Haboob - Intense Sandstorm Formation

Image via Wikipedia

   A haboob (Arabic هبوب) is a type of intense sandstorm commonly observed in arid regions throughout the world. There is almost no visibility in close proximity when inside the area covered by the haboob (as can be seen in the video below).

   During thunderstorm formation, winds move in a direction opposite to the storm's travel, and they will move from all directions into the thunderstorm. When the storm collapses and begins to release precipitation, wind directions reverse, gusting outward from the storm and generally gusting the strongest in the direction of the storm's travel.

   When this downdraft, or "downburst", reaches the ground, dry, loose sand from the desert setting is essentially blown up, creating a wall of sediment preceding the storm cloud. This wall of sand can be up to 100 km (60 miles) wide and several kilometers in elevation. At their strongest, haboob winds can travel at 35-50 km/h (20-30 mph), and they may approach with little to no warning.

via: YouTube

10 Cameras + 1 Tesla Coil = 70 Megapixel Bullet Time Lightning.

Image via Wikipedia

This was one of the more challenging projects that Rob Flickenger had to do and it took him a while. He had to build a physical mount to hold all of the cameras, wire them together to a repurposed PC power supply, recompile CHDK to eliminate as many unnecessary camera keystrokes as possible, write some scripts to facilitate taking and retrieving the photos, then shoot the actual photos without accidentally frying the whole rig. And, of course, build and operate the Tesla coil itself, edit together the stills, and compile the whole thing into a possibly entertaining video.

reson8 from Rob Flickenger on Vimeo.

via: HackerFriendly

Kinesiology: The Myotomes

Image by Tamityville via Flickr

Today I will introduce a series of posts entitled "Kinesiology:" which will deal with the interesting facts and information that I've learned throughout my years in university. If you could, give me your opinions whether you liked this post, and whether you would like similar in the near future in the comments section.

   I have finished a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Health Science program, and know a reasonable amount of background information on the subjects pertaining to health and physical activity. Today I will start  off with a brief introduction to Myotomes and their testing.

   Myotomes are defines as a groups of muscles supplied by a single nerve root. It also has to be noted that spinal nerves come in pairs, one from the left side and the other from the right side. So an injury to a single nerve root (either right or left) is associated with muscle weakness (a.k.a. incomplete paralysis) of the myotome (left side or right side muscles) supplied by that nerve root. When testing a myotome, key muscles are tested for weakness, not pain.

Image by EUSKALANATO via Flickr

Top 10 Most Extreme Substances Known on Earth

Here is a nice top 10 list of awesome Earthly substances, ranging form super-hot to the most darkest and the most magnetic to the super-fluid. So without any further adieu

10. The Darkest Substance Known to Man

What do you get when you stack carbon nanotubes on their ends and sandwich them together? A material that absorbs 99.9% of the light that touches it. The microscopic surface of the material is rough and uneven, which breaks up the light and makes it a poor reflector. Then add to that carbon nanotubes act as superconductors in certain arrangements, which makes them excellent light absorbers, and you have a perfect storm of black. Scientists are really excited about the potential applications of the substance; since virtually no light is “wasted”, it would be used to improve optical tools like telescopes, and even be used to make nearly 100% efficient solar collectors.

Art meets science in a stem-cell exhibit

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the discovery of stem cells by Canadian scientists James Till and Ernest McCulloch, thus the Ontario Science Centre !dea Gallery has brought together scientists and artists to explore the intersection between art and the cutting-edge science of stem cell research.

This collaboration has inspired student artists and designers from a remarkable diversity of disciplines -including fashion design, science and medical illustration, and visual and textile arts - to respond with their personal visions of what stem cells are and what they mean.

Watch the animation made for this exhibition to find out more about stem cells.

via: OntarioScienceCentre

Interactorium, the coolest 3-D molecular visualizer

The Interactorium is a platform built to visualise very large interactome datasets. Developed in collaboration with the School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of New South Wales, it is adapted from the Skyrails Visualisation Engine, which was originally developed by Yose Widjaja.

The Interactorium functions as an atlas of known protein-protein interactions. The current distribution uses the yeast protein-protein interaction dataset by Bertin et al.

A groundbreaking visual presentation of a microscopic organism at a molecular level such as this, encompasses such a great amount of detail and interactivity, its mind-boggling. This project should be adapted to other organisms and eventually to human beings, possibly to study the life around us in a more grandiose fashion and to understand all the little minute changes that happen at a the molecular level.

via: Interactorium

Magnetic Movie

The secret lives of invisible magnetic fields are revealed as chaotic ever-changing geometries. All action takes place around NASA's Space Sciences Laboratories, UC Berkeley, to recordings of space scientists describing their discoveries. Actual VLF audio recordings control the evolution of the fields as they delve into our inaudible surroundings, revealing recurrent 'whistlers' produced by fleeting electrons. Are we observing a series of scientific experiments, the universe in flux, or a documentary of a fictional world? 

