The description of this phlegm thrower suffers a bit from machine-translation woes: “Suction Device and Usable Ejection for Care,” French patent application FR2889070A1, Michel Brun, filed July 27, 2005. The application says, sort of: “This apparatus comprises a hollow tubular body, a piston 3 slidably mounted and sealed in the body 2, and means 13 […]
This week’s Feedback column (that I write) in New Scientist magazine has four segments. Here are bits of each of them: Pet contributions — … Brad D. Lee of the University of Kentucky will present his views on the topic “Companion canine nutrient contributions to peri-urban environments“ … Mussel-bound death — … “Dramatic is the fate of a […]
What’s new in sewing? Lots. Here are two newly-published gobs of research info. Parameters of the Bobbin “Influence of the parameters of the bobbin on the friction between the unwinding thread and the plastic sticks of the rubber bushing in the sewing machine,” M.A. Mansurova; Z.S. Vafaeva; J.B. Matyaqubova, Proceedings of the III International Conference […]
This week’s Feedback column (that I write) in New Scientist magazine has five segments. Here are bits of each of them: Love ostriches — The known risks – corporate, financial, personal, sexual – of starting an ostrich farm are perhaps not so well known in New England as in old England…. Coffee aromatherapy — Praewpat Pachimsawat, Manita Tammayan, […]
“…a compound called schreckstoff. Many fish species excrete schreckstoff when they are injured. This alerts the rest of the school that danger is near. In a sense, fishes can actually smell fear. Schreckstoff was first documented in 1938 by Austrian ethologist Dr. Karl von Frisch [pictured here]. Because he didn’t know the chemical makeup of […]
The May 2024 issue of mini-AIR (the monthly teeny tiny supplement to the magazine Annals of Improbable Research) has just gone out. You can add yourself to the email distribution list, if you like, or read it online.
The technology honored with the 2023 Ig Nobel Nutrition Prize is now available in a consumer item: an electrified spoon. This Reuters video report tells about it, with the headline “Can this spoon help Japanese people eat less salt?”: That Ig Nobel Prize was awarded to Homei Miyashita [show in the photo above] and Hiromi […]
This week’s Feedback column (that I write) in New Scientist magazine has four segments. Here are bits of each of them: Distinguished frogs — It turns out, say Chatmongkon Suwannapoom and Maslin Osathanunkul, that a good way to distinguish one kind of fanged frog from another is to do melting analysis. Their report, “Distinguishing fanged frogs (Limnonectes) species (Amphibia: […]
June 5th is Dead Duck Day, commemorating a 1995 incident that took place outside the Rotterdam Museum of Natural History (“A Dead Serious Museum“) that has inspired people around the world to think about birds, safety, and just how hard they should be laughing about (or with) nature. Dead Duck Day is observed around the […]
This week’s Feedback column (that I write) in New Scientist magazine has four segments. Here are bits of each of them: Full of beans — On a gut level, what happens after a person becomes full of beans? Flatulence is what happens. But attempts at mitigation, explain Iowa State University researchers Donna Winham, Ashley Doina and Abigail Glick, […]