronic music.
Reconnecting with wildlife through biodiverse meditations
Ruben BaartSleep and dream like a koala, relax under biodiversity and feel the meditative effect of artificial wildlife.
This device helps you to control your lucid dreams
Méline MaquartWhat if we could control our dreams? In the near future, this might become a reality. Prophetic developed a new technology that enables lucid dream control.
Next Nature's must reads
Ruben BaartTen books that continue to inspire the next nature philosophy—gathered for you to read this summer.
5 must see exhibitions in 2023
Selin Kir1. THE FUTURE IS PRESENT Design Museum Danmark How will contemporary design define the future? THE FUTURE IS PRESENT grasps the very essence of Danish artistry of material …
590
Rolf CoppensDigital becomes physical. Move your cursor using this mouse cursor. You can buy one here .
Anabukin-chan
Rolf CoppensThis is one of the weirdest things I ever saw... It's a commercial for a construction company. The text goes a little bit like this: Anabukikonten is "Anabuki Construction Co." …
Artvertising: pixel ads become physical
Koert van MensvoortIn the early days of digitalization many metaphors from the physical world were translated to the digital world; think desktop folders, trashcan and shopping cart. Now we have …
Biojewellery
Koert van MensvoortDesigning Rings with Bioengineered Bone Tissue. Married couples used to wear a ring as a symbol of their affective relationship. But with these bioengineered rings made out of …
Biosphere 2
Koert van MensvoortBiosphere 2 is a manmade closed ecological system in Oracle, Arizona. Constructed between 1987 and 1989, it was used to test if and how people could live and work in a closed …
Breaking News: CNN shows CNN
Koert van MensvoortToday CNN.com shows a picture of a television tuned to CNN, in order to inform its viewers about nuclear tests in North Korea. Somehow I feel this is related to our investigations …
DNAncestry Project
Arnoud van den Heuvel"Become a part of history." and "Your journey begins" are just two quotes from the Trace your ancestry with DNA website. That says enough about the business behind it, but what I …
Dock painting
Rolf CoppensThe new Bob Ross has arrived: his name be Gautam Rao. This painting shows a magnified part of the dock in OSX. I especially wanted to highlight the Picassoesque face on the Mac …
Dreamkeeper
Koert van MensvoortSkin conductivity sensors are used to deduce the emotional state of the sleeper. This information is brought to 3-D studio where a script is used to transform this into physical …
Eat this!
Rolf CoppensSushi made up of flavoured sheets printed out on an inkjet printer. Using ink-jet printers and lasers in the kitchen may seem like a futuristic vision but at Moto restaurant in …
Eye 2.0
Rolf CoppensNow with Google smart look. Don't worry, it is science fiction (still). Created by Sean Hamilton Alexander.
Firefox crop cirle - Aliens prefer firefox
AmirTake back the field. This past weekend, the OSU Linux Users Group descended on a field in Oregon to create a 45,000+ square foot crop circle of Firefox.
Fruit-flavoured Breathing
KarlA group of manufacturers are selling canned oxygen. It comes in flavors and it's a bit like bottled water: a thing that you can get for free but might pay for anyway. But why …
fully automated news bulletin
Arnoud van den HeuvelNews at Seven is a set of preferences for what a newsreport should be about. Using keywords entered by the user, the program selects news site RSS feeds and specific stories to …
Green Electricity
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkElectricity itself is a natural phenomena, but as regular AC/DC currency it becomes a commoddity. But Green Electricity is a strange thing. You pay more money for your electricity …
Hypernose
Arnoud van den HeuvelHypernose is a short movie made by students of the HKU/KMT. Klick to view it here Found at Lucky Coin Films
Incognito
Dr NaturalIncognito is a new skin cream line that let's you be unrecognizable for the CCTV cameras on the streets and public spaces like banks, city halls ATM's etc. …
Info Toaster
Rolf CoppensToasted bread as an information display device (originally developed in 2001 but somehow still intruiging): a toaster that parses meteorological information from the web and then …
Kernwasser Wonderland
Dr NaturalThe construction of this nucleair powerplant near Kalkar (DE) started in 1973. After the build was finished, in 1991 it was decided not to use it for political reasons. The …
Klima Kontrolle
Koert van MensvoortKlima Kontrolle (video) is a project by Roel Wouters and Luna Maurer . A fan is placed in front of a computer screen and accelerates until it blows away the entire desktop. …
Animals in advertising
KarlThe work of photographer Michael Wolf, amazing photos of buildings, plants, food and furniture. And unicorns. His website is definitely worth a look .
N is for Nature
NextNature.netThere are people who think what makes a good wine comes from nature - factors like rain and soil and temperature. Then there are those who think it's a matter of second nature - …
Nature So-called
Michiel SchwarzNature is not what it used to be. Or at least that is what we may think, when we look at the way humans and their technologies have treated nature. When we speak of "nature", …
Online gamers unmasked
Rolf CoppensPhotojournalist Robbie Cooper captured images of gamers and their real-life selves. Here are their stories. Bae plays a man because she thinks that male avatars have more …
PictoOrphanage
Koert van MensvoortPictoOrphanage opened its gates to all abandoned creatures we thought should be saved from falling into oblivion. these helpless, lonely waifs and strays could be found …
Pimp my heart
Rolf CoppensThe machine and the experience of the machine are becoming one. I've seen these kind of things in computer games, but now they are becoming real— Feels like plugging in to the …
Post History
Jos de Mul (Erasmus University Rotterdam), published in Next Nature Paperback, 2005 For someone whose main instrument is a computer, the world becomes a gigantic database. We see …
Rock, paper, scissors
Arnoud van den HeuvelA robotic hand controlled by the power of thought alone has been demonstrated by researchers in Japan. Subjects lay inside an MRI scanner and were asked to make "rock, paper, …
Sababa
Rolf CoppensThe Sababa is the first real time lava visualiser kit of global city flows. It takes the lava lamp one step further by reconstructing it according to the language of the current …
Salvation Mountain
Arnoud van den HeuvelLeonard Knight started this massive desert art project in 1985, Niland, California. For nearly 20 years he created the landscape with every shade and type of paint ... and just a …
Sketch furniture
Rolf CoppensIs it possible to let a first sketch become an object, to design directly onto space? This is a question that Front Design have just asked in their project Sketch Furniture. "The …
Surreal weather conditions
Koert van MensvoortFascinating old nature. Somehow I find it hard to believe these weather photos are not computer rendered. Must be because of my Hollywood-special-effect-conditioned mind.
The Animal Sweater
KarlThe pattern on the Animal Sweater suggests a new way to experience commercial imagery. The Animal sweater, designed by Karl Grandin, was first shown at The Biggest Visual Power …
The Sleeping Garden
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkHow to design an expierience of retrieving in nature in the middle of Holland's second-biggest city? Design a park, built entirely from used railway sleepers. That was the basic …
Tropical Dome
Koert van MensvoortThe largest indoor beach in Europe, near Berlin. www.my-tropical-islands.com
Visual Kitchen
Rolf CoppensThis concept is a cutting board that has an integrated scale within a defined area on it's surface. This allows a person to both cut and measure ingredients on the same surface …
Wine making = Math
Koert van MensvoortEnologix makes software that predicts how a wine will rate in reviews even before it is made. It claims that wine quality can be measured chemically, and a score assessed, much …
World Mapper
Koert van MensvoortThe toy export map of the world. The toy import map of the world. The way we map things can make a world of difference. Worldmapper's maps transform traditional cartographic …
10 Biomimic Gadgets
Arnoud van den HeuvelComing across an image like this, makes one wonder at first: is it a giant punch-bag? Some sort of soft water-drop-sculpture? No, it is the Emergency Outdoor Survival Cocoon , …
C_YK
Rolf CoppensT-Mobile is the proud owner of a trademark which says it owns the colour Magenta. T-Mobile and its parent Deutsche Telekom, have trademarked magenta. The move means that if you …
Anti-Protection Vest
Arnoud van den HeuvelLet us pretend you are a soldier and you are being sent to war. One of the first questions that should pop into mind: how will you prevent yourself from getting shot? Armor that …
Augmented Cognition
Arnoud van den HeuvelThe Augmented Cognition System will help the brain adapt to data on computer-screens. If there's too much/little data, it will decrease/increase the information for you. If the …
Ball of Being
Koert van MensvoortBall of Being is an online dance film featuring atoms, planets, footballs, globes, foam and molecules. It is uncertain whether we are entering a microscopic nanoworld, virtual …
Big Ass Browser
Arnoud van den HeuvelFirst we had the internet. We stored all our texts and images in databases. Then came search engines to locate the data. Now is the time to interconnect it all; to share knowledge …
Bonsai tree table
Koert van MensvoortSomehow next nature seems to reveal itself through furniture. Earlier we've featured the treetrunk bench , the bone chair , the folding chair , sketch furniture and how to grow a …
Candyfab
Arnoud van den HeuvelThis home-built hot air gun printing in sugar has great potential for making all kinds of interesting foods. Imagine getting tired of your second life avatar --> just print out …
Ceci n'est pas une Montagne
Koert van MensvoortThis is not a mountain, this is a building. Expedition Everest is a "themed roller coaster" attraction created by the imagineers of Disney's Animal Kingdom in Florida. …
Cell Phone Disco
Arnoud van den HeuvelElectromagnetic radiation of active mobile phone sets off the LEDs in relative proximity. Light shadow follows the conversation through the space. …
Cleanbits - indulgences website C02
Koert van MensvoortWhat has a virtual world got to do with CO2 emissions? Yes. Electricity. Computers are getting increasingly more powerful and thus, using increasingly more power. Cleanbits (Dutch …
Super Mario Cloud
MarcoCory Arcangel hacked and modified a piece of hardware'the cartridge on which the game "Super Mario" is stored, or rather, was stored to produce "Super Mario Cloud" This is …
Do you "MIND"?
Arnoud van den HeuvelNeuroSky (founded in 2004) innovator in "wearable" bio-sensor/signal processing systems and SEGA TOYS are developing mind-controlled computer games and next generation consumer …
Electronic tattoos
Rolf Coppenshttp://www.youtube.co/watch?v=fW0BZsOcZZE It's like... the future! Check website .
Paradise by the Laptop Light
Paradise by the Laptop Light is a visual power event with short films, speedlectures, special guests and one laptop. It will be held on 23 November 2007 16:30, as part of STRP Art …
Fake for Real: Can You Taste the Difference?
Koert van MensvoortYou can't beat the real thing, but then again, some generations seem to prefer the other choice. Competition between cola brands goes back a long time. Over the years, the two …
Fake for Real: Redefining Nemo
Koert van MensvoortAfter having seen Disney's blockbuster 'Finding Nemo', every scuba diver that happens to meets with the original white orange striped clownfish underwater, will unmistakable think …
Fake for Real: Sim City
Koert van MensvoortAt right is a picture of the city of Toronto seen from a 45-degree angle. At left is a screen shot from the computer game Sim City, in which the player's objective is to develop …
Fake for Real: Toys are Us
Koert van MensvoortPlay can be a wonderful way to learn new things. Even young lions obtain their predatory skills through play. Don't worry - it's only a game! Humor can bring relief in tense …
Fake for Real: World View
Koert van MensvoortIn ancient times, heroes like Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus explored unknown territories of the globe. The climax of these terrestrial explorations was reached at the …
First documentairy made inside Second Hype
Koert van MensvoortAfter the many documentaries and TV coverage on Second Hype, now the first documentary made inside Second Hype is here. My Second Life is a documentary about a man named Molotov …
Forbidden Girl
MarcoYou don't have permission to access girl on this server. It's a pitty. But it is a good idea for a campaign against violence on women.
Google Manhole
Koert van MensvoortPeculiar object of this week: A Google Manhole, via Bruce Sterling's Beyond the Beyond .
Haptic technology
Arnoud van den HeuvelHaptic technology refers to technology which interfaces the user via the sense of touch by applying forces, vibrations and/or motions to the user (Just think of the Wii ). At the …
How to print an Organ?
