Pac-Man, the open-mouthed face of the most successful arcade game ever, is much more well-known than any of the one-celled organisms called protists, at least among people over 30. But the first study to characterize protists in soils from around the world–co-authored by Smithsonian scientists–found that the most common groups of soil protists behave exactly […]
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Astronomers Detect Large Amounts Of Oxygen In Ancient Star’s Atmosphere
Maunakea, Hawaii – An international team of astronomers from the University of California San Diego, the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), and the University of Cambridge have detected large amounts of oxygen in the atmosphere of one of the oldest and most elementally depleted stars known – a “primitive star” scientists call J0815+4729. This […]
What’s It’s Like To Live Without A Sense Of Smell?
The smell of cut grass, freshly baked bread, childhood memories, lost loved ones, Christmas. What happens when it’s all gone? A new study from the University of East Anglia reveals the huge range of emotional and practical impacts caused by a loss of smell. It finds that almost every aspect of life is disrupted – […]
Kirigami Designs Hold Thousands Of Times Their Own Weight
The Japanese art of origami (from ori, folding, and kami, paper) transforms flat sheets of paper into complex sculptures. Variations include kirigami (from kiri, to cut), a version of origami that allows materials to be cut and reconnected using tape or glue. But while both art forms are a source of ideas for science, […]
Spider-Man-Style Robotic Graspers Defy Gravity
Specially designed vacuum suction units allow humans to climb walls. Scientists have developed a suction unit that can be used on rough surfaces, no matter how textured, and that has applications in the development of climbing robots and robotic arms with grasping capabilities. Traditional methods of vacuum suction and previous vacuum suction devices cannot maintain […]
36 New Inventions That Should’ve Existed Forever
These recent inventions shock by virtue of how surprising it is that they weren’t invented earlier. All of them elegantly and cleverly solve a problem that mankind has been dealing with for years and sometimes hundreds of years. Check out our list of 36 inventions that by all means should have been invented a long […]
(Video) Man Builds Giant Paper Airplane, Hurls It Off Cliff
Sometimes we spend too much time thinking about why we should do something, and not enough thinking whether we can do something. Because really, does one need a reason to construct and hurl a giant paper airplane off the side of a mountain?
(Video) PGA Pro with One Club Versus Amateur with Full Set
You know that scene from Tin Cup where Roy McAvoy plays a round with his beloved 7-iron? Watch this pro with a single club play against an amateur with a full set to get a sense how that would really play out.
(Video) Men Build Machine to Hit World’s Longest Home Run
In 1987, Joey Meyer of the Denver Zephyrs took advantage of the thin air at Colorado’s Mile High stadium and hit the longest measured home run at 582 feet. These men build a machine that can hit a home run even farther than that.
(Video) Late for School, or Not? Parkour Version
Sometimes you check the clock and know you are going to be late for school. Other times you jump out of a plane, stick the landing, and parkour your way to the classroom.