Category: Science & Technology

Posted on by

Is this how it all ends?

''Four Horsemen of Apocalypse'', by Viktor Vasnetsov. Painted in 1887.

''Four Horsemen of Apocalypse'', by Viktor Vasnetsov. Painted in 1887.In the midst of the big holiday season there’s nothing like giving a little thought to the end of the world. While wars, pestilence, disease, and alien invasion are still the favorite stories, there is a danger lurking out there that we can’t really do anything about.

It’s the sun! This video talks about how the sun might take us out.

Pretty scary stuff, eh? Of course, if it was to happen, what could we do? Would we even have time to react? The sun is eight light minutes away from the earth, which means that its light take eight minutes to reach us. An event might be hurling something slower, but it’s likely to come quickly.

There might be signs, though. Who’s keeping an eye on this? SOHO, or the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, has been keeping an eye on things for 20 years. They even have software you can use to see what’s happening with the sun. The video said that we could get about 15 hours of warning if a serious event were to occur. Since a lot of the damage is more to our infrastructure and our electrical system than to our persons it’s likely we could just shut down for a while and everything would be fine. Of course, we’ve never really been through it like this before so we don’t know exactly what will happen.

So, just go about your business, and pay no attention to that big yellow ball that is watching and waiting in the sky.

Saul Ravencraft's signature

Posted on by

Could this fossilized flea unleash deadly plague?

Fea in amber

Fea in amber
This flea preserved about 20 million years ago in amber may carry evidence of an ancestral strain of the bubonic plague.
Photo by George Poinar, Jr., courtesy of Oregon State University [CC BY-SA 2.0]
The flea in this picture could contain the ancestor to one of the most horrifying diseases known to the human race, the Black Death. Also called the bubonic plague, this disease killed an estimated 50 million people in the 14th century, or 60 per cent of Europe’s entire population.

Examination of this flea found droplets of the deadly bacteria on its proboscis (sucking mouthpart) and in its backside. This thing’s got it bad!

George Poinar, Jr., an entomology researcher in the College of Science at Oregon State University, told Discover News reporters “Aside from physical characteristics of the fossil bacteria that are similar to plague bacteria, their location in the rectum of the flea is known to occur in modern plague bacteria, and in this fossil, the presence of similar bacteria in a dried droplet on the proboscis of the flea is consistent with the method of transmission of plague bacteria by modern fleas.”

In other words, it looks like we’ve got a winner!

Just as the mosquito that started all the trouble in Jurrasic Park, this chunk of amber was pulled from a mine in the Dominican Republic. Is it possible that this bacteria could somehow be revived? It’s not likely. Generally things that have been trapped in rock for 20 million years are going to be pretty dead. However, we have discovered bacteria that can survive in space, so what do we know?

Enlarged photo of flea with arrow pointing to traces of bacteria
The arrow points at bacteria on the proboscis of this flea preserved in amber, which researchers believe may be an ancestral strain of the bacteria that causes bubonic plague.
Photo by George Poinar, Jr., courtesy of Oregon State University [CC BY-SA 2.0]
Another question is could an early form of this plague have been partially responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs about 66 million years ago? Research suggests that the big event was a large asteroid (and that more may be coming). But imagine the double-whammy of terrible disease and an astro-event!Poinar added “If this is an ancient strain of Yersinia, it would be extraordinary. It would show that plague is actually an ancient disease that no doubt was infecting and possibly causing some extinction of animals long before any humans existed. Plague may have played a larger role in the past than we imagined.”Hopefully all of this will remain scientific curiosity and we won’t have some strange event that brings on the zombie apocalypse. Though, it wouldn’t hurt to have a few cans of food and some extra water handy.

 

Saul Ravencraft's signature

 

Read the original Discovery News article.

 

Posted on by

World survives and NASA reports water on Mars

If you are reading this then it means that we all survived the Blood Moon phenomenon on Sunday and we got through 9-28-15 without being sucked into an artificial black hole or anything. Now NASA announces that they have found actual liquid water on Mars. Did you miss it? Here’s the announcement. Don’t worry. It’s short!

