The popular myth about Russian spacemen traveling to space geared with weapons is actually true and the question why they did that is finally revealed. Russian cosmonauts carried a convertible shotgun which doubled as an axe and machete into space.

The ‘myth’ about Soviet spacemen being armed with shotguns was a topic of great interest on Russian forums … Read More → "Why did Russian cosmonauts carry shotguns and machetes in space?"

From the NASA site:

Here’s a collection of NASA sounds from historic spaceflights and current missions. You can hear the roar of a space shuttle launch or Neil Armstrong’s “One small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind” every time you get a phone call. … Read More → "NASA has a free pack of official mission sound clip ringtones"

You can print hummus? You can print hummus! It’s true and Instructables member 3DigitalCooks proves it. The team used a Pinya2, which is a type of printer that extrudes liquids. This makes it suitable for printing hummus, providing that it’s the right viscosity. Add a bit of icing color for flair.
via Neatorama

… Read More → "3D printed colorful hummus"

On January 5th 2015, NASA let out an image of the Andromeda galaxy, which is the closest galaxy to us. They captured the image using the NASA/ESA Hubble Telescope once again, but this time it’s taken to a whole new level. They took 411 images and put them together to create the largest image ever taken. It’s a whopping 1.5 billion pixels and requires about 4.3 GB of disk space!</ … Read More → "NASA has released the largest picture ever taken"

The “leaves” of the tree are flexible, patterned solar panels made using a technique developed by VTT on a printing process. The leaves form an electronic system complete with wiring that conduct energy into a converter that feeds electricity to devices such as mobile phones or sensors analysing the environment.

The tree trunk is made with 3D technology by exploiting wood-based biomaterials VTT has … Read More → "Solar power from energy-harvesting trees"

According to the CBC, 27-year-old Dalhousie University PhD student Alec Falkenham is developing a topical cream that works by targeting macrophages, cells that permanently fill with ink and make tattoos visible on skin. Falkenham explains that his cream introduces new macrophages that consume the pigmented cells and eventually transport dye to the lymph nodes without causing irritation or inflammation…

So far the cream has just been tested on tattooed pig ears, so there’s no way of knowing yet when … Read More → "PhD student creates cream that removes tattoos without scarring"

Harvesting sunlight is a trick plants mastered more than a billion years ago, using solar energy to feed themselves from the air and water around them in the process we know as photosynthesis.

Scientists have also figured out how to harness solar energy, using electricity from photovoltaic cells to yield hydrogen that can be later used in fuel cells. But hydrogen has failed to catch on as a practical fuel for … Read More → "A breakthrough in artificial photosynthesis"

That’s why the Bond service was created. It uses a pen-holding robot to create a “hand-written” note in your handwriting, which is then snail-mailed to a recipient of your choice…

Users start by submitting a handwriting sample online. The Bond software analyzes this to identify how you form each letter of the alphabet, along with things like the slant and spacing of … Read More → "Bond robot writes fancy notes – in your handwriting"

If we’re ever going to explore the only celestial body in our solar system with surface bodies of liquid, we’re going to need a sea-worthy vehicle. Luckily, NASA is all over the niche space submarine market.

Titan, a moon on Saturn, has lakes and seas of … Read More → "NASA plans to send a submarine to Titan"

Caleb Everett, Damián E. Blasi and Seán G. Roberts recently published the results of their research into common characteristics of languages based on native climate. They conclude that as languages evolve, their dominant sounds reflect the climates where they develop. In particular, humidity plays a major role. Tonal languages are more likely to develop in wet climates. Science Daily explains that:

. . . languages with complex tones –those that use three or more tones for sound contrast — are much more likely to occur in humid regions of the world, … Read More → "Scholars determine that climate shapes how languages sound"