Technomaly » Science

Why Are Space Strawberries A Thing We’re Talking About?

Asterios Kokkinos — Sat, 08 May 2010 14:00:19 +0000

In today’s edition of, “Why Is This A Thing We’re Talking About?”, we take a look at Space Strawberries, which is now a thing that we are apparently talking about.

Why are we talking about this thing? Well, PopSci reports that the Seascape Strawberry Plant can produce strawberries with as little as 10 hours of light a day, which is important, as interstellar grow lights consume lots of power – the shorter the amount of light they need, the better. The Seascape also produces gigantic berries, large enough to satisfy even the fattest of astronauts.

Finally, these plants produce berries up to six months after flowering, meaning long periods of berry growth for our brave astromen.

PopSci reports that lettuce, radishes and tomatoes are all likely to be on the interstellar menu, due to their hearty ability to grow in space. Will strawberries be amongst those disgusting, boring plants? Only time will tell. But yes, yes they will.

This is Asterios Kokkinos, for “Why Is This A Thing We’re Talking About?”

Source & Photo Source: PopSci

Giant Space Hand!

J. Matthew Zoss — Mon, 03 May 2010 18:21:26 +0000

The hand of God? An alien breaching the walls of our galaxy? The giant space hand you see here is actually pulsar PSR b1509-58.This neutron star spins seven times per second and is relatively young by pulsar standards – the light of the supernova that caused it would have first reached our planet about 1,700 years ago.

The Space Hand is located about 17,000 light years away from the constellation Circinus and is approximately 100 light years long. According to NASA, the “low energy X-rays are in red, medium energies in green, and high energies in blue. The pulsar itself is in the bright central region.”

Source: NASA via Gizmodo

Japanese Coop Making Humanoid Moon Robot

Nick Upton — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 22:47:15 +0000

A group of Japanese manufacturers are getting together to build a a bipedal, moon-faring robot.

Now I’m not sure if the endeavor will produce a sassy Futurama-esque robot or a sad Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy version, but I’m really hoping of the former. I am sure, however, that the Japanese coop named Astro-Technology SOHLA will include a sweet laser sword — it is the land of anime after all.

The coop is looking to do the build the robot on the cheap too. They estimate they can complete the project with just $10 million. Doesn’t sound cheap? The Spirit and Opportunity mission set us back a total of $820 million.

Sure that was Mars, but this is a F&$%ING robot!

The group also stated that they hope to have their robot, which they will name Maido-kun, hitch a ride to the moon with a robotic surveying rover that the Japan’s Aerospace Agency is looking to launch as soon as 2015.

The Yomiuri noted that JAXA’s team had considered a bipedal robot, but passed on the idea due to technical difficulties with the sandy moon surface. In response to such thought, SOHLA President Hideo Sugimoto stated, “It’s easier to encapsulate romanticism or enthusiasm with a robot that is similar in shape to humans. We want to build a robot that has the appeal of entrusting the dream of going to space.”

It sure is romantic, it really gets me thinking about the real future of space travel. With the Space Plane launching just a week ago, and now a robot, space exploration doesn’t seem as dangerous.

Hypothetically, we could send these space planes and walking robots running willy-nilly all over the galaxy. Then we wouldn’t have to worry about the grim but imminent prospect of human space deaths.

These robots could plunk down on Mars and start building astronaut housing or take that trip to an asteroid that President Barack Obama has been talking about sans all the danger.

I just hope there is an easy-to-find off switch when the robot goes crazy and stalks our astronauts on the moon or mars.

[Via Slashdot]

Scientists Create Bullet Proof Fabric

Nick Upton — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:49:48 +0000

Scientists have finally found a way to keep me protected during my nights of crime fighting — boron.

By weaving boron — the third hardest element known to man — into the carbon of cotton, scientists create a little forest of ultra-hard boron spikes. These little spikes can essentially create something that is harder than steel but light-weight and flexible.

USC professor Dr. Xiaodong Li authored a paper detailing the breakthrough and said it is a “conceptual change in fabricating lightweight, fuel-efficient, super-strong and ultra-tough materials.”

Instead of getting me a sleek crime fighting body suit, Li has other applications in mind.

Unlike the brittle boron carbide currently in use, the synthesized fibers (“nanowires”) are super-elastic. Yet they maintain the same strength and stiffness of their predecessors. “They are not only lightweight but also flexible,” Li says. “We should be able to fabricate much tougher body armors using this new technique. It could even be used to produce lightweight, fuel-efficient cars and aircrafts.”

[Via Ecouterre]

Earth’s Mightiest Magnetic Material Created

Asterios Kokkinos — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 15:00:21 +0000

Attention magnet lovers – there is a new magnet king on the block!

Until now, the strongest magnetic material on earth has been a mixture of iron and cobalt. Well, iron-cobalt, you can go straight to hell! There’s a new mightiest magnetic material on the block, and it’s called “a compound containing iron and nitrogen.”

The new substance was created by University of Minnesota physicist Jianping Wang, and there’s an unverified report that the material may be so strong it’s rewriting the laws of physics.

How? Apparently, Wang discovered “localized electrons” in his compound, which are substances that have never shown up in magnetic substances before. That’s needlessly cool – a magnet so strong that it’s pulling in crap we assumed wasn’t magnetic? I’ll take eight!

How will this supermagnet help us? More efficient transmission and power generation, apparently, which I’m all for. Also, if there’s something magnetic you need that’s across the room, this magnet’s got your back.

Source & Photo Source: PopSci

NASA Lets Public Aim Ultra High-Res Camera At Mars

Nick Upton — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:24:57 +0000

NASA took eight ultra-high resolution images of the Martian surface based on public suggestions.

The NASA image gallery hosted smaller versions of the staggering images. Even in three colors the images are simply beastly.

HiRISE is the most powerful camera ever to orbit another planet. It has taken thousands of black-and-white images, and hundreds of color images, since it began science operations in 2006.

A single HiRISE image will often be a multigigabyte image that measures 20,000 pixels by 50,000 pixels, which includes a 4,000-by-50,000 pixel region in three colors. It can take a computer up to three hours to process such an image.

Despite the thousands of pictures already taken, less than 1% of the Martian surface has been imaged, NASA said.

The move is great for NASA and helps space fans feel included in some of the high tech and cloistered missions.

[Via Network World]

Magnets Can Scramble Morality Functions

Nick Upton — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 22:31:12 +0000

Researchers at MIT and Harvard are scrambling morals in the name of science.

Using a powerful magnetic field, scientists from MIT, Harvard University and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are able to scramble the moral center of the brain, making it more difficult for people to separate innocent intentions from harmful outcomes.

The research could have big implications for not only neuroscientists, but also for judges and juries.

“It’s one thing to ‘know’ that we’ll find morality in the brain,” said Liane Young, a scientist at MIT and co-author of the article. “It’s another to ‘knock out’ that brain area and change people’s moral judgments.”

Researchers had their subjects read stories about morally objectionable characters. After reading the stories, they were asked what they thought about the characters decisions.

One typical story was about a boyfriend who leads his girlfriend across a bridge. In some versions, the boyfriend harmlessly walked his girlfriend across the bridge with no ill effect.

