Category: Weird Science

Last November, a group of scientists claimed that they had discovered DNA evidence of the existence of the fabled Bigfoot. The scientists promised that they would be publishing a paper outlining their findings and if you’ve been wondering where exactly that paper is, that mystery is now solved.

Lab rats have it bad enough having to jump through hoops and perform in order to be studied, but now life just got worse for the furry rodents. Scientists at Japan’s Waseda University have created a robotic rat designed to terrorize their organic lab rats, inducing stress and depression so their reactions can be studied.

On your typical automobile if the vehicle has a door or flap that needs to be opened automatically, it requires little motors and other components to operate. Chevrolet has announced that the 2014 Corvette is the first General Motors automobile to use a lightweight “smart material” that is able to replace heavier motorized parts.

There’s nothing new about robots helping doctors learn their craft, but normally they are satisfied with just a CPR robot or just a robot that simulates a heart attack. However, the Forth Valley Royal Hospital’s high-tech Scottish Clinical Simulation Centre is like a robot house of horrors.

DNA is essential to carbon-based life as we know it, but this is one of the few times that I’ve seen it used to create art. An artist created portrait sculptures from the analyses of genetic material that was collected in public places.

During the Civil War, the Confederate Army launched what has been dubbed the world’s first successful attack submarine. The submarine was called the H.L. Hunley and successfully sank the USS Housatonic in February of 1864. Shortly after the submarine signaled a successful mission, it disappeared never to be seen again.

DARPA is looking for input from companies in the electronics industry, researchers, and other interested parties on technology that sounds like something out of a Mission Impossible movie. No, they don’t want exploding sunglasses or anything like that.

iRobot makes robots for all sorts of needs in the military and other business areas. In the consumer space, the company is probably best known for its line of robotic vacuum cleaners, including the Roomba and Scooba.

If you’re a dog person, you may have wondered just how wild packs of wolves turned into your sweet and cuddly lap dogs. You can pet Fido behind the ears, scratch his belly, and throw sticks, but you better not try that with a wolf or it might eat your face off.

I think it’s definitely a good idea to try to replace some of the world’s nuclear power plants with clean and sustainable sources of energy. After the disaster at the Fukishima power plant, Japan has unveiled a plan to decrease its reliance on nuclear energy and move towards greater use of wind power.

There’s something magical about being able to control the weather, especially if there’s a way to improve it. Personally, I’d like to have some sort of device in my backyard so I can make sure that it won’t rain when I barbecue in the summer.

I recently had the opportunity to take a tour of Ford’s modern truck assembly plant in Dearborn, MI. While the plant’s robotics and just-in-time manufacturing facility are truly impressive, one of the things I had no idea about was that the factory is also home to the world’s largest living roof.

I never thought that those membranes on the inside of an eggshell were good for anything, except if you’re a chick inside an egg. Now it turns out that egg membranes can be used as natural bandages.

Tesla coils are one of scientists’ go to tool for making science appealing to kids. As if producing your own lightning wasn’t enough, tesla coils can also be used to produce music by pulsing its sparks at appropriate frequencies.

The norovirus can be nasty. It causes severe diarrhea and vomiting in humans. It is also extremely contagious. You might remember several cases of outbreaks in cruise ships on the news. This virus is estimated to have caused over 90% of epidemic nonbacterial gastroenteritis in the entire world.

A group of scientists and engineers from the University of Zürich’s Artificial Intelligence Lab has unveiled a robot called Roboy. While their intentions are good, this creepy-looking robot reminds me of an adolescent, hydrocephalic, Terminator sent back in time to destroy mankind.