mad science

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  • mad science

    A Homemade Piece of Lab Equipment With A Terrible Purpose

    There is something creepily fascinating about this piece of DiY lab equipment, fashioned in Denmark during the 1970s. Can you guess its purpose? Not for the faint of heart. More »
    08:30 AM
    9,877
    56

    By Annalee Newitz

    Comment by Julio Bermudez: Oh god, for a second thier i thought it was intended for my man parts O_o 14 Responses | Other threads

  • mad science

    Now You Can Literally Create Objects Out Of Thin Air

    At last, you can make things disappear. Scientists have created a device for disappearing unwanted objects. The crazy part is that it can make objects seem to appear as well. More »
    07/07/09
    11,024
    42

    By Megan

    Comment by zslane: Are you effing kidding me? We're on the brink of Romulan Cloaking technology and all you twits can think of... 5 Responses | Other threads

  • mad science

    Schizophrenic Brains Make More Complicated Music Than Sane Ones

    A new computer program lets your brain turn fMRI machines into musical instruments by assigning notes to active regions of your cortex. The results may cause people to drive themselves crazy just to stay on the cutting edge of electronica. More »
    07/06/09
    2,619
    11

    By Megan

    Comment by ZanipoloLebron: This is so AKIRA. 2 Responses | Other threads

  • mad science

    A Drug That Could Give You Perfect Visual Memory

    Imagine if you could look at something once and remember it forever. You would never have to ask for directions again. Now a group of scientists has isolated a protein that mega-boosts your ability to remember what you see. More »
    07/02/09
    155,780
    164

    By Annalee Newitz

    Comment by alphanumeric1971: Oooohh Annalee. The grammar police are in full force today! 20 Responses | Other threads

  • mad science

    Nanoparticle Breakthroughs That Could Save Millions of Lives

    Although some kinds of nanomaterials (like carbon nanotubes) can be harmful to your health, scientists are quickly developing nanoparticle therapies that can fight cancer and bacterial infections better than any of our current medications. More »
    06/29/09
    3,261
    22

    By Megan

    Comment by Grey_Area: Is there any way this could be explained to me musically, with some sock puppets? 12 Responses | Other threads

  • bad science

    Clever New Breast Gadgets Can't Support Their Claims

    A bevy of terrible contraptions have been concocted lately for the benefit of our breasts. Here are a few of the more recent "WTF get the away from me" over-the-shoulder boulder-holder gadgets. More »
    06/24/09
    18,270
    85

    By Meredith Woerner

    Comment by crashedpc : ゴキブリ and 蟑螂 division: Ok wow, someone please explain to me what breast glands are and why they need to be dredged. 13 Responses | Other threads

  • mad science

    Dark Matter Lab Dedicated 5,000 Feet Underground

    This week, the Sanford Lab dedicated an underground science fortress to research dark matter. The lab is 5,000 feet underground in the mountains of South Dakota, shielded from cosmic radiation. More »
    06/23/09
    116,005
    72

    By Stephen Goldmeier

    Comment by Marikir: "Good morning, and welcome to the Black Mesa Transit System. This automated train is provided for the security and convenience... 4 Responses | Other threads

  • pharmaceuticals

    An Anti-Anxiety Drug That Could Create Super-Soldiers

    Soon you may be able to buy a drug that can make you calm by mimicking the body's natural self-soothing process. But you wouldn't feel drugged. What would happen to people who suddenly became fearless without side-effects? More »
    06/19/09
    28,689
    77

    By Annalee Newitz

    Comment by ManchuCandidate: I personally think this is a very bad idea. A lot of stupid things and bad ideas were stopped... 11 Responses | Other threads

  • evolution

    The Strange Life of Creatures Whose Sperm Is Larger Than They Are

    Some insects and sea creatures produce sperm that is up to 10 times bigger than they are. Now scientists have used an innovative new x-ray technology to show how this bizarre situation evolved over hundreds of millions of years. More »
    06/18/09
    41,977
    29

    By Annalee Newitz

    Comment by PantherShade: I think you mean that they're 10 times longer, not bigger or larger. No, those concepts are not the same. ... 5 Responses | Other threads

  • mad science

    Sonic Black Hole Swallows Every Sound It Hears

    Imagine a giant tank that can roll into town emitting literally no sound. This could be the future of stealth warfare. Scientists have recently devised a "sonic black hole;" any sound that passes its edge can never come out again. More »
    06/17/09
    8,274
    55