In other cases, the boyfriend intentionally led the girlfriend along so she would break her ankle.

The subjects used a seven point scale — one being forbidden and seven completely permissible — to record whether they through the situation was morally acceptable or not.

When the magnetic field was turned on, the subjects found it harder to interpret the boyfriend’s intent. Without being able to see that, they could only focus on the outcome of the story. So the only thing that affected their judgment was the outcome.

The wave affected only about 15 percent of change in moral judgments, but researchers said the fact that such a high-level function can even be changed with magnets is fascinating.

Lawyers said the research could have implications on brain science and law as well.

“This study, and other recent studies like it, are enabling us to peer into the very brain activity that underlies and enables legal judgments,” said Owen Jones, a professor of law and biology at Vanderbilt University. “Understanding how legal decisions actually work is a potentially important step toward helping decisions be as fair, just and effective as they can be.”

In a conspiracy case, for example, one person might get a lesser sentence because once a crime was committed, they felt remorse. If they couldn’t understand the moral implications or intent before their crime, the crime would go from premeditated to a lesser charge.

[Via Discovery]

Criminals, Beware The Bacterial Fingerprint

Asterios Kokkinos — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 16:00:31 +0000

Fingerprints, DNA…bacteria? Some eggheads over at UC Boulder say they’ve found a way to accurately identify people based on samples of bacteria swabbed from said people’s mouses and computer keyboards.

Turns out, we each carry around 150 individual species of bacteria on our hands, bacteria which in turn carry a genome unique to each person. This could give forensic investigators a new way to link criminals to the scenes of crimes, even if no DNA were to be left behind.

The bad news? The process is only 70-90% accurate at this point, which is nowhere near solid enough to use effectively. Still, think about this – a smudged fingerprint, which is unusable as a fingerprint trace, still carries 100 times more data than DNA. If they can find a way to make that data more reliable, that’s essentially a gold mine of evidence – or at least one more way to shake some dumb perp down.

Take that, crime!

Source & Photo Source: PopSci

Real Life Cloaking Device Gets Closer

Asterios Kokkinos — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 14:00:39 +0000

The “cloaking device,” to use a Star Trek term, just got a step closer – news out of Germany shows that scientists successfully hid part of a piece of gold from the visible eye.

How? “Photonic crystals,” whatever those are, were used to bend the light waves around a small bump on a gold surface, rendering it invisible three dimensionally.

Not buying my line about photonic crystals? I know, I think they sound made up too. How about this: special lenses were used to bend light waves, suppressing light itself. For some reason that sounds more plausable, even though we’re talking about invisibility cloaks here.

The big question for perverts everywhere: how long until one of these babies can cloak a person? German scientists advise us not to hold our breath, saying it’d be “many years” before anything larger than one tiny piece of a very small thing could be cloaked. Still, the imagination reels!

Source & Photo Source: Christian Science Monitor

Goat Woman Of China Epitome Of Health

Nick Upton — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:07:14 +0000

Who’s this lovely lady eating what is likely a baby you ask? Well, this charming lass is Zhang Ruifang, and despite her advanced age — 101 years old — she is full of energy. Sure the energy is derived directly from Satan, but she’s one hell of a cook.

The Daily Mail said the Chinese woman has had the horn since last year.

An elderly Chinese woman has stunned her family and fellow villagers by growing from her forehead a horn than resembles a goat’s.

Grandmother Zhang Ruifang, 101, of Linlou village, Henan province, began developing the mysterious protrusion last year.

Since then it has grown 2.4in in length and another now appears to emerging on the other side of the mother of seven’s forehead.

Cutaneous horns are made up of compacted keratin, which is the same protein we have in our hair and nails, and forms horns, wool and feathers in animals.

They usually develop in fair-skinned elderly adults who have a history of significant sun exposure but it is extremely unusual to see it form protrusions of this size.

So, ladies, don’t forget the sun block!

[Image Via Geekologie]

Study Shows Accents Trump Race

Nick Upton — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:08:45 +0000

A newly-released study suggest that people pick up on accents when first meeting someone even more than they see race.

Researchers at Harvard University examined “youngsters” to see who they would align with, someone of their own race, or someone with a similar accent. The study, from developmental psychologist Katherine D. Kinzler and colleagues, showed that while babies are racist, they do look past race when accents are involved.

Kinzler and her team showed that an accent is more meaningful than race in signifying whether someone belongs in your social group. Replicating previous research, they found that under silent conditions children chose as potential friends children of the same race.
Yet when the potential friends spoke, white children preferred a black child speaking with a native accent over a white child who spoke English with a foreign accent.

Kinzler’s study focused on a French accent and showed that even though the French-accented English was understandable, youngsters were nearly four times more likely to choose a non-accented friend.

This must change at some point, because put me next to a girl with a French accent and I’ll melt. But the study does bring up some interesting sociological evolution questions, namely that we pick up on accents first because nearby enemies likely looked just like us, but talked with various dialects. Picking up on these accents kept us from danger far more than identifying race — especially where there was only one race for thousands of miles.

[Via Scientific
American ]

New Procedure Offers Faster Healing For Fractures, SNIKT

Asterios Kokkinos — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 14:00:38 +0000

Wolverine’s healing factor is now ours, all ours!

Right now, if you want to knit bones together, it takes a while. Researchers have found a way to speed the whole thing up by tapping into a thin tissue called “periosteum,” which is found lining all bones and contains delicious, bone transforming stem cells.

To repair major breaks and fractures, scientists simply wrap the affected area in a sleeve of periosteum, which encourages rapid bone regrowth. If the patient doesn’t have enough periosteum, doctors have developed an artificial membrane that can act as a substitute. Neat!

The substance can also aid in the lengthening of bones – the example used by Technology Review involved a woman in a wheelchair who needed to lengthen one of her legs. The way they used periosteum in her case is as complicated as it is gross, so instead of mangling the technique I’ll simply refer you to the full article below. However, if you really want me to they…cut into her leg, peel back the periosteum, cut some bone off and…*PUKE*

Source & Photo Source: Technology Review

Fizzy Liquor Cuts Drunk Time, Cures Hangovers

Nick Upton — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:31:47 +0000

By simply oxygenating alcoholic drinks, scientists have been able to shorten people’s drunkenness and all but cured hangovers.

The reason behind it is that when one drinks, they aren’t getting enough oxygen from their blood. That’s why drinking water while drinking liquor helps keep one from getting hangovers.

The drinks with the added oxygen content sobered people up 20-30 minutes faster, under the influence of the rather potent alcohol they used for the trials. 20% alcohol is around the strength of fortified wine, soju, or a very strong mixed drink, so while shaving a half hour off your drunken tomfoolery might not seem a great deal, when you’re trying to fall asleep at night and combating the spins, you’ll appreciate it.

The researchers also asked what would change if someone were to drink multiple oxygen-enriched drinks over the course of the night. Would there be a cumulative effect? Again, the answer was yes: People who drank oxygenated booze had less severe and fewer hangovers than people who drank the non-fizzy stuff.

