Early detection, we’re often told, is the surest way to beat cancer. It’s the reason why, year after year, men and women of a certain age dutifully visit their doctors and undergo uncomfortable tests to screen for things like prostate and breast cancer.

But what about the other hundred or so types of cancer out there—the brain cancers, the ovarian cancers, the leukemias and lymphomas? And … Read More → "This device could detect dozens of cancers with a single blood test"

Drones have 99 problems, and as it turns out — birds are one. Think about life if you were a drone. You’ve got the FAA trying to ground you all the time, people giving you two and three star reviews on amazon because they lost connection with you and you flew into a tree, and people blaming you for all kinds of “invasion of privacy” nonsense. … Read More → "Hawk takes down drone in aerial combat"

A “magic” marker pen developed at the University of Leicester enables forensic experts, police and criminal investigators to quickly determine whether a receipt potentially containing fingerprint deposits is made of thermal paper, with another device then used to reveal the presence of any fingerprints. The devices come thanks to the work of the suitably-named Dr Bond, John Bond, from the University’s Department of Criminology.

Dr Bond’s marker contains a solution of … Read More → "“Magic” marker helps investigators in hunt for fingerprints"

Decades ago Disney’s audio-animatronic technology revolutionized the animated characters that helped bring the company’s theme park rides to life. But just imagine how eerily lifelike those Caribbean pirates or US presidents will be when the company’s latest breakthrough—motor-less, servo-less, but remarkably responsive air-powered robots—are implemented in Disney’s parks.
via Gizmodo</ … Read More → "Disney’s air-powered robots will make for a lively Hall of Presidents"

Pyrography is the art of creating images by burning the surfaces of wood. It’s commonly done with electric tools made for that purpose. But Jordan Mang-osan of Baguio, Cordillera, the Phillippines, takes a radically different approach. He uses the heat of sunlight concentrated in a magnifying glass to burn huge images into boards. 
via Neatorama

< … Read More → "Solar Pyrography: Wood burning art done with a magnifying glass"

There are a few off-the-shelf parts in Dieter Michael Krone’s wonderful creation, including the guts from a cheap cordless screwdriver to power it. But everything else was created with the help of a 3D printer, and certainly a brilliant grasp of engineering. It’s not something you could easily sneak into the back of a classroom, but if you can get this thing to the top of a … Read More → "3D-printed machine gun folds and shoots endless paper airplanes"

How much damage can a 6-year old do? A lot! But “a lot” is a vague quantity. What was the financial value of Calvin’s damage? Matt J. Michel published an article on that subject in theProceedings of Natural Institute of Science, a humorous scholarly journal.
via Neatorama

Read More → "Scholar publishes study on how much damage Calvin did during Calvin and Hobbes"

With last week’s news that Oslo had pulled out of the 2022 Winter Olympics, I got really sad—mostly that we wouldn’t see the beautiful identity from the architects at Snøhetta brought to life. But here’s a consolation: Snøhetta won a competition to redesign Norway’s currency. And the pixelated landscapes they designed are absolutely … Read More → "Norway’s wins for the coolest currency"

First invented in 1903, the original Crayola box contained only eight colors, including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, brown, and black. It sold for only a nickel.

A chart posted on Reddit shows how Crayola crayon colors have grown from eight basic hues to dozens in a little over 100 years.

Now, there are 120 colors in the Crayola color wheel. The … Read More → "The incredible explosion of crayon colors over the last 100 years"

The Alpine fault is the most dangerous fault in New Zealand—and one of the most dangerous in the world. It ruptures with an 8.0-magnitude earthquake roughly once every 300 years, and with the last one in 1717, it’s ripe for another. So what are we going to do about it? Why, drill a hole nearly … Read More → "Scientists will drill directly into a fault overdue for an earthquake"