Comments

sci-hi-fi

Technology

Scientists Stun Nematode Worms With UV Phaser Straight Out Of Star Trek

By Stuart Fox Posted on 11.19.2009 12 Comments
Star Trek introduced the world to a wide range of fictional technology, most of which, like beaming or warp drive, will likely remain fiction. However, a team of scientists from the University of Canada has taken the phaser, the show's famous stun-laser, out of the TV and into reality. Unfortunately, right now it only works on worms.

11.20.2009 at 04:29am - Comment by sci-hi-fi

First of all, there's no such thing as "University of Canada". Secondly, this is absolutely nothing like a phaser, as anyone even remotely familiar with the concept of a phaser (i.e., everyone) could tell you. And finally, both the photochop and the caption are completely ridiculous, and not in a good way. Nice try, though. Really.
Technology

NASA to De-Orbit International Space Station In 2016

By Posted on 7.13.2009 39 Comments
Despite nearing completion after more than a decade of construction, and recently announcing some upcoming improvements to accompany its full crew of six astronauts, NASA plans to de-orbit the International Space Station in 2016. Meaning the station will have spent more time under construction than completed.

7.13.2009 at 11:54pm - Comment by sci-hi-fi

What a monumental waste! This while Africa continues to starve.
Gadgets

Taser Rolls Out Extended-Range Shock Shotgun (Yes, a Shotgun)

By Jeremy Hsu Posted on 7.10.2009 13 Comments
Weapons manufacturers don't typically enjoy boasting about a shotgun's non-killing power, unless that manufacturer is Taser International. But even as the leading name in "less-lethal" released a new stun cartridge for 12-gauge shotguns with a range of over 100 feet, some journalists point out that safety and field tests have yet to disclose public results.

7.10.2009 at 05:24pm - Comment by sci-hi-fi

Those prongs look pretty nasty!
Science

Video: Einstein Robot Teaches Itself To Smile

By Anna Maria Jakubek Posted on 7.10.2009 7 Comments
According to developmental psychologists, as infants, we learn to govern our bodies through a process of random experimentation and feedback. We contort our faces into weird shapes, watch our parents react, and then switch up our movements accordingly. Now, computer scientists at the University of California, San Diego are applying this same strategy to robotics research. Through the use of machine learning, they’ve made it possible for their robot–an Einstein lookalike–to teach itself to make realistic facial expressions.

7.10.2009 at 05:19pm - Comment by sci-hi-fi

That's supposed to look like Einstein?! Looks more like my grandma!
Science

Coming Soon: Photographic Memory in a Pill?

By Dan Smith Posted on 7.6.2009 39 Comments
Wish you had a photographic memory? Well, Encyclopedia Brown, drugs may amp your brain up to that point soon. A group of Spanish scientists claim to have singled out a protein that can extend the life of visual memory significantly. When the production of the protein was boosted in mice, the rodents' visual memory retention increased, from about an hour to almost 2 months.

7.6.2009 at 02:45pm - Comment by sci-hi-fi

At last, I shall be an evil genius! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Science

The Science of Distraction

By Posted on 5.21.2009 1 Comments
Just look at all the things you're doing instead of working this beautiful day before a holiday weekend. Checking Facebook, looking at emails, listening to music, checking out Popsci.com and its Twitter feed, etc. How can you manage to hold all that information in your head at once? And is it any good for you?

5.21.2009 at 11:14pm - Comment by sci-hi-fi

There are two things wrong with this article: first, the author seems to become sidetracked at the end-- ooh, look a butterfly!
Entertainment & Gaming

Levitation and Precession

By Adam Weiner Posted on 4.22.2009 3 Comments
For a beautiful demonstration of both magnetic force and gyroscopic motion, let's contemplate the Levitron. This novelty toy (which even now sits on my shelf waiting for a quick spin around the block) consists of a magnetic base upon which you spin a magnetic gyroscope. Both the bottom of the gyroscope and the top of the base contain magnetic north poles, and therefore they repel each other. However, try as you might, you'll never be able to balance the magnet above the base without spinning the top. Why is this?

Article Rating:

4.22.2009 at 06:39pm - Comment by sci-hi-fi

That is so cool! I wanna get me one of those!
Entertainment & Gaming

Jeopardy at CES

By Sean Captain Posted on 4.2.2009 1 Comments
Though always known for its odd, over-the-top exhibits, CES took the cake this year by featuring a full TV sound studio--inside Sony's already-massive booth. The studio featured the brand-new set design for Jeopardy, the nerd television institution owned by Sony Pictures that was celebrating its 25th season by filming its "Celebrity Jeopardy!" and "Tournament of Champions" editions, which began airing last week. That gave us a chance at CES to meet up with geek-god Alex Trebek (who just gets better-looking every year) to talk about TV, tech, and trivia. Trebek claims to be a technology dinosaur, saying he doesn't even know what model cellphone he carries. But we weren't buying it. The guy's been working in electronic television since the age of the dinosaurs-well actually, 1961, when he started at the Canadian Broadcasting Company. But he remains a master of the medium-dreaming of how his show will look on OLED sets and in 3D.

3.18.2009 at 11:32pm - Comment by sci-hi-fi

"Canadian Broadcasting Company" should be "Canadian Broadcasting Corporation," just so you know.
Science

Pharaoh’s Feminine Figure Explained

By SciIll Staff Posted on 1.5.2009 6 Comments
The Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaton’s voluptuous body shape and elongated head and neck, recorded in ancient depictions of the male ruler, have long perplexed historians. But now Irwin Braverman, a professor of dermatology and an expert on visual diagnosis at the Yale University School of Medicine, is offering a theory on the characteristics, which are not found in representations of other pharaohs: Akhenaton may have suffered from two genetic disorders that affect body shape.

Article Rating:

1.7.2009 at 01:34pm - Comment by sci-hi-fi

"The problem I have with THEORIES is they could be right, or they could be wrong." You're absolutely right! I HATE it when people try to explain things without having absolute proof! Scientists should NEVER engage in speculation--they ought to stick to just reaffirming what we already know!
The Environment

Salt Water Rising

By the Editors of E - The Environmental Magazine Posted on 1.5.2009 28 Comments
Dear EarthTalk: With all the talk of rising seas, what could happen to the rivers that flow into the oceans? Will they reverse flow? Will rising seas back up into fresh water lakes? And what happens to our groundwater should saltwater flow backwards into it? -- Sandy Smith, concerned Michigander

Article Rating:

1.5.2009 at 12:56pm - Comment by sci-hi-fi

"FYI, global warming is a theory. A theory is an unproven idea. Prove to me that global warming is happening and I will believe it. There is too much evidence contrary to this theory for me." So, you would sooner believe the oil and gas companies' loopy conspiracy theory than the scientific theory which is supported by nearly all scientific authorities? Huh...