The conclusions were published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. The researchers conclude that the oxygen in alcohol has “a role to play in reducing alcohol-related side effects and accidents.”

[Via Slashdot]

Is Kindess Contagoius?

Nick Upton — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:32:48 +0000

In a really interesting but slightly confusing study, scientists showed that kindness is contagious — even if it doesn’t make sense.

Political scientist James Fowler of the University of California, San Diego, and medical sociologist Nicholas Christakis of Harvard University published their study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Basically, the study followed a giving game that gave each player a set number of credits to spend as they choose. What they found at the end of the blind test was that those who gave prompted others to give as well.

The best payoff would come if everyone gave all their money — but without knowing what others were doing, it always made sense to keep one’s money and skim from the generosity of others.

…
And when one person gave, others in their group tended to be generous during the next two rounds of play. Recipients of their largess became more generous in turn, and so on down the chain. When a punishment round was added — players could spend their own money to reduce the rewards of selfish players — generosity lasted even longer.

Very interesting stuff, but ultimately researchers said it boiled down to a playground mentality of monkey see, monkey do. When people see someone else doing good, they are more apt to do it themselves.

The researchers also put a round in where people could spend their money to penalize selfish people; which made the selfish few give just like their kindhearted peers. They did warn, however, that being selfish was equally contagious.

[Via Wired]

Half Of Respondents In Study Report iPhone Addiction

Asterios Kokkinos — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:00:14 +0000

A Stanford study has finally given of evidence of what we’ve always known deep down – people are seriously addicted to their iPhones.

The Stanford study involved 200 students, who were asked to rate their opinion of their iPhone usage on a scale from one to five, one being “not addicted” and five being “fully addicted.” 54% reported a four or higher.

That’s insane. To parse the data a little more, 10% of the respondents reported they were “fully addicted” – only 6% reported “no addiction.” 34% gave themselves a four.

41% of them also reported that losing their iPhones would be “a tragedy,” which only makes me want to slap those things the hell out of people’s hands.

Finally, 75% of respondents slept next to their iPhones – no word yet if they’ve knitted little pajamas for the damn things.

Source & Photo Source: Huffington Post

App Tries To Create Citizen Scientists

Nick Upton — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:37:18 +0000

A new iPhone app called Noah turns anyone with a cell phone, some legs and some time into a citizen scientist.

The app lets users update a map with mushrooms, animals, trees — any flora or fauna — so that scientists can see changes or mini surveys of an area without all the work. The project directs users on several missions to help scientific researchers in their job. Current missions include Project Squirrel, to find and catalogue squirrels; Mushroom Mapping, to see changes in spore ecosystems; the Lost Ladybug Project, to find and catalogue native ladybugs on the decline; and Butterflies and Moths of North America, a survey of local flying critters.

It is, of course, designed with iPhone users in mind. Just taking a glance at the feed, it doesn’t seem very scientific — I don’t think a Chihuahua in a tea cup needs scientific categorization. There are also lots of entries that feature a picture of an elm tree with “Oak?” in the categorization.

But despite the troublesome users, it’s an intriguing effort for real scientists to tap into all the people with nothing to do and plenty of time. Real scientists don’t have the time to go traipsing through suburbia or the local park to find worms. And even if they have to sort through a few Chihuahuas in teacups and inept arborists, it can save them unbelievable amounts of time.

I’m personally waiting for the Android app and the real nerds to start helping out.

[Via Noah]

Gigantic Online UK Science Archive Launches

Asterios Kokkinos — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:00:50 +0000

Alan Turing, of the famous "Turing Test." There is no audio of him recorded anywhere.

Did you know that there are no voice recordings of computer pioneer Alan Turing, or of hovercraft inventor Christopher Cockerell? You think someone would have shoved a microphone in the face of Nobel laureate AV Hill at some point, but no – these scientists, in fact, 30 major British scientists – including 9 Nobel winners – have all died leaving little or no archive of their work.

The British Library aims to change this, by interviewing 200 living British scientists over the next three years to create a massive online archive of their lives via audio. The scientists will be chosen by an advisory board and the audio will be available for all to hear.

The first scientist up? Geoff Tootill, who is one of the men who created the first programmable computer – the Manchester Small Scale Experimental machine, which first saw action in 1948. Said Dr. Katrina Dean, history of science curator at the British Library:

“It’s about building up the profile of 20th Century British science from the ground up.”

Couldn’t agree with you more, doctor.

Source & Photo Source: BBC

Wind Blows Nutritious African Dust To Hawaii

Nick Upton — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:48:47 +0000

Scientists credit African dust with fertilizing the Hawaii rain forests — giving new insight into how remote forests sprout and grow on what was once volcanic rock.

Oliver Chadwick from the University of California, Santa Barbara, said they were able to track the African dust to the rain forest floor.

“Hawaii is one of the least dusty places in the world. It’s one of the most remote archipelagos in the world and receives very little dust. And yet, we’ve been able to demonstrate that the phosphorus that’s carried by the dust and deposited on the old landscapes in Kauai actually fertilizes the forest.”

Chadwick told Scientific American that “Through the atmosphere, all parts of terrestrial ecosystems, forests, grasslands, are linked in a very effective way.”

They are linked, at least for now.

This brings up another factor of global climate change that is little understood, namely how ecosystems will change beyond weather and climate. If the global climate changes by a few degrees, the jet streams that carry this dust to Hawaii could land elsewhere. Hawaiian rainforests might not outright wither and die, but they could change drastically. New growth that depends on fertilization might slow and the forests could thin dramatically.

Without this bit of dust, people will be forced to fertilize entire forest on their own or watch a rain forest become a normal forest devoid of the oxygen-creating environment.

So losing this bit of dust in the wind could further exacerbate climate change.

[Via Scientific American]

Ego Pushes People Back Into Bad Habits

Nick Upton — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:46:06 +0000

If you’ve ever tried to quit smoking or quit eating fast food or kick a nasty heroin habit, you probably know that once you get a taste of that old addiction, you’re right back to selling your roommates TV for a Big Mac.

Now scientists give a bit of a glimpse into why people slip back into bad habits — it’s all ego.

Northwestern University psychologists designed a test for ex smokers based on the wonderful movie “200 Cigarettes.”

Researchers first asked the smokers how strong their willpower was, then let them choose from several different tests with varying monetary awards.

One test had ex smokers watch the movie — which prominently displays cool people smoking and sitting around — with an unlit cigarette sitting on the table. For a larger reward, participants could keep the unlit cigarette in their hand. And for the most money, smokers had to keep an unlit cigarette in their mouths.

Researchers said that the people who claimed to have the highest willpower opted for bigger rewards, but ultimately failed more than their weak-willed counterparts.

Smokers told that they had high self-control exposed themselves to significantly more temp¬tation than their counterparts—opting on average to watch the movie while holding a cigarette—and they failed to resist lighting up three times as often as those told they had low self-control.

The reason behind it, researchers say, is that people who have “successfully” kicked a bad habit tell themselves that it’s OK to have a puff. Then those people who thought they were so strong-willed are right back on the nicotine train.

