The Discovery Of Oxygen Was Thanks To Beer (WFOTD)

Joseph Priestley is usually credited with the discovery of oxygen, having isolated it in its gaseous state, however beer is what lead him to the discovery.

When Priestley moved next door to a brewery he noticed that bubbles of gas were being given off by the beer vats and was fascinated that they floated to the ground. This implied that they were heavier than air.

This lead him to ask the brewers if he could do some experiments with it. From this, he was able to show that this ‘heavier-than-air’ gas was able to extinguish burning wood chips. This gas would later be identified as carbon dioxide.

He later went on to discover that the gas produced by heating a sample of mercury oxide would allow a candle to burn more brightly, and enable a mouse to live up to four times as long as in normal air.

“I have discovered an air five or six times as good as common air”, Priestly wrote.

Voila. Oxygen!

How Many Times Can You Fold A Piece Of Paper In Half? (WFOTD)

For a long time it was believed that it was impossible to fold a piece of paper in half more than seven times. People would use different sizes and thickness of paper, but to no avail. However, Britney Gallivan solved the paper folding problem and she currently holds the world record for paper folding with an astonishing 12 folds in half.

She was first to discover the reason folding in half has limits and then derived the limits mathematically. The formula Britney came up with is way too complicated to explain here, but if you’re interested, Wikipedia has a shot at it.

‘Power Loader’ Exoskeleton Suit

Science fiction super powers have just moved one step closer to reality with the invention of the ‘Power Loader’ Exoskeleton Suit.

The suit, created by Activelink – a Kyoto-based subsidiary of Panasonic – takes its name from the fictional hydraulic exoskeleton suit appearing in the sci-fi classic “Aliens”. The Power Suit allows it’s user to lift up to 100 kilograms (220 lbs) with little effort. This is made possible with the use of 18 electromagnetic motors which are built into the 500 pound aluminum-alloy frame.

The Power Loader is still in the development phase, but Activelink plans to have a marketable version of the suit by the year 2015.

Link

Immortality is Only 20 Years Away?

The concept of immortality may seem science-fiction for most, however scientist, Ray Kurzweil believes that immortality could be only 20 years away through nanotechnology and an increased understanding of how the human body works.

Kurzweil, 61, who has predicted new technologies arriving before, says theoretically, at the rate our understanding is increasing, nanotechnologies capable of replacing many of our vital organs could be available in 20 years time.

Mr Kurzweil calls his theory the Law of Accelerating Returns. Writing in The Sun, Mr Kurzweil said: “I and many other scientists now believe that in around 20 years we will have the means to reprogramme our bodies’ stone-age software so we can halt, then reverse, ageing. Then nanotechnology will let us live for ever.

“Ultimately, nanobots will replace blood cells and do their work thousands of times more effectively.

“Within 25 years we will be able to do an Olympic sprint for 15 minutes without taking a breath, or go scuba-diving for four hours without oxygen.

“Heart-attack victims – who haven’t taken advantage of widely available bionic hearts – will calmly drive to the doctors for a minor operation as their blood bots keep them alive.

“Nanotechnology will extend our mental capacities to such an extent we will be able to write books within minutes.

“If we want to go into virtual-reality mode, nanobots will shut down brain signals and take us wherever we want to go. Virtual sex will become commonplace. And in our daily lives, hologram like figures will pop in our brain to explain what is happening.

“So we can look forward to a world where humans become cyborgs, with artificial limbs and organs.”

Do you believe that there is potential for humans to become immortal, and if so, do we really want it/is it rational to have it as an option?

Link

PhD Comics: Peak Productivity

This is true for many, including me. By Jorge Cham of PhD Comics.

Link, Via

10 Human Mysteries Scientists Can’t Explain

Here’s a really interesting list of 10 features of human behavior that scientists are unable to explain. It was compiled by The Magazine.

1. Blushing

Even Darwin struggled to explain why we would evolve a response that lets others know that we have cheated or lied.

2. Laughter

The discovery that laughter is more often produced at banal comments than jokes prompts the question, why did it evolve?

3. Pubic hair

Scent radiator, warmth provider, or chafe protection? The answer to why humans have clumps of hair in private places is still open for debate.

4. Teenagers

Even our closest relatives, the great apes, move smoothly from their juvenile to adult life phases – so why do humans spend an agonising decade skulking around in hoodies?

5. Dreams

Today, most researchers reject Freud’s belief that dreams are expressions of our unconscious desires – but if that’s the case, what are they for?

6. Altruism

People still debate whether humans are genuinely altruistic by nature, but if we are, most agree it doesn’t make evolutionary sense.

7. Art

Sexual display, learning tool or form of social glue? Art still refuses to be pinned down.

8. Superstition

Many of us have superstitions – odd, reassuring habits that make no rational sense – but there may be an underlying reason for such behavior.

9. Kissing

The urge to kiss is not brought about by genes, so why do we find it so pleasurable to share saliva?

10. Nose-picking

Many of us do it, but eating bogeys offers little nutritional reward – could there be a health reason for the unappealing habit?

Have you ever wondered about any of these weird and wonderful things we do and why we do them? Do you have any potential theories to these mysteries? Let us know.

Link

Large Hadron Collider Off To A Slow Start

Europe’s Large Hadron Collider was built to re-create the energies present in the universe just after the big bang, but now it looks as if the bangs at the $10 billion machine won’t get as big as quickly as physicists had hoped.

Link

The Pentatonic Scale

Bobby McFerrin uses the audience at the 2009 World Science Festival to demonstrate the power of the pentatonic scale. The seminar was called “Notes & Neurons: In Search of the Common Chorus.”

It absolutely fascinating to see how the audience is able to participate in this. What a clever species we are!

Will The Y Chromosome Disappear?

Genetically, the thing that makes a man a man is a single Y chromosome. Scientists have long suspected that this chromosome that only men carry is deteriorating, but until now no one has understood the rate of it’s demise.

Penn State scientists have discovered that the Y chromosome has evolved at a much more rapid pace than it’s fellow X chromosome, which both males and females carry. This rapid evolution has led to a dramatic loss of genes in the Y chromosome, which, if maintained, could lead to the chromosome disappearing.

“It’s certainly possible, but it’s difficult to predict when it will happen,” said Kateryna Makova, an associate professor of biology at Penn State University.

A world with no men. What implications do you think that would have? A world with no war and unified peace perhaps? Who knows?

Link