-
The “God Lobe”
The current issue of Scientific American Mind discusses how neuroscientists are using brain scans to study the biology of spiritual experiences; they are, for instance, taking MRIs of the brains of people when they are recalling “religious experiences,” to see what parts of the brain light up. University of Montreal researcher Mario Beauregard says, “These…
-
I Knew They Were Good for Something
I like Scott Adams’ suggestion. Invest in giant penises, save the world. Link
-
The Strangest Sights in GoogleEarth
This is pretty amazing stuff, from surprisingly high-resolution shots of people on Bondi Beach to a startling and unexplained blood-red lake in Iraq. Link
-
Artificial Snot
I bet that got your attention. Mucus greatly improves the nose’s ability to differentiate smells by helping to separate the scents chemically. Researchers at Warwick University in the UK have developed an artifical mucus (a thin polymer coating) to enhance the effectiveness of odor-sensing “electronic noses.” I’m finding this far, far funnier than I probably…
-
The Philosopher’s Stone for Genetics
Craig Venter and his team have come up with a genome transplantation method that transforms one type of bacteria into another, dictated by the transplanted chromosome. In other words, one species turns into a different one. Venter said further: Now we know we can boot up a chromosome system. It doesn’t matter if the DNA…
-
Think Artificial
Here’s a neat blog I just stumbled across, devoted to AI, robotics, and “exciting technologies.”Link
-
R.I.P., Mr. Wizard
Poop.
-
Chicken Little May be Pork
Researchers at Utrecht University are “trying to make meat without having to kill animals,” beginning with lab-grown pork. They’re looking first at supplying astronauts on long missions with fresh meat, but eventually hope to grow enough to feed millions of the poor as well.Link (via Nothing to Do with Arbroath)
-
Amazingly Cool Crystal Cave
Even without the Superman tie-in (or maybe especially without the Superman tie-in), this cave full of gigantic crystals is seriously awe-inspiring. Somebody with a little poetry in their soul finally got in on the naming, too; the “Cave of Swords” portion of the cavern sounds like something out of a Simmons novel. (Unlike a gorgeous…
-
New Extrasolar Planets Discovered
Of the 37 new extrasolar objects spotted in the past year, 28 of them have been extrasolar planets. This brings the total to 236 known exoplanets and shows that planets can exist around a broad spectrum of stellar types.Link