You’d think it would be a no-brainer, if you quit doing something bad, actually quit doing it. If you’re a drunk, stay out of bars; if you’re a fat addict, stay away from the drive thru; and if you’re a junkie … please come over, daddy needs a fix.

[Via Scientific American]

Will The Bloom Box Replace The Grid?

Nick Upton — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:07:40 +0000

A man who designed a working oxygen farm for Mars turned his efforts toward earth with the new fuel-cell power plant dubbed the Bloom Box.

The idealist genius said reverse engineered his work on the oxygen farm, and instead of pumping out oxygen, he pumped it in and created electrical power.

CBS talked to the man, K.R. Sridhar, and he showed just how straightforward the process was.

Sridhar feeds oxygen to it on one side, and fuel on the other. The two combine within the cell to create a chemical reaction that produces electricity.

There’s no need for burning or combustion, and no need for power lines from an outside source.

The secret to the process is a green and black ink that creates the chemical reaction that produces electricity.

Some huge names are already using the Bloom Boxes, and aside a few hiccups, swear by the new technology.

FedEx installed a mini Bloom Box power plant in Oakland. Walmart did too, and eBay has been using five of the boxes and say they account for 15 percent of power generation on their huge campus. EBay’s CEO said the biogass-powered generators already saved them more than $100,000 in energy costs in just nine months.

Each box costs $700,000 to $800,000, but if it reaches a larger scale, that price will inevitably go down. Since the Bloom Box is a green technology, anyone installing the devices also gets a 30 percent tax break (an additional 20 percent in California); which brings the cost down significantly.

Even skeptics admitted that the technology was a breakthrough. One tried to poo-poo the company by saying that GE would be making the cells instead. But regardless, it works and if it continues to work the Bloom Box could essentially change how power is produced.

Instead of having massive nuclear power plants or valleys filled with solar panels, Sridhar — and the skeptics — say that companies could buy the fuel cell boxes and drop them into a neighborhood and not worry about the failing transmission lines or the gazillion-dollars to update the grid for other green energy.

Sridhar wants to take it a step further, installing boxes the size of a dog at every home. And he wants to sell them for less than $3,000 — about the cost of a low quality, low power wind generator. Because the system can work on just about any gas people could simply install it like they would a new dryer.

I’ll be watching the Bloom Boxes intently as they become a publicly traded company, and I truly hope the device works as well as the designer says. These boxes could be the key to real green energy without having to reinvent the wheel when it comes to infrastructure.

[Via CBS Video | CBS Story]

Matter Created At 4,000,000,000,000 Degrees Celsius

Asterios Kokkinos — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:00:21 +0000

Right now, the Large Hadron Collider’s running at half power, which means that Brookhaven National Labs’ Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider’s the biggest of the huge particle smashing machines. And on Monday, they revealed that they’d created the smashiest particle of all time – a quark-gluon plasma that reached four trillion degrees celsius.

The plasma A) recreated the conditions of the big bang, B) broke the laws of physics and C) was really, really hot. Seriously, a scientist tried to touch it and was like, “ow!” and immediately sucked on his finger, which had been transported to another dimension.

Seriously, though: this thing broke the laws of physics. It created a bubble in which particles lost their left or right spin direction, which is like you going from gay to straight for no good reason. A particle’s spin direction dictates both its behavior and how many chemical compounds react to that particle. This is leading scientists to now think that the laws of physics might be relative to temperature – a.k.a., if it’s hot enough, the laws of physics become mere “guidelines of physics.” That’s insane!

Four trillion degrees celsius. Can you imagine how many degrees that is in fahrenheit, the one, true temperature measurement? Imagine no longer: it’s 7.2 trillion degrees fahrenheit. Holy moly.

A Dinosaur’s True Colors

J. Matthew Zoss — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:00:24 +0000

Last week, scientists discovered partial pigmentation in a dinosaur fossil, proving that their subject had orange feather-like fuzz. This week, another group of scientists decoded the full-body coloration of another dinosaur, the Anchiornis huxleyi. After decade of speculation, we finally know what a dinosaur actually looked like, and I’m totally not scared of it. Look at that thing. It barely fills me with any terror at all. Of course, this species of dinosaur was only about the size of a chicken, and I got over my fear of chickens weeks ago.

Scientists hope that both studies into dinosaur coloration will provide greater insight into how dinosaurs behaved and why the creatures evolved features. I’m hoping that these studies lead to a new Jurassic Park movie with giant killer bird monsters.

For more on the methodology of the studies and more images of the Anchiornis huxleyi, including a rotating 360 degree model of, check out the National Geographic website.

Obama To NASA: ‘No Moon For You!’

Geoffrey Golden — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 16:00:53 +0000

In the 50s, a common vision of the future went like this: an American family packs up the car, drives to their local Spaceport, hops in the 10:35 am rocket and gets ready for a relaxing day-trip to the moon. Well, now it is the future — the year 2010 — and not only are we not vacationing on the moon, but we’re not sending astronauts there anymore either.

President Obama’s 2011 budget calls for a cancellation of Constellation, the billion-dollar NASA program whose goal was to get humans back on the moon in 2020. Obama wants to spend more money on pressing concerns like job creation and tax relief for businesses, so in order to keep the budget somewhat balanced (though it clocks in at almost $4 trillion), something had to go. Sorry, astronauts.

“It’s almost like a reboot of NASA’s human space flight program,” said Tariq Malik, Space.com’s managing editor.

So what happens now? If NASA really wants to make another trip to the moon, they’ll likely need to rely on wealthy investors and corporate underwriting. So don’t be surprised if NASA’s next spacecraft is called “The NASA/Frito-Lay Jalapeno Cheetos Flavor Rocket.” Space travel has never tasted so bad for you.

Source: CNN

Image Source: Mentalfloss

The Male Fertility Home Test

J. Matthew Zoss — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:00:53 +0000

(Image: David Becker/Stone/Getty)

Every man likes to assume that he’s so virile he could impregnate a woman just by looking at her. Well, those assumptions may soon be a thing of the past. Scientists at the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology at the University of Twente in the Netherlands have developed a tiny male fertility kit that can produce a sperm count in seconds. I’m not going to explain how it’s used. I’m pretty sure you can figure that out.

The device, which is a small “microfluidic” chip, can apparently produce an automated sperm count with the same margin of error as a manual count at a clinic. However, unlike the traditional clinic method, the chip produces its count in around 12 seconds. While this would make home fertility tests easy and fast, some don’t think that’s a good thing. Michael Dunn, a health care ethics researcher at Oxford, thinks that knowledge of sperm count without the guidance of a trained medical professional could create panic amongst the kit’s users. “There would be the potential for harm to be caused to patients if they were not provided with the relevant information about the impact of a positive result for infertility,” he says.

I’d just like to point out that I made it through this entire story without making any sperm jokes. It was a tough road, requiring many breaks and some calming tea, but I did it. Maybe I’m finally becoming an adult. Maybe it’s time to start having kids. I hope my boys can swim!

Crap. Almost made it.

