Martin Sewell: Science

Can reindeer fly?

Wed, 31 Dec 2003 14:19:06 GMT

"Paolo Viscardi, flight physiologist at the University of Leeds, says that if they do, they need record-breaking wings."

5 GHz Project: CPU Cooling With Liquid Nitrogen

Wed, 31 Dec 2003 01:33:21 GMT

Extreme overclocking

Gigapixel Images

Wed, 10 Dec 2003 18:06:08 GMT

Breaking the Gigapixel Barrier

Hilbert's Problems -- from MathWorld

Thu, 27 Nov 2003 18:14:45 GMT

"A set of (originally) unsolved problems in mathematics proposed by Hilbert. Of the 23 total, ten were presented at the Second International Congress in Paris on August 8, 1900. Furthermore, the final list of 23 problems omitted one additional problem on proof theory (Thiele 2001)."

unstruct.org: Swede Solves 100 year old Math Puzzle

Thu, 27 Nov 2003 18:09:44 GMT

"Let k be an integer such that k is larger than or equal to zero, and let H be the Hilbert number. In this paper, we use the method of describing functions to prove that in the Liénard equation, the upper bound for H(2k+1) is k. By applying this method to any planar polynomial vector field, it is possible to completely solve the second part of Hilbert's 16th problem."

Fish farting may not just be hot air

Thu, 06 Nov 2003 12:18:28 GMT

"Biologists have linked a mysterious, underwater farting sound to bubbles coming out of a herring's anus. No fish had been known to emit sound from its anus nor to be capable of producing such a high-pitched noise."

Feeling Sexy? It Could Be Your Cat

Thu, 06 Nov 2003 12:09:18 GMT

'A study has shown that domestic cats infected with a parasite called toxoplasma gondii can actually alter the personalities of their human owners, turning women into "sex kittens" and men into "alley cats."'

Male sex hormone easily triggered

Thu, 06 Nov 2003 12:07:04 GMT

"Scientists have proved that even the most seemingly innocent chat with a woman can be enough to send male sex hormones soaring."

Brain benefits of 'a quick pint'

Thu, 06 Nov 2003 12:01:26 GMT

"Middle-aged men now have a good excuse to go to the pub with their mates - it is good for their brains."

<Airplane!>"Guess I picked the wrong year to give up drinking!"</Airplane!>

Thanks to Ian F for the link; and to Dr. Singh-Manoux, a research psychologist in the Department of Epidemiology & Public Health at UCL for leading the research. ;-)

Professor explores science of scary films

Mon, 03 Nov 2003 14:48:32 GMT

Brave man.

Beer mat flipping 'perfected'

Mon, 03 Nov 2003 14:44:13 GMT

I've just tried it sober, tricky.

"Bulmers, makers of Strongbow, have sent consignments of the new Aeromats to student bars at [...] University College London to test them before it considers whether to distribute them elsewhere."

What's Special About This Number?

Tue, 28 Oct 2003 03:04:33 GMT

Is there nothing special about 122?

Unwise Microwave Oven Experiments

Mon, 27 Oct 2003 21:29:15 GMT

"Disclaimer: This information is presented for your information only. Anyone who tries to duplicate these demonstrations does so entirely at their own risk. There is a chance that you will damage your microwave oven. There is a chance that you will cause a fire. There is a chance that a heated object will explode. Heated water can unexpectedly burst into violent boiling. Messing with a microwave oven is stupid if you don't know what you're doing."

Enjoy!

Is Sex Necessary?

Mon, 13 Oct 2003 12:17:41 GMT

"I don't think women can have too much intercourse," says Dr. George Winch Jr.

Jeans for Genes

Thu, 02 Oct 2003 23:37:53 GMT

Our department is participating, which is odd because most computer scientists are genetically predisposed to wear jeans anyway.

Evolutionary Perspectives on Human Behaviour Search

Tue, 30 Sep 2003 04:47:28 GMT

A SOAP::Lite script that searches among the five schools:

Human Sociobiology
Human Behavioural Ecology
Evolutionary Psychology
Memetics
Gene-Culture Coevolution

Summary and links

Penis museum stands out in frozen Iceland

Sun, 28 Sep 2003 17:26:58 GMT

'...one Icelander has chosen to ignore his country's impressive geology and focus on the more obscure phallology - the study of the penis - the Icelandic mammal penis in this case.'

Link from Briar

Scientists unzip world's oldest penis

Sun, 28 Sep 2003 17:17:44 GMT

'"To my knowledge it is the oldest penis. I don't know of any older," Professor David Siveter, of the University of Leicester, told the British Association science conference.'

Link from Briar

No Beer Goggles for Girls

Sat, 27 Sep 2003 12:06:31 GMT

I've wasted thousands...sue them! Sue them all!

Thanks to Vanessa for the link.

Software aims to put your life on a disk

Fri, 26 Sep 2003 13:23:30 GMT

"Engineers are working on software to load every photo you take, every letter you write - in fact your every memory and experience - into a surrogate brain that never forgets anything"

At least, then, I could remember my phone number.

Thanks to Vanessa for this disturbing link.

Sex trap for giant squid

Fri, 19 Sep 2003 16:19:19 GMT

"The freezer bag at home - to my wife's disgust - is actually full of giant squid gonad samples. We're going to grind all of this up, and we're going to have this puree coming out from the camera, squirting into the water.

"Hopefully the male giant squid, absolutely driven into a frenzy, is going to come up and try to mate with the camera.

"This is the dream - we're going to get this sensational footage of the giant squid trying to do obscene things with the camera."

"The male is co-ordinating this enormous penis, and he's implanting spermadaphores into the female's arms."

"He uses the penis like a plunger or a huge hypodermic needle, and he's physically stabbing the female's arms."

Thanks to Tristan.

Fun with fusion: Freshman's nuclear fusion reactor has USU physics faculty in awe

Thu, 18 Sep 2003 17:43:01 GMT

Geeky but cool.

Study: Sleeping position reveals personality

Wed, 17 Sep 2003 23:08:10 GMT

"Professor Chris Idzikowski...identified six common sleep positions and what they mean."

No, not the Kama Sutra!

The Worst Jobs in Science

Wed, 17 Sep 2003 01:49:10 GMT

"From fart sniffer to postdoc, the most torturous ways to make a living in science."

Genes' Sway Over IQ May Vary With Class

Wed, 03 Sep 2003 04:34:54 GMT

'Now a groundbreaking study of the interaction among genes, environment and IQ finds that the influence of genes on intelligence is dependent on class. Genes do explain the vast majority of IQ differences among children in wealthier families, the new work shows. But environmental factors -- not genetic deficits -- explain IQ differences among poor minorities.'

'Specifically, the heritability of IQ at the low end of the wealth spectrum was just 0.10 on a scale of zero to one, while it was 0.72 for families of high socioeconomic status. Conversely, the importance of environmental influences on IQ was four times stronger in the poorest families than in the higher status families.

"This says that above a certain level, where you have a wide array of opportunities, it doesn't get much better" by adding environmental enhancements, Scarr said. "But below a certain level, additional opportunities can have big impacts."'

Rather than provide the seemingly elusive definitive answer to the nature vs nurture question, this research would appear to suggest that society should benefit from socialist principles.