So, what does this mean? It means that we don’t always know what we know and we don’t know what we don’t know. Just a few years ago the article A Tale of Planetary Woe was published on NASA’s Science News web site. In it the author says :

“Mars today is bitter cold and bone dry. The rivers and seas are long gone. Its atmosphere is thin and wispy, and if Martian microbes still exist, they’re probably eking out a meager existence somewhere beneath the dusty Martian soil.”

While it’s true that we have not discovered a lush oasis on Mars, we’ve found that it’s a little less desolate. Does that translate into a Martian civilization? Probably not. However, it seems to be a moving target.

In 2009 scientists believed they had identified fossilized bacteria in a meteorite with Martian origins. This suggests that there was some sort of life, if only microscopic, long long ago. However, the idea of liquid water erodes the idea that life “could not exist” on Mars, making it “probably doesn’t exist.” That leap is huge.

This kind of exploration is literally not an exact science. It is finding information, making the best sense of that information with existing knowledge and then digging deeper. I’m very happy to move from “bone dry” to “under certain circumstances, liquid water has been found on Mars.” Now the idea of water can be part of the thinking about Martian exploration. As that thinking adapts the methods for exploring adapt and we’ll find new things because we begin to look for them.

The existence of water certainly changes the views of a manned expedition to Mars (actually considered by 2030). It’s all very exciting news.

Of course, we hope that none of this is disrupted by the actual martians! Remember this guy?

B&W photo showing a shadow of the Mars rover with what appears to be a shadow of a person doing maintenance.
Photo from Mars rover shows what appears to be a human doing something to the machine.

If the Martians do appear, we hope they are wise and wonderful like it Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land.

Saul Ravencraft's signature

Posted on by

Send in the prehistoric clones

Museum Nature Science Woolly Mammoth
Will we be able to see these magnificent creatures in the flesh?
Photo by Joseph Martinez [cc-by-nd 2.0]
If you read our article from 2011, you may have been wondering when that woolly mammoth clone would be available? It may be closer than you think.

A new laboratory in the icy wastelands of Siberia is devoted to cloning extinct animals, including the woolly mammoth. Located in Yakutia, the facility may have the largest collection of remains from prehistoric animals—everything from prehistoric dogs and horses to the enormous precursor to the elephant that once roamed the earth.

An article in Russian magazine, Ogonek (see original or English translation), reports that the lab is very focused on cloning mammoths as their first project in collaboration with the Sooam Biotech company, which has already had success in dog cloning. They’ll never do it, though. Right?

This article from the Telegraph tells how Harvard University researchers have already copied 14 woolly mammoth genes into the genome of an Asian elephant. While their work has not yet been published, and the genes have only lived in a lab at this point, it’s an important step toward a living, breathing mammoth.

While it would be fantastic to be able to see these prehistoric creatures in the flesh, there is always the question of whether this is a good idea. Should creatures whose time on the planet has come and gone be allowed to rest in peace? In the mean time, we’ll keep an eye on developments.

Posted on by

There is no spoon

The word pareidolia has been bandied about quite a bit as a result of the strange pictures coming from Mars that seem to depict everything from a jedi woman to machinery. Now we have a strange picture that appears to be a spoon floating on Mars.

floating-spoon

NASA’s response is predictable:

It seems that we are to believe that Mars is filled with nothing but rocks and dirt! Perhaps it’s true, but where is the fun in that? I didn’t spend all my time reading H. G. Wells and watching Devil Girl from Mars to have my hopes dashed. It’s…it’s just disappointing!

