STUFF: News, Technology, the cool and the plain weird

[MIKA27]

Researchers Finally Disproved A Conspiracy Theory About This Famous Lee Harvey Oswald Photo

There’s a lot of speculation about who really killed President John F. Kennedy. Was it the Cubans? The mafia? The CIA? Or was it a lone gunman named Lee Harvey Oswald? And if Oswald was just a patsy, as he claimed before he himself was killed, could his most famous image be a fake? Researchers have now shown through 3D modelling that the photo is almost certainly real.

People who claim that the assassination of JFK was a much broader conspiracy point to the photo below as being an obvious fake. Oswald is shown holding a Communist newspaper (he went to live in the Soviet Union for some time before returning to the US), and is both holding a rifle and wearing a pistol.

Conspiracy theorists have dissected the photo, pointing to everything from the shadows to the peculiar posture as evidence that the photo has been manipulated. Oswald himself even claimed the photo was fake; again, this was before he was killed by Jack Ruby. But Oswald’s wife, who said she took the photo, insisted it was real.

As the Smithsonian notes, researchers at Dartmouth have now shown through 3D modelling that Oswald’s posture in the photo is perfectly natural and unexceptional:

Rendering from the The Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Their research has also shown that the shadows under Oswald’s nose, lip, and neck are easily explained by the light sources available in the photo. But conspiracy theories around this photo have existed for a long time, and this study is unlikely to appease the die-hard conspiracy theorists.

The 1973 docu-drama Executive Action insists that JFK’s assassination was a conspiracy involving a shadowy group of white supremacist-minded capitalists, the CIA and the FBI. And that film has an extensive scene where viewers see the photo in question being manufactured.

The photo in the film uses a look-alike at first, but one of the shadowy capitalists says “the face doesn’t look enough like him to pass muster with me.” So they decide to plaster Oswald’s face on a look-alike’s body.

But even that isn’t enough. “Give him a pistol with a holster, and a telescopic sight for the rifle too,” another in the evil group of conspirators tells the photo manipulator.

As I’ve said, this new research by a team at Dartmouth is unlikely to persuade hardcore conspiracy theorists — but if nothing else, it shows just how obsessed we are over a half century later with the assassination and possible conspiracy theories around Kennedy’s death.

[MIKA27]

Satellite Images Reveal A Massive 60 Million-Tonne Avalanche In Canada

Early last week, around 45 megatonnes of ice and rock plunged down the southeast flank of Mount Steele in Canada’s Yukon Territory. The avalanche, which occurred in a remote and unpopulated area, was so large that it was initially detected by earthquake seismometers.

The Mount Steele avalanche happened on October 12 and was detected by Colin Stark and Goram Ekstrom of Columbia University using the global seismic network, a digital seismic network of over 150 stations that provides free, real-time data through the IRIS DMC. The avalanche was later confirmed by Landsat 8 satellite images, which shows a huge chunk of rock and ice displaced from the mountainside.

As reported at the AGU’s Landslide Blog, the landslide was enormous. An estimated mass of about 60 million tonnes — the equivalent of 700 aircraft carriers — careened down the mountain over the course of 110 seconds. That’s about 24 million cubic meters in terms of volume. The peak velocity of the avalanche is estimated at about 60 m/sec, which is about 220 km/h or 137 mph.

You can find more images of the landslide here and here.

Back in 2007, geologists reported another avalanche on Mt. Steele. Here’s an image from the paper:

[MIKA27]

This Melbourne VR Game Hurls You Into 360 Degrees Of Space

If you’ve ever wanted to experience the International Space Station for yourself, without the trauma of the second half of Gravity or actually becoming an astronaut, one Melbourne studio has got just what you’re looking for.

It’s called Earthlight, and it’s the latest title from Opaque Multimedia. Opaque has won some acclaim in the past few years, with their Virtual Dementia Experience — a game that simulates what it’s like to have dementia through the wonders of a VR environment — winning one of the top prizes at the world finals of Microsoft’s Imagine Cup this year.