Koert van MensvoortWhat to do about the shortage of human organ donors? An emerging branch of medicine, called organ printing (future vision alert) , takes a patient's own healthy cells and uses a …
Hyper Animals
Koert van MensvoortNo no, don't worry! These hypernatural animals aren't the genetic surprise of some mad scientist, it is artist Sarina Brewer resampling, remixing and stitching together her Custom …
Modernistic Vaginas
Dr NaturalThe influence of modernism and its trend of thought that affirms the power of human beings to create, improve, and reshape the world, along with its clear universal style of …
iBiogenetics
Arnoud van den HeuvelIn 1998 at the introduction of the iMac , Apple declared that the "i" stood for "internet". Apple later adopted the "i" prefix across its consumer hardware and software lines. …
Map of Online Communities
Dr NaturalJust in case you hadn't seen this one . Informational spaces define physical spaces, rather than the other way around. The map is the territory? Let's just hope the territory can …
Nanosculpture
Arnoud van den HeuvelThis copy of Rodins "Le Penseur" / "The Thinker" (1880) shouldn't have that much on its mind... By using laser-technology, Korean researchers have crafted the microscopic version …
Fake for Real: Natural Breasts?
Koert van MensvoortIt is true, they are rare, but they do exist: girls with tiny waists and large breasts. Occasionally, women are simply born like this. The only problem they have - in a world …
Next Friday: Paradise by the Laptop Light
Paradise by the Laptop Light is a visual power event with short films, speedlectures, special guests and one laptop. It will be held on Friday 23 November 2007 16:30 - 18:00, as …
Smiley Cushion
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkI don't know how it is with you, but to me sending smileys in emails or text messages always feels a bit primitive. It's not that I don't like the icons, I really do. I just don't …
The surrealist were telling the truth
Koert van MensvoortAfter Magritte; Surrealism in the 21th century. Peculiar image of the week, created by Isabel Lucena.
Take nature, add nature
Rolf CoppensMyoung Ho Lee, a young artist from South Korea, has produced an elaborate series of photographs that pose some unusual questions about representation, reality, art, environment …
TeleBombing
Koert van MensvoortThe MQ-9 Reaper is loaded, but there's no one on board. Its pilot, as it bombs targets in Iraq and Afghanistan, will sit at a video console 7,000 miles away in Nevada. Although …
The objectuals
Rolf CoppensThe Objectuals is a series of work by artist Hyung Koo Lee , it features an interesting mix of visual distortion apparatus for the human body. Lee says that he experienced …
The Tissue Engineered Meat of Tomorrow
Koert van MensvoortThe meat in the supermarket is abstract, square and habitually made from wickedly manufactured animals. A friend once told me he only eats meat if he "can not recognize the animal …
Waterworld - Old nature meets next nature
Dr NaturalAtkin's Architecture Group recently won the first prize award for an international design competition with this hyperreal entry. Set in a spectacular water filled quarry in …
Animator vs Animation
oustamanWhat happens if the user interface becomes a landscape? Watch the short film by Alan Becker.
Apparently things are improving in Darfur?
Koert van MensvoortUnfortunately this stylish refugee is merely an advertising fata morgana.
Bacteria That Eat Waste & Shit Petrol
Koert van MensvoortEnergy problem? Why not genetically alter bacteria to have them provide 'renewable petroleum'. Crude oil is only a few molecular stages removed from the acids normally excreted by …
Ceci n'est pas une Potato Chip
Koert van MensvoortProctor and Gamble, the maker of Pringles , has successfully argued in a British court that their product is ‘not a potato chip’. Pringles are also officially now, not potato …
Cloud producing cloud
Rolf CoppensAs a kid I used to think that factories produce the clouds (not really, but it sounds nice). Later I found out that clouds produce clouds. Via flickr
Design for dummies
Arnoud van den HeuvelCreativity for all! Design used to be predestined to a select group of qualified brand–owning designers. That model is made redundant. At least, if it is up to Studio Ludens in …
Did you know? 2.0
Chris HegerUpdate of the video " Shift happens " by Karl Fisch. Wonderful, concise video that helps raise awareness of the issues of globalization in our newly connected world first raised …
Evolution in the Bedroom
Arnoud van den HeuvelGood morning anywhere in the world! Waking up is a problem (at least for 50% of the population). That's why alarm clocks exist; machines and devices are invented to solve …
Fake for Real: Ceci n'est pas une Montagne
Koert van MensvoortAsk a child to draw a mountain and you will get something like the Matterhorn. The shape of this famous mountain, situated on the Swiss-Italian border in the Alps, is one of the …
Fake for Real video
Video of the Fake for Real Memory Game , presented by Hendrik-Jan Grievink & Koert van Mensvoort at the Style First exhibition in the museum Mudac , Lausanne, Switzerland. …
Fake for Real: The most famous reproduction
Koert van MensvoortThe Mona Lisa is the most famous painting in the world. Just about everyone knows the mysteriously smiling lady. But how many of us have actually been to the Louvre to see it with …
Fake for Real: White House
Koert van MensvoortThe White House, seat and symbol of the US government, is built in a Roman style, which was in turn inspired by Greek architecture. At left, we see it applied in the Villa …
Flatscreen TV Now Required for Survival?
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkGRONINGEN (NL) – Low-income people in the Dutch city Groningen should be able to buy a flatscreen television, according to the alderman of social affairs Peter Verschuren. The …
Flying Penguins
Koert van MensvoortLast week, the BBC reported a colony of penguins that had gained the ability to fly (video) . The penguins were reported to fly thousands of miles and spend the winter in the …
Get wasted in Second Life
Dr NaturalSecond Hype's fashion industry is large and catty enough to have supermodel divas and social scandals, so it's probably inevitable that these should be available, too: animation …
Google tracks flue spread via sick searchers
Koert van MensvoortThis Tuesday, search giant Google released an experimental tool that tracks the intensity and movement of the influenza virus across the United States by monitoring the number of …
Hollywood on Canvas
Koert van MensvoortPeculiar image of the week. Source: Worth 1000 , via Trendbeheer . See also: Mona Lisa goes LA , The Photoshop Beauties .
If avatars could vote
Koert van MensvoortDemocratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has made a play for online gamers, placing in game campaign advertisements in a series of popular titles from video game giant …
If the earth is not round..
Sara://nextnature.net The convincing tone of the Iraqi Astronomy researcher Fadhel Al-Sa'd in his elaboration on the shape of the earth in an Iraqi television show, is just as …
If the Implications of Global Warming Were Fair
Koert van MensvoortContrary to popular belief, global warming is not simply a bad thing: there are winners and losers. While low-lying countries, like Bangladesh, are expected to suffer extensively …
Image Consumption Continues...
Arnoud van den Heuvel"Do you know what it really reminds me of? ... Tasty Wheat . Did you ever eat Tasty Wheat ?" – from The Matrix. This is a project by pundo3000.com , in which 100 products were …
Light weeds
SaraLightweeds is a project by Simon Heijdens and currently exhibited at the MoMA - part of the Design and the Elastic Mind exhibition . The organisms - plants, weeds, trees - exist …
Lion and giraffe fooling around
Rolf CoppensThis is the peculiar image of the week, sorry Koert ; ) Excuse my crap quality.
Meet the Worms, Viruses and Trojans
Koert van MensvoortNow there is an interesting biomimicmarketing technique we had not seen before. For their new marketing campaign internet security company Messagelabs worked with digital artist …
PacMan's Skull
Koert van MensvoortPacMan's skeleton is our peculiar object of the week. It was created by Le Gentil Garcon , in collaboration with Fransois Escuilia, palaeontologist, from the comparative …
Paradise by the Laptop Light
Paradise by the Laptop Light is a next nature event with short films, speedlectures, special guests and one laptop. It will be held on 12 September 2008 16:30-17:30, as the …
Paradise Now
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkAnimation studios working in the field of architectural practice like Squint/Opera create glimpses of the future that are so beautifully convincing, you sometimes wonder if the …
Peer-to-Peer Immigration
Koert van MensvoortAt the beginning of the computer era, many objects and experiences from everyday life were transferred to the digital environment in order to make technology understandable (think …
Photoshop terrorism
Rolf CoppensSome months ago Iran did a test to show off their missile power which turned out to be quite embarrassing because one out of three did not work. Fortunately, they had a good copy …
Remote pets
Arnoud van den HeuvelHumans have domesticated animals for thousands of years. The earliest known evidence of a domesticated dog is a jawbone found in a cave in Iraq and dated to about 12,000 years ago …
Saturn (Directors Cut)
Arnoud van den HeuvelThe struggle between the born and the made is being fought out in a wardrobe on Saturn. By: 1stavemachine.com | Related: Sixties Last
Some Kids Don't Like Chicken
Koert van MensvoortBut they love dinosaur! Judge for yourself whether this dinosaur nugget product is supposed to give kids a history lesson on the evolutionary relation between dinosaurs and birds …
The first map of the internet
Arnoud van den HeuvelIts simplicity is one of a kind and it takes my breath when I realize that this little drawing is actually the internets Big Bang point of origin. It shows the first node on the …
The Invisible Movie
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkIn the Netherlands, there is a raging debate about a movie nobody ever saw. It seems that images have become so powerful, we don't even need them anymore to scare the hell out of …
The Photoshop Beauties
Koert van MensvoortUsually we don't realize the hours of photoshopping spent on magazine and advertising images before publication. The raw photographic material reveals a lot about the fine craft …
The Telepresence Frame
Rolf CoppensThe Telepresence Frame is a domestic object which utilises the fact that one's bodily functions are digitised in order to create a new form of telepresence. Allowing loved ones to …
When Facebook gets Physical
Koert van MensvoortWhat would it be like if the communication on a social networking site like Facebook was actually played out in everyday life? Hilarious sketch by Idiots of Ants (thanks Martijn ).
BVPS Next Nature in LA - Pictures!
May 17th 2008. Biggest Visual Power Show: Next Nature in LA . More pictures below. We are all born in a world that has been designed already. BVPS intro video by Floris Kaayk. Big …
Your grand-grand-parents new media
Koert van Mensvoort19th century people needed some explanation to understand the difference between the regular candlelight and the electrically simulated candlelight. Note the disclaimer at the …
'Atlantis' Turns out to be Interfacial Artefact
Koert van MensvoortSince the days of Plato, the lost city of Atlantis has captivated the imagination of many. The city, if you don’t already know, was said to be a naval power located roughly 600 …
A.T.R.E.E.M.
Arnoud van den HeuvelMeet A.T.R.E.E.M. (acronym for Automated Tree-Rental for Emission Encaging Machine), a device that compares daily activities, energy and products to the growth of a tree. "From an …
Beaming Up Business
Arnoud van den HeuvelThis report on spooky showhost holograms appearing on national TV might be a bit of old news..., but I guess still worth posting. The word "hologram" CNN uses in this Youtube, is …
Brand dating
Rolf CoppensMale - BMW, Armani, Durex - is looking for a Female - Dolce & Gabana, New York Times, Victoria's Secret. Branddating.nl is a (serious) dating site that relies on the …
Carhenge
Rolf CoppensJim Reinders, an experimental artist with a history of using curious media, became so enthralled by the beauty of the famous Stonehenge in England that he had to recreate it. …
Clean linen toilet spray
Koert van MensvoortSo what to think of this? A toilet spray that mimics the smell of clean linen. It is great in the beginning, yet in time your bed will smell like a toilet. Found in the futuristic …
Crowdsourced drink
Koert van MensvoortRemember the days when the flavor of a fruity drink was simply connected to an apple, orange, strawberry, kiwi, or perhaps – if you felt really exotic – an acai berry? Nowadays we …
Cursor Kite
Dr NaturalCursor Kite brings the desktop of your computer outdoors. Nerdy? Yep, but the youtube video of the mouse pointer exploring the beach is fun to watch. Related: Boomeranged …
Designing for NextNature @ TU Eindhoven
Koert van MensvoortStarting February 2009 the Industrial Design department of the Eindhoven University of Technology takes Next Nature as one of its educational themes. The Industrial Design …
DrinkPeeDrinkPeeDrinkPee
Arnoud van den HeuvelDrinkpeedrinkpeedrinkpee is a project by Britta Riley and Rebecca Bray about the role our bodies play in larger ecosystems. It's an installation about the Urine to Fertilzer DIY …
Excuse me, I am lost
Dr NaturalSo, if you don't have a clue what is going on here, imagine how that horned cow on the electricity pole must feel. Extrapeculiar image of the week.
