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U=(N/T)M*G: TOY

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Science finds stuff in weird places all the time. The nightmare creatures in the depths of the ocean. Sand rivers on Mars. Probable diamond storms on Neptune and Uranus. Living creatures in thermal vents, as well as the freezing vacuum of space. I have to say, this one made me giggle. Time crystals have been found in those rock-growing kits for children. Yes, I know what that sounds like. A material that has proven difficult to create in a lab setting is something that kids make on the regular to learn about crystals. Wild, right? It’s also presented some real … Read more

SCIENCE: The Bubble That Will Destroy the Universe

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Higgs Boson - Pixabay

Scientists say they know how the universe will end. It won’t be a cosmic collapse but rather a giant cosmic bubble that devours everything in its path. According to a recent paper, published on March 12 in the journal Physical Review D, the final moment for the universe will be triggered by a bizarre consequence of subatomic physics called an instanton. This instanton will create a tiny bubble that will expand at the speed of light, swallowing everything in its path. It’s only a matter of time. “At some point you will create one of these bubbles,” study lead author … Read more

SCIENCE: Artificial Chameleon Skin – Weird and Cool

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Artificial Chameleon Skin

A team of chemists has created a substance that can change its color and stiffness, which they’re comparing to chameleon skin. The stretchy material is made up of strands of copolymers — complex, self-assembling large molecules that in this case are shaped like long dumbbells, with spherical bulges on each end. The way those copolymers react to mechanical stress allows them to vary their stiffness and color, the researchers wrote in a paper published Friday (March 30) in the journal Science. Like a chameleon, the substance doesn’t undergo any chemical changes when it changes color. Instead, those tiny bulges at … Read more

The Orgasm Bomb

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orgasm bomb

A US government agency has released a report about an electromagnetic weapon which can force people to orgasm. The Washington State Fusion Centre (WSFC), which assists other government agencies from local to federal level in combatting terrorism, crime, cyber attacks and disasters, made the documents public as part of a Freedom of Information Act request.  The decision seems to have been accidental, considering that the files were sent to non-profit group Muckrock in a package about anti-fascist and white supremacist groups. But now the documents are in the public sphere, and they are completely terrifying. They outline techonology which … Read more

SCIENCE: Making Sculptures Out of Liquid

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liquid sculptures

liqu A mesmerizing new video shows scientists crafting dazzling, slinky-like sculptures made completely out of liquid — and the liquid structures can hold their shape for months. Researchers created the ghostly-looking sculptures by manipulating the properties of water and oil. Anyone who has ever tried to make salad dressing knows oil and water normally don’t mix; their molecules are simply more attracted to their own kind than to each other — unless, of course, you use a substance like mustard that can bring the sides together. When you do that, you can make oil and water stick together in solution, … Read more

U=(N/T)M*G: CAT

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Ah, another holy grail of science fiction and science has once again caught my eye and imagination in a interesting fashion. The culprit, this time, is time-travel. Sort of. Allow me to explain. It all starts with quantum physics. You know, that branch of science guilty of giving people headaches since it went mainstream with Schrödinger’s infamous half alive, half dead cat. Schrödinger thought it would be a grand idea to theorize about quantum entanglement with the great Einstein, even if it left him with a sour taste in his mouth. Well, some enterprising scientists went in another direction with … Read more

Did Prehistoric ‘Astronomers’ Build Stonehenge?

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Stonehenge - pixabay

Ever since humans could look up to see the sky, we have been amazed by its beauty and untold mysteries. Naturally then, astronomy is often described as the oldest of the sciences, inspiring people for thousands of years. Celestial phenomena are featured in prehistoric cave paintings. And monuments such as the Great Pyramids of Giza and Stonehenge seem to be aligned with precision to cardinal points or the positions where the moon, sun or stars rise and set on the horizon. Today, we seem to struggle to imagine how ancient people could build and orient such structures. This has led … Read more

FOR WRITERS: A Scientific Basis for Gender Identity

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crystal ball

FOR WRITERS Today’s writer topic comes from QSFer J. Scott Coatsworth: Our news article today: https://pixabay.com/en/dna-biology-medicine-gene-163466/ Suggests that scientists may have found a group of genes responsible for gender identity. Whether or not it’s true, it brought to mind a question. How would this change things for transgender, enby and gender fluid folks in society? Pull out your crystal balls and forecast the ramifications in society, good and bad. Join the chat

Scientists Discover Genes That Could Be Responsible For Gender Identity

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DNA - Pixabay

Scientists believe they have identified genetic variants that may play a role in gender identity, giving backing to gender dysphoria having a physical basis. This is the first time a panel of genes, including DNA, involved in the development of nerve cells and the manufacture of sex hormones, that could help explain why someone might experience their gender as different from what they were assigned at birth has been discovered, The Times reports. “It lends legitimacy, if that needs to be added, that transgender is not a choice but a way of being,” said geneticist Ricki Lewis. “I think people … Read more

Yes, There Are Zombie Raccoons

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zombie raccoons - pixabay

Raccoons acting like “zombies” have been scaring residents of one Ohio town, according to news reports. In recent weeks, police in Youngstown, Ohio have received over a dozen calls about raccoons acting strangely in broad daylight, according to local news outlet WKBN. One resident, Robert Coggeshall, told WKBN that he spotted a raccoon behaving very oddly last week while he was playing with his dogs outside. The raccoon “would stand up on his hind legs, which I’ve never seen a raccoon do before, and he would show his teeth and then he would fall over backward and go into almost … Read more