Don’t expect Viking helmets or women in breastplates belting arias from a new opera commissioned by the Santa Fe Opera in New Mexico. This one is all about Silicon Valley and Steve Jobs, the iconic Apple co-founder who passed away in 2011 at the age of 56.

The man behind the Mac is getting an innovative operatic adaptation of his life story.

via Read More → "Appletto: Steve Jobs opera commissioned by Santa Fe Opera"

By hijacking a spider’s nervous system, a wasp larva can manipulate the spider into making a stronger web, according to a study published yesterday in The Journal of Experimental Biology. Of course, that’s right before the larva kills the enslaved spider its been feeding on for days — and uses the web to make a cocoon.

There’s nothing subtle about the … Read More → "Zombie spider builds a stronger web for the parasitic wasp that’s sucking its blood"

Language takes an astonishing variety of forms across the world—to such a huge extent that a long-standing debate rages around the question of whether all languages have even a single property in common. Well, there’s a new candidate for the elusive title of “language universal” according to a paper in this week’s issue of PNAS. All languages, the authors say, self-organise in such a … Read More → "MIT claims to have found a “language universal” that ties all languages together"

Nothing hurts Americans more than chronic pain. It’s our single biggest health problem, affecting the lives of 100 million adults–more than heart disease, cancer, and diabetes combined. And that figure, from a 2011 Institute of Medicine report, doesn’t even count kids in pain, veterans with devastating war injuries, or people in nursing homes.

via Popular Science

< … Read More → "A new kind of brain scan can see your pain, literally"

Occasionally an invention comes along that promises to change mankind fundamentally, enable us to grow as a species, and expand our capabilities beyond what was previously thought possible. MagKey isn’t one of those kinds of inventions at all. It simply uses magnets to stop keys from jangling, but we’re still impressed.

via Gizmag

Read More → "MagKey uses magnets to stop keys jangling"

A unique compound of chemicals has been discovered in the guts of earthworms in a study on how these creatures break down toxins in soil. This study centered on polyphenols, chemical compounds produced by plants that contain phenol, aka carbolic acid. Soil is polyphenol-rich, meaning earthworms – who eat and process soil – need to cope with a “high-polyphenol diet.” They eat toxins, how do they do it? As it turns out, earthworms work with a compound scientists are calling “drilodefensin”, … Read More → "Worms defense against plants has big implications for science"

Get ready for less folding and more flying. This is a paper airplane like you’ve never flown before: crash-resistant, ultra-responsive to quick maneuvers, and controlled right from your smartphone or tablet. Looking for a great gift or just something to liven up your weekends? Look no further than this extremely flexible, and extremely fun paper aircraft.
via Boing Boing

< … Read More → "Smartphone-controlled paper airplanes"

Is there anything 3D printing can’t do these days? From toys, to chocolate, todog legs, to house parts. And now we even have 3D printed drugs. Now that in itself isn’t really a novel feat, considering 3D printed food. The success that Aprecia Pharmaceuticals achieved is in actually getting the US Food and Drug Administration to approve it. This makes its SPRITRAM seizure drug to be … Read More → "3D printed medicine gets FDA stamp of approval"

Scientists have long observed the relationship between Japanese oakblue butterfly (Narathura japonica) caterpillars and some nearby ants (Pristomyrmex punctatus). The caterpillars secrete a sugary substance for the ants to feed on, and in turn the ants protect the caterpillar as it grows inside oak tree leaves.

via Mental Floss

< … Read More → "Caterpillar’s sugary cocktail transforms ants into aggressive bodyguards"

Minions are everywhere these days—on Tic Tacs, reimagined as famous fashion designers, reimagined as models and having people wondering why there are no female versions of this character. 
As if these weren’t enough, someone had gone on to order a colossal, approximately 30 to 40 feet high inflatable minion in the Santry area of north Dublin, Ireland. 
Unfortunately, on 2 August, the balloon came loose from … Read More → "Massive inflatable Minion goes on road rampage, causes traffic havoc"