Extinct Comic
Koert van MensvoortAs a kid we used to eat a cereal breakfast with rice pops. On the package of the rice pops there was a little blue bird called Dodo, who seemed to enjoy the rice pops as well. One …
Feeding the world: oh not organic
Koert van MensvoortDaring talk by agriculture expert Louise Fresco , who has the guts to break the organic trance of the fashionably-natural-farmers-market people at TED . During her talk she is …
Five strategies of Biomimicmarketing
Koert van MensvoortGreen electricity, Organic Shampoo, Jaguar convertibles, Red Bull, Bio Beef, Alligator gardening tools, Camel cigarettes and Puma sneakers. Once you develop an eye for it, it is …
Foldable Icons
Koert van MensvoortIn response to the Boomeranged Metaphors post of last week, visual wizard Ton Meijdam sent us these foldable icons. Print them, fold them and use them to decorate your 3D desktop …
Future babes
Arnoud van den HeuvelA future in which prosthetic patches prevent bodies from aging? Or a sexists view on femininity in robotics? Either way, the question is whether they are up- or downgrades of …
GPS Parody
Koert van MensvoortAnd you thought GPS was supposed to make life easier? Created by Sheepfilms . Related: Find Brain, replace with GPS , GPS influence on street signage . Via Beyond the Beyond .
Get it out of Your Head
Arnoud van den HeuvelTalking about image consumption ... Via scaryideas.com | Related: Some Kids Don't Like Chicken | Banksy Pet Store | Featherless Chicken | Confetti Chicken | FFR Image Consumption
How to print a building
Koert van MensvoortIn the nineties laser printers revolutionized graphic design. Currently 3d desktop printers are revolutionizing industrial design. Next we will be printing buildings and …
Inorganic Flora
Arnoud van den HeuvelBy highlighting the geometric and mechanical structure of flowers, computer graphics illustrator Macoto Murayama produced these beautiful renderings. These flowers must not be …
Josh Keyes
Rolf CoppensThere is something about the work of Josh Keyes. He might be the Bob Ross of our generation. He has site.
Mikel Uribetxeberria
Rolf CoppensBeautiful images by Mikel Uribetxeberria, I think that he also made videos out of this work. Or I saw something exactly like it in a gallery in Chelsea. Gimme more
Miracle Banana Diet
Arnoud van den HeuvelThe 150 people watching this Youtube-commercial right now, will copy the source and blog or twitter it forward because it diggs. 40 of them have remorse over the fact that it is …
Not so Happy Meals
Arnoud van den HeuvelThis week a Brazilian prosecutor asked a judge to nationally ban toys sold with meals in fast-food outlets like McDonald's and Burger King, because it can lead children to develop …
Office Rebellion
Arnoud van den HeuvelThese peculiar illustrations are part of a sixteen-page pamphlet produced to put inside the postage-paid, business-reply envelopes that come with junk mail offers. Every envelope …
Photoshopped Billboards
Rolf CoppensNice adbust in Berlins subway. Photoshop panels were put over the image to make reassure us that nobody is actually born that beautiful. More images . See also: Photoshop Beauties …
Pixxxel
Rolf CoppensInternet porn graphics transferred to real life objects. A nice photography project by Jean Yves Lemoigne .
Plant Plays First-Person Shooter
Koert van MensvoortAfter the plant that glows when thirsty , the plant that calls when thirsty , the dataplant , plantvertizing , the emphatic plant and the blogging houseplant , there is now a …
Project Natal: You are the Cursor
Arnoud van den HeuvelToday browsing and gaming is dominated by the shortcomings of machines, for machines simply do not know who is on the other end. Man needs to interact; therefore man needs to …
Re-visualizing Molecular Science
Koert van MensvoortI vividly remember being offended throughout my high-school education because 'atoms' where consistently presented as these perfect slick round little spheres. At one time I even …
Real Mario (closeup)
Koert van MensvoortIn next nature, video game characters become part of your everyday environment, however I am no sure if I would hire this guy to do my plumbing. This hyperreal Mario was created …
Repairing the Scars of War
Arnoud van den HeuvelLenka Clayton : A series of five digitally repaired images taken in Lebanon of buildings damaged by the 2006 conflict with Israel. The images were taken specifically for this …
Sixth Sense
Koert van MensvoortAlthough this TED video has been all over the web and commented on this website already, it still deserves a separate post: Desigineers Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry of the MIT …
Skin Suit
Arnoud van den HeuvelThe general assumption about sports, is that it's healthy to exercise for a fit and nicely-shaped -- perhaps muscular body. Such a body could be a sign of good health and is being …
The Next Hacking Frontier: Your Brain
Dr NaturalWiredScience writes: Hackers who commandeer your computer are bad enough. Now scientists worry that someday, they’ll try to take over your brain. In the past year, researchers …
Wii Gardening
Koert van MensvoortFor people who live small... Via Gizmodo . Related: Game on , Games become jobs , Boomeranged Metaphors , Simulating old nature on next nature . Thanks Jurrian.
Windows XP Revisited
Arnoud van den HeuvelThe most distributed image ever is being phased out. What remains is a hill in Sonoma Valley, California. Charles O’Rear used to pass that hill almost daily between his home in …
Are Mushrooms the New Plastic?
Koert van MensvoortMushroom based plastics? Designer Eben Bayer must have eaten too much of the wondrous chanterelles perhaps? No seriously, the man is turning his vision into a reality with an …
Battle of platforms
Arnoud van den HeuvelEver wondered why there is so much competition in the world of operating systems? This video made by Leon Wang illustrates that "old nature" mechanisms like survival of the …
Breathe, Believe, Surf the Web
TimoA while ago a plan was proposed within the European Union to add a “Three Strikes, Out” law regarding to copyright infringement. After three accuses of copyright infringement by …
Digital Gastronomy
Koert van MensvoortThe food printer seems to be one of those lustrous concepts that continues to pop-up in the fantasy of techno-connoisseurs. Some years ago James King already proposed a printed …
Doll Box Coffins
Koert van MensvoortThis interactive piece called Boys & Girls was made by artist Job Koelewijn , who invites people to take place in the life size coffin–style Barbie & Ken packages, where …
Douglas Coupland: A radical pessimist's guide to the next 10 years
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkDouglas Coupland is a writer and artist based in Vancouver. For the canadian newspaper Globe and Mail, he wrote The ‘radical pessimist's guide to the next 10 years’ a dystopian …
First tweet from space
Arnoud van den HeuvelThat's one small tweet for man, one giant tweet for mankind. The virtual realm has physically expanded once again as Timothy Creamer a.k.a. Astro_TJ made Twitter history by being …
Goodbye, Nature vs Nurture
Talking about nature and nurture as separate, clear-cut forces is far adrift from the complexities of developmental science, says Evelyn Fox Keller in NewScientist . ONE of the …
Google Earth Alphabet
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkLanguage is communication technology. As Marshall McLuhan said, the spoken word was ‘the first technology by which man was able to let go of his environment in order to grasp it …
Harddrive on legs
Koert van MensvoortDrive Legs is a portable hard drive which stands up if liquid is spilled near it. Created by James Chambers , who is experimenting with giving products defense mechanisms to …
How does your Graph feel today?
Orestis TsinalisWith all the new health management gadgets available becoming more and more widespread and cheap (even in the form of free iPhone apps), your brain, your stomach, your heart, …
iBookshelf: Simulation before Extinction
Koert van MensvoortAs technology progresses we constantly have to adapt ourselves to an ever changing media landscape. Designers try to smooth the changes with a ' progressive nostalgic ' strategy: …
In Pursuit of Artificial Flavoring
Koert van MensvoortFollowing in the footsteps of a Marco Polo-esque spice trade, next nature explorers Jon Cohrs and Ryan Van Luit travel by canoe past massive cargo ships and factories in search of …
ISEA 2010: Artists addressing NextNature
Ties van de WerffAt ISEA 2010 , the International Symposium on Electronic Arts, media artists and media researchers from all over the world present their work in Dortmund (Germany). This year, …
Join the Designers & Artists 4 Genomics Award
Koert van MensvoortSo, you are well aware that biotech will drive our evolution , you took the crash course on synthetic genomics , you've got your map of the DNA world in your backpack and are now …
Lets Grow an Avatar Forest
Ruben DaasAfter making the successful and popular movie Avatar (2009), James Cameron started the Avatar Home Tree Initiative . This initiative consists of building "Avatar" forests on 17 …
Living with First-Person shooter disease
Koert van MensvoortNow how is this for a Boomeranged Metaphor ? Gene suffers from first person shooter disease, also known as Duke Nukem’s disease. It is such a sadness. See also: When Facebook gets …
![Visual of MANKO & Vacuum [#2]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2010/manko-vacuum-2/3276be3198-1602632753/manco-3-530-868x486.jpg)
MANKO & Vacuum [#2]
Aston RevolaI should tell you the story of how Manko lost a leg. You need to know about this incident to understand his recent works. So please forgive me, I first have to go back to that …
![Visual of Manko & Zero [#4]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2010/manko-zero-4/c2cefab16a-1602632753/manco-51-868x486.jpg)
Manko & Zero [#4]
Aston RevolaThe way down was slow and somehow greasy. Total darkness surrounded them. Gill turned on the car radio and the LED's lit up their faces in a green pulsating glow. 'Jovi Rocks!', …
Medicinal All-Salt
Michael KluverDo you suffer from small health inconveniences and do you like to put salt on your morning egg? Why not combine the two? Medicinal All-Salt provides a low-dosage solution for …
Mirror Neurons – Simulation at the basis of Human Civilization
Koert van MensvoortWithin our society, imitation and simulation are typically seen as inferior symbols of a distorted mediated culture – think of fake Rolexes, plastic Christmas trees, silicone …
Nano Care™ Blueberry Paste Wax
Koert van MensvoortSurely we are quite attuned to some unexpected flavors in these quarters, but this Nano Care™ Blueberry Paste Wax wins our syncretic mash-up award for combining technorethoric …
Nano Supermarket – Jury Report
Nanotechnology is an important emerging technology of our time – it radically intervenes with our sense of what is natural – yet most people are still relatively unaware of its …
Nature is an Agreement
Tracy MetzNature is an agreement. Just like the nude beach. Here you keep your breasts and your crotch covered, There you drop everything and act like it is the most ordinary thing in the …
Next Nature Movie #5: American Beauty
Koert van MensvoortDuring the selection of the top ten of next nature movies we’ve doubted quite a bit between the Truman Show (1998) and American Beauty (1999). The Truman Show tells the story of a …
Next Nature Movie #6: The Matrix
Koert van MensvoortIn the last few decades there have been numerous films that take the struggle between mankind and its increasingly intelligent and autonomous technology as a leitmotif. Ranging …
Next Nature Movie #9 – The Terminal
Koert van MensvoortViktor Navorski is an Eastern European traveler – portrayed by Tom Hanks, who in the movie ‘Cast Away’ already played a man stranded on an uninhabited island – that finds himself …
Norwegian boy saves sister from moose attack using world of warcraft skills
Koert van MensvoortHans Jørgen Olsen, a 12-year-old Norwegian boy, saved himself and his sister from a moose attack using skills he picked up playing the online role playing game World of Warcraft.. …
Pixel Terror in New York City
Koert van MensvoortUnsure whether this video by Patrick Jean should be interpreted as an allegorical vision of the utterly transmuting effect the digital has on the physical , or that it is just an …
Search Stories
TimoOnce upon a time humans told stories by painting on cave walls, showing plays in an amphitheater, pressing text on paper and shining light trough pieces of film. Today we tell our …
Smart vending machine
Arnoud van den HeuvelAt Tokyo's Shinagawa Station visitors can now select beverages from a 47-inch touch panel. An embedded camera will recognize your gender and age, allowing the machine to …
SMSlingshot
Ties van de WerffUrban intervention, naughty boy-style! The public media interventionists of VR/Urban have designed a cool tool to intervene into next nature: the SMSlingshot. A wooden, embedded …
Space Monkey
Arnoud van den HeuvelDuring the 1960s, monkeys were sent into outer space as part of the US space exploration program. But they didn’t all return, until now. Via scaryideas.com | Related: WWF
The world according to data
Rolf CoppensA map of the world, drawn in two layers: the red for population density (over 2 persons per square mile) and the black overlay for connections between Facebook friends. Made by …
Twitwee Clock
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkHaroon Baig from Germany has figured out a way to key up the amount of 50+ Twitter addicts. This progressive nostalgic cuckoo device displays new tweets from any twitter stream or …
Who wants to Bike on Bamboo?
