{ Science }

Lasers Used To Kill Mosquitos, 50-100 Per Second

It’s not everyday when you get genuinely excited over a product. A mass-murdering-laser-beam aimed at mosquito nonetheless. But it’s this exact product that I can stand behind, if only to rid my life of these pesky insects that plague my backyard. For a demonstration, check out the video after the break. Read more

{ Science }

White Blood Cell Hunting In The Wild

Want to watch something crazy going on inside you right now? How about white blood cells hunting bacteria in your body? Epic. The only thing missing from this video is the late Crocodile Hunter narrating the entire thing.

[Geekologie via Neatorama]

{ Science }

Dr. Megavolt Plays With Lightning, Looks Like Dr. McEvil

The following video is pretty nifty. It features “Dr. Megavolt,” also known as Austin Richards, playing with lightning. The bolts are made with a Tesla Coil that produces 2,000 volts of electricity. Whats fascinating about the video is that he has shrunk a “cage” down to the size of a hazmat suit, and simply plays with it like children play in sprinklers. The Tesla Coil that Dr. Megavolt made was produced in 1991 when he was in college. During that time he experimented with it and accidentally touched it and didn’t get shocked. That’s when he thought of the idea to make a smaller suit that he could wear. Though its incredibly awesome to be playing with lightning, I must say, he looks like he could jump into any horror movie and scare the bajesus out of us. Video of all the shenanigans is after the break. Read more

{ Science }

The Fun Theory: Bottle Bank Arcade

Volkswagen is at it again with their little Fun Theory, but this time with a bottle bank “arcade.” If you don’t remember, it’s a simple science project that asks the question “if we make it fun, will people start doing it?” You may remember watching them create the piano stairs in a subway where people used the stairs over the escalators. This, like the previous video, really does get people to do things as long as it’s fun. It’s really interesting and fun to watch (no pun intended). Keep up the series, Volkswagen!

[Neatorama]

{ Science }

The End Is Near: Human-Created Black Hole Accomplished

Seriously, the end is near. Two Chinese scientists, Tie Jun Cui and Qiang Cheng, have created a human-made black hole. It’s no joke, either. It does exactly what it’s big brother does out in space. New Scientists, which first reported the story, says:

“[...] It is made of 60 annular strips of so-called “meta-materials”, which have previously been used to make invisibility cloaks.

Each strip takes the form of a circuit board etched with intricate structures whose characteristics change progressively from one strip to the next, so that the permittivity varies smoothly. The outer 40 strips make up the shell and the inner 20 strips make up the absorber.

“When the incident electromagnetic wave hits the device, the wave will be trapped and guided in the shell region towards the core of the black hole, and will then be absorbed by the core,” says Cui. “The wave will not come out from the black hole.” In their device, the core converts the absorbed light into heat. [...]“

At least there’s a bright side: maybe we can throw our national dept straight into the center.

[Engadget via New Scientist]

{ Science, Space }

Watch: Video Of NASA Bombing The Moon

Ok, let me forewarn you: this video is sorta‘ lame. At around 7:15am this morning NASA’s crack team of scientist thought it would be a great idea to bomb the moon. Why exactly they needed to do this is beyond my comprehension. I read that it was a way for them to find out if water still exists under its powdery, rocky surface.  Regardless of the experiment, NASA did bomb the moon and this is the video. As I stated earlier, it’s not much of a thrill ride; but, perhaps a more enhanced image from an orbiting satellite will soon be sending pictures (or video) back to Earth. By the way, I recommend fast-forwarding to around minute five.

{ Science }

The Fun Theory: Turning Stairs Into A Piano

The good folks over at Volkswagen are creating an initiative called The Fun Theory. The Fun Theory is designed to get people doing things that are better for them. Case in point: taking the stairs instead of the escalator. Sure, it doesn’t sound like much, but we all know it’s better for you. Escalators are for lazy people and we’re not lazy, right? Ok, maybe a little, but not that much. Either way, they added the sound of piano keys to every step so that every time someone stepped on one of the keys, it made a tone. It, in turn, made 66% more people take the stairs over the escalator. They call this “the fun theory.” I can’t wait to see their next installment. Check out the awesome video after the break. Read more

{ Science }

Camera Catches View From The Back Of An Albatross

Want to get a “bird’s-eye-view?” Just stick a camera on the back of an albatross. Or, at least that’s what I hear the students are doing. The study was conducted to find out exactly how albatross birds find their prey. Nothing is really known about their feeding habits and this was aimed at finding out exactly what and how they find their prey. They used “combined animal-borne camera and depth data logger” on our feathered friends and gathered some pretty interesting information. The entire study is posted online so if you feel this capacious amount of info tickles your fancy, start reading.

{ Science }

Is Your Child A Psychopath?

If you ever walk in on your child doing his/her science fair project and it’s based around microwaving animals to see if they explode the fastest, yes, your kid may be a psychopath.

[Fail Blog]