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For our annual How It Works issue, we break down everything from the massive Falcon Heavy rocket to a tiny DNA sequencer that connects to a USB port. We also take a look at an ambitious plan for faster-than-light travel and dive into the billion-dollar science of dog food.
Plus the latest Legos, Cadillac's plug-in hybrid, a tractor built for the apocalypse, and more.

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I'm a little pissed off those guys in Switzerland even did that, surely MAKING stuff that could potentially turn living things, including humans, into "zombie's" is a little.... bad?
Robert1234: You wouldn't be saying that what the Swiss did was bad if it proved that the airborne method didn't work. We can't always get it our way. Obama proved that, we voted for a Democrat and got a fascist Republican instead. Same here, the result is a zombie.
from Sacramento, CA
It's not that they're "messing" with something with any intention to create zombies, if we can make a zombie, we can find a way to reverse the process. The scientist publish their work. What if some terrorist someplace is also trying this and actually infects people? THOSE are the things we should worry about. The Swiss would be a step ahead and prevent such an event.
OC -
from time to time - its ok to do it.
As long as we only create shambling zombies it's cool. 28 Days Later zombies are a whole other story though...
And there you have it. No one is talking about the brain wasting disease in deer here in the US, nor on the cases of mad cow that we have discovered here. We know that rabies is also highly durable in a dead host. Considering that these diseased species do not eat meat, let alone brain; it therefore follows that it is being introduced into water or soil, and that there might be some connection in plant life as well. There has been nowhere near enough investigation and these animals are being eaten by people who go on brushing their teeth, coughing, spitting, or what have you until they die, hopefully not having had the chance to reproduce. If it is existing in plants, we eat those, too. Insects and their by-products too.
@Robert1234: Nice attempt at trolling. Too bad Obama does not resemble a Republican in any way. Just a typical liberal politician and that is the problem.
As for the swiss test, yeah that is bad that airborne prions can cause fatal effects. Just hope that isn't misused or a natural process doesn't cause them to be airborne.
If I'm not mistaken, shotguns kill Zombies. Thus, shotguns must also kill Prions, you just have to make them small enough.
About twenty or so years ago I read an obituary for some scientist whose work included the design of a communication device that would be inserted in the back of the neck and connected directly to the brain for direct telephone communication. And this was work being done for a major British Telecommunications company.
I only hope that The EU are one step ahead of the corporations looking into various ways of transmitting signal our way without handheld devices or audio-visual advertising.
I don't believe in conspiracies, most of the research and technologies are there to be learned about.
We just need to join the dots - chances are there are scientists out there involved in converging technologies.
www.softmachine.net
from Lawrence, KS
@Robert1234 Boring, inane comment that has nothing to do with the article - must be afflicted with PrP^Sc -
@TheTurk How does this have anything to do with prions transmitted in aerosol? Unless your intent is to spam us for the web site at the end . . .
"a new study from a group of pathologists in Zurich, Switzerland took concentrations of aerosolized prions and exposed mice to the spray. It turned out to be 100 percent lethal."
That's a good reason to tish in my pants whenever I see chemtrails.
Well, I'm glad my Apocalypse-Pack is stocked up and ready to go!
@RobWiki: Technically 28 Days Later was a hemorrhagic virus. That's why they are crazier. They aren't dead so, they are way faster and scarier than "zombies".
Have most of you have also missed the point as to whom would most benefit from technologies, if any derived from these examples? Two words. No Body.Every time a new "medicine" proves its value as a weapon, it inevitably becomes one. How insidious is a mind melting non biological(non canine sniffing) spore that reduces your brain to mush. I dont know about you , but the first scientist to put forth research on this crap should have his balls clipped. What was dudes name? Oh yea Oppenhiemer? Lot a good he did eh?
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