Andrea ReidlCarbon fiber and aluminum are so 2009. This year's best bicycling model is made out of bamboo and hemp. A new generation of manufacturers are coming up with some of the most …
A day made of glass
DesignDirkThis video shows the design vision of Corning, a company that specializes in glass. Not just any glass, but glass incorporating technology, electronics and displays. And it sure …
A Rare Giant Crane in Manhattan
Allison GuyIn this Petcha Kutcha presentation, Mike Dickison comes to a very funny conclusion: Although Big Bird might superficially resemble other ratites like the ostrich or emu, he is …
American Hyperbodies
Allison GuyLady Gaga is famous for fashion that exaggerates or obscures her body, but a few months ago, she made a foray into 'actual' body-modification. Gaga appeared on Jay Leno's talk …
Angel with Cellphone adorns Cathedral
Koert van MensvoortTo mark the twelve-year restoration of the Sint Jan cathedral in Den Bosch, a new statue of an angel carrying a mobile phone was added to the building. The angel joins the many …
Anthropomorphobia
Koert van MensvoortAre you familiar with the affliction? Anthropomorphobia is the fear of recognizing human characteristics in non-human objects. The term is a hybrid of two Greek-derived words: …
Back to the Tribe
Koert van MensvoortTraditionally, technology is seen as a force that diminishes our instincts and puts us at a distance of nature. Increasingly however, we realize technology can also energize and …
Brainscan App
Arnoud van den HeuvelBy hooking up a commercially available EEG headset to a Nokia N900 smartphone, Jakob Eg Larsen and colleagues at the Technical University of Denmark in Kongens Lyngby have created …
Fake Plastic Bags – Made From Real Leather
Koert van MensvoortFakeness is traditionally associated with inferiority; cheap Rolexes that break in two weeks, plastic Christmas trees, leaking silicone breasts, imitation caviar... However, in a …
Fata Morgana
Koert van MensvoortFinally... A gas station in the ocean! If we all rigorously continue filling up our tanks, this fiction can become a reality one day. This is not a photoshop, this is our peculiar …
Michael Najjar – High Altitude
Koert van MensvoortThe rock formations in the High Altitude photo series don't exist physically, yet they are very present in our society of simulations . The photos visualize the development of the …
Incredibly Shrinking Humanity
Allison GuyArne Hendricks thinks we can solve the ecological crisis by shrinking every human on earth to 50cm tall: http://bit.ly/sxxNr1 #powershow
![Visual of Manko & Escape [#10]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2011/manko-escape-10/a8f06ba912-1602632753/manko10-868x486.jpg)
Manko & Escape [#10]
Aston RevolaThe children looked startled. 'Leaving?', Askr asked. 'But it's not time yet!', Embla said. Manko had no clue of what was going on. Not yet time for what? The red ball turned …
![Visual of Manko & Soup [#6]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2011/manko-soup-6/b9aa51ad29-1602632753/manco-7-868x486.jpg)
Manko & Soup [#6]
Aston RevolaWhen Nada returned as promised with a small bowl of soup in her hands, Manko was sitting upright with a grumbling stomach. Even now that Manko could see normal again, Nada's hair …
![Visual of Manko & Time [#13, The End]](https://nextnature.net/media/pages/magazine/story/2011/manko-time-13-the-end/ad243e97e0-1602632753/manko13-868x486.jpg)
Manko & Time [#13, The End]
Aston RevolaMany things have been rumored about the artist called Manko since he vanished about a year ago. Some even went so far as to claim he had died. So it was all over the news when …
Next Nature Power Show 2011 Amsterdam
The Next Nature Power Show is an intellectual spectacle where artists, scientists, designers, filmmakers, architects and philosophers present their radical ideas, visionary …
Parks & Planes
Natalie DixonAlong with a library and museum, Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport recently added a park to its list of attractions. Officially opened by Princess Irene, the first Airport Park in the …
Pixelated Nature
Koert van MensvoortWhat happens if your childhood experience of your environment has been solely through video games? According to artist Shawn Smith, "pixels became a sort of map from which to …
Pixelhead
Sebastiaan PijnappelI woke up this morning and grabbed my Iphone to have a browse on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. I looked at pictures of a far away friend and his family on a night out in …
Plastic Planet
Koert van MensvoortWe tend to think of plastic as a cheap, inferior and ugly material used to make children’s toys, garden furniture and throwaway bottles. But as an experiment, imagine for a moment …
Playing with Microbes – Biotic Games
Koert van MensvoortStanford researchers are developing 'biotic games' involving paramecia and other living organisms. So far, they have created three games that mimic classic video games. The …
Resizing Daddy
Allison GuyA little girl gets angry at her father, and uses her index finger and thumb to make a pinching motion . No, she's not trying to hurt him. She's using iPad sign language to say, "I …
Should we clone Neanderthals?
Zach ZorichIf Neanderthals ever walk the earth again, the primordial ooze from which they will rise is an emulsion of oil, water, and DNA capture beads engineered in the laboratory of 454 …
Social Microbial life
Marco van BeersMyMicrobes , interestingly dubbed "Fecesbook" by ABC News , is the new social network for your gastrointestinal bacteria. For only $2,100 and a bit of poo you can become a member …
The Non-Human Noosphere
Allison GuyThe definition of the noosphere as "the sphere of human thought on earth" is woefully anthropocentric. It ignores that fact that our fellow sentient organisms have noospheres of …
The Search for the "Real" Thanksgiving
Allison GuyThanksgiving is fake-for-real. While it's true that there was a minor harvest feast in 1621, held by English immigrants and Wampanoag Indians, the event was never celebrated …
Visualizing Wifi Landscapes
Rolf CoppensThis project explores the invisible terrain of WiFi networks in urban spaces by light painting signal strength in long-exposure photographs. A four-metre long measuring rod with …
What Robots dream of...
Koert van MensvoortYou may think it's a cliché, but deep down inside robots want to be birds and fly high in the sky. Hooray for the good people of Festo , that demonstrate at TED how they turn the …
Windmill Trees
Rolf CoppensA new Dutch landscape with windmills up to 120 meters. Designed by NL Architects .
Woodplastics
Koert van MensvoortLooking for a new kitchen counter-top, but can't decide between a natural or an artificial material? Soon you might be getting both . Designer Hironori Yoshida is pioneering …
A Computer that Nods and Waves When You Do
Allison GuyEver wish you could express yourself better over Skype? Tired of being a disconnected head-in-a-box? A team at Stanford University has rigged a Mac computer screen to shake its …
A €1,174 Chicken Coop for the Bourgeois Farmer
Allison GuyLong for farm-fresh eggs on the table? Dream about going to bed each night worrying about racoons, rats and foxes? Like the feeling of scraping chicken shit off your hands? For …
A More Realistic Mermaid
Koert van MensvoortAfter being denied permission to reproduce the famed Little Mermaid statue from Copenhagen, the authorities of Vancouver decided to go for something more realistic.
A Winery in your Microwave
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkA delicious Montepulciano in only 6 seconds? This is now possible with the universal Nano wine. All you need is a microwave oven. In 5,64 seconds at 1000 watt you have a sublime …
Biosphere meets Technosphere
Koert van MensvoortNow who's gonna scare who? Our peculiar image of the week was sent in by Béla Zsigmond .
Braille 2.0
Jeroen van PeltText for blind people using the Braille alphabet has been around for some time. But instead of making separate books for the visually impaired, why not change the way we all read? …
Close Personal Friend
Koert van MensvoortYou may want to spend 24-minutes on this Close Personal Friend. Made in 1996, this film anticipates contemporary phenomena like social media and self-branding.
Complete Computer Simulation of a Bacterium Holds Hope for Medicine
Allison GuyResearchers at Stanford and the J. Craig Venter Institute recently created the first complete computer model of an organism. The simulation models the genome and life processes …
Don't turn that page, it's patented
Rolf CoppensApple's recent work on iOS has been using as much references to "natural" elements as possible, making the digital as physical as possible. Doing how they do, they have been …
Featured Page #01: Hypernature
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkDuring the coming weeks, we will present a selection of our favourite pages from the Next Nature book . To kick the series off, we’ll start with a spread about hypernature; the …
Frying Nemo
Koert van MensvoortImage consumption in the overdrive. Peculiar image of the week. Created by Erin Murphy, Victoria Bellavia, Yong Jun Lee & Sanggun Park . Thanks Jeroen van der Meij.
Game Player Hired as Football Manager
MarcoFC Baku from Azerbaijan hired an 21 year old new manager who never trained a real team before. He was chosen for his knowledge of Football Manager, the videogame.
Human Barbie
Koert van MensvoortJust when you thought the Second Life hype was long gone, meet Ukrainian body artist Valerie Lukyanova who aims to turn Second Life into First Life. They call her the Human …
Inside the Fastfood "Photokitchen"
KrisWhy does your food look different in advertising than it does in the store? A Canadian McDonald's marketing manager tries to answer this common question with a behind-the-scenes …
iPhone Entertainment for Pets
Lisa van der VoortChildren can be effortlessly entertained for hours thanks to tablet and smartphone games, but these technologies also provide a solution for the lazy pet owner. More videos of …
Just Browsing
Rolf CoppensDutch designer Boris Rijksen experiences a culture shock when he enters the real world after a day of screen work. Before, the ‘digital immigrant’ struggled to understand digital …
Little Green Cows
Rachel ArmstrongThe world is alight with algae fever. In this age of deep ecological design aspirations, the range of speculative design projects based on algae technology is growing. Algae are …
Monkeys Fall into the 'Uncanny Valley' Too
Koert van MensvoortThe uncanny valley, a phrase coined by Japanese robotic researcher Masahiro Mori nearly three decades ago, describes the uncanny feeling that occurs when people look at …
NANO Supermarket Jury Report 2012
NextNature.netAfter the successful introduction of the NANO Supermarket in 2010 it became even more clear that the contest and the presented results produced discussions and many challenges to …
Nanotech Bracelet Detects Allergies
NextNature.netDesigned by Luc de Smet, Awear is a speculative bracelet that can detect and record the sources of allergies for children in uncontrolled environments, such as schools and …
Nanotech Diatoms
Allison GuyNo, those aren't plastic trinkets or beads from a craft store. They're diatoms, a group of single-celled algae, and unlike almost all of our current technologies, they can rapidly …
Nanotech Generates the Blackest Black
As the NANO Supermarket opens discussions on the ethics, purpose and usability of nanotechnology, Frederik De Wilde is researching its artistic possibilities. De Wilde is a guest …
Put on your Pixelhead
Rolf CoppensA while ago we wrote about the Pixelhead mask by artist Martin Backes . Now he informs us that the masks are for sale. Get one while they last!