    By Stephen Goldmeier

    Comment by FiorenzaDampt: I'd love to direct one of those at my neighbour who is under the misapprehension that she is a good... 7 Responses | Other threads

  • longevity

    Find Out How Old Your Body Is: Scientists Can Measure Your Actual Molecular Age

    You might know your chronological age, but do you know your "molecular age"? A newly found chemical in the human body could indicate how old your body actually feels, acting as a marker for aging in the body. More »
    06/16/09
    3,657
    11

    By Stephen Goldmeier

    Comment by DumbledoreCalrissian: "Time is short but the years are long..." Anyone? 1 Responses | Other threads

  • battlestar galactica

    Robotics Scientists And BSG Cast Members Agree, We're All Doomed

    This past weekend, robotics experts joined Battlestar Galactica's President Roslin and Colonel Tigh, for the World Science Festival panel, "Cyborgs on the Horizon." They explained all about the inevitable robot uprising, and screened new Plan clips. More »
    06/15/09
    8,956
    37

    By Meredith Woerner

    Comment by Dr Emilio Lizardo: War without body bags is not war, it's reality TV. If there is no risk of something truly horrible happening to... 6 Responses | Other threads

  • mad science

    First Real Cyborg: A Robot Controlled By A Living Brain

    Do you really want a deadly robotic chassis being controlled by the brain of a rat? Scientists at University of Reading do. They've connected a biological "brain" made of rat neurons to a robot, with a two-way link. More »
    06/12/09
    8,431
    49

    By Charlie Jane Anders

    Comment by 5AMfrenchtoast: I can't help but feel that this is wrong on several levels. Besides, what good can come of this? What is... 5 Responses | Other threads

  • mad science

    Help Name Science's New Superheavy Element

    Get ready to revise everything you know about chemistry - A new superheavy element is about to be added to the periodic table, just as soon as its creators can think of a suitable name for it. More »
    06/12/09
    5,725
    167

    By Graeme McMillan

    Comment by Thomas S: Colbertum 7 Responses | Other threads

  • space elevators

    Scientists Design The Next Best Thing To A Space Elevator

    Scientists in Canada have designed a cheaper, easier way to build mankind's millennium-old dream of a stairway to the heavens: use balloons. More »
    06/10/09
    6,156
    61

    By Megan

    Comment by TrollSlayer: Canada has scientists? Sorry. I'm always just a little skeptical when anything, not boring, comes out of Canada. 28 Responses | Other threads

  • mad science

    Pentagon Closer To Creating Liquid Metal Terminators

    Progress continues on a Pentagon-backed fringe science project to develop matter that can assemble itself into 3D forms (such as weapons) and flow like mercury through barriers. We all know where this leads, don't we? More »
    06/09/09
    5,973
    39

    By Gary Susman

    Comment by TemporalSword: Wait, I thought Al Gore invented the Internets? And yeah, everything pretty much ends up as porn. What do you expect... 7 Responses | Other threads

  • mad science

    Astronauts Drink Their Own Urine For The First Time

    It's the moment that all astronauts knew that they'd have to face, but really didn't want to: The drinking of their own recycled urine. And, just to make the event more pleasurable, these astronauts are doing it on camera. More »
    06/08/09
    2,556
    36

    By Graeme McMillan

    Comment by king rex: vampire hater: Relax, it's now just water. The water you're drinking right now was once many other people's and creatures' piss, so... 3 Responses | Other threads

  • mad science

    Science To Test Fantastic Four Theory

    Would cosmic rays turn a man into a fantastically stretchable being, human torch or just plain (orange) rocky thing? That's a question that NASA may be about to answer, as they test the body's endurance to space radiation. More »
    06/06/09
    4,934
    17

    By Graeme McMillan

    Comment by The_Thing: Also they apparently strapped one of these dummies to the outside of the International Space Station. For some reason that... 6 Responses | Other threads

  • mad science

    Now Your DNA Can Be Used For Machine Parts

    We're closer than ever to turning our bodies into computers. A study published this week in Science demonstrates how to turn DNA into a simple counter. That means your DNA could eventually be reprogrammed with a shut down command. More »
    06/05/09
    9,531
    20

    By Annalee Newitz

    Comment by atomic1fire: The problem with genetically engineering humans is that once you start, what ethics are still available, when is it okay to... 4 Responses | Other threads

  • mad science

    Could Metal-Excreting Bacteria Avert The Next World War?