Earthlight’s a little different and, given that it’s space, more interesting to a broader market. Using Unreal Engine 4 and motion controllers like the PlayStation Move, SteamVR or the Oculus Touch, Earthlight lets you wander around the International Space Station in the body of an astronaut.

That’s already an cool idea, but what’s especially sweet about the trailer — besides being in 4K — is the 360 degree nature of it. If you’ve ever looked at VR footage and felt a bit left out because you couldn’t get the full experience, well, that’s still the case. Watching a video’s nothing compared to having an Oculus or a HTC Vive on your head. But this is easily the next best thing, and it provides a pretty damn good idea of what you can see for yourself at PAX later this month.

Opaque collaborated with NASA (although they stress the project is not officially endorsed, being a commercial venture) to improve the authenticity of Earthlight, and the team has also consulted cognitive psychologists and researchers to make the VR experience as peaceful and pleasant as possible (something that can’t be said of all VR games and demos).

The Melbourne devs will be showing off Earthlight at PAX Australia using the HTC Vive, although PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift and SteamVR versions of the game will be available when the game is released in the first quarter of 2016. It’ll also support gamepads with dual analogue inputs, if people want to navigate the cosmos that way.

If anything, it might be worth stopping by Opaque’s booth — #3324 — just for the opportunity to chill out. The PAX show floor can get exceedingly hectic, and going for a quiet space walk might just be the perfect tonic.

[MIKA27]

Underworld 5 starts shooting

Filming is under way in Prague on the fifth Underworld film, starring Kate Beckinsale and Theo James.

Production has now officially begun on the new Underworld film, which sees Kate Beckinsale and Theo James returning to headline.

Underworld 5, as we're guessing it won't ultimately be called, is shoot to film in and around Prague for the next ten weeks. Anna Foerster is directing this time, having works as cinematographer on a bunch of Roland Emmerich films, including Independence Day and White House Down.

Cory Goodman has penned the script for this one, and joining Beckinsale and James in the cast are Tobias Menzies, Lara Pulver, Charles Dance, James Faulkner, Peter Andersson, Bradley James, Daisy Head and Clementine Nicholson.

The film is currently scheduled for release on October 21st 2016.

[MIKA27]

New First-Person Shooter Will Lock Out Your Steam Account When You Die

It’s called One Life, naturally.

One Life recently joined the roster of hopefuls on Steam Greenlight, and it’s got a — I see what I really didn’t mean to do there; too bad it’s impossible to delete words on the internet — killer concept. Die once and you’re done. One Life, its developers told me, will lock out your Steam account as soon as you kick the bucket. The “play” button in your launcher will go grey, and you’ll only be able to stare somberly at the history of your character.

“One Life is the first multiplayer survival game with perma-permadeath. If you die, you will leave the game forever. Will you manage to survive in this harsh world full of dangers? Upgrade your battle truck and set off for hot spots with friends. Play with your own rules but remember: your every move can be the last one.”

Here’s what it will look like in action:

Not too shabby, especially for a game that will theoretically function like a biker bar (from back before bikers went extinct and were replaced by hipsters who ironically love the vibe); people will walk in, get the beating of their lives, and never come back.

OK, that’s not necessarily true. First off, you’re not immediately dead-dead just because you bite the big one in combat. Players can choose if they want to spare you or finish you off, at which point things can get downright demented. “Forgive, humiliate, finish off, take everything he has — it’s your choice,” reads One Life‘s Greenlight page. “Saved [the] life of some loser? Take them captive and make them work off. They will do everything to be free again. No other game will give you this feeling of power over other people.”

The game’s developers are, however, aware that players don’t love the idea of plunking down $US10 only to lose their heads in ten seconds. They claim you’ll have a lot of control over where and how you start the game. Beyond that, they advise that you find friends and play conservatively.

One Life‘s developers also told me that they won’t be able to stop people from creating entirely new Steam accounts to play again. However, they hope that players honour the game’s one-and-done deal, to keep it authentic. “Creating another account won’t be the easiest thing as the player will feel the loss of the character and the ability to play One Life again on the emotional level,” they said.