Source: New Scientist

Graffiti Gives Glimpse Into Sex, Happiness On College Campus

Nick Upton — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:17:00 +0000

An IT worker turned graffiti researcher unveiled his quirky research and compiled it into lovely graphs featuring all the lovely graffiti one might expect in a library bathroom.

Quinn Dombrowski studied the bathrooms, study areas and whiteboards of a University of Chicago library looking for indicators of a slew of things from happiness to lust, even genitalia.

Dombrowski also put all the information together into a handy little time graph. He postulated a number of things from the graph, but noted that few references to sex might mean people are actually having sex instead of drawing penises on bathroom walls.

My favorite part of his research was how scientific he made smiley and frowny faces.

One possible metric for measuring happiness is the classic “smiley face” and its negative counterpart, the “frowny face.”

On these grounds, students lean markedly towards happiness, with over 63% smiley faces. (See fig. 1.) A superficial look at the textual data suggests an even stronger case for an assessment of happiness, with 10 occurrences of “happy” vs. 3 occurrences of “sad.”
Read more of Dombrowski's research at Inkling Magazine.

[Images via Inkling Magazine]

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Mario Stat! Boredom Can Kill

Nick Upton — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:49:00 +0000

According to a new study, you can actually be bored to death, so fire up the Xbox and get that new job as a bullfighter quick!

Researchers at the University College London kept tabs on 7,500 civil servants since 1985 and interviewed them about their levels of boredom.

“The findings on heart disease show there was sufficient evidence to say there is a link with boredom,” the Courier Mail quoted researcher Martin Shipley, who co-wrote the report, as saying.

Researchers said that the boredom doesn’t actually kill you, but people who are unhappy with their lives were more likely to engage in unhealthy behavior like drinking and smoking.

They said the risk wasn’t a small one either, people with “high levels” of tedium were more than 2.5 times more likely to die from heart disease or stroke than happy workers.

[Via Courier Mail]

Heat Your Swimming Pool With Sewage

Asterios Kokkinos — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:00:45 +0000

Well, this is less gross than I thought it would be. A French town in the suburbs of Paris realized that a lot of hot water was being thrown down the drain – sewage pipes were an average of 68 degrees, which is pretty hot. So Sophie Deschiens, the Environment Councilwoman for the town of Levallois-Perret, found a way to exploit that wasted heat energy.

How? With a “series of stainless steel plates” affixed to the bottom of those piping hot pipes. The plates were outfitted with a heat-trapping liquid that could then transfer that stored heat elsewhere – like, say, a public swimming pool.

That’s what they did – the heat trapping liquid heats pools, spas and jacuzzis in the town’s new Aquatic Center. The price? Expensive, but it’s expected to pay for itself over the next ten years by slashing the town’s energy costs 24%. Plus, greenhouse gas emissions will be cut by a very green 66%.

Source & Photo Source: FastCompany

Brown = Green? What is the world coming to?

Astronauts Twitter From Space, It’s Still Boring

Asterios Kokkinos — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 16:00:24 +0000

@astro_mike: tell the astronauts planet earth says hi!

The space shuttle Endeavour takes off today, carrying with it a crew that will deliver and install the Tranquility node to the International Space Station. Also going with them are their Twitter accounts – Astronaut Mike Massimino (@astro_mike) will be accepting tweets down at mission control at the Kennedy Space Station and beaming them up to astronauts, who’ll respond to questions about the mission.

While that may not technically be tweeting from space, don’t worry – last month, astronaut T.J. Creamer – a.k.a. @astro_TJ – sent tweets to followers directly from the internet connection at the International Space Station. On January 22nd at 3:38 PM EST, the first space tweet was sent out. The message?

“We r now LIVE tweeting from the International Space Station—the 1st live tweet from Space!”

See? I told you astro-twitter would be as boring as regular twitter. Why not just tweet what you had for lunch today while you’re at it, guys? It’s as simple as writing “@earth: ate even more food from tubes!”

Scientist Can Now Teleport Energy, BAMF

Asterios Kokkinos — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:00:14 +0000

I’m not even going to pretend I know what the hell is going on in this graphic, but apparently, it’s what it looks like when pure energy is teleported.

OK. So, there’s this quantum phenomenon called “entanglement” in which two particles can share the same space while simultaneously being very far apart – even light years. Changes to one particle immediately registers with the other – which is crazy – and is called teleportation.

So scientists at Tohoku University in Japan figured out a way to include energy with that teleportation. It involves “making a measurement on each one an entangled pair of particles,” a measurement which, when performed on the first particle, injects quantum energy into the system. Then, by performing that same measurement on the second particle, you can extract that original energy from the system.

Uh…so, now that we’ve proven we can teleport energy, can we get a flying car or something? Phasers? I’d settle for phasers.

Source: Technology Review

Technology Allows Disabled To Type With Their Brain

Nick Upton — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 06:23:45 +0000

Researchers with the Mayo Clinic are working on technology that would allow people to type with their minds.

But don’t think that you can just toss a typing hat on and write that great American novel while you sleep — it takes some considerable surgery. The researchers used electrodes already implanted into patients with epilepsy to connect to their “brain-computer interface.”

A neurologist leading the study said the technology could be a huge help to millions of people.

“Over 2 million people in the United States may benefit from assistive devices controlled by a brain-computer interface,” says the study’s lead investigator, neurologist Jerry Shih, M.D. “This study constitutes a baby step on the road toward that future, but it represents tangible progress in using brain waves to do certain tasks.”

Dr. Shih and other Mayo Clinic researchers worked with Dean Krusienski, Ph.D., from the University of North Florida on this study, which was conducted in two patients with epilepsy.

It’s an interesting step forward, but c’mon scientists I need a typing while driving hat — if I get caught blogging in traffic again, I’m losing my license.

[Via Mayo Clinic]

Obama’s Budget Proposal Funds NASA, Cuts Moon Landings

J. Matthew Zoss — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:21:47 +0000

On February 1, President Obama unveiled his new budget proposal. Not found in its pages was funding for a Department of Socialism. On the other hand, an increase for NASA was included. The space agency would receive an additional $6 billion over the next five years, but funding for return trips to the moon.

According to the budget draft, NASA’s Constellation program, which “was planning to use an approach similar to the Apollo program to return astronauts back to the Moon 50 years after that program’s triumphs,” would be canceled. An independent panel found that the program was behind schedule and over-budget, and the Obama budget proposes turning over much of future space exploration to the private sector.

The new funding, which would increase NASA’s operating budget to $19 billion in 2011, would refocus the agency towards general science and away from space exploration. As long as I can still get my freeze-dried ice cream and Tang, I’m okay with that.

Source: Associated Press

Cancer Targeting Nanoprobes Are Closer Than We Think

Asterios Kokkinos — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:00:47 +0000

Fantastic Voyage, Innerspace, whatever analogy you like to get you in the mood for this news: scientists at UC Berkeley have created nanoprobes that could one day fly through our body, hunting down and zapping tumor cells.

Sounds good, as the physical and mental costs of chemotherapy – which takes a much less targeted approach – are horrific. Apparently scientists all around the world have been working on nanoprobes like these for a decade, but UC Berkeley’s “nanocorals” achieve a goal no microscopic surgery tool has yet to reach – the ability to communicate their progress back to their gigantic scientist counterparts.

