It's easy to think of an earthquake as a Californian problem for the rest of the U.S., but the truth — only made more clear by Tuesday's 5.8-magnitude tectonic jiggling — is that the rest of the country is in danger, too. In fact, just this year the government simulated how bad a Midwestern "big one" could be, and it wasn't pretty.

Radioactivity is nasty stuff, and when you've got radioactive surfaces all over the place, trying to clean them up often just results in your cleaning supplies becoming radioactive as well. This blue goo neatly takes care of the whole problem, capturing radioactive particles and storing them while simultaneously cleaning better than a scrub brush.

You know all those sexy concept cars that we post about but you'll never be able to buy? Part of the reason that you can't buy them is that many of the sexiest are horrendously unsafe. Putting airbags in the roof instead of the dashboard could free up space for slimmer lines and more gadgetry without killing you in the process.

Everybody should have explosion-resistant windows. You know, just in case your house gets assaulted by kids with baseballs, tornadoes, or rogue cruise missiles. The University of Missouri has come up with some new glass that's super strong, very thin, and perfectly transparent.