Still, One Life strikes me as something of a tall order, especially since unlike Upsilon Circuit — which has a similar “die once, die forever” thing going on — there’s no alternative means of playing after you kick the bucket, no afterlife of vengeful spectator ghostliness. I imagine we’ll see a lot of Steam refunds on this one, at least if players end up dying before they have spent two hours with the game. Meanwhile, if you really want to account loophole your way back into the mortal realm, you still have to buy the game again. Are you interested in trying One Life, even if it ends up being $US10 dumped into an endlessly swirling toilet?

[MIKA27]

NBN Co Pull Up To 970Mbps From Copper Cables, But There's A Huge Catch

We all know that the new plan for the National Broadband Network involves delivering connectivity over copper for the so-called last mile, that’s just something we have to live with. NBN Co is trying to make that all a little easier on us by revealing results from an early trial of G.Fast technology to supercharge copper lines. NBN Co achieved 970Mbps over G.Fast copper, but there’s a massive catch: the cable was 20 metres long.

NBN Co’s Chief Architect, Tony Cross, wrote in a blog post today that the company had been testing its super-charged copper lines over the last few months.

He wrote that NBN Co scored a 970Mbps download speed in the lab on what I assume is shiny new copper (that is, not like the **** copper buried in your street).

Almost a gigabit worth of speed over copper is insanely impressive, and shows that G.Fast has real promise. The massive catch is that the speed can’t be maintained over distance.

It’s slightly more encouraging to hear that over a slightly longer distance (100m) in the real world (a Melbourne office block), NBN Co achieved “over 600Mbps”. So there’s that.

Fibre To The Node is designed as such so that each street gets its own node. When you think about Aussie streets, you realise that it might actually be ok when it comes to distance.

The point here is that G.Fast speeds over copper are going to vary wildly depending on what’s buried under your street.

[MIKA27]

As Promised, Nike Finally Reveals BTTF II Air Mag Sneakers With Power Laces

Back in 2011, the Nike Air Mag, the shoes that Marty McFly wore in Back to the Future II, were released to a ravenous fan base. There was only one problem, unlike the shoes seen in the movie, Nike’s Air Mags didn’t have power laces. Nike promised they would come 2015, and today the company delivered.

The new Nike Air Mags look almost exactly the same as the shoes Nike released back in 2011, but it’s always what’s on the inside that counts, and this time around there’s now a hidden powered mechanism that automatically cinches the sneaker’s laces tight once you’ve inserted your feet. There’s apparently a manual option too, for when the batteries run down, but that doesn’t seem very futuristic.

Today, on 21 October 2015 in America, the date that Doc, Marty, and Jennifer travel to in Back to the Future II, Nike delivered the first pair of the new Air Mags to Michael J. Fox, who was kind enough to make the rest of the world impossibly jealous by posting footage of the new sneakers in action. If that doesn’t give you feelings, you’re probably a robot.

Like with the 2011 versions of the Air Mags, come 2016 the power lace versions will only be available in limited quantities through an auction with all the proceeds going to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

So if you thought the original versions were expensive, you’re probably going to have decide between sending your kids to college, or bidding on a pair of the new Air Mags. If they have seen Back to the Future II, however, they will totally understand why they’re not getting a higher education.

[MIKA27]

Carbon Nanotubes Found In Human Lungs For The First Time

What’s that up your nose? Researchers have found carbon nanotubes lurking in the lungs of children in Paris, marking the first time the tiny tubes have been observed in humans.

New Scientist reports thatDuring a study of the fluid found in the airways of 64 astmathic children, a team from the University of Paris-Saclay found carbon nanotubes in each and every sample. In five cases they also found the nanotubes within the immune cells of lungs, known as macrophages, that help clear unwanted particles from the airways. The results are published in EBioMedicine.

