What if you could 3D-print food? A team at Columbia University has experimented with printing dough, meats, vegetables, sweets, made a seven-ingredient slice of cheesecake, and chicken samples that were then cooked by lasers. In this episode, researcher Jonathan Blutinger explains why 3D-printed food could transform cooking, and when listeners may be able to buy one of the printers for their home.

Motors are driving the zero-emissions race to electrification, but what if we could make them smaller and more efficient? David Calley, who spoke to Lexicon at CES 2023 in Las Vegas, is one entrepreneur working on the issue. His company, Arizona-based Elemental Motors, is digging into more efficient designs that could offer five or more times the torque density than comparably-sized motors. It could power robots, industrial applications and eVTOLs, paving the way for improvements in mobility.

Was there ever oxygen on Mars? An experimental study in December 2022 revealed it’s not likely, as part of research that could reveal more about whether life on Mars is possible. As entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and others chart a course for a city on the red planet, Lexicon takes a look at what awaits the future visitors.