Need Spermicide? Drink Coke!

Classic Killer

That's right! In an Ig-Nobel-winning research done by Deborah Anderson, the Reproductive Biology Director of Boston University, she found out that Coke can reduce sperm movement. The acid in Coke is not conducive for sperm movement and propagation. In fact, they found out that sperm wouldn't move when Diet Coke was introduced to a pool of healthy sperm cells.

Besides cleaning pennies and stripping off the paint from cars, Coke can actually act as a spermicide, but not that reliable, according to Deborah. The inspiration for her study came from the stories of her student from Harvard University. Apparently, girls in Puerto Rico drink Coke to prevent pregnancy.

I guess it's time to rethink your Coke-drinking habits.

via Daily Free Press of Boston University

Jetpacks?

Jetpacks, without the nasty afterburners, have arrived. The test was done in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. In an attempt to introduce a new line of safe hover (jet) packs, they used ducted fans that can keep you afloat for 30 seconds.

Well, it's the 11th prototype since Glenn Martin drew the blueprints on his drawing board. They haven't perfected it yet, but it goes for sale now at $100,000.

His test pilot was his 16-year-old son, who wasn't allowed to tell his friends. 

Since pictures (or videos) are worth a thousand words, just go check out the video.

Alternatively, you can go check out the article. http://www.popsci.com/military-aviation-%2526-space/article/2008-07/flight-jetpack

Drug Awareness

Cyanide and Happiness, one of the "in" comics of today, provides another perspective into the side effects of drugs.








So. Uhm. Cocaine, anyone?

All images and cartoons are copyright of Explosm.net

Airport Borders To Be Stricter?

Hear me out! UK, US, Canada, and other EU Nations are seriously considering looking into your laptops for copyrighted materials, otherwise known as pirated stuff, and see if they infringe the law. Not only your laptops are at stake, but also your iPods and other similar devices.

A United States court last month gave border agents carte blanche to hold a laptop for days and even copy its entire contents.
Matt Ransford

How would this work?

Well, security personnel would open up your laptop, search through your files, and decide right then and there if your files violate the copyright law. If your laptop becomes a victim, you should consider looking for another laptop. By the time you exit, your laptop might be burning in the crematorium (as in the Holocaust), well, maybe in a recycling plant.

Oh, did I mention that there won't be lawyers?

From Border Security to Become Copyright Police? by Matt Ransford (Popular Science)

The Real Iron Man!

I envy all those who've watched the action-cum-comedy blockbuster The Iron Man. However, I envy more those who've seen the real Iron Man.

Woah! There really is this red iron suit complete with all the weapons that pop out of your body and blast you into space, and even render you bulletproof?

(salivates, eyes get wider, and pants like a tired dog)

Easy with the picturesque details. It is with great honor that I introduce to you man's next great leap in the invention of robotic exoskeletons.

Exo what?

Exoskeletons are skeletons, only they appear outside. In this case, the robots are made of metal (duh) and other peripherals mad scientists can think of.

The world's arguably most advanced robotic exoskeleton, has been engineered by Steve Jacobsen, founder of the robotcs company Sarcos. Later on, Raytheon bought Sarcos, which is why you'll see Raytheon Sarcos embedded on the robotic exoskeletons. His masterpiece, dubbed as XOS, has been funded by Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in hopes of bringing the Iron Man to their side of the battlefield. Pretty cool, come to think of it.

Piloted by Rex Jameson, XOS is the realization of Marvel's dream
Photo by John B. Carnett

Basically, the exoskeleton works by mimicking the pilot's movement. The pilot moves the robot to pick up the heavy barbel, and with the help of hydraulics, pump it up and down as if it were a pebble.

Picture a girl who rests her feet with her dad's. The dad grabs her daughter's hands and moves depending on what her daughter moves. It's as if teaching her how to walk, except he'll carry the heavy bag filled with coloring books and whatnots of the Barbie world. (awww)

That's the same concept of superhuman strength. The pilot moves only so much while the robot magnifies the force. A flick of a finger might bruise someone.

Yeah, aesthetically, it's still ugly, with all the exposed wires and God-knows-what stuff attached all over. He's not yet bulletproof. Give it 5 years, and probably, they'll think of a way to make one. (Shrugs the genuis Tony).

Thanks to Steve's team, we're getting closer to the premiere night of the Iron Man zipping through the skies.

To those who have insatiable hunger for visuals, feast on these:

No Sweat!

and the demo video. Watch it

via Popular Science

Do We Use Only 10% of Our Brains?

The answer is no.

The untapped 90%, when learned, could promise savant-like capabilities such as super speed reading, superior memory, and telekinesis (moving objects by just thought). But, that's how media sees it.

Science, on the other hand, views that statement as a downright myth. Parkinson's disease and strokes could occur when a tiny puny part of the brain is damaged. If we only use 10% of our brain, banging your head against thick walls is no problem, if you want to die early.

Many scientists believe that the brain is the most complex structure in the universe.
Bill McLain

According to Bill McLain, author of What Makes Flamingos Pink?, it would be impractical to make our brains big, but only use a part of it. Using 10% of our brains is comparative to the size of the sheep's brain. We aren't as reticient or boring as the sheeps, right? Nature would had just stopped growing our brains in the past millenias. Still, scientists believe that all brain cells participate in a healthy brain.

Even though our neurons seem to be silent, they're still receiving signals from other neurons. In effect, they are still active.

Fact: We use 100% of our brain.

Are Men Better At Giving Directions Than Women?

Picture this: a couple's child gives them a map to find their way to his Saturday basketball game. Along the way, the mother tells the father to turn right at McDo, but the father argues that they won't turn until another kilometer. The argument goes on until both arrive an hour after the game. Oh boy! Who's to blame?

"Chill!" she and he say.
Photo from iStockPhoto

Deborah Saucier--a neuroscience professor at the University of Lethbridge in Canada-- theorized that during the caveman era, men may have relied on the positions of the sun and their uncanny skills in navigation to find the quickest route back after the day's hunt in an unknown territory.

After a single tasting tour of the market, women could more accurately point to food stalls they had visited, noting, in particular, the locations of foods with high energy content.

Corey Binns (from Joshua New's study)

A native American mother with her baby
Photo from North Coast Journal

Meanwhile, women would use landmarks to remember where to find the delectable fruits or eye-catchy flowers they've seen. Since it's just fruits, a long trip from home isn't necessary. Besides, who'll take care of the baby?

Man chasing his prey.
Photo from Maasai Association

Deborah suggests that gender-specific maps be made so that it'll be much easier to find our way. But right now, when it comes to driving, just assign a trustworthy navigator regardless of sex. It'll be much easier that way, believe me. And, it doesn't hurt to ask for landmarks.

Now you know why women could easily pinpoint shops that would easily drain out men's cash.

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Adapted from Corey Binns in Popular Science