Sphero, the maker of connected STEAM toys, is buying LittleBits, another connected toy company that teaches kids to code. The companies didn’t disclose how much Sphero spent on the acquisition, but both companies have similar business models. They mainly sell to schools and have built educational support systems to assist teachers. Combined, the companies say, they’ve reached over 6 million students across 35,000 schools.

Both companies understand the importance of schools to the viability of a hardware company. Some hardware companies focus on consumer subscriptions, like the Keurig coffee pod model, but Sphero and LittleBits instead sell to teachers and offer subscription plans that cover standard wear and tear, which is essential for…

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Researchers have developed an extremely fast optical method for sculpting complex shapes in stem-cell-laden hydrogels and then vascularizing the resulting tissue. Their groundbreaking technique stands to change the field of tissue engineering.

Researchers have modeled a method to manipulate nanoparticles as an alternative mode of propulsion for tiny spacecraft that require very small levels of thrust. The team simulated a system that uses light to generate an electromagnetic field to move the particles from a reservoir, funneled through an injector, then shot out of an accelerator to produce thrust.

Researchers are exploring ways to help scientists better protect their work from the influence of the food industry.

Food scientists have shown that feeding frying oil to mice exaggerated colonic inflammation, enhanced tumor growth and worsened gut leakage, spreading bacteria or toxic bacterial products into the bloodstream.

Scientists have found a new way to successfully detect the efficiency of crystal semiconductors.