Actually, it’s fascinating how our minds are so geared to find meaningful patterns. It’s what allows us to appreciate art. It’s what makes emoticons work. 🙂

It seems that that our brains are wired to seek patterns, especially faces. In his book Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark Carl Sagan wrote

“As soon as the infant can see, it recognizes faces, and we now know that this skill is hardwired in our brains. Those infants who a million years ago were unable to recognize a face smiled back less, were less likely to win the hearts of their parents, and less likely to prosper. These days, nearly every infant is quick to identify a human face, and to respond with a goony grin.”

Recognizing your parents is good, but it’s probably also helpful to see the potential for anything that might eat you. While we are less concerned about sabre tooth tigers today, haven’t we all had a moment where we saw something that looked like an intruder? The heart pounds, the body prepares to fight or fly. It ends up being a pile of clothes. From a defensive position, though, wouldn’t you rather that your body geared up for action and discovered it was a false alarm than to only activate as something was reaching out for you?

So, this fascinating ability of our brains causes us to recognize all sorts of thing, and keep the NASA public relations team up nights trying to fend it all off. Or…they really are out there and it’s all a big cover-up. Fortunately we still have pictures like this, which appears to show the silhouette of a man doing maintenance on the rover.

Mars-Conspiracy

Now, tell me what kind of rock that is! To help you keep the dreams alive, here is a trailer for Devil Girl from Mars. You might even be able to find a full version to watch!

Keep watching the skies!

Posted on by

Message in a bottle over a century old!

Message-in-bottle
This bottle, discovered on a German, may contain the world record for a recovered message.

April 17th, retired postal worker, Marianne Winkler, was walking along the shore of the German island of Amrum on the North Sea coast when she found something very curious on the beach. It was a well-sealed bottle with a message inside. The Winklers tried to get the bottle opened, but were finally forced to follow the directions to extract the paper: BREAK THE BOTTLE.

It turned out to be a post-paid postcard from The Marine Biological Assocation of the UK with instructions to send the postcard back for a 1-shilling reward.

This is an image of a message that was found in a bottle from the The Marine Biological Association of the UK
Front of postcard found in the bottle.
Photo by Marine Biological Association of the UK
Back-of-postcard
Back of postcard found in the bottle.
Photo by Marine Biological Association of the UK

It’s likely that the price of postage has gone up since this bottle was dropped into the water sometime between 1904 and 1906. It was one of nearly 1,000 bottles released as part of an study on currents.

“We were very excited,” Guy Baker, a spokesman for the group, told AP, London. “We certainly weren’t expecting to receive any more of the postcards.”

Photo of front and back of 1906 Shilling coin
Example of a 1906 Shilling Coin

To reward the Winklers for their find, the Association sent them a shilling from the period which they found on E-Bay.

Information about this find is currently being reviewed by Guinness for a possible world record.

 

Posted on by

Planet X in our time?

Some people say that the image below, taken from this Google Sky link is the mysterious Planet X.

screenshot of Google Sky showing a strange, winged-looking, orange object
Is this strange shape recently revealed by Google Sky the mysterious Planet X?

There has been some controversy about this segment of sky in the Google tool as for a long time it was blacked out, showing a rectangular area of black. Google has been accused of hiding things on maps. (See 24 Places Google Maps Won’t Let You See for alleged examples.) Some of the so-called censorship seems to simply be a way of dealing with problem data. I imagine keeping accurate information on the entire planet up-to-date has some challenges and everyone who’s ever had something go wrong with a photo can probably relate.

So what about this Planet X? It’s worth reading Planet X for Dummies to catch up, but, in a nutshell, there is an old idea of a rogue planet that moves through our solar system rather than traveling in a nice orbit around the Sun. Planet X, or Nibiru as it is sometimes called, is associated with alien visitors, global disasters and any number of things that might alarm you.

Some claim that this strange, winged looking object in the picture is a revelation, that Google is finally releasing this to the people. If it is a planet bringing space gods and disasters, I’m not really sure what we do about it. There it is, though. You can see it yourself on Google Sky by tuning into these coordinates.

If you feel the need to prepare, we found a handy video on how to make a tinfoil hat.

