The Daily Rumpus
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From Stephen Elliott
Watching high speed laser welding with an x-ray camera–what part of that description isn’t awesome?
Solving the Pioneer anomaly.
Voyager is approaching the boundaries of the solar system.
Lunar eclipse! Science Friday has the viewing tips.
Ancient Maya temples may have been giant loudspeakers.
...moreFake eyes can affect behavior. This study is new, but the results aren’t surprising. They’re still cool, though.
Reproductive scientists have used stem cells to create mice with two dads.
It’s a planet lined with diamonds. Still not buying one.
...moreRadioactive mercury splits unevenly during fission. It’s a completely new form of asymmetric fission.
This picture of the Nile at night from the International Space Station is nothing short of stunning.
There are three times as many stars in the universe than we once thought.
...moreIt still amazes me that scientists can even find planets in other systems, but to figure out that this one was once part of another galaxy is incredible .
Scientists at CERN have trapped antimatter.
What did NASA discover when they got close to comet Hartley 2?
...moreSorry this is late–the line for early voting was longer than I expected. That’s a good thing, though, so I’m fine with this being a little late if you are.
Apparently, your fingers catch typos, or rather, there are two parts of your brain at work when you’re typing.
...moreThe Mars Rovers Spirit and Opportunity succeeded beyond everyone’s greatest hopes. Now, NASA is building a new Mars rover named Curiosity, which is much larger and heavier than the earlier two, and you can watch it being built.
There’s more water on the moon than previously thought.
...moreSome great images of the leftovers from the Soviet Moon program.
Why does Saturn’s moon Iapetus look like a walnut? (Seriously, it looks like a walnut.)
The next generation of malware may well simulate your personality.
A regulator for the EPA has recommended that a permit for one of the nation’s largest mountaintop removal mining projects be revoked.
...moreFascinating presentation by Hans Rosling about how the world is winning the war on child mortality.
Is water more common on asteroids than originally thought?
Remember that story about the bees disappearing? There’s an answer.
Drinking at the pub can be good for the environment, if you’re in the UK anyway.
...moreMost of the space news this week has surrounded Gliese 581G, the first planet found to reside in the so-called “Goldilocks zone.” But
It’s kind of odd to see hurricanes as the International Space Station sees them, if only because of the superstructure in the frame and the angle of the video. Plus, in this footage you get to see three different storms–Julia, Igor and Karl.
...moreEver wonder why mobile phone chatterers get on your nerves?
The term “lab rat” might have been “lab raccoon at one point.
How good are you at knowing when you’re right about something? The amount of gray matter in part of your prefrontal cortex may have something to do with it.
...moreCockroach brains may contain the next great anti-microbial compound. Who knew?
Great images of Saturn and 4 of its moons from the Cassini space probe.
Great interview dealing with the science of swarm intelligence on Science Friday.
Has science discovered the keys to sexy dancing?
...moreI almost always start these with a link from the Wired Science blog, but how do I choose today? Here are the top 4 right now: two stories onexoplanets, NASA flies a drone over Hurricane Earl, and the Smithsonian has launched a lion cub webcam at the National Zoo.
...moreThe story of the faster-than-wind wind-driven vehicle is fascinating, not so much for the actual machine, but for the rancor the debate stirred up online. Very good read though.
Studying the place of the booty call relationshipon the spectrum of relationships seems like a perfectly reasonable area of study to me.
...moreThe headline says it all: “Galactic Supervolcano Erupts From Black Hole“.
That oil plume in the Gulf of Mexico? Still there, and no idea how long it’ll stay.
The more research that’s done on brain damage caused by collisions, the more I have to rethink my enjoyment of sports like football.
...moreWhat goes into the formation of an icicle?
Arguing can be good for you, apparently.
Tried to see the Perseids meteor shower on Thursday night, but down here light pollution makes it really difficult. National Geographic has some great shots for those in my situation.
...moreTwo spiral galaxies collided a hundred million years ago. The pictures just got back from the developer. (Is that joke too out of date now? Maybe.)
The UN added 21 sites to its World Heritage List in furtherance of its goal of one world government.
...moreOlivia Judson is taking some time off from the NY Times, which makes me sad.
So glad this whale is extinct. And while I love my cats, I’m glad this one is extinct too.
If I understand this correctly, an evolutionary change in the way a particular lizard camouflages itself is leading to mating misunderstandings.
...moreRemember “Climate-Gate”? Your perception of it is no doubt shaded by your understanding (or lack thereof) of the science supporting global climate change. Unfortunately, that understanding is often screwed with by people with an agenda and a press that’s either unable or unwilling to do good science reporting.
...moreWhen I saw the headline “Goodbye, Wired Science,” I nearly freaked, since I get so many of my Science Saturday stories from that blog, and I didn’t want to see it disappear. Fortunately, the goodbye is coming from Alexis Madrigal, who is moving to The Atlantic.
...moreA Japanese spacecraft has deployed the first ever solar sail.
Confirmation of the discovery of the youngest planet outside our solar system.
Algae-powered flight.
Yet another reason to be terrified of sharks: they smell in stereo.
Have you signed up for the Human Phenome Project yet?
...moreThat giant sinkhole in Guatemala? Humans did it. It’s also not technically a sinkhole.
SpaceX, the private company who will be taking over for the Space Shuttle, had a successful test launch yesterday.
Cricket sex is kind of interesting to watch.
...moreHow do oil dispersants work? Popular Science breaks it down for the layperson.
Congress is suddenly interested in synthetic biology. Hilarity is sure to ensue, given the level of scientific education and understanding possessed by the average Congressperson.
On the same topic, my favorite thing about this Olivia Judson column is the way she co-opts the term “intelligent design” from the very first sentence.
...moreIf you want to follow the oil-cano story, The New Orleans Times-Picayune is a good place to start. Mac McClelland is also on the ground and tweeting about it.
Mount St. Helens, 30 years later.
The Space Shuttle program is coming to an end, but before it goes, NASA is getting some great pictures.
...moreTake a look at the next-generation supercars competing for the $10 million Progressive Automotive X Prize.
Every thing that has ever lived on this planet probably evolved from a single-celled organism that lived about 3.5 billion years ago.
Sticking with evolutionary biology for a moment, it seems likely that early birds didn’t flap their wings.
...moreEyjafjallajökull–remember that?–is erupting again.
Wonder what the US space program has in mind? Here’s one look at it.
Have you ever wanted to hunt Burmese Pythons? Come to Florida.
I can’t top this headline: “City of Gonads” Jellyfish Discovered.
...moreBirds are already starting to turn up covered in oil. National Geographic has some early photos.
In what will come as a surprise to almost no one, it’s being reported that BP had almost no plan in place to respond to a major spill.
...moreSo there’s a volcano erupting in Iceland. Good luck getting into or out of or around northern Europe by air. Might be time to look into that luxury zeppelin technology again, because this might last for a while.
Scientists have discovered the first complex organisms which can survive without oxygen.
...moreLate start today, so no morning links, but here’s some science for you.
In the great paper book/e-book debate, some dyslexics have a firm preference for e-books.
Scientists in Japan have been bombarding mushrooms with artificially-induced lightning to spark (sorry) greater growth.
...moreMost of the time in this space, I link to stories about new discoveries or great photos or cool gadgets, but this story might be more important. Simon Singh is a British science writer who criticized chiropractic medicine and was sued for libel as a result, and that’s a hard charge to beat in Britain.
...more