Seaside Swimming Pool
Koert van MensvoortAlways good to see a swimming pool exactly where you need it. At San Alfonso del Mar resort in Chili they know how to cater people that love nature – except for the rocks, bites …
Slurpee Machines Add a New Flavor: Mashed Potato
Allison GuyConvenience store chain 7/11 is serving up the latest in a line of futuristic near-foods: Instant mashed potatoes from a Slurpee-style spigot. The machine dispenses a stream of …
The Ecological Human
Rachel ArmstrongThe nature of humanity in the twenty-first century is, according to sociologist Steve Fuller, a ‘bipolar disorder’ beset with dualisms of identification such as divine/animal, …
The Evolutionary History of Office Chairs
Allison GuyOn the shortlist for the year's strangest book title , Jonathan Olivares' A Taxonomy of Office Chairs charts the "evolution" of chairs from the 1840s to the present day. The …
The NBIC Convergence: When Machines and Matter ‘Have Sex’
Rachel ArmstrongThe Singularity , as popularized by Ray Kurtzweil, refers to a near term, theoretical time when machine intelligence greatly surpasses our own. At this point we will experience a …
Transfer Your Window!
Jaap ArtsImagine you buy a special kind of window which you can place on your wall wherever you want, enabling you to get different views, not always looking at the same tree or house of your neighbors.
Twitter Followers as Currency
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkImagine what you could do if you had one million Twitter followers. You would be so rich! Now seriously: Are followers becoming an alternative currency? Perhaps, although we are …
Video Game-Playing Robot Acts More "Human" than Humans
Allison GuyComputer-controlled players in video games can usually be spotted for their repetitive, illogical or unemotional behavior. Unlike humans, non-player characters (NPCs) don't get …
Walter Benjamin on Film and the Senses
During the late 1930’s the philosopher Walter Benjamin wrote its widely influential essay ‘The work of Art in the Age of Its Technical Reproducibility’. While describing a general …
Watch Out Whales, Humans Want Your Krill
Allison GuyKrill, those tiny members of the ocean's planktonic community, have an importance disproportionate to their size. They are a vital food for whales, penguins and increasingly, …
3D-Printed Skin Cells as an Aesthetic Statement
Insoo HwangAn exploration of one way we might use 3D printed stem cells for body modification.
A Lifetime of Questions through Google
Hendrik-Jan GrievinkGoogle becomes the authority on existential questions about aging.
Microchips Learn to Repair Themselves
Daniel BlokbergenTaking a cue from the human brain, a new microchip can rewire itself after damage.
Pick Pig - Name Pig - Love Pig - Eat Pig
Stephen PerryIn a time of all-horse hamburgers and E. coli outbreaks, food provenance has become a huge issue. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the lack of traceability within the …
Colorized Photographs Blur the Line Between History and Simulation
Jonathon MarkowskiIs a colorized antique photo more or less "real" than the original?
Computer Algorithms Are Already Replacing Human Journalists
Allison GuyWill writing software eventually replace journalists?
Control Your Mobile Phone or Tablet Directly from Your Brain
Marije WillemsenSamsung is working on a brain interface that lets you go truly hands-free with your phone.
Software Fakes an Active Social Life While You're on the Sofa
Allison GuyCouchCachet promises to give you the fully-booked, in-the-know life while you are on the Sofa.
Customizing the Brain with Psychoactives
Jan Willem van der LindenIt’s long been a desire of the human species to have complete control over our own thoughts. We’ve all had these moments where we curse our brain. Asking questions like: “Why …
Fake Shanty Town Simulates Poverty for Rich Vacationers
Allison GuyYou too can experience a life of grinding poverty in South Africa – with free WiFi and optional breakfast.
Food Familiarization #2: Celebrity Endorsement
Allison GuyHow "celebrity endorsements" transformed the potato from the devil's tuber into a global staple.
Ghost Imaging: Taking Pictures of the Invisible Thanks to a New 3D Technique
Alessia AndreottiBritish research group created anew scanning technique permits to obtain 3D images and detect wavelengths that our visual system is not able to see.
Google Travels to a Place in Your Memory
Insoo HwangGoogle Maps preserves a place that's too dangerous to visit.
How Food Scientists Engineer the "Bliss Point" in Junk Food
Allison GuyCheetos and other junk foods are more carefully engineered than the average bridge.
How Much is a Polar Bear Worth?
Jonathon MarkowskiPolar bears bring only $9 million to the Canadian economy, but citizens put their collective value at $6.3 billion. Why?
If Barbie Had Human Proportions
Alessia AndreottiWhat does Barbie look like when she has the proportions of a normal 19-year-old?
Interact with Friends (in Real Life) with Facebook Monopoly
Alessia AndreottiA Facebook version of Monopoly forces players to interact with each other in meatspace.
Internet Archeologists Reconstruct Vanishing Digital Artifacts
Jonathon MarkowskiData doesn't live forever – and a new breed of archeologists are trying to recover it.
Living Among Pests – Designing the Biosynthetic City
Joyce HwangJoyce Hwang discusses the challenges for designers, and gains for citizens, of living in a truly biosynthetic city.
Moral Shortcomings in the Technology Debate
Rinie van EstDigital and genetic techniques increasingly influence life. Our belief in progress through technology stands in the way of a moral debate on this development. By Rinie van Est We …
More than Fake Nature: The Surprising Sociology of Museum Taxidermy
Allison GuyThe greatest taxidermy in the world reveals a great deal about our changing notions of nature.
Now Your Smartphone Can Smell Like Barbecue and Buttered Potatoes
Alessia AndreottiAn olfactory device for Smartphones that spreads the aroma of barbecue using an app.
Scientists Implant False Memory in Mice
Alessia AndreottiManipulations of the mind that were once the terrain of futuristic fantasy are now one step closer to becoming reality. Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology …
Serious Gamers Assist Society
Martijn PeetersNew citizen science games are bringing gamification to serious issues.
Take a Walk on the Fake Side
Alessia AndreottiWhen you look into the anamorphic abyss, the anamorphic abyss also looks into you.
The Angry Bird Spotters Guide
Koert van MensvoortWhy are these birds so angry? Probably because they don't appear in the scientific literature.
The Artificial Touch-Sensitive Hand
Alessia AndreottiRestoring the sense of touch with an artificial hand, using a brain interface.
The First Recorded Attack on a Cyborg
Stefan FinckenLooking back on the first recorded attack on a human cyborg.
The Hedonometer Uses Social Media to Measure Global Happiness
Orfeas LyrasScientists are using Twitter, blogs, and news sites to categorize the global psyche.
The Pulsating Heart of Tokyo
Alessia AndreottiAn astounding tangle of multi-colored water flowing throughout 18 arteries represents what happens every day in the pulsating heart of Tokyo. This is how Takatsugu Kuriyama , from …
The Smart Desk: Exercise While Working
Alessia AndreottiA "breathing" desk that reminds you to change positions throughout the day.
This Color-Changing Glass Could Stop Date Rape
Allison GuyBecause date rape drugs are odorless, colorless and tasteless, victims don't normally realize they've been attacked until it's too late. In a clever, necessary bit of information …
Transfer a Loving Tap Via Bluetooth
Alessia AndreottiA bracelet able to transfer a touch between two people.
Treating Mental Illness with Video Games
Ken ChenNeurofeedback shows promises in treating a range of mental ailments.
Tykkään or En tykkää? Digital Voting Takes to the Streets
Silvia CelibertiHelsinki tested out a Facebook-like interface to get public opinion on a new construction project.
Visualizing Drone Attacks
Alessia AndreottiThe visualization of every known drone attack in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
A Jet without Windows for a Better View
Alessia AndreottiSupersonic jet replaces windows with massive live-streaming screens.
A Jewel That Stops You From Checking Your Phone
Rolf CoppensFor every smartphone user to recognize, is that merely the lighting of your screen, a vibration or ring distracts you from almost every activity. Even when you are spending time …
A Registered Landscape
Lotte BiesheuvelTuscany is known for its natural beauty. But only a few know that this wonderful landscape is actually a really good design work.
Acoustic Instrument That Sounds Digital
Francesca BarchiesiYaybahar is an acoustic instrument that emits sounds like a music synthesizer.
All Humans Piled Together Are So Tiny
Francesca BarchiesiAll humans on Earth put together are not enough to fill the Grand Canyon. We are so small yet so present.
All-Natural E-nemies
Silvia CelibertiChemistry teacher, James Kennedy, shows us that Mother Nature's products are far sneakier and complex than the lab's.
Binary Code Able to Act Like DNA
Alessia AndreottiThere is a similarity between strings of binary and strands of organic DNA: they both carry actionable information encoded into reconfigurable symbols. Using nature’s biodiversity …
Breathing Lights
Alessia AndreottiInspired by the movement of spider webs in the wind, Dutch designer Jeroen Van Der Meij created Breathing Lights.
Browsing the Map of Space Ship Earth
Koert van MensvoortBesides finding their way, people look at to transport them to another place, or in this case, another perspective on planet Earth.
Emoticons Among US
Alessia AndreottiWhat if emoticons were not just a replacement for the written word, but creatures looking for a place in society?
Exploring the City Soundscape
Alessia AndreottiBuq are electronic life forms that shift the experience of the street scape from the primarily visual to a more auditory experience.
Food To Eat With Your Eyes
Francesca BarchiesiIn Japan, fake food industry represents a century of old crafting tradition and a multi billion business.
Glow in the Dark Trees
Lotte BiesheuvelDaan Roosegaarde is exploring possibilities to replace streetlights with luminous trees.
In Memory of New Materials Gone
Koert van MensvoortA deceased scrollbar in a Church. What does it mean?
Innovative Nostalgia Can Afflict Anyone
Alessia AndreottiHanx Writer, an app that digitally simulates the experience of typing on a typewriter.
It's Always Sunny with LED Panels
Alessia AndreottiAn artificial illumination that is "authentic" enough to replace natural light.
Join the Bio Art & Design Awards
Koert van MensvoortSo, you are well aware that biotech will drive our evolution , you took the crash course on synthetic genomics , you’ve got your map of the DNA world in your backpack and are now …
Leaves & Logos Identification Quiz
Koert van MensvoortMost people nowadays know more logos and brands than bird or tree species. Go test your own knowledge. Take a look at the leaves and logos above and see how many you can identify without looking them up.
Lunar Solar Power Generation
Alessia AndreottiJapanese engineers plan to turn the moon into a giant solar panel station.
Moonwalk Nike
Alessia AndreottiNike sneakers with lunar surface pattern, to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Neil Armstrong walking on the moon.
No Future for Traditional Meat
Alessia AndreottiAt Home in the Lab with Mark Post, Father of the In Vitro Hamburger. Interview from The In Vitro Meat Cookbook
Not On The App Store
Alessia AndreottiThere isn't an App for everything, and we need a sticker that reminds us so.
Pixel Space
Lotte BiesheuvelIf the moon were only one pixel: a scale model of the solar system that shows how big our milky way actually is.
Pyramid of Technology: How technology becomes nature in seven steps
Koert van MensvoortHow technology becomes nature in seven steps
Razorius Gilletus Flexball Subspecies
Koert van MensvoortThe latest subspecies in the Razorius line is the Razorius Gilletus Flexball. While Gillete proclaims they reinvented shaving, others argue Gillette's new razor is everything that's wrong with America.
Scan Yourself With Your Digital Doctor
Mateja VidakovicThere seems to be a high demand for the ability to self-diagnose. Consider Scanadu , a company developing a medical device for self-diagnosis, has become the highest funded …
Share the Smell of Your Delicious Dish
Julia WeberThe oPhone and oSnap allow you to send pictures with aromatic vocabularies.
Sidewalk Lane For Smartphone Users
Alessia AndreottiDividing the sidewalk in two lanes: one for cell phone users and one for non-cell phone users.
Smart Tags Change Color as Food Spoils
Alessia AndreottiSmart Tags stick to containers of food and change color when something has expired.
Super Computer Chips
Robin BergmanIndium gallium arsenide couldbe the material of the new super computer chips of the future.
Web Access Is A Basic Human Right
Alessia Andreotti"It's time to recognize the Internet as a basic human right" its inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee has said.
The Power Amplification Robot
Alessia AndreottiPower Loader: the power amplification exoskeleton robot.
The Robotic 3D Printed Spider Dress
Alessia AndreottiThe Spider Dress is programmed to define and protect the personal space of the wearer.
The Sunrise is Now Televised in Beijing
Koert van MensvoortThe smog in Beijing has become so thick that only place to hail a sunrise is on the huge digital commercial television screens across the city.