    Scientists at the Institute of Physiological Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany want to prevent the next generation of international conflict over scarce natural resources. So they're trying to reverse-engineer metal-extracting bacteria. More »
    06/04/09
    2,790
    26

    By Megan

    Comment by crashedpc : ゴキブリ and 蟑螂 division: "THE PLATE IN MY HEAD!!! THEY'RE EATING MY BRAINS!!" 7 Responses | Other threads

  • virtual worlds

    How To React To Your VR Environment

    How convincing is virtual reality? To our conscious mind, not at all (Seriously, have you seen Second Life?), but to our subconsciousnesses? Well, it depends how real everyone else thinks it is, apparently. More »
    06/03/09
    1,712
    9

    By Graeme McMillan
  • mad science

    Scientists Measure Communication Between Quantum Entangled Atoms

    Einstein called it "spooky action at a distance:" one particle can instantaneously tell what another is doing without being anywhere near it. It's called quantum entanglement. And now NIST physicists have brought this effect to the real world. More »
    06/03/09
    4,683
    73

    By Stephen Goldmeier

    Comment by Aaron Roberts: "communicating with each other, faster than the speed of light" Where on the linked site does it state this experiment showed... 17 Responses | Other threads

  • mad science

    California's Laser Beams To Nuclear Tomorrows

    It may look like a mid-70s prog rock album cover, but this is actually an illustration of the potential future of thermonuclear energy production in progress. More »
    05/30/09
    3,369
    44

    By Graeme McMillan

    Comment by Globe*99: Dude, sorry but I think you got taken for a ride by the government science propaganda machine. There are a... 16 Responses | Other threads

  • mad science

    Transgenic Mice Engineered With A Human Gene For Speech

    A team of German scientists have created a batch of transgenic mice with a human gene for speech. Could they be the prototypes for future hyper-intelligent rodents? More »
    05/29/09
    5,392
    76

    By Stephen Goldmeier

    Comment by Khmylevs Kheroes: Gee, Brain, what do you want to do tonight? 11 Responses | Other threads

  • mad science

    One Unit of Lab-Grown Human Skin Now Costs 34 Euros

    Thanks to advances in biotechnology, German researchers can now rapidly mass produce swatches of real human skin. At 34 Euros per unit, this manufactured skin is so cheap you might soon find it for sale next to bandages in the pharmacy. More »
    05/20/09
    9,449
    45

    By Annalee Newitz
  • mad science

    Cyborg Technologies You Can Implant Now

    Did you think that artificial heart in Crank 2 was fake? Think again. It's just one of many cyborg technologies in production right now. More »
    05/20/09
    4,938
    50

    By Annalee Newitz
  • mad science

    Headless Fire Ant Zombies Are Your Friends

    Farmers fighting invasions of fire ants have a new weapon in their arsenal. It's a natural, non-toxic way to kill the ants by turning them into zombies whose heads pop off. More »
    05/13/09
    10,505
    82

    By Annalee Newitz

    Comment by TemporalSword: Yup. Then the flies will take over and become a problem, so they'll have to bring in special frogs to... 14 Responses | Other threads

  • mad science

    Pig Science Makes Post Swine-Flu Comeback

    Could pig embryos help humans become healthier and more resistant to illnesses like swine flu? That's a theory that's currently being investigated by Israeli scientists, but is it kosher? More »
    05/12/09
    692
    12

    By Graeme McMillan

    Comment by jamesryan: To answer the first question you post: It's immaterial whether this can be considered kosher, as the Laws of Kashrut... 3 Responses | Other threads

  • mad science

    Physicists Prove That Vampires Could Not Exist

    Two physicists have published an academic paper where they demonstrate, by virtue of geometric progression, that vampires could not exist, since they would almost immediately deplete their entire food supply (a.k.a, all of us). More »
    05/05/09
    100,373
    167

    By Mark Strauss

    Comment by shaithis: WTF...You mean people get PAID to do that kind of CRAP research. And we wonder why the world economy is... 21 Responses | Other threads

  • mad science

    Daily Show Explains Why There's A 50/50 Chance Of Apocalypse

    Last night's Daily Show revealed the horrible truth behind the dangers posed by the Large Hadron Collider... as well as introducing a whole new way of calculating probability. Thank God someone's explaining science so simply.
    05/01/09
    8,145
    61

    By Graeme McMillan

    Comment by Citizen Kang: You know...I'm one of those people who thinks that the sad state of education in the United States is, for... 19 Responses | Other threads

  • mad science

    Inject New Bones Into Your Body, Just Like Wolverine

    You can't get an indestructible adamantium skeleton, but a new surgical technique can help you fix broken bones with just one shot. That's right: You can get a bone graft injected via syringe. More »
    05/01/09
    8,596
    22