For a little bit of extra context for those unfamiliar with carbon nanotubes, they’re cylindrical carbon molecules — imagine a sheet of graphene wrapped up into a tube. Their material properties of light weight, good conductivity and high strength have made them popular in the fields of nanotechnology, electronics and optics.

The total number of nanotubes and their source remain unclear, say the researchers, nor is there necessarily any link between their asthma and the presence of the carbon tubes. However, as
New Scientist points out, mouse studies have shown that carbon nanotubes have been associated with immune reactions reminiscent of those brought about by asbestos.

It remains unclear what, if any, effects carbon nanotubes have in the respiratory tracts of humans. Likely time will tell.

[MIKA27]

A $20 Upgrade Lets You Create Autonomous Flight Plans For Parrot's Bebop Drone

Hot on the heels of Tesla revealing the new autonomous driving mode for its electric cars, Parrot has just announced a $US20 upgrade for its Bebop drone that lets amateur (and unskilled) pilots easily plot a course on a map that the craft will autonomously follow using GPS.

At just $US500 the Bebop is one of the more affordable ways to try your hand at drone photography, thanks to a 14-megapixel, full HD camera already onboard. But piloting a drone smoothly so you can capture some breathtaking footage takes some practice — a lot of practice. So Parrot is introducing the new Flight Plan mode, available as a $US20 unlockable feature in the FreeFlight 3 piloting app, that does all of the hard flying work for you.

The pilot simply uses a map in the FreeFlight 3 app to first select a departure point, and then additional waypoints to create a route for the drone to autonomously fly. In between those points the pilot can also make changes to the Bebop drone’s speed, altitude, and direction it’s pointing to ensure it always has an ideal camera angle.

Accuracy is promised to be within about six feet of each waypoint, and the user is able to save, reload, and even edit routes in the app later on. At any point during a flight the pilot can also take over manual control of the drone to help keep it out of trouble, or to temporarily divert its flight route.

[MIKA27]

This Desk Is A Also A Playable Pipe Organ

This wooden desk doubles as a playable pipe organ: push in the various drawers and air flows into the wooden pipes.

And if you play one particular song, it unlocks a secret compartment. Clues as to the secret tune can be deciphered by solving more than 20 puzzles incorporated into the desk’s design.

It’s the creation of Denver-based woodworker Kagen Sound (yes that’s his real last name — he had it legally changed from Schaefer in 2013), who holds a degree in maths from Colorado College. But his first love is woodworking and art, and carved puzzle boxes are his specialty. Several years ago, he made a puzzle box that would only open when a specific tune was played on it, and decided to extend this principle to the design of the pipe organ puzzle desk.

It took him roughly five years to complete the desk; even the screws are made of wood, as is the pneumatic memory board. Adjust the pegs on the back of that memory board, and you can “reprogram” the secret tune that will unlock the hidden compartment.

The biggest challenge was realising that air was as much a material as wood. “I knew how to make air passages and switches from wood, and I assumed as air flowed through these mechanisms it would cooperate,” he told Twisted Sifter. “Many prototypes later, it became clear that air has a personality of its own too. It doesn’t always flow directly through a passage, it has eddies, like a river.”

Kagen also found inspiration for his desk in the work of an 18th century German maker of mechanical furniture named David Roentgen. Marie-Antoinette was a devoted patron, and Louis XIV purportedly paid him 80,000 livres to build an 3.3 metre mechanical desk that looked like a commode on the outside — a one-of-a-kind piece that was sadly lost during the Napoleonic wars.

Roentgen wasn’t an especially gifted cabinetmaker in the eyes of some critics, per the Enclyclopedia Brittanica (1911 edition) entry devoted to him, which declared his work to be largely sub-par in craftsmanship and “tainted by commercialism.” Where he excelled was designing intricate mechanical features, such as a roll top desk with a single pull that released various springs and latches to reveal hidden drawers and compartments.

I think Roentgen would approve of Kagen’s pipe organ puzzle desk.

[MIKA27]

Here's How The Automobile (And Youth Culture) Led To Raccoons Taking Over Germany

The butterfly effect is a funny thing. You never know where one discovery will lead. Take the automobile: It changed the world, transforming cities and small towns. And it also led to raccoons leaving America — and, possibly, taking over Europe.