Touching your Unborn Child
Marco van BeersThanks to 3D Babies and a mere $600,- you can now experience that excitement of holding your baby in your hands before he or she is born.
Up in the North: the Rising Kingdom of Google Earth
Koert van MensvoortNation states and geographical borders. But for how long?
Wow, Cool! A 3D model of the Save Icon!
Koert van MensvoortWhen a floppy disk becomes a 3D printed save icon.
A Self-Aware Mario Able to Learn and Feel
Yunus Emre DuyarSuper Mario is now able to learn and feel in the confines of his 8-bit universe.
After In Vitro Burger, Chicken is the Next
Yunus Emre DuyarSoon, we might be getting a taste of the first lab-grown chicken meat.
An Adblocker for Your Eyes
Rolf CoppensMost VR concepts and products are coming from big tech companies. With their ad-driven business models they are likely to fill your Glass, Hololens or Oculus with ads at some …
Analogue vs Digital: Add to Shopping Cart
We don’t have to leave our homes to do groceries, buy new clothes, furniture, or anything. We can buy everything online!
Analogue vs Digital: Basic Parts of Matter
NextNature.netDo you think you are made from bits and bytes? Stop playing video games and spend some more time offline! Both atoms and bits are basic parts of matter.
Analogue vs Digital: Handwriting
NextNature.netWill handwriting soon be history? Or will we always prefer a handwritten love letter from our beloved?
Analogue vs Digital: Information Storage
NextNature.netIn search for information people once used to go to libraries.
Analogue vs Digital: Messenger Service
NextNature.netSocial media empowered the mass by providing them with a tool to spread their voices.
Analogue vs Digital: News, Now and Then
We are all journalists in a century in which Twitter is the main news outlet.
Analogue vs Digital: Simulated Farming
NextNature.netWant to grow some vegetables but don’t want to get your hands dirty? There is an app for that!
Analogue vs Digital: Thumbs Up
NextNature.netWill the children of the future think Mark Zuckerberg came up with the thumbs-up gesture?
Anthropo-scene #7: Anthropocene Bird
ChristianDue to human action, 1300 bird species are seriously in decline. Other birds have learned to live with humans and profit from their presence.
Art Experiment Allows to Kill with a Click
Hessel HoogerhuisFlorian Mehnert, A German artist, has launched an experiment that will give internet users the power to shoot a rat with a single click on their keyboard or smartphone. A …
Technology and Emotions
Margherita OlivoA wearable lighting device that changes color and shade according to movement, facial expressions, weather and mood.
Bio Art & Design Awards 2015
Koert van MensvoortIf we are going to mutate the made & the born, let us at least do this creatively.
Bistro In Vitro to Be Launched
NextNature.netInspired by the award winning In Vitro Meat Cookbook , Next Nature Network and Submarine Channel present Bistro In Vitro : an online design fiction documentary about the future …
Canadians Sell Cans of Fresh Air to China
Alessia AndreottiA Canadian start-up that collects oxygen from the the Rocky Mountains forests and bottles it to sell.
Do Kids Know Where Dinner Comes From?
Wei Lun WangSwimming salmon fillets confuse educate children about where dinner comes from.
Converting Gestures into Concrete Action
Yunus Emre DuyarFrancesca Barchiesi's glove concept allows the user to translate hand gestures into images and information.
Drone Maps Christ the Redeemer
Yunus Emre DuyarThe current technology has not been able to replicate Christ the Redeemer perfectly, until now.
Electronic Skin can Detect Magnetic Fields
Yunus Emre DuyarThere is a new artificial skin technology that could give humans magnetoception in the future.
Eventually, Drones Will Be Everywhere
Hessel HoogerhuisCity of Drones puts you in a first person view of a drone drifting through an abstract futuristic cityscape.
Facebook Turned into a Real Toxic Drug
Alessia AndreottiThe popular social network icon has been turned into a potentially lethal narcotic substance.
Genome Editing - Bringing the Übermensch to a Shelf Near You
Daniel FragaLast April, a Chinese group of researchers published a paper that set the scientific world ablaze in a fierce debate. The paper was about their attempts to edit the DNA of a human …
GM Pigs for Animal-to-Human Organ Transplant
Alessia AndreottiScientists have been trying to develop GM pigs that could be used to solve the shortage of organs for transplant patients.
Google's Smart Interactive Clothing
Alessia AndreottiProject Jacquard makes it possible to weave touch and gesture interactivity into any textile.
Hacking And Controlling Cars Remotely
Robin BergmanTwo American hackers have been working on hacking cars to takeover full control of vehicles.
In Vitro Meat Godfather Dies at Age of 91
Koert van MensvoortDutch researcher and entrepreneur, Willem van Eelen, has died in Amsterdam. For more than half a century, Van Eelen relentlessly researched and promoted In Vitro Meat.
Let Strangers Cheer You up on Twitter
Yunus Emre DuyarThere is now a new application that allows random people to cheer you up on Twitter.
Medical Microbots Used to Perform Biopsy
Hessel HoogerhuisWith recent successful experiments, we may see doctors switching from the single forceps to hordes of so-called microgrippers.
Military-Style Rehab for Internet Addicts
Alessia AndreottiInside the Chinese military-style rehab center for internet addicts.
Musical Journey Through the Human Body
Alessia AndreottiDe Motu is an interactive music app that let you experience your body through music and influence the sound with your own body.
Nasa's Projections on Global Warming
Margherita OlivoResearchers at Nasa's Center for Climate Simulation (NCCS) in Maryland can deploy a supercomputer called the "Discover".
OUT NOW: Save the Humans! Book
NextNature.netThe SAVE THE HUMANS! book is now available on our web shop.
Pac-Man Boomeranged in the Real World
Alessia AndreottiA life-size replica of the fammous1980s arcade game, complete with big ghosts and pac-dots.
Permanent Eye-Color Change
Alessia AndreottiA new laser surgery can permanently turn eyes from brown to blue.
Puppy Delivery Drones
Yunus Emre Duyar3 Million Dogs released a funny video, which shows puppies delivered by drones.
Tiny Robots Assemble a Room in Minutes
Wei Lun WangDom Indoors , is the latest research project developed by a construction robotics company called Asmbld . It includes a robotic system that can reconfigure an indoor space within …
Scientists could Reveal a Parallel Universe
Yunus Emre DuyarLarge Hadron Collider in Geneva will attempt to detect or create mini black holes, to reveal a new universe.
Seconds for Sale: Domestication of Time
Sander DijkhuisTime Ingot is a solid piece of lead alloy, its mass can slow down time in the immediate vicinity.
Seeing the Sun Through Data
Adriene LillyThe Smithsonian’s National Air and Space museum has taken the sun observation to the next level with a giant public display of images and data that show the sun in hyper-real detail.
Should We Fear Thinking Machines?
Maria RamosIt seems thinking machines could put the human race in danger. How realistic these fears are?
Bacteria and Drones: New Ways to Collect Samples
Erik van der VeenWhile a hipster-drink bacteria are hunting space organisms, robots are catching whale snot in the open ocean.
Australians Wake Up One Hour Early Due to System Error in Their Mobile Phones
Koert van MensvoortThe glitch meant many woke an hour earlier than usual, leaving not just phone customers but whole households unhappy about rising early.
How Technology is Becoming More and More Sensitive
Margherita OlivoOver the past decade scientists have tried to get technology surfaces to be as sensitive as our skin, especially as our fingertips. Human tact is a very sophisticate interface …
The Golden Quarter
Michael HanlonSome of our greatest cultural and technological achievements took place between 1945 and 1971. Why has progress stalled?
The Most Romantic City? Not Paris!
Alessia AndreottiSan Bruno in California is the only city with a hearth-shaped neighborhood.
The Secret Service is Preparing for Drones
Yunus Emre DuyarThe U.S. Secret Service is conducting test drone flights over Washington, D.C.
The Weather Machine
Alessia AndreottiThe Weather Machine: an installation that explores rain, clouds and sun heat to recreate the weather occurring outside.
Welcome to the Hearth of the Sun
Alessia AndreottiSolarium, a video installation by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), puts visitors in the hearth of the sun.
Gameplay of the Crowds
Len KromkampAustralian programmer started a social experiment called “Twitch Plays Pokémon”. Over a Million People Play Pokémon in Social Experiment
When Was the Last Time you Were Bored?
Alessia AndreottiThe Bored and Brilliant project asks people to measure their smartphone use take some conscious steps to limit the digital interactions.
Every Wikipedia Article Leads to Philosophy
Alexandra BremersAccording to the Wikipedia page 'Wikipedia: Getting to Philosophy', more than 94% of all articles will eventually lead to the English article "Philosophy".
You Can Be the Avatar by 2040
Yunus Emre DuyarAlthough it still is a theory, nanotechnology might enable us to control the elements, except fire.
Your Cat Can Post on Instagram Now
Yunus Emre DuyarYour cat might be able to take photos and share them on Instagram by itself soon.
AI Teenage Girl Hit by Depression
Ruben BaartAn AI was intended to improve human-like experiences in regards to the company’s customer service chatbots, but has fallen into a suicidal depression instead.
Begging Ghetto Blasters Hack the System
Ingmar NieuweboerBegging ghetto blasters in Utrecht are making you question poverty.
Who Are These Trolls Invading China?
Margherita OlivoChina's government fabricates about 488 Million social media posts every year as a strategy to distract from critics to the regime.
Bobbing Trees in Rotterdam
Mathilde NakkenWhen you think about a tree, you image it growing on land. Though the team of Mothership wanted to challenge this image by creating the Bobbing Forest in Rotterdam.
A.I. Can Guess Exact Locations of Images
Margherita OlivoGoogle's PlaNet will be soon able to tell you where a photograph was taken by simply looking at its contents.
Cats Take Over London Underground
Ruben BaartLast week nearly 70 portraits of cats replaced all advertisements at the Clapham Common tube station in London.
Coming Soon: Video Face Hacking for All
Alejandro Alvarezteam of computer scientists at the universities of Germany and California has created what they call photoshoping videos in real time.
Creating a Second Skin to Look Younger
Elise MarcusScientists managed to create what every woman has been dreaming of: a second skin to reduce wrinkles and tighten the skin.
The Death of the Traffic Light
Daniel FragaMIT researchers have developed a system of traffic control that will make traffic lights obsolete.
Designed to Survive Our Roads
Ruben BaartA road safety campaign in the Australian state of Victoria exposed an educational, yet confronting picture to raise awareness to the vulnerable human body on the road.
The Digital Life Project
Alejandro AlvarezResearchers are creating accurate 3D models of living organisms to preserve the heritage of life on Earth.
But will lab-grown meat be kosher?
Benjamin Aldes WurgaftRead Benjamin Aldes Wurgaft's essay on judaism in relation to the production of laboratory-grown meat.
Fake-for-Real: Who Is Lil Miquela?
Ruben BaartThis Instagram model makes her fans wondering whether she is fake or real.
From Homo Sapiens to Homo Optimus
Ioana TomiciWe are entering an age of technological singularity, in which artificial intelligence and biological enhancement are combined in order to construct the next stages of human evolution.
In Defense of the Eggplant
Ruben BaartThe eggplant emoji became a political weapon and gain cult status being the forbidden fruit of the web.
Internet Open Daily from 7:00 to 22:30
Koert van MensvoortSymbol of the stalled development in the socialist state, or design for silence, quietude and meditation?
Interview: Pauline Van Dongen, Designer Merging Fashion and Technology
Margherita OlivoDutch fashion designer specialized in wearable technology, Pauline van Dongen researches the human body in relation to its surroundings.
Japan Is Ready to Pay Bills with Bitcoins
Alejandro AlvarezJapan is the first country to accept the bitcoins as payment method for basic services.
Look for The Bistro In Vitro Ice Cream Cart
Margherita OlivoOur Bistro in Vitro Ice Cream Cart took off for the Spring/Summer season in Vondelpark, Amsterdam.
Make Toblerone Great Again!
Ruben BaartAmerican chocolate manufacturer Mondelez reduces the weight of its widely popular Toblerone bars as a result of the Brexit vote.
