Ratings

Science

X-Ray Advancement

Science

The Hidden Talents of the Lowly Sea Cucumber

Though its one of the most perfectly named living things on this planet, the sea cucumber, on first glance, isn't among the most exciting aquatic species. Distantly related to starfish and sea urchins, the sea cucumber in appearance lacks the brio and allure of its cousins, and except for a few variations among subspecies, the general body plan of the cucumber basically resembles a large, leathery sausage crawling along the ocean floor. Yum.

Science

Author Arthur C. Clarke Dead at 90

March 2008 has been a rough month for nerds. First came the passing of D&D co-creator Gary Gygax. Now we hear that one of the mightiest names in science fiction, Arthur C. Clarke, has died. Clarke, author of some of the genre's classics such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Childhood's End, was a tireless enthusiast for science and technology. Arguably, though, Clarke's most striking contribution to humanity, published in a paper in 1945, was his idea of using geostationary satellites as communications relay stations.

Entertainment & Gaming

The Breakdown: Tic The Spinning Hamster

Tic, the unfortunate hamster in this video, loses his footing while getting some exercise and gets pulled into the spin cycle, completing nearly 12 revolutions in about four seconds before ignominiously dropping out of the wheel. However, while Tic may be bewildered by what happened during his morning training session, we need not be. Why does he get pulled into the spin? How does he remain in orbit for 12 rotations before falling off of the wheel? How does he finally escape? These are the questions we will address for Tics sake.