Cannabis - what it actually does to your brain

   Scientists have known for a while that the active ingredient in cannabis was a chemical called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC for short. Ingesting or smoking THC has a wide range of effects, from the psychoactive "getting high" to the physiological relief of pain and swelling. It also acts as both a stimulant and depressant. How could one substance do all that?

Happy guys finish last, says new study on sexual attractiveness

We've heard it before: nice guys finish last. And when it comes to sexual attraction, it appears the rule holds. Women find happy guys significantly less sexually attractive than swaggering or brooding men, according to a new University of British Columbia study that helps to explain the enduring allure of "bad boys" and other iconic gender types.

Although some of you might be saying that everyone knows that women are more likely to be attracted to a bad-boy attitude, but here is some actual research to back that claim up. The University of British Columbia researchers who worked on the study say there's an inherent contradiction in this finding.

Ten Most Thanked for Scientific Discoveries

Here is a list of ten most important scientific discoveries of the past century. Most of these are vital in our daily lives and are used to further advance our abilities and understand the universe. These discoveries range from medicine & physics to anthropology & archeology.

The Poetry of Reality, An Anthem for Science

What is science exactly? If you have been wondering or ever asked yourself this question, here is the answer in a sing-along video format. It features 12 scientists and science enthusiasts promoting science through words of wisdom. Enjoy this work from Symphony Of Science.

via: Symphony Of Science

Powers of Ten

An awesome documentary film that depicts the relative scale of the Universe in factors of ten. The video starts zooming out of our Earth to the cosmos and then travels back to Earth and zooms in to magnify the human cells, to eventually reveal the atoms. This short movie has also been adapted into an interactive website - Powers of Ten.

via: YouTube

Four ways to make fire without matches only using chemistry!

Have you ever been stuck outside on a camping trip or elsewhere without matches when you need them? Well here are four science tips for starting a fire using only the knowledge of chemistry. To achieve the combustive reaction you should be knowledgeable in the handling and use of certain chemicals, now aren't you glad you didn't sleep during your chemistry lectures!

All jokes aside though, enjoy the cool science presentation from the people behind NurdRage. Also check out the detailed description to each reaction after the break.

via: YouTube

Amazing combustion of Mercury Thiocyanide

   Here is another chemistry related video, and this time it is combustion (burning of) Mercury Thiocyanate. This compound was formerly used in pyrotechnics causing an effect known as the "Pharaoh’s serpent" or "Pharaoh’s snake".

   It is a stable solid at room temperature that has the appearance of white powder with chunks; it can also be grey in color, depending on purity. Mercury compounds are extremely toxic and protective equipment should be used whenever working with Mercury Thiocyanate. 

   When the compound is in the presence of a strong enough heat source, a rapid exothermic reaction is started which produces a large mass of coiling serpent-like solid. An inconspicuous flame which is often blue but can also occur in yellow / orange accompanies the combustion. The resulting solid can range from dark graphite grey to light tan in color with the inside generally much darker than the outside.

Watch and be amazed by science!

via: YouTube

Masturbation in the Animal Kingdom

According to many scientists Homo sapiens are not the only species that engage in masturbation. Here are some interesting facts about self-pleasure among humans and the animals on our planet.

"For one, many animals that masturbate don't continue the deed until orgasm (humans seem to be rather goal-oriented on this point). That means that some of the best theories for why masturbation evolved in humans are off the table for other animals. 

For example, studies have found that masturbation can increase a man's sperm count by getting rid of old semen that's lost its vitality, and therefore boosting the chances that young, lively sperm will be ejaculated during intercourse. 

But since this discharge doesn't seem to occur as often in animals, then there must be some other benefits to the practice, scientists say."

Fourth Spatial Dimension 101

Have you ever wondered as to what forth dimension might look like? Or maybe you've had a hard time visualizing it in your mind. Well worry not, here is the 4th Dimension 101 video. This video will hopefully make you think about 3-D differently, and also give a you perspective as to what 4-D beings can see. If you are interested in a more in depth dissemination of the 4th Dimension I highly recommend visiting Tesseroid's Blog, the creator of this video.

via: YouTube & Tesseroid's Blog

Grant Wallace Artwork

Man as Ego: his 6 Bodies

Grant Wallace was born on February 10, 1867, in Hopkins, Missouri, the son of a judge. His education included a B.S. from Western College in Shenandoah, Iowa, in 1889, and art classes from the Art Students League of New York.