“If you’re sending a satellite into space, you need it to do more than one thing. It must reach its target, detect its surroundings, and communicate back to ground control,” says Luke Lee, head of the program that devised the nanocoral. “The same is true in the molecular galaxy. We need probes that can find a diseased cell, treat it, and tell us about the local environment so we can determine whether the treatment is working. The nanocoral probes we invented are an important step in this direction.”

Not bad, science! For more on nanocorals, check out the post on the topic from PhysOrg.

Source & Photo Source: PhysOrg

Satellite Spots Solar Eclipse From Space

Nick Upton — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:42:24 +0000

An earth-orbiting satellite got a front row seat for the latest solar eclipse.

As the video shows, the event is very interesting and a bit unnerving when sped up so quickly.

The European Space Agency’s Proba 2 satellite was designed to observe the sun with new technology, so more stunning views like this are on the horizon.

[Via Space.com]

Spray On Glass Turns Any Surface Durable, Cleanable

Nick Upton — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:25:34 +0000

A new breakthrough in spraying stuff on stuff has created what could be the next step in creating ultra-durable, easy-to-clean surfaces on most any material.

The versatile spray, which forms an easy-clean coating one millionth of a millimeter thick – 500 times thinner than a human hair – can be applied to virtually any surface to protect it against water, dirt, bacteria, heat and UV radiation.

It is hoped that liquid glass, a compound of almost pure silicon dioxide, could soon replace a variety of cleaning products which are harmful to the environment, leaving our world coated in an invisible, wipe-clean sheen.

Research has proven the claims, with food-processing companies showing that surfaces treated with the spray-on glass were just as clean after being washed with only water as if they were treated with concentrated bleach.

The German company Nanopool holds the patent and is currently in talks with companies and government bodies about rolling out the technology. The spray can be created from an alcohol base (which would serve as a sterile surface) or water (which Nanopool says would be breathable and flexible).

Key to the product’s versatility is the fact it can be sold in a solution of either alcohol or water, depending on what surface needs to be coated. The layer formed by the liquid glass is said to be flexible and breathable.

The patent for the technology is owned by a German company, Nanopool, which is in discussions with UK companies and the NHS about the use of liquid glass for a wide range of purposes.

Before everyone puts on their durable surface party hats, the geeks of Slashdot had some things to say about the dangers of silicon dioxide. One commenter mentioned that inhaling the substance can cause scoliosis or bronchitis and it doesn’t break down in the lungs — decreasing capacity over time.

[Via Slashdot | Telegraph]

Brainiacs Turn Water Into Elastic

Nick Upton — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:11:05 +0000

Japanese scientists have found a novel way to make an incredibly cheap plastic substance from mostly water. According the journal Nature, the scientists created the substance with 95 percent water and a bit of clay and “appropriate organic matters.”

The new material was obtained by adding about two grams of clay and a small quantity of appropriate organic matters into normal water.

The new aqua substance is elastic and transparent and looks very much like jelly.

Its characteristics make it possible to use it in medicine for sticking together tissues.

If its density is increased, the new material could be used for the production of ecologically clean plastic materials.

It’s a fascinating step in creating plastic, and it really could help ease our dependence on the oil that most plastics are made from.

I just want to see what scientists could make with inappropriate matter, I bet they would get some great off-color goo.

[Via Tom's Guide | Bernama]

NASA’s New Telescope Spots Near-Earth Asteroids

Asterios Kokkinos — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:00:28 +0000

NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, is hard at work on its task of mapping the entire sky with infrared light. Why? Planet-killing asteroids, that’s why! They’re out there, and I’m terrified! And guess what? WISE’s already brought home the bacon:

That red dot is WISE’s first find – a .6-mile asteroid NASA’s designated 2010 AB78. Will it collide with the planet, killing billions? Thankfully, no – due to its tilted orbit, it won’t come near earth for centuries – but thanks to the WISE we can now keep an eye on it.

How does WISE work? Well, I could tell you about it’s onboard telescope with a 16-inch aperture, a telescope designed to continuously sweep the sky at four infrared wavelengths as it spins about the earth. I could tell you about its four detector arrays, capible of scanning ONE MILLION PIXELS each.

I could tell you all that, but I’d just be regurgitating nonsense words, as I have no idea what any of that means. Let me put this in words even I can understand: big telescope help save planet! Earthlings grateful! Asteroids bad!

NASA Set To Outsource Space Travel Tech

Nick Upton — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:02:06 +0000

NASA and the Obama administration says the future of space travel will depend more on private companies to do the legwork in creating new technology and building the technology for future space travelers.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the move is expected to be a part of President Barack Obama’s next budget. After the success of the various X-prizes, these types of deals are becoming more and more intriguing.

The idea of outsourcing a portion of NASA’s manned space program to the private sector gained momentum after recommendations from a presidential panel appointed last year. The panel, chaired by former Lockheed Martin Corp. Chairman Norman Augustine, argued that allowing companies to build and launch their own rockets and spacecraft to carry American astronauts into orbit would save money and also free up NASA to focus on more ambitious, longer-term goals.

The plan does come with its critics, and some of them have very valid points. NASA brass says that while these private initiatives can help in some areas, every dollar taken from NASA’s budget makes it harder to pursue the future of space travel. Putting science funds in private hands could be great for things like space ferrying to and from the International Space Station, but the critics are right. Space exploration is difficult and fraught with unseen problems. If NASA cuts its margins with private exploration, that is less money for projects that exceed budgets — nearly every project.

These smaller margins aren’t likely to spark great ideas from NASA scientists, it’s bound to spark panic and the cutting of corners.

A more academic approach to NASA funding seems to be much more preferable, allowing scientists to ponder, fail and move on or change direction. The greatest technology comes from imagination and time, not a business plan. So dumping funds into private companies can tweak existing technology, but there won’t be the grand leaps that academia can create.

[Via Wall Street Journal]

Mars Rover Becomes ‘Stationary Research Platform’ (Totally Stuck)

Nick Upton — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:20:47 +0000

The plucky master of Mars, the Spirit Rover, is hopelessly stuck in a sand trap.

NASA scientists made the announcement in Washington, but made sure to say that the mission is still not over.

“Spirit is not dead; it has just entered another phase of its long life,” said Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We told the world last year that attempts to set the beloved robot free may not be successful. It looks like Spirit’s current location on Mars will be its final resting place.”

Designed for a 90-day mission, the Spirit Rover has been on borrowed time for more than five years already. And still, the rover keeps on working.

Now the Spirit will study how Martian winds affect sand particles and study nearby soil, giving clues to Mar’s past and the future of mars missions.

[Via NASA]

Making Drinks Just Got More Complicated

Nick Upton — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:53:32 +0000

I suck at making drinks — if it calls for more than two ingredients, I will probably end up sticky and holding a terrible drink. Now some engineer has made those gimlets, rusty nails and manhattans even more complicated with a huge blueprint of popular drinks.

I’m not sure this will be featured above the home bar, I’d much rather have a headache the next day then when I’m trying to make myself a drink.

