…comes this story, headlined “Star Trek-like ‘Tricorder’ becomes science fact”: A press release at Purdue University has unveiled the startling news that a portable sensing system to analyze chemical components is now a reality. About the size of a large car battery, the unit is, at less than 20 pounds, much smaller than the refrigerator …
Tag: science
Rise of the ray-guns
“Set phasers on stun!” Captain Kirk used to order his crew, the usual preference of the United Federation of Planets being to avoid killing aliens, no matter how bad their make-up, if at all possible. Alas, in the real world, we don’t always have that option. Aside from the Taser, which zaps people with an …
New specimen of colossal squid landed
New Zealand fishermen have landed a half-ton, 39-foot-long colossal squid, probably the largest specimen ever recovered. I once wrote a science column about colossal squid (which are a different species from giant squid). I like this paragraph: “I can assure you that this is going to draw phenomenal interest. It is truly amazing,” said Dr. …
Score one for us loners:
According to a new study, group thinking clouds decision-making: People have a harder time coming up with alternative solutions to a problem when they are part of a group, new research suggests. I think every organization should seriously look into this problem, perhaps by striking a committee. Oh, wait…
"Gentlemen, we can rebuild him."
Here comes the bionic eye, the best hope yet of restoring sight to the blind: Profoundly blind people could get their best shot yet of restored vision with a more advanced “bionic eye”, researchers have announced. Trials of the new retinal prosthesis will begin shortly, following the success of a prototype that has enabled six …
Who needs a flash drive…
…when you’ve got DNA? Japanese scientists say it might be possible to use DNA to store text, images, music and other digital data for thousands of years inside living organisms. Masaru Tomita and colleagues at Tokyo’s Keio University say data encoded in an organism’s DNA, and inherited by each new generation, could be safely archived …
A treatment for tinnitus?
It’s not a cure, but scientists have discovered an unexpectedly effective way to treat the symptoms of tinnitus, at least in one patient. As I’ve mentioned before, my ears have been ringing for as long as I can remember. Mostly I ignored the problem; occasionally it annoys me, usually when I read something about tinnitus …
Attack of the giant bird-eating bats!
I’m linking to this story just because it allowed me to write the above headline. Such are the little things that keep me amused.
Quantum computer unveiled…
…and it works! It’s slow, and there’s some question how well this approach can be scaled up, but it definitely worked. Hey, it even solved a Sudoku puzzle!
Why won’t you do what you’re told?
As a child, I always did what I was told. (Mom, stop laughing, I’m trying to make a point here.) But I can’t say I didn’t resent certain restrictions. And I’m not alone. Most people hate being told not to do something, and if they can’t see a good reason for it, may well go …
Are we wrong about the causes of climate change?
There’s a legitimate rival theory about the most important thing driving climate change.
A Lego in motion tends to remain in motion
Newton’s Laws explained with Lego.
My latest live walk and vlog
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