He worked as an artist and reporter for the San Francisco Examiner, an editorial and feature writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, and a war correspondent for the Evening Bulletin in Japan and China. He wrote short stories and screen plays, including for two black and white silent movies: the story for A Blowout at Santa Banana (1914), and the scenario for the movie The Fuel of Life (1917). He also lectured on the occult.

After World War I, Wallace built a small cabin in the forest near Carmel, California, which he used as a laboratory for experimenting with telepathy, which he sometimes referred to as "mental radio." He made hundreds of drawings, charts, diagrams, and writings, attempting to reveal the patterns of life, including reincarnation, communication with intelligent life on other planets, and with dead spirits. He wrote about messages from the dead, from ancient Greeks, ancient Egyptians,Vikings, and Atlanteans, to more recent dead, such as Thomas Jefferson and Charles Darwin, and transcribed messages from and drew pictures of extraterrestrial life, especially from the Pleiades star cluster.

He died August 12, 1954, in Berkeley, California. His works were recovered from his cabin after his death, and some of his art and diagrams were included in The End is Near!, Visions of Apocalypse, Millennium and Utopia.

via: WikiPedia

His artistic approach to unraveling the mysteries of the world is very science-based, as if his graphs and charts were done to represent some kind of scientific research. Many of his works integrate the universe, human body and other dimensional qualities of existence such as ego, id, et al. Wallace also made a lot of side citations and notes all over his work, hinting at a secretive formulas and ciphers. Very fascinating work, I can almost say that his artwork is a precursor to Paul Laffoley Artwork that I've posted some time ago. Check out more of this interesting artwork after the break.

The Science, Myths and Truths behind Hangovers

   Let's face it, we all had our big nights out and huge headaches caused by hangovers afterwards. In this post I will try to explain the main concept of a hangover and debunk some myths behind it.
   Hangover is the sum of unpleasant physiological effects following heavy consumption of alcoholic beverages. The most commonly reported characteristics of a hangover include headache, nausea, sensitivity to light and noise, lethargy, depressed mood, diarrhea and thirst, typically after the intoxicating effect of the alcohol begins to wear off. Alcohol, i.e. Ethanol, has a diuretic effect on our bodies causing increased urine production, which in turn may cause headaches, dry mouth, and lethargy.
   While a hangover can be experienced at any time, generally it is experienced in the morning after a night of heavy drinking. In addition to the physical symptoms, a hangover may also produce psychological signs including heightened feelings of depression, anxiety and other mood swings. Many people will also be repulsed by the thought, taste or smell of alcohol during a hangover. The symptoms vary from person to person, and occasion to occasion, usually beginning several hours after drinking. It is not clear whether hangovers directly affect cognitive abilities.

Check out some of the Myths and Facts about hangover, after the break,

Cesium, an awesome element

Cesium is not only a cool looking silvery-gold alkali metal element that is liquid at room temperature, but it is also used in atomic clocks. These clocks measure frequency with an accuracy of 2 nanoseconds per day, or one second in 1.4 million years, which means they would be off by about 2 seconds since the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Pretty cool application of an extremely pyrophoric element if you ask me. Check out the video of a volatile reaction between water and Cesium below.

via: PeriodicVideos' YouTube

Teleporting Particles of Light

Complicated setup used in this teleportation experiment

   We are slowly but steadily approaching the futuristic idea of teleportation that has been depicted in countless movies and shows throughout the past century. This teleportation experiment involved the photon - a subatomic particle of light.This teleported light wasn't just any light - it was in a special quantum state called a Schrödinger's-cat state.
   Schrödinger's cat is a thought experiment invented by Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger in 1935 to describe the quantum mechanics: that some properties of particles are not decided until an outsider forces them to choose by measuring them. In that same aspect, the said cat is said to be both dead AND alive at the same time, but the truth is only revealed when someone opens the box and finds out for themselves.
   In a real-life use of Schrödinger's theoretical paradoxical cat, researchers report that they were able to quickly transfer a complex set of quantum information while preserving its integrity. The information, in the form of light, was manipulated in such a way that it existed in two states at the same time, and it was destroyed in one spot and recreated in another. The new breakthrough is a major step toward building safe, effective quantum computers and other such technology.
   The original article - Teleportation of Nonclassical Wave Packets of Light was published in the April edition of Science Magazine.

via: PopSci