You can find the whole drink blueprint at Flowing Data — complete with several keys in the sidebar for all your liquor engineering needs.

[Via Flowing Data]

Mass Effect 2 Tackles Tricky Science Of Dark Energy

Nick Upton — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:38:06 +0000

Tackling the concept of dark energy is pretty difficult, but that doesn’t keep video game makers from cutting some corners and trying.

Bioware, the maker of Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, has turned the typical fantasy magic into science fiction by creating something that resembles dark energy.

Even though physicists told Scientific American that the science in Mass Effect is pretty far off, they appreciate the ideas and the interest in science in general.

“I sort of like the idea of having people who could sense [dark energy] and manipulate it,” Davis says. In fact, “one of the reasons we’re studying it is to find some way to manipulate it.” One of the roles of video games and science fiction is to stretch what we know by using our imagination, she adds.

“It’s a fun idea,” Carroll says, adding that introducing gamers to even the concept of dark energy is a step in the right direction. “Someone might hear that term as part of a game and then hear it again in a more scientific context, and that might help them ultimately gain a better understanding of what it is. There’s a tremendous untapped potential in games for incorporating cool science.”

Science fiction and its affect on culture, technology and the world in general has been a topic of conversation for hundreds of years via authors like H.G. Wells and Isaac Asimov and in mainstream movies since Metropolis. Scientists even say Star Trek inspired them to pursue teleportation and force field technology.

So even though the science in Mass Effect 2 is far from the mysterious universal force of dark matter, it might inspire some young whippersnapper to pursue science and make breakthroughs in real science.

[Via SciAm Image via Bioware]

I Knew It! Gamers Have Bigger Brains!

J. Matthew Zoss — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:32:11 +0000

Space Fortress, the video game created for the University of Illinois study.

All this time, I guess I’ve been studying. According to a new study, games have specific brain structures that are larger than non-gamers, and the size of these structures is directly related to success at certain tasks. The study, conducted at the University of Illinois and published in the journal Cerebral Cortex, used a specifically designed video game called “Space Fortress” to measure activity in specific areas of the brain. Researchers found that expert gamers in general had larger “nucleus accumbens” than non-gamers, and that those with larger nucleus accumbens performed better at the tasks assigned to them in the study.

While you could easily sum up the findings by saying that gamers are better at games than non-gamers, the study obviously has a more detailed explanation. According to PhysOrg.com, the study “adds to the evidence that specific parts of the striatum, a collection of distinctive tissues tucked deep inside the cerebral cortex, profoundly influence a person’s ability to refine his or her motor skills, learn new procedures, develop useful strategies and adapt to a quickly changing environment.”

In other words, playing a game has a measurable affect on learning. No wonder that I am such a geinius… er, genius.

Source: PhysOrg.com

How Deep-Sea Snails Might Keep You Safe

J. Matthew Zoss — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 20:48:30 +0000

The future in body armor and personal safety gear may lie with the Crysomallon squamiferum, also known as the scaly-footed gastropod. Scientists have discovered that we humans would be much safer if we all started wearing giant snail shells out in public, which we would of course trick out with vinyl decals and spinner rims. But human-sized snail shells aren’t out on the market yet, so scientists are exploring other advances in safety gear inspired by this deep-sea creature.

MIT’s Christine Ortiz and her colleagues have been studying the way that this particular snail’s unique three-layered shell protects it against crab attacks. The outermost layer of the shell is composed of iron sulfide particles arranged in a way that it cracks when hit, but in a way that absorbs the force and prevents larger cracks. The cracks spread through the iron sulfide particles, a process that dissipates the energy and is known as “microcracking.” This outer layer of shell can even blunt and deform the attacking crab’s claws. Suck it, pinchy!

The middle layer of the shell is a soft, spongy material that further dissipates the force and protects the brittle inner shell. Ortiz says that this unique three-layered design could lead to better personal body armor without adding additional weight. Ortiz is also researching the armor systems of mollusks called chitons, as well as sea urchins, beetles and a fish called the Senegal bichir. The resulting research could result in better protective gear for all type of activity, as well as keep us all safe if we’re ever invaded by the Atlanteans or the Lobsterians from planet Aqueous-9.

Story and Image Source: New Scientist

German Scientists Develop Ultimate Germ Killer, Germs Furious

Asterios Kokkinos — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 06:00:41 +0000

German scientist have developed a new way of disinfecting stuff. It’s an alkaline solution that a) is effective against superbugs that are resistant to traditional disinfectants, and b) won’t damage the surfaces it’s disinfecting. This is perfect for hospital equipment, and terrible for germs.

Forever, we’ve been concerned about superbugs – bacteria and viruses that are so resistant to traditional disinfectants that they can hospitalize the infected. If this German disinfectant is as cold, calculating and efficient as the Germans themselves, this could be big news for those who hate being hospitalized. It’s also terrible news for those who like being hospitalized, so take this article with a grain of salt.

Source & Photo Source: Reuters

Bummer: Earth’s Bio-Diversity Nears Point Of No Return

Asterios Kokkinos — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:00:46 +0000

Earth’s bio-diversity is in incredible danger, in what scientists are calling a “real downer.”

Apparently, our ecological footprint is now 1.3 times what the earth can handle. Unless we make serious changes over the next three decades, earth will lose it’s ability to stably support life. Ain’t that the siznich?!

Here are some of scientists biggest sad-alerts:

*Overfishing has reduced blue fin tuna numbers to 18% of their 1970’s levels. Brutal!

*More than seven million hectares are lost worldwide every single year. Aw, snap!

*The burning of Indonesia’s forests for palm oil generates 1.8bn tonnes of greenhouse gases a year. What a drag!

If we don’t fix this over the next few decades, the earth will no longer be able to stably sustain life. Super lame!

Source & Photo Source: BBC News

Artificial Eyelids Helpful, Creepy

Asterios Kokkinos — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:00:39 +0000

Being unable to blink due to facial paralysis: not funny. This picture of a device that helps those people blink: hilarious.

Look at that guy! You can just see him scouting your power level, and freaking out when he finds out that it’s OVER 9000!

Still, though – facial paralysis is serious. Without the ability to blink, people can literally go blind. How many people? Why…no, no I shoul- OVER 9000!

The implant uses an electroactive polymer artificial muscle (EPAM). When the silicon polymer recieves a signal, it reacts – just like your own muscles do to your body’s natural electrical signals. How many signals being sent does it take to read this article?

OVER 9000!

Source & Photo Source: PopSci

Wii Balance Board Good For Something: Helps Stroke Victims With Balance

J. Matthew Zoss — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:00:50 +0000

If you have a Wii balance board, chances are that you have a Wii balance board that’s not being used for much. Why not donate it to science? Ross Clark of the University of Melbourne, Australia has discovered a use for the hunks of plastic: measuring the center of pressure for people relearning how to stand, such as stroke victims.

By taking the board apart to tap its strain gauges and accelerometer for their raw data, Clark found “an an extremely impressive strain gauge set-up.” Considering that laboratory-grade “force platforms” cost around £11,000, the researcher was obviously quite excited to find an equally effective piece of equipment that can be bought for around on $70 bucks on Craigslist. So pitch in, donate your dusty, unused balance board to science today!

