Just Plain WEIRD #2
New research tracks a rocky, interstellar object’s ability to transport life to another planet. By Passant Rabie – Around 4 billion years ago, Earth was under attack. The planet’s surface was bombarded by asteroid after asteroid and a whole host of other interstellar …
Using time-tested techniques, scientists are figuring out how to measure artificial organ growth. Very carefully. By David Grossman – What if a child with a failing organ could, instead of waiting on a donor list, simply have their new liver or heart grown …
By Loz Blain – Lucy is a robot janitor with a security badge. Trifo. – Trifo’s new Lucy robot vacuum is a clever little gadget that combines home cleaning with autonomous security patrolling thanks to its 1080p, high dynamic range camera and AI-enabled autonomous …
This Navy Seal method could be the key to overcoming panic. By Sarah Sloat – In moments of acute stress, it can be difficult to breath easy. When the “fight or flight” response is activated, the sympathetic nervous system activates rapid breathing. In the …
Five hundred years after coining the first dollar, a tiny mining town is coming to grips with the many ways it shaped the modern world. By Eliot Stein – The US dollar is the most widely used currency in the world. It is …
Tool of the devil, harmless family game—or fascinating glimpse into the non-conscious mind? The makers of the first talking board asked the board what they should call it; the name “Ouija” came through and, when they asked what that meant, the board replied, …
Some puzzling studies appear to show that tiny airborne particles may contribute to obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Should we be concerned? By David Robson – Take a deep breath, and exhale. Depending on where you live, that life-giving lungful of air might …
The idea of ‘absolute time’ is an illusion. Physics and subjective experience reveal why. By Stephen Johnson – ESA. Since Einstein posited his theory of general relativity, we’ve understood that gravity has the power to warp space and time. This “time dilation” effect …
It’s almost an unthinkable practice in our modern era and one that may teach us a lot about generosity: giving to your community until you have little else to give. By Cat Perry – In remote fishing communities across southeast Alaska live the …
By Rich Haridy – A still from the winning video in the Nikon Small World In Motion competition showing a polyp emerging from staghorn coral. Philippe Laissue / Nikon Small World in Motion. – Zooming in on the motion of the microscopic, the winners …
