Showing 241 posts tagged science
We love artist Theo Jansen’s Strandbeests, and as it turns out, so does Mythbuster Adam Savage. Watch Adam describe and build a Japanese-made Strandbeest Model Kit. These advanced building kits can be found on Amazon, Ebay, and MakerShed.
(Psst… you can also find one of the Strandbeest kit’s instructions pdf’d here in English.)
From the New Yorker, watch a video of Theo Jansen’s Strandbeests here.
Entomologist Dr. Jürgen Otto films the Peacock Spiders of Australia, and they are super fun to watch. Though they are not well documented, there are 20 known species of these small jumping spiders. They have huge eyes, grow to about 5mm, and the males have colorful iridescent flaps that they use to attract females.
GrrlScientist has written more about Dr. Otto and these unique little creatures, and you can see more photos (and an interview) on 1000 Natural Wonders.
via Bug Girl’s Blog.
Slim Goodbody was something I used to watch on tv as a kid in the 1970s, but I hadn’t quite remembered the dated mix of strange and wonderful that makes the bodysuit so iconic… until we watched this clip.
The Digestion Song
If you’re looking for the definitive video explaining the science of the digestive system, here it is.
We do have another digestive system video in our archives, but it’s true: it does not dance and sing.
Today, TEDxCERN and TED-Ed have unveiled the first of 5 animated lessons specially developed by CERN scientists for TEDxCERN and brought to life by the talented animators at TED-Ed: “The beginning of the universe, for beginners.”
The lesson, which you can watch above(!) and at ed.ted.com, was conceived by CERN physicist Tom Whyntie and explains how cosmologists and particle physicists explore questions like, “How did the universe begin? How is it expanding?” by replicating the heat, energy, and activity of the first few seconds of our universe, right after the Big Bang.
via SaganSense.
And now it’s time for 3+ minutes of jazz and tiny hailstones. From Aatish Bhatia at Empirical Zeal, “The Universal laws behind growth patterns, or what Tetris can teach us about coffee stains.”
As I watched this miniature world self-assemble on my windshield like an alien landscape, I wondered about the physics behind these patterns. I learned later that these patterns of ice are related to a rich and very active current area of research in math and physics known as universality. The key mathematical principles that belie these intricate patterns lead us to some unexpected places…
Observe this quiet, growing collection of ice particles on its own, or read on for a much deeper discussion of universality that includes diagrams, videos, and animated gifs.
Related quiet particle observation: Dust particles dance to a Radiohead cover.