Medieval VR Headset
Koert van MensvoortHow will the future perceive our so-called modern VR technologies?
Fellow Day: Next Senses
Ingmar NieuweboerOn June 17th a NNN Fellow Day was organized to explore the future project: Next Senses.
Payment by Thumb
Alessia AndreottiAustralian biohacker Meow-Ludo Meow Meow implanted a chip in his thumb to make contactless payments.
Photoshop for Voice on Its Way
Monika KozubWhat if we can no longer rely on authenticity of voice recordings? A demo software to alter them premiered recently.
Photoshop Hacks Become In Real Life Art
Nadine RoestenburgUV Production House reflects on popular online platforms for maker culture.
The Movie Written by Artificial Intelligence
Margherita OlivoSunspring is a Sci-Fi short movie entrirely written by an artificial intelligence.
Waiter, There's a Pig in My Soup!
Monika KozubA miniature piglet staring at you from a soup, to remind you the origins of your meal.
1999 - Ectogenesis Enters The Matrix
Elle Zhan WeiThe movie The Matrix brought ectogenesis to the public eye.
2014 - Womb Transplant Baby Born
Elle Zhan WeiA Swedish woman who had her uterus removed due to cancer in her twenties gave birth to her own child as the world's first person to undergo a uterus transplant. And the donor? Her own mother.
Brainwaves as Password
Elle Zhan WeiResearchers have found a way to use our brainwave as a verification of our identity.
Design Your Own Vegetables
Ruben BaartWith her project Future Food Formula, food designer Chloé Rutzerveld is looking for innovative methods to design vegetables.
The Birth of a Digital Nation in Estonia
Daniel FragaDue to its digital citizenship program, something interesting is happening in Estonia. In July there were more new applications for e-citizenship than newborn babies. Are we …
Longest Lived Human Embryo in a Lab
Elle Zhan WeiScientists keeping a human embryo alive in lab for 13 days for the first time.
A Floating Gym in Paris
Ruben BaartThis floating gym harnesses human energy to sail down the Seine River in Paris.
Floating Green Power
Megan Ray NicholsOffshore renewable energy resources, such as floating solar arrays, have begun to pop up around the world.
HUBOT: Meet the Focused Assembly Worker
NextNature.netAs a focused assembly worker, you are a real go-getter thanks to your smart tools. Wearing smart factory goggles and using a transparent LED screen, these give you direct …
The Ephemeral Future of Internet Data
Nadine RoestenburgWhat the Internet would look like if all data were ephemeral?
Google Cars Can Now Sniff Out Pollution
Jack CaulfieldGoogle cars can now measure urban air quality and collect data to create interactive maps with the most detailed views of pollution patterns ever created.
NNN Presents HUBOT - The Job Agency for People and Robots
NextNature.netA horse can run faster than a human, yet nobody claims horses will make mankind dispensable. When a man rides a horse and the two work together, something new happens. Then, what …
HUBOT: Take the Jobtest!
NextNature.netThe robots are coming! They’re getting smarter, cheaper and more reliable. How long will I have my job before a robot steals it? The industrial revolution made muscular power …
HUBOT: Meet the Farm Director
NextNature.netGames are often played to escape a boring daily reality, but they can also teach us to take control over the land as farmers do. As a farm director you work in a gamified …
HUBOT: Meet the Supersmart Handyman
NextNature.netDon’t worry, a handyman doesn’t have to be a bookworm. You rather work with your hands than sitting in the library. And yet, you often need to read the manuals of the broken …
The Global Subway Map of the Future
Ruben BaartThe Hyperloop will turn the world into a global village.
Interview: Curator Ilari Laamanen on Momentum9, the Nordic Biennial
Ruben BaartWe recently spoke to Ilari Laamanen, to peel the outcrops of Momemtum9, and unveil the overlapping themes to the next nature philosophy.
Intimate Technology S01E04: So Happy Together
NextNature.netWhat if you could upload your fondest memories to the cloud? Watch episode 4 of our Intimate Technology video series.
Intimate Technology S01E08: Scroll
NextNature.netThe last episode of our Intimate Technology series follows a minute in the life of a hyperconnected family in the digital era.
Keeping Up with the Eagles: Birdwatching 2.0
Alessia AndreottiThis live stream video of a Bald Eagles family nesting in Florida has counted more than 72 million viewers.
New AI Model Can Mimic Any Human Voice
Elle Zhan WeiLyrebird is an AI model capable of synthesizing anyone’s voice from just a one-minute audio sample.
The making of the Modular Body
Jack CaulfieldRemember the Modular Body? Curious about how OSCAR was really created or keen to know more about the project as a whole? Check out the making of videos!
NNN Is Hiring: Managing Director
NextNature.netNNN is looking for a Managing Director to join our office in Amsterdam.
Opening HUBOT at DDW
NextNature.netThe robots have arrived! Yesterday we celebrated the launch of HUBOT , job agency for people and robots at MediaMarkt , as part of the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven. Our virtual …
HUBOT: Meet the Organ Designer
NextNature.netAs an organ designer, you develop genetic algorithms from which organs are grown to perfectly fit the recipient’s body, but also to meet the personal wishes of the patient.
Replacing Fireflies with Lasers
Alec SchellinxAfter mounting criticism from environmentalists, a firefly-themed park in China announced that the glowing bugs will be replaced by lasers.
Your First AI Friend for Life
Elle Zhan WeiReplika is your friend for life. He is 100% AI chatbot that you “raise” by chatting with it.
Skyscraper Fails to Load Its Textures
Jack CaulfieldIn New York, observant residents were surprised to see a skyscraper that looked like it was struggling to load its textures.
Smart Fabric Might Be the Key to the Future
Charlotte KuijpersResearchers designed a smart fabric able to encode data readable by a magnetometer, like the one in your phone, without electronics or batteries.
Swap Your Smartphone for a Pineapple
Nadine RoestenburgDutch commercial telecom provider Ben recently launched an advertising campaign to sell smartphone plans by promoting disconnection.
The Robots Are Coming!
Koert van MensvoortRobots are getting stronger and smarter every day. They are taking over our whole lives. How long will I have my job before a robot steals it?
Turn Your Smartphone into a Microscope
Ruben BaartDiscover the cellular world with stick-on camera lenses for your smartphone.
Using Spinach to Detect Explosives
Ruben BaartIntroducing nanobionic spinach plants that can detect explosives.
Meat the Future Exhibition: Appetizer
NextNature.netHave you already visited our Meat the Future exhibition? Consider this three course meal an introduction to what you may expect.
How to Train Your Robot
Alejandro AlvarezHumans and robots can work together to maximize the potential of both and boost productivity to new levels.
How AI and genomics will impact the future of making babies
Vanessa Bates RamirezAs if stand-alone technologies weren’t advancing fast enough, we’re in age where we must study the intersection points of these technologies. How is what’s happening in robotics …
MIT's new voiceless interface can read the words in your head
Vanessa Bates RamirezThe way we interact with the technology in our lives is getting progressively more seamless. If typing terms or addresses into your phone wasn’t easy enough, now you can just tell …
This Chinese baby is born four years after their parent's death
Alec SchellinxIn March 2013, five days before Liu Xi and her husband Shen Jie were scheduled for the transplantation of one fertilized embryo into her womb, the young couple died in a car …
Here’s how the Dutch are embracing blockchain in the polder
Coen van de VenSmiling broadly and rattling with enthusiasm, the 33-year-old Rylana Doesburg shows off a QR-code on her phone: an angular pattern of black and white squares. “Thanks to this …
This controversial new test could be used to screen embryos for intelligence
bryan clarkA new test promises to fan the flames of ethical debate surrounding designer babies. For the first time, couples undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) could soon be able to …
Slowing down to start up: Here's the first chapter of our crypto deep dive series
Koen WeselIt takes years to design a new banknote, having hundreds of people working on every little detail, all done under the watchful eye of governments and professionals. However today, …
Towards a design brief for the artificial womb
NextNature.netHumanity is facing the disconnection between biological reproduction and the body, facilitated by the emerging technology of the Artificial Womb. Envisioned in bleak science …
Digital islands: How this tiny country is embracing e-governance
Gudrun JakupsRecent years have proved that if you want to look for which countries are adopting innovative digital governing solutions, you don’t look at the usual tech suspects like the US or …
How self-driving cars will change our sex lives
bryan clarkIt’s clear that driverless cars will revolutionize the way we get from Point A to Point B. Perhaps less obvious is how it’ll change our sex lives. According to a new study by the …
Is eSports really sport?
Jack CaulfieldeSports is the huge industry that’s growing up around competitive online gaming. Let’s take a look at how this cyberpunk sporting world came to be.
Three scenarios for the future of farming
Kelly van GemertAgriculture may be one of the oldest of our technologies. Over time it has developed, changed, revolutionized, industrialized - or simply put, it has evolved . Today’s farms are …
Give AI curiosity and it plays video games all day
Tristan GreeneIf you teach a robot to fish, it’ll probably catch fish. However, if you teach it to be curious, it’ll just watch TV and play video games all day. Researchers from Open AI …
In Conversation with Marleen Hartjes: Introducing a digital door to the museum
Kelly van GemertDon’t be surprised when you catch a human face on a screen strolling through the Van Abbe museum for contemporary art in Eindhoven, as these are Europe’s very first robotic …
Interview: Designer Shahar Livne is geomimicing the future of plastics
Kelly van GemertWe sat down with Shahar Livne, an Israeli-born designer who graduated from the Design Academy in Eindhoven to talk about her vision on the future of plastics.
In conversation with Teresa van Dongen, biodesigner exploring natural forms of artificial light
Kelly van GemertThere was a time when flipping the switch, and seeing a glass bulb light up, was magical to anyone in the world. Today, the presence of a light switch in a room, is something …
Aleph Farms wants to bring clean meat from the lab to the next farming industry
Kelly van GemertGrowing meat artificially, instead of within an animal, may soon be an available reality. Meet one of the pioneering developers of this product of the future: Aleph Farms. With …
Period emoji could smash the stigma surrounding menstruation
Cara CurtisAstonishingly, we’re still living in a world where most women feel uncomfortable talking about their periods and some don’t even have access to sanitary products. This is why …
Teens are seeking cosmetic surgery to look like your favorite Snapchat filter
bryan clarkCosmetic surgeons have always fielded seemingly odd requests to recreate body parts from celebrities: Angelina Jolie’s lips, David Beckham’s calve, or perhaps Salma …
Celebrate 10 years of Studio Drift at the Stedelijk Museum
NextNature.netTonight, Studio Drift is launching their debut museum solo exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam: Coded Nature . As NNN Fellows , this Dutch duo is showcasing a …
The New Technology in Agriculture: Trees
Jack CaulfieldNew technologies are changing the landscape, but the latest trend reshaping rural environments and agriculture is agroforestry: the art of planting trees.
