Tags
It’s time for another congeries of bits from around the web. One of the links in this post (the bee videos) was sent in by a reader. If you come across something that you think should be including in the next Foraging post, either leave a comment below or get in touch!
Science
- Scientists at MIT have developed a glucose-powered fuel cell to drive brain-computer interfaces (e.g., for controlling prosthetic limbs). The future is here!
- Matthew Lasar at Ars Technica tells the fascinating story of a Finnish radio programme that was broadcasting computer code (BASIC programs for the Commodore 64) in the 1980s.
- Over at Bad Astronomy, Phil Plait does an fantastic job of covering the recent news about the extent of arctic sea ice being at a record low. One of the comments (#27) also contains some worrying numbers about the reduction in volume (vs. coverage) — a 75% reduction in 35 years is quite striking!
- Here’s an old article in National Geographic about a two-headed dinosaur fossil. And an even older article about a two-headed snake.
- Over at Science-Based Medicine, Steven Novella has written an excellent article aboud research debunking claims of ESP. He discusses how scientists collect and analyze data and suggests how we should do it better. If you’re only going to read one of the things I’m linking to, it should be this one.
- This post would be incomplete without something from Curiosity. Have a look at the first picture sent back by the amazing rover on Mars. That’s a mountain on another planet! Following that first photo, we’ve been getting some panoramic shots: here’s an interactive panorama and, more recently, a (very) high resolution one.
Educational
- This animated video of the inner life of a cell replete with tiny molecular machines and transport systems is a good reminder of how highly structured & regulated the environment within a cell is — it’s not just a sac full of organelles!
- Actor/director Isabella Rossellini has put together a series of short educational films about bees.
Just for fun
- Here’s Conway’s Game of Life played on a mind-blowing scale (unfortunately the video has a Shepard tone in the background).
- Lithuanian artist Tadao Cern made a slow-motion video (and accompanying photo gallery) showing what happens when you blast people in the face with a powerful air current. Skin is amazingly elastic!
- I took a few pictures of fireworks when I started doing photography, but quickly got bored of them because they all look pretty similar. These pictures by photographer David Johnson have proven me wrong: with a little creativity, you can get some very different pictures of fireworks.
- Artist Gabriel Dawe has created some beautiful art installations using colored thread.
- The BIC’s “For Her” pens have gotten some appropriately sarcastic and hilarious reviews on Amazon.
As usual, if you’d like to add an interesting or entertaining link, just leave a comment. 🙂
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