Fun With Lasers
Wicked Lasers doesn’t just have a fun name. The Hong Kong-based company also likes to have a little fun with its products. In this week’s print column, we wrote about how Wicked Lasers teamed up with marine biologist and TV host Luke Tipple to achieve a dream of “Austin Powers” supervillain Dr. Evil: “sharks with frickin’ lasers beams attached to their heads.”
But it seems that being integrated with sharks isn’t the only way for lasers to get some attention. Scott A. Stevenson of worldscott.com uses lasers to pop popcorn or explode fireworks–among other video stunts–all in the name of helping to popularize science and technology through informative and entertaining videos. After he posted a video using a laser to ignite a firecracker hanging inside a balloon, Wicked Lasers contacted Stevenson and sent him its Spyder III Krypton 750mW+ laser, which he used to attempt setting a Guinness Book of World Records, popping 100 single-file balloons with one laser beam. Happy Monday, folks!
Amusing News Aliquots
Silly samplings from this week’s science news, compiled by Bethany Halford and Lauren Wolf.
Credit: Flickr user snelly23
Putting water on cereal is weird. Now there’s science to prove it. [Discoblog]
Buying your own wedding ring is for weaklings. This guy forged his from a meteorite. [io9]
Roadkill, it’s no longer just good eats. It’s doing science. [Wired]
Welcome to the age of social media: Hospital in Houston live tweets a brain surgery, with video and photos. Click to see the Storify-ed version. [Memorial Hermann/Storify]
Mathematician reveals how he beat the roulette wheel in the 1970s with wearable computer. [New Scientist]
When your parrot curses a blue streak, does it know what it’s saying? [Slate]
Extra-Tiny Water Molecules
Ionic Cleansing Facial Steamer Credit: SkyMall/Hammacher Schlemmer
Thank you, SkyMall catalog. Not only do you provide distraction during seemingly endless flights to destinations around the world, you’ve also given me a good laugh on this humdrum Friday.
And thank you, Leverett Smith, a Newscripts reader from El Cerrito, Calif., for sending in the SkyMall advertisement that delighted me so.
SkyMall, not content just to sell fascinating specialty products like orthopedic dog couches and wall-mountable battle armor, is now reinventing science.
Behold, The Ionic Cleansing Facial Steamer! This device “produces ionic steam that penetrates deep into pores to provide deep cleansing that rejuvenates and refreshes skin,” the ad reads. “The unit emits steam molecules that are 1/8,000 smaller than normal
water molecules, allowing more moisture to reach deep into the keratin layer and remove impurities while elevating moisture and sebum levels to revitalize skin.”
For only $299.95, this miracle product can be yours, folks. And let’s not forget to get some chemophobia in there: “Eliminating the need
for harsh chemicals or costly soaps,” the ad continues, “the device uses ordinary tap water and its warm mist opens pores to remove dead skin cells, leaving skin soft and smooth, and improving its tone.” Yup, those costly soaps will definitely set you back more than this steamer, and those harsh chemicals, why, they’ll melt your face off.
Smith didn’t have much to say about the ad—it really speaks for itself—but he adds that “ ACS members will doubtless be able, on their own, to come up with a myriad of possible applications for those extra-tiny water molecules.”
Amusing News Aliquots
Silly samplings from this week’s science news. Compiled by Bethany Halford and Lauren Wolf
Credit: What We Do Media
Someone has actually clamped a frickin’ laser to the dorsal fin of a shark. Supervillains to take over Earth. [Wired Gadget Lab]
Smalleye pygmy shark groans in disgust. It already has a light-emitting belly and doesn’t need any frickin’ laser beam. [Christian Science Monitor]
Physics professor contemplates The Incredible Hulk’s energy requirements during his “getting angry” time, as well as whether he’d crack the pavement when jumping around NYC. [Wired Science Blogs]
Speaking of villains, polymer chemist admits to being the evil force who made snack bags so hard to open. [Gizmodo] via [It’s the Rheo Thing]
From the “Questions You Never Wondered About” files: What does one use to test a toilet’s flushing power? [Annals of Improbable Research]
The obesity epidemic has escaped into the wild, with fat pigeons, fat rats, and “genuine fat asses.” [Slate]
Musically Gifted & Geeky
Each year around the holidays, we here at Newscripts post a
list of potential gifts for all the science geeks out there. We cull our picks
from the Internetz as well as from fans who write in.
But one gift just came across the Newscripts desk that we
thought merited an early mention because we’d never considered scientifically
decorated musical instruments before.