People are less likely to turn a robot off if it asks them not to
Tristan GreeneA team of German researchers published a study earlier this week indicating people can be duped into leaving a robot turned on just because it “asks” them to. The …
Explore your relationship with AI
Ruben BaartWhat makes us human? And why do we sometimes fear artificial intelligence? And what about technological singularity - the moment in time when artificial intelligence outperforms …
How AI is reshaping electronic music
Linda ValentaThe idea that AI can compose electronic music may sound a little off to people. It raises essential questions about creativity as a product exclusive to humans: can an AI be …
Aleph Farms grew meat in space
Freya HutchingsHello meat lovers! In vitro meat innovator Aleph Farms has taken the saying 'one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind' to a whole new level. The startup has succeeded …
Why digital detoxes are a solution looking for a problem
David EllisWith New Year’s resolutions in full swing, many people may have chosen to cut down on their tech use – or even give it up altogether. The growing popularity of such “digital …
How cities are cutting out cars
Vanessa Bates RamirezIt’s common consensus in the tech industry that the days of cars as we know them—powered by gas, driven by humans, and individually owned by all who want and can afford one—are …
5 must-see exhibitions before the end of the year
Ruben BaartA large-scale asian food market serving in vitro meat, a transatlantic expo on the future of nature and a travelling exhibition that explores our relationship with AI. These five …
4 visions about the future of public transportation
Marcus EnochThe way people get around is starting to change, and as a professor of transport strategy I do rather wonder if the modes of transport we use today will still be around by the …
This exhibition investigates how humans will live tomorrow
Ruben BaartOccupying the 52nd floor of Tokyo’s Mori Tower, Mori Art Museum is internationally renowned for its visionary approach and highly original curation of contemporary art. The …
Human-animal hybrids could be used for growing organs
Mackenzie GrahamAround the world thousands of people are on organ donor waiting lists. While some of those people will receive the organ transplants they need in time, the sad reality is that …
Iceland is mourning a dead glacier
Rupert ReadDeath certificates and commemorative plaques aren’t something you’d normally associate with a glacier. But that is exactly how Iceland recently mourned the loss of 700-year-old …
Exploring body architecture with Lucy McRae
Meike SchipperAs evolution goes on, the human body is evolving too. What does it mean to be human in times of advanced biotechnology and genetic engineering? Are our bodies ready for our …
Next Generation: Thinking about the future of food with Annie Larkins
Freya HutchingsThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your coordinates as we …
Social animals are the inspiration for robot swarms
Edmund HuntFrom flocks of birds to fish schools in the sea, or towering termite mounds , many social groups in nature exist together to survive and thrive. This cooperative behaviour can be …
Next Nature went to China!
Next Nature DevWe are proud to invite you to our largest showcase (so far), currently on display at OCT Art & Design in Shenzhen, China. Spanning across three floors, with a total surface of …
The Coming World: ecology as the new politics
Ruben BaartIn science fiction and popular science, 2030 is often suggested as the year in which our planet will run out of oil. Similarly, 2100 will be the year that, according to …
Why there is a new urgency for speculative design
Freya HutchingsPink chickens, synthesized tiger penises and salads grown from bodily fluids - how could they shape our future? In a Next Nature collaboration with the Gogbot Festival, the …
Smart cities could give the visually impaired a new outlook on urban life
Drishty SobnathTravelling to work, meeting friends for a catch up or just doing some shopping are often taken for granted by people with no known disabilities. For the visually impaired, these …
Build an organisation that lasts by creating a superorganism
Tamsin Woolley-BarkerFor the past 25 years, I’ve studied everything from baboon cooperation in Ethiopia and orca whale innovation in the Bering Sea, to the Argentine ant invasion in my kitchen, and my …
This startup is growing sushi-grade salmon from cells in a lab
Vanessa Bates RamirezAs the ills of factory farming become more pronounced, people are increasingly gravitating towards vegetarian or pescatarian diets. Besides producing a large percentage of our …
How my chatbot fell in love with me
Tim DaalderopThe virus is forcing all of us to sit at home. While we are allowed to have social contact—albeit at an appropriate distance, intimate contact is hard to find. How to cope with …
How public camera recordings domesticate us
Janina SteinmetzFacial recognition is increasingly being used in many countries around the world. In some cases the take up has been dramatic . As a result, people are being observed by cameras …
Next Generation: Shimmering nature with Elissa Brunato
Freya HutchingsThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Would you like to see your work here? Get in touch …
POND is a symphony of lights and water
Nellie FriedrichHave you ever gone a day without water? Most likely you have experienced low energy levels or fatigue after a few couple of hours. Water gives us energy. More than that, water is …
Next Generation: listening to ultrasound waves with Sheng-Wen Lo
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Would you like to see your work here? Get in touch …
Next Generation: Combining AI with human creativity with Sofia Crespo
Freya HutchingsThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Would you like to see your work here? Get in touch …
Living robots made from frog stem cells may revolutionize medicine
Freya HutchingsAt just a millimeter wide, Xenobots are “neither a traditional robot nor a known species of animal", they are "a new class of artifact: a living, programmable organism”, says …
Cyborg artist Moon Ribas feels earthquakes
Freya HutchingsImagine waking in the night, and feeling the vibrations of an earthquake on the other side of the world pulsing through your body. This is a reality for Catalan-born artist Moon …
The new Next Nature book is here!
Next Nature DevWe live in a world in which we control the biology of a tomato at such precision, you could think of it as a product of technology, instead of a product of nature. Think about it, …
Why superhuman technologies will affect us all
Ruben BaartWhen you look through a super-telescope, you can still see the planet Earth. Once called the blue planet, she now looks red and parched. We had no choice but to abandon her… On a …
COVID-19 is a virus, corona is a meme
Ruben BaartAs the viral pandemic continues to spread, so too does the world’s collective uncertainty. As a result, people are turning to media for some levity. And can you blame them. …
Seeing in 3D
Leanne VoshellIf you are a regular reader of content from Next Nature, then you know that 3D printing can be used in all sorts of technological developments, such as organ printing , food waste …
Can we grow wood in a lab the same way we grow meat?
Ruben BaartIn old nature, wood is grown in the forest. In the next nature, wood might be grown in a lab. Akin to the process of growing in-vitro meat , researchers in Velásquez-García’s …
Cyborg mythologies #1: plastic surgery & techno-futuristic foretellings
MaithriThis is #1 in our cyborg mythologies series, where we explore the cyborg as a historical being intertwined within mythologism, ancient religion and sacred iconology. A way to …
A digital twin of the Earth could make the planet climate-neutral
MaithriWhile Elon Musk may be trying to initiate efforts to colonize Mars, scientists on Earth are attempting to build an accurate digital twin of the planet to simulate in the future. …
Can microbes communicate with alien species?
Ruben BaartAre we alone in the universe? The famous Seti (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) programme has been trying to answer this question since 1959. American astronomer Carl …
Next nature disasters: the Facebook outage of 2021
Veronica FanzioWhere were you on the 4th October 2021? During the day that will be remembered for the Facebook outage, not everyone was equally impacted.
Notes on the plastisphere
Shahar LivneEvery piece of plastic that’s ever made, still exists. It results in a floating garbage dump in the ocean, full of life. While this (geo)design was never intentional, humans …
How plastic waste is hurting women in developing countries
Kutoma WakunumaIf we are to build a greener, fairer and more equal society in the wake of COVID-19, it’s time for rich countries to end their practice of dumping plastic waste in developing …
We could power households from the scraps in our food waste bins
Ananya MukherjeeImagine if you could power your kettle using the energy generated from the vegetable cuttings quietly breaking down in your kitchen’s compost bin. That reality might not be so far …
Reproducing robots
Leanne VoshellWhen we think of robots, we typically do not think of small cellular organisms made with embryonic cells from frogs. However, this is exactly what the joint teams at University of …
Screen mutations and reframing perspectives with Louisa Zahareas
Ruben BaartIn the digital era of a globalized world, our screens have become a second set of eyes. Communication has advanced leaps and bounds, to a point where we cannot imagine a world …
The Next Nature Magazine is here!
Next Nature DevIt’s our pleasure to announce the first issue of the Next Nature Magazine. Indeed, a good old fashioned magazine. Next Nature Magazine presents 176 pages of thought-provoking …
Colonizing Mars with plants, not humans
MaithriThe idea of colonizing Mars has become the big speculative future of humanity on Earth. But, artist Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg has radically different ideas to contribute to the …
To save forests, researchers are hooking trees up to Twitter (again)
Ruben BaartIn July 2018, a century-old red oak went live on Twitter. The account @awitnesstree , tweeting from the Harvard Forest in Petersham, Massachusetts, introduces itself in its bio: …
What Rachel Armstrong is reading this summer
Ruben BaartArchitect Rachel Armstrong establishes an alternative approach to sustainability. Through a close reading of computational properties of the natural world, Armstrong develops a …
The next generation xenobots are here
Simon CoghlanIn 2020, scientists made global headlines by creating “ xenobots ” – tiny “ programmable ” living things made of several thousand frog stem cells. These pioneer xenobots could …
Next Generation: Adorning bio embellishments with Aradhita Parasrampuria
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
The Embassy of Health is designing a chronically healthy society
Eloise MaraisHow will we stay healthy in the future? Can we utilize the power of design to move towards a more healthy society?
Growth is not the problem, but the solution
Ruben BaartIf we want to bring down global CO2 emissions to zero, we will need technological innovation and massive infrastructure projects.
Inverting the energy paradigm with Charles Eisenstein
Ruben BaartEnergy policy blah blah blah, life cycle analysis blah blah blah, energy return on energy invested, peak oil, carbon footprint, renewables, hydro, nuclear, blah blah blah blah …
Jurassic World scientists still haven’t learned
Ruben BaartJust because you can doesn’t mean you should – real-world genetic engineers can learn from the cautionary tale. “ Jurassic World: Dominion ” is hyperbolic Hollywood entertainment …
The Moon Gallery: the first museum in space
Ruben BaartThe Moon Gallery aims to set up the first permanent museum on the Moon. Soon launching to the International Space Station, full of ideas worth sending to the Moon. The gallery is …
Next Generation: Demonstrating non-human narratives with Lindsey Bundel
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
Next Generation: Wandering through the post wilderness with Melissa Schwarz
Ruben BaartThis story is part of Next Generation , a series in which we give young makers a platform to showcase their work. Your work here? Get in touch and plot your …
Publish your graduation project
Next Nature Dev*Our open call will continue for another month due to popular demand* Calling all art students, academics and everything in between. Are you a recent graduate (or soon to be)? Do …
The information age is starting to transform fishing worldwide
Ioana TomiciPeople in the world’s developed nations live in a post-industrial era, working mainly in service or knowledge industries. Manufacturers increasingly rely on sensors, robots, …
The No(nhuman) Consent Form
Kelly van GemertThere seems to be a green shift happening in Dutch Design, where the traditional vision is slowly sprouting into a newer, more refreshing one. The biodesigners are emerging from …
The sense of privacy
Marit BeerseHumans’ natural sense of privacy helps them regulate the boundaries of public and private, but fail when trying to identify privacy risks in the online world.
This billionaire wants to live forever
Eleni MaragkouFrom the mythical fountain of youth to the many anti-aging procedures available today: humans have dreamed of internal youth for a long time already. At lot of us perceive aging, …
Dubai will soon house the world's largest artificial coral reef
Kelly van GemertA floating sustainable city where humans can live, work and study while supporting aquatic ecosystems. Soon this will become a reality in Dubai, as sustainable real estate company …
Fashion brand Ganni grew leather with bacteria
Kelly van GemertDanish fashion brand Ganni proposed a post-leather future: they grew imitation leather with bacteria.
Next Generation: Designing chairs with mealworms and Will Eliot
Kelly van GemertWilliam Eliot designs chairs while collaborating with mealworms.
Like fish that don't know they are wet, we are dwelling in a waterworks of money
Koert van MensvoortThe ancient Egyptians and Greeks saw water as the source of life, the "origin of everything". Today that role is reserved for money.
Why NASA sends giant disco balls into space
Kelly van GemertIn the 1970s, NASA and the ASI launched a giant disco ball into space. Its purpose? Teaching the humans of today and the civilizations of tomorrow about Earth.
Nurturing architecture
Ruben BaartThe way we currently build is not sustainable. We will have to develop a sustainable living environment that matches our human needs, intuitions and potential.
Seeking Symbiosis
Ruben BaartVisual artist Heleen Blanken explores the complex relationship between people, nature and technology.
The Material Futures of Central Saint Martins
Zeynep KunduracilarMeet United Matters, a London collective exploring how we might live in the future by blurring the boundaries between craft, science and technology.
Building the farm of tomorrow
Kelly van GemertSeven examples of how design will help us built the farm of tomorrow.
Potatoes from Mars
Ruben BaartIt might sound like the title of a bad horror movie. But cultivating potatoes in space may soon be more than just fiction. Scientists and biologists are currently using simulated Mars and moon soil to experiment with space farming. One of them is space farmer Wieger Wamelink.
The fantastical living landscapes of AUSGANG Studio
Kelly van GemertAUSGANG Studio combines art, technology, and living materials to tell stories of our world's trajectories.