And, because it’s just cool… here’s a bonus video on using your foil to make a fire. (batteries not included)

https://youtu.be/WhTPvoWWxuM

Watch the skies!

Posted on by

You might belong in a museum

phot of a mummy
This amazing mummy rests in peace at the Museum of the Weird

At the Museum of the Weird we feature a mummy that might date back 3000 years. The process of mummification is an ancient art practiced by the Egyptians to preserve and prepare the body for the afterlife. Elaborate tombs were built to house the preserved body along with belongings and largess that showed off the wealth of the deceased. The process was very detailed and took months to complete. Poor people could not afford mummification, but would emulate the process by wrapping their dead in linen. (Read details about mummification from the Ancient History Encyclopedia.)

While many details of mummification are known, it has not been regularly practiced for centuries. The modern practice of embalming is the way that we expect to be preserved. As you may recall in our article on postmortem photos, some bodies were viewed and photographed for years after they died.

However, interest in mummification has resurrected, so to speak. In 2012 a terminally ill man willed his body to scientists so they could try to replicate the ancient mummification process. The entire experiment was explicitly captured in the documentary show, Curiosity, Season 2, Episode 2: I Was Mummified. (It’s available to watch for purchase through many outlets. This clip will give you an idea if it’s for you.)

Of course, the art of mummification is not completely lost. The U.S. company, Summum, offers complete mummification services for humans and animals. Here is video from The Discovery Channel’s show One Step Beyond, where the founder of Summum tells a little bit about his inspiration and their process. He’s a little off the beaten track, but I guess you’d have to be.

The already have a number of people willing to pay for mummification. Does that mean we can expect to see more pyramids rising up around the U.S.? If you can afford it, maybe someday you’ll end up in a museum!

In the mean time, come visit ours on 6th Street in Austin, Texas.

 

 

 

Posted on by

Open wide

What in the world is going on here?

B&W Photo of a woman with a strange photographic aparatus aimed into her mouth.Is this woman the subject of a bizarre experiment? Is this a sort of torture? Is this man using a robot to extract something from her throat?

This is actually an image from a Bell Laboratories ad from Life magazine in 1947. This technician is using an elaborate apparatus to film this woman’s vocal chords. This does not look comfortable! It reminds me of the scene from Ghostbusters when Venkman hooked people up to electric shock equipment to test ESP. Haven’t seen it? It’s worth a look. Even if you have seen it, it’s worth seeing again.

Will people in the future look back at our sophisticated scientific apparatus and laugh at how crude and barbaric it is? I can’t even begin to imagine. Considering how much that picture makes me cringe, however, I’m guessing that they will.

So, what kind of images did they get? Here is an example of footage taken by Bell Labs.

Amazing!

Posted on by

Print me a part

In an article the other day we talked about a tragic story where parts of remains were confiscated by the state. While that battle is being waged we discover an area where technology is creating body parts using 3D printing technology.

Here is video showing a heart valve replacement.

According to this article by Forbes Magazine, there are several areas where 3D printing may revolutionize medicine by fashioning replacements rather than requiring donors.

Besides heart valves here are other parts that may get the 3D treatment:

  • Blood vessels—artificial blood vessels have been produced which might be used in transplants
  • Skin—The body’s largest organ is hard to do without. There are emergency medical applications and cosmetic ones.
  • Liver cells—While not intended for “internal use,” these artificial liver cells can be used in lab experiments to mimic liver behavior to aid in research and medicine testing.
  • Ears—Apparently ear structure lends itself rather well to 3D printing, and a number of people are receiving bionic ears

Of course, that’s just the beginning. There is work being done to replace bones and other tissues. Some people complain that working with a doctor is a lot like going to a body shop. This may become even more true as parts become more available.

Of course, this also makes one wonder about what will happen with body augmentation for style and function. As we get better at creating parts will people begin to enhance themselves? You know they will! The future is going to look pretty weird. Maybe that’s not so bad.