141: Weird Science

[TheRandom]

Weird Science

"Everything from your mom's favorite tea set to the annoying kid throwing paper airplanes in the back of the bus has a magnetic field, even if it's tiny. However, with enough juice running through an electromagnet, scientists can make anything fly. Take, for instance, the levitating frog, which can surf an electromagnetic wave with the best of them."

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[Surggical_Scar]

I don't think I've ever been so completely engrossed in an article before.

Not only did you find some absolute gems of bizarre and incredible scientific discovery, but it wasn't the physics journal I was expecting it to be. The 10-Year battery sounds like an incredible invention, if it ever gets off the ground.

And as for glowing cats? Well!

It's good to know that there are still mad bastards out there in the world, jamming the unsuspecting arm of science into the lucky dip bin of the cosmos.

 

[TheRandom]

Hey everyone (Tom Furnival btw)
Thanks for the postive comments, means alot to me as I havn't written anything serious in quite some times.

Ta
Tom

 

[WilyWombat]

Great read! Science and what the future holds is definitely firing a lot in the past few weeks. Arthur C Clarke passing away as so many of his predictions are operating now. Ray Kurzweil's mindbending presentation at GDC. Here is a link to his 2005 TED presentation, which I think probably covers a lot of the same ground as his GDC pres (havent watched it yet) and would be of interest to readers of your column.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/38
Perhaps someone can find his latest, it was great science 'fiction', that is to say projections based on current knowledge.

 

[Magnetic2]

While I am all aglow (pun!) over this article, I can't help but see the obvious problem, which is that certain industries and mega-billionaires who built their empires on suffocating markets, will not look kindly upon batteries that last ten years, or eradicating diseases that rake in billions of dollars for the pharmaceutical companies. When this stuff hits mass market, I think there will be a play to keep the old model for doing business intact, which won't be very pretty.

 

[DaDude9211]

"Many clones have genetic defects amplified, as Dolly the sheep proved. Dolly had severe respiratory problems and developed arthritis at a very young age."

This is fairly deceiving, the author should have read up on telomeres before he made such claims.

 

[TheRandom]

I'm terribly sorry, I study physics not biology. Perhaps you could enlighten me as to why its deceiving?

 

[Justaidan]

I'll chime in here for DaDude9211.

In short telomere lenght shortens with age. So Dolly had short telomeres since it was made from an adult sheep.

Basicly clone Dolly was already whatever age the original was the moment it was made.
So the problems weren't due to genetic defects (that I know of) it was mostly old age.

Again electrochemist here but if any genetists what to give the full details go right ahead.
Also pretty sure I heard that that that problem was fixed for later cloning attempts. Again any genetists want to clarify that.


Final word of warning to all the non-scientists out there.

Don't believe what you read unless it can back up its claims and has been published in a reputable source.

In other words if someone has "made" (yet another) way to make 100% free energy check to see if their building is plugged into the mains.

Edit: Oh and real science can be ahella lot stranger then science-fiction.

 

[Mr Inconsistent]

I just really need to say this:

This shit blows my fucking mind!!!!

 

[shaboinkin]

This needed to be up there
http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=115089&org=NSF&from=news

Quantum Processor ftw!

 

[Toty54]

Very interesting article, not so sure about having a glowing cat in my house but a few of those batteries and a levitating frog would be awesome!