Source: New Scientist

Image Source: Nintendo

Is The Phoenix Mars Lander Still Alive?

Asterios Kokkinos — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:31:12 +0000

On November 2nd, 2008, the Phoenix Mars Lander made it’s last transmission – the results of an arctic survey. It then powered down for the harsh Martian winter, with nobody at NASA expecting it to survive.

The Phoenix’s power down site has experienced fall, winter, and part of a spring – temperature fluctuations the rover was never designed to withstand. All expect that it is dead. Just in case, the Mars Oddysey Orbiter will make 30 sweeps of the area from January 18th-20th. Longer search campaigns will be undertaken in February & March.

Dr. Tom Pike, who worked on the Phoenix Lander, had this to say:

“If it does come back up, I will be very surprised – very pleasantly surprised. I think we will beg, steal or borrow the money to get back out to Arizona, into mission control and back into our old seats to get the show on the road again.”

Source & Photo Source: BBC

“We’re Close To Finding Habitable Worlds,” Lie Scientists

Asterios Kokkinos — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 02:00:08 +0000

A top NASA officer and other leading scientists are claiming that we’re 4-5 years from finding a habitable exoplanet (meaning: a world outside our solar system).

The reason? NASA’s new Kepler telescope, which is lighting the scientific world on fire faster than the introduction of a new, single, female scientist to their labs. At the yearly American Astronomical Society conference, scientists were abuzz about each new exoplanet Kepler discovered inching us further and further to finding a quiet, Earthlike planet where life could have developed despite the exploding stars and massive black holes of our universe.

I’ll believe that we find a new habitable planet when I see it. It sounds way too convienent. We screw up this planet and all of a sudden we get a new one lined up, just in time? Veeerrrrrrryyy cooonnnvvviiienenent.

Source & Photo Source: Discovery.com

Wifi Allergies Force Man Into Exile

Nex — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 21:19:06 +0000

There are a few great reasons to become a hobo. Maybe you find the idea of eating shoe leather and punching rats in the snout to be romantic. Maybe you hear voices that you can only escape by huffing kerosene fumes. Maybe you’ve fallen in love with a scruffy drifter named Alistair Drizzlepop.

As for reasons why not to become a hobo, the obvious health and hygiene concerns are high on the list, but the number one reason almost certainly reads “because you’re allergic to Wifi.”

Despite the last two paragraphs, Santa Fe resident Arthur Firstenberg has left his house and moved into his car to escape the negative impact his neighbor’s use of modern technology has on his body.

Additionally, Firstenberg is suing his neighbor, claiming that by refusing to turn off their cellular phones, computers, routers, Internet service, iPods, fruit bats, washing machines, space heaters and Mechagodzilla, they have damned him to a life of homeless solitude.

Communications and technology enthusiast site TMC explains:

Firstenberg “cannot stay in a hotel, because hotels and motels all employ wi-fi connections, which trigger a severe illness,” says the request for a preliminary injunction. “If (Firstenberg) cannot obtain preliminary relief, he will be forced to continue to sleep in his car, enduring winter cold and discomfort, until this case can be heard.” The case has been assigned to state District Judge Daniel Sanchez, who has yet to set a hearing.

I won’t necessarily doubt Firstenberg’s allergy claims until a doctor rules one way or the other, but I am curious as to what sort of evidence he claims to have of his affliction. Actually, scratch that; I just want to watch a video of Firstenberg eating a Bluetooth headset.

No, I don’t know why.

(Image: Uberreview)

The Minnesota Twins Get Green

J. Matthew Zoss — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:35:08 +0000

In general, I have as much business writing about sports as my Mom has writing about Xbox 360 first-person shooters. But I do love me some green technology! Target Field, the new ballpark in my hometown of Minneapolis, will be the most environmentally friendly stadium in the country, at least as far as water usage is concerned. The new open-air stadium has been designed to feature a custom-built water system that will capture, conserve and reuse rainwater. Looks like that open-air design was a good idea after all!

Designed by Minneapolis-based Pentair Inc, the water system will also include filtration units in all stadium suites, offices, training rooms and other indoor spaces. These filtration units are designed to improve water quality and lessen use of bottled water inside the facility.

Even though I’ll probably never set foot inside it, I’m happy to hear the Minnesota Twin’s new home was built with sustainability in mind. If I ever do go inside, I’ll be the guy checking out the water pipes rather than watching the game.

First Earth-Like Planet Found Is On Fire

Asterios Kokkinos — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:06:57 +0000

Just our luck: the first rocky world found outside our solar system is a world of fire. It’s also swarming with demons, has water made of knives, and has no KFC’s. Truly, this world is uninhabitable.

The planet, known affectionately by scientists as CoRoT-7b, has more active volcanoes than Juipter’s moon Io, which until this point was the most geologically active object we knew of. Sorry, Io, better luck next time.

Network World has a much more academic report on the planet, but it doesn’t have this list of even more reasons why this planet is uninhabitable.

The people who live there are made of poison gas, and love hugs.
Doesn’t get “Mad Men” episodes ’till like a year later.
Atmosphere is actually called an Atmosfear, because it is made of pure terror
Planet’s only crop is punches to the face
Valet parking there is prohibitively expensive
Four words: Jersey. Shore. Loving. Aliens.

Photo via Luuk1988 @ DeviantArt

Supermassive Black Holes ‘Waltzing’ Through Space

Nick Upton — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:28:13 +0000

An image of the galaxy COSMOS J100043.15+020637.2. The tidal tail of stars, gas, and dust shows that this galaxy recently merged with another galaxy, which brought two supermassive black holes into this galaxy. (NASA/ASA)

Our galaxy will soon (3 billion years) get into the universal dance party and join the other 33 known galaxies containing a pair of supermassive black holes — we will, of course, be annihilated.

Scientists with Berkeley unveiled new research showing that the phenomenon is actually much more common than once thought.

The numbers “show that dual supermassive black hole systems are much more common than previously known from observations,” Dr. Comerford, a postdoctoral researcher in astrophysics at the University of California, Berkeley, said via press release.

Researchers spotted the dancers by watching redshifting (traveling away) light and blueshifting (traveling away from the black hole) at the center of neighboring galaxies. Just as the Kepler probe spots a gap between the sun and orbiting planets, Berkeley researchers saw a gap between the celestial giants.

The two black holes pull against each other and tug at nearby stars, making a huge mess of the galaxy but also making for a very interesting glimpse into the depths of our universe.

Via Berkeley’s Department of Astronomy.

Awesome Video Of Sound Waves Seen Through Salt

Nick Upton — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:00:37 +0000

So what are you looking at? Just salt, a speaker and a cookie sheet, but the outcome is fascinating. The phenomenon is called a Chladni Pattern, and seeing how sound waves affect matter is one great example of how interesting all the waves surrounding us are.

Below is another video featuring the sweet salt science. It’s narrated by David Icke, so be warned, you’re in for some kooky metaphysical yammering and pseudo-science postulation — but it’s super trippy nonetheless.