Behold, the Atom Ukelele! This custom-made string instrument
is available on Etsy from artist celentanowoodworks. More important, the
website says: “If you can dream it, let’s
build it. The possibilities are endless when it comes to instrument building.
Why shouldn’t your instrument be as personal as the music you play?” Crown
ether ukelele, anyone?
And because everyone loves Tom Lehrer’s song, “The
Elements,” here’s a version sung by a 3 year old named Rose. Cute overload in a
good way, or cute overload in a bad way? It’s not for us to say. But we do know
that if this little virtuoso learned to play the Atom Ukelele, she’d be an
unstoppable force.
ACS Mole Checks Out DC Cherry Blossom Parade
Like any good chemist, the mole always wears eye protection. Credit: Christine Schmidt
Credit: Christine Schmidt
The ACS mole mascot put in an appearance at last weekend’s National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade in Washington, D.C.
Doug Dollemore, a senior science writer in the ACS Office of Public Affairs, manned the mole suit. Would-be moles need to be 5’7″ to 5’11″ to fit in the suit, which has a fan in its head to keep the “mole”nteer cool.
The mole was part of the USA Science & Engineering Festival delegation, which also included the Math Tree, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, a robotics club from Rockville, and a large mechanical spider from Vancouver, B.C.
Printed Icon Lives On
The 2010 Encyclopaedia Britannica, the last print edition.
Back in the April 2 issue of C&EN, we at Newscripts lamented the news that Encyclopaedia Britannica was no longer going to be issued in print format. Although the venerable encyclopedia will still be available online, we considered that the loss of the printed icon would be detrimental to tactile learning gained by leafing through the meaty volumes. In particular we noted that in the 1967 edition, the section on chemistry spans more than 50 pages.
“Yes, that is a loss,” comments Newscripts reader Robert B. “Brad” Spencer of Madison, Wisc., who is proud owner of five sets of Encyclopaedia Britannica, including a reprint of the first edition from 1771. Spencer sent along this scan (below) of the beginning of the article on “Chemistry” from the first edition.
The article has no chemical element symbols—they hadn’t yet been established. It is also absent any formulas or equal signs, and the “long s” was still in use in English. “Chemistry was a recognized field of interest at the time,” Spencer observes. “But it was still largely an outgrowth of alchemy.”
This first article states that the four principles (or elements) are earth, water, air, and fire, Spencer notes. “Not that long ago the belief in these was still dominant,” he says. “But also notice what follows: a statement that our senses cannot possibly determine the principles of which they are composed, so we should, in essence, give up. As we know, there were already at that time individuals who were not so pessimistic about the ability to dig deeper, and they began a marvelous understanding of chemical reality.” Thanks for sharing Brad.
Amusing News Aliquots
Silly samplings from this week’s science news. Compiled by Bethany Halford and Lauren Wolf.
Credit: flickr user Martin Heigan
If you give red roses for love and daisies signify innocence, one shudders to think what the terrifying blooms of the Hydnora Africana represent. [io9]
Scientists construct world’s biggest shake table for earthquake testing. Place five-story building, complete with two floors of mock hospital, on top. [U-T San Diego]
We want this guy on our side: Scientist uses physics-based explanation to get out of traffic ticket, then writes paper about it. [Wired]
Pass the buckyball-flavored ice cream: Eating C60 might, in the future, extend your lifespan. And, no, we’re not joking. [io9]
These fish glow fluorescent green when exposed to estrogenic pollutants. We hear they’re great for river-cruise parties. [ScienceDaily]
Fellas, want to look taller and more muscular? Apparently, you simply need to be holding a gun. [LA Times]
When humans are gone from the face of the Earth, will our shoes still wash up on shores? [NPR]
Amusing News Aliquots
Silly samplings from this week’s science news, compiled by Bethany Halford and Lauren Wolf.
Credit: Royal Canadian Mint
New Canadian quarter features glow-in-the-dark dinosaur bones. The bad news: each quarter costs $29.95 [Geekosystem]
Speaking of dinos, Ronald Breslow, distinguished chemist, thinks there may be super smart dinosaurs in space. [Smithsonian] (UPDATE: We should have noted that this news item references a JACS paper here.)
The wounds of some Civil War soldiers glowed in the dark … via an infection of bioluminescent bacteria. And we thought the wounds were bad enough. [Mental_Floss]
What to do when the dog eats your science experiment? Write a paper about it, naturally. [Annals of Improbable Research]
Scottish whiskey distillery sent unmatured malt to the International Space Station for testing near zero gravity. When questioned about results, hiccupping astronauts say the samples mysteriously disappeared. [BBC News]
In Ethiopia, hyenas observe Lent too. [Discoblog]
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