Amazing Machine turns Plastic back into Oil!

Amazingly, this Japanese scientist created a machine to convert plastic into oil.

SEE VIDEO!


Dear Science,
This is why I worship you.
Love Always,
Emily.

Bermuda Triangle Mystery Solved!

According to this article by Salem News, the Bermuda Triangle mystery has been solved (Or atleast tentatively explained)!

I know what you’re thinking, “Aliens!”

Sorry though, you’re wrong.

Oh, you were thinking “bizarre government cover-up?”

You’re still wrong.

The Bermuda Triangle, also known as “the Devil’s Triangle” has been home to disappearing ships and planes for over fifty years. The first allegations of the unusual disappearances were in a newspaper article in September of 1950 but the idea quickly spread, usually incorporating some sort of extraterrestrial explanation. So ships sunk and airplanes crashed. It happens. What made this area so special? The amount of incidents in the area was extremely high and dated well into the 1800s.

What was responsible for all these accidents? The answer lives on the ocean floor. Two researchers from the University of Melbourne in Australia surveyed the bathymetry of the ocean floor, specifically the area near the triangle. They discovered that there is evidence of past massive methane explosions in the triangle area.

The presence of methane hydrates indicates enormous eruptions of methane bubbles that could swamp a ship, causing it to immediately lose all buoyancy and sink to the bottom of the ocean. These gas bubbles, if projected high enough into the air, could also cause airplanes to crash with little or no warning. Aircraft falling victim to these methane bubbles would lose their engines, perhaps igniting the methane surrounding them, and fall into the ocean.

So there you have it, a logical explanation to just one of our planet’s mysteries. While I would have preferred little green men abducting people from outer space, I’m happy to finally have an answer. Even if that answer is "The Bermuda Triangle just has gas."

Sorry, I've been busy!

Sorry guys, I've been busy apartment hunting and taking care of stuff on my end.

But HERE is an infographic showing the tallest mountain to the deepest trench (along with a cameo from the BP oil spill).

Because it's Wednesday

Neatorama recently released this article, an “Ode to the Great Double X-Chromosomed Scientist.” It’s definitely worth a read.

As a kid, I always loved reading the tales of the awesome female scientists. Of course there were the obvious ones, like Madame Curie and Jane Goodall. I was always partial to Sylvia Earle, the famous female Oceanographer. I still hope to meet her someday. She’s still a National Geographic “Explorer-in-Residence.”

Anyway, enjoy the article… and peruse around the Neatorama website when you have a chance, they’ve got some pretty solid stuff. I know we had a long weekend and if feels like Tuesday, but it’s not… It’s really Wednesday.

Because it's Wednesday

Science Tarot Cards?!

Even as a scientist I find something cool and fascinating in tarot cards.

Maybe it's just the look and feel of them, or maybe it's that I want someone to tell me what direction to go in... you know, the same reason I always look for four leafed clovers, or how I love reading fortune cookies.

Regardless, at Science Tarot, they mixed the straight forwardness of science with the awesomeness of tarot cards. Combining in some straight forwardness and taking away some hocus pocus.

The creators of the cards say, “Science Tarot is a creative science communication project that combines science, art and mythology into a tarot deck to engage and awaken people's curiosity about science and the natural world.”

Please, Check out the website!

Oil Spill Photos

I keep hoping this oil spill is going to go away before I can write a proper post about it...

Unfortunately that looks unlikely to happen. In case you were doubting the scope of the spill, this article from Boston.com shows you some pretty dramatic images from the incident.

(Soon I’ll post for real about the science/failure behind the clean-up efforts).

(All images from this post are from this article.)

The Facts in the Case of Dr. Andrew Wakefield

I could sit here and tell you about Dr. Andrew Wakefield (the man most famously responsible for all this “vaccines cause autism” nonsense). But why would I when this webcomic by Darryl Cunningham can do it in a much more amusing way?

Please, read, peruse, enjoy, and be amazed at the startling lack of ethics and pile of unsubstantiated crap that caused a world wide crisis…

So there you have it. I hope that you learned at least a little something.

(On his blog page Darryl asks you for a small donation so that he “can buy more pencils.” Feel free to click on over there and check out his other work. )