    By Annalee Newitz

    Comment by BadUncle: On the one hand: awesome! It's the future! On the other: you are so right about the body modification implications,... 4 Responses | Other threads

  • mad science

    Two Stem Cell Research Breakthroughs You Should Know About

    Stem cell therapy has the potential to rejuvenate Alzheimers-damaged brains, and has already helped cure some kinds of blindness. And there are two more reasons to be hopeful about stem cell treatments, announced this week. More »
    04/30/09
    34,272
    35

    By Annalee Newitz

    Comment by turniptable: How long before we can get stem cells to form into a Shakey's Pizza? 5 Responses | Other threads

  • genetic engineering

    A Drug To Re-Awaken Ancient Human Genes And Fight HIV

    "Junk DNA" are inactive parts of your genome, switched off long ago in evolutionary history. Now scientists say there's a junk gene that fights HIV. And they've discovered how to turn it back on. More »
    04/27/09
    19,569
    104

    By Annalee Newitz

    Comment by ZetaCrossfire: but is there a catch? What is if we do turn them back on will i grow a 3rd arm?... 17 Responses | Other threads

  • human cloning

    Doctor: There Is "Absolutely No Way" Cloned Humans Won't Happen

    Video of a fertility doctor injecting cloned human embryos into a woman's womb have made their way online, outraging the medical community. But the doctor in question is defiant about the importance of his work. More »
    04/27/09
    4,457
    108

    By Graeme McMillan

    Comment by capntim: I guess another problem i'd have with cloning is that it's making a new person. stop. making. people. we don't need more... 17 Responses | Other threads

  • glowing clone dogs

    Introducing Glowing Puppy Cam

    Okay, they're not on a 24-7 webcam yet, but this cloned beagle is part of a litter of the world's first translucent dogs. Yes, you read that right. Under certain lights, this puppy's proteins glow. More »
    04/25/09
    5,199
    46

    By Graeme McMillan

    Comment by crashedpc : ゴキブリ and 蟑螂 division: PUPPY RAVE! OONTZ-OONTZ-OONTZ-OONTZ 11 Responses | Other threads

  • brain science

    New Technology Allows Hands-Free Twittering Via Brainwaves

    Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have created a revolutionary new way for sufferers of locked-in syndrome to communicate using only their brainwaves...and, even more shockingly, found a use for Twitter that's actually worthwhile. More »
    04/24/09
    2,194
    38

    By Alasdair Wilkins

    Comment by crashedpc : ゴキブリ and 蟑螂 division: Oh gods. I hope Twitter can filter out Freudian slips. "AWWW YEAH I'MA GONNA HIT THAT" "SHIT THAT WAS WIFE'S SIS" "HONEY SORRY... 5 Responses | Other threads

  • spring mating season

    Seven (Mostly) Scientific Devices for Measuring Sexual Arousal

    Scientists can measure atoms and they can measure the distance from our sun to the edges of the universe. So of course they also have instruments that can determine precisely how sexually aroused you are. More »
    04/16/09
    32,931
    39

    By Annalee Newitz

    Comment by ManchuCandidate: I can't wait for someone to design these measuring devices with a USB connector. 4 Responses | Other threads

  • mad science

    Everything You Know About Human Evolution Is Wrong

    Well, maybe not everything, but new research suggests that we're not as closely related to apes as you may have thought. The giveaway? The way we climb trees, apparently. More »
    04/15/09
    9,293
    118

    By Graeme McMillan

    Comment by thesis: This article is pure win for that picturing of the scientist aping the chimp. I wonder what the intelligent designers are... 13 Responses | Other threads

  • mad science

    Man Becomes Cyborg For The Sake Of Art

    Take a close look at that picture. There's no camera trickery going on, and no special effects; that man really does have an LED implanted in his right eye socket. And that's only the beginning. More »
    04/08/09
    13,634
    129

    By Graeme McMillan

    Comment by acrobatic rabbit: Just because you can doesn't mean you should. 17 Responses | Other threads

  • overweight galaxies

    The New Victim Of Obesity: Galaxies

    Scientists are getting worried about the potential threat posed by "overweight" galaxies snacking on their neighbors. Anyone got NBC's number? We've just had this great idea for a new season of The Biggest Loser. More »
    04/07/09
    1,954
    31

    By Graeme McMillan

    Comment by corpore-metal: It seems that the evidence for dark matter continues to build. Considering that most of the universe is composed of... 6 Responses | Other threads

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San Francisco, 5:48 PM
Thu Jul 9
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