Tag Archives: Science

Watch: ‘Invisibility Cloak’ Uses Mirages to Make Objects Vanish

Researchers from the University of Dallas in Texas have hijacked one of nature’s most intriguing phenomena — the mirage — to make an invisibility cloak. It can hide objects from view, works best underwater and even has a near-instant on/off swit… Continue reading

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Plant eats bird

This is a photo of bird being eaten by a plant.

According to a story from the BBC, it’s not unusual for a carnivorous pitcher plant, such as this one, to get its “hands” on a frog, a mouse, or even a rat. But poultry is a rare dish.

The plants kill… Continue reading

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Desalination: is this as good as it gets?

The US may have hit peak water back in the 1970s, but it continues to struggle to meet the water needs of a growing population. And elsewhere, many nations are attempting to provide their citizens with a reliable source … Continue reading

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Texas drought reveals wreckage from space shuttle Columbia

There’s a major, ongoing drought in Texas, Oklahoma, and southern Kansas. As of July 26th, Amarillo had clocked in a record-breaking 30 days of 100+-degree temperatures. Wichita Falls, Texas, is on a (so far) 50-day streak with no precipitation. (If … Continue reading

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Angry Birds on a physics exam

This was pretty much destined to happen, eventually. The old Wile E. Coyote story problems were getting a bit stale.

Via Rishabh Agarwal

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Macaque takes self-portrait

This is a self-portrait taken by a crested black macaque who reportedly snatched a wildlife photographer’s camera on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. From The Telegraph:

David (Slater), 46, said: “One of them must have accidentally knocked the cam… Continue reading

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Strange lights in the sky

This amazing video was shot at an astronomical observatory in Hawaii. It’s real, according to Bad Astronomy blogger Phil Plait. In fact, there’s another camera that captures the same phenomenon from a different angle. So the question becomes, “What t… Continue reading

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Electrons are near-perfect spheres

Electrons differ from being perfectly round by 0.000000000000000000000000001cm, writes Wired UK’s Duncan Geere: “To put that in context; if an electron was the size of the solar system, it would be out from being perfectly round by less than the width … Continue reading

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New elastic polymer self-heals in just one minute

Self-healing polymers are extremely sought after by scientists, as they have many useful—not to mention lucrative—applications. Back in 2009, we reported a polyurethane-based polymeric material that heals itself in roughly an… Continue reading

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The first underwater color photo

National Geographic has a slideshow that shows off major milestones in underwater photography. This image is the first color photo ever taken underwater.

Underwater color photography was born with this shot of a hogfish, photographed off the Florida… Continue reading

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