In the 1910s and 1920s, the automobile was taking off both as a practical invention and as a symbol of youth, freedom, and rebellion. While it had many advantages, warmth wasn’t one of them. The whistling wind and the lack of enclosure, along with the occasional breakdown due to unpaved roads or faulty equipment, meant any driver had to wear warm clothing. The people who bought the first cars could have chosen any coats they wanted, but being kids, naturally chose the equivalent of ripped jeans, cowboy boots, or a battered leather jacket — the raccoon-skin coat.

Raccoons live everywhere in North America, and so their skins were readily available to trappers, traders, and people on the frontier. The coats made from raccoon fur were tough and warm, and had a certain rough and ready quality, which appealed to a few automobile drivers. Then more automobile drivers. Then everyone who wanted to be like those cool young automobile drivers.

These coats made the hop across the Atlantic, and a few animals did as well. German fur manufacturers started fur farms — but it was in everyone’s best interest to keep the raccoons contained. Then, in 1934, a German hunter named Rolf Haag had the bright idea that Germany should also cash in on the fun of hunting raccoons for their coats. This being an utterly different time, Haag managed to convince a forestry official to go along with his plan. He released four raccoons into the wild.

Now there are roughly a million raccoons in Germany. They live in suburbs. They live in cities. They live in forests. They’re beginning to live in the countries neighbouring Germany. They have even been spotted in England and Spain. At this point, officials have no way to eliminate or even contain them. They’re a masked plague rampaging unchecked in the countryside. And why? Because of the flapper and the Model T and the weirdness of the world.

[MIKA27]

By 2100, Spring Could Come to America Almost A Month Earlier

Something odd is happening to the seasons in America. Spring has been showing up progressively earlier, and a new model shows that by the end of the century, it will likely be showing up a full 23 days earlier — but it may not look quite like the Spring right now.

A new study in Environmental Research Letters looks at two traditional markers of Spring — “leaf out” (when the leaves first pop up) and “first bloom” (just like it sounds — and what our progressively warming climate is doing to the date. They looked at data beginning in 1950, and then projected out what the next century would look like. The median shift was 23 days, but something else funny started happening — Spring got a whole more erratic.

In part, this was because the shift wasn’t consistent. Some places got a considerably earlier start than the 23 day median and others quite a bit later. But also, this shift to an earlier date also came with the potential for “false Springs” — a temporary warm-up, followed by a freeze — to show up earlier too, and this is a problem for plants, particularly those who have little defence against freezing in their earliest stages.

An even bigger problem, though, may be that while the plants think spring has come, the insect and animal world (on which it depends for pollination) might not be in lockstep agreement. In fact, animals are already responding to climate change’s shifting seasons in unpredictable ways:

Long-distance migratory birds respond to cues present in their overwintering habitat, such as day length, while plants in their summer breeding grounds respond to local environmental cues like temperature. Birds that have adapted to migrate earlier have maintained their population levels, while birds that retained historical temporal patterns in migrations have declined, at least in part due to phenological mismatches with plant-based resources (Saino et al 2011, Clausen and Clausen 2013). Increasing temperatures have led to poor synchronisation between moth emergence and leaf out of host trees (Visser and Holleman 2001). Ultimately, the ability of a species to respond to rapid phenological changes will depend upon generation time, levels of genetic variability, and the plasticity of phenological and behavioural traits

In other words, yes, Spring is coming — and it’s coming earlier, but it might not be the Spring expected.

[MIKA27]

This Badass 19th Century Chemist Sniffed Ozone And Invented Guncotton

Christian Friedrich Schönbein was a very good chemist who lived to the ripe old age of 70. In doing so, he defied the odds; he had a knack for putting himself in harm’s way for the sake of science.

Schönbein was born in 1799 and got his education the old-fashioned way — through rampant abuse of child labour. After grammar school, he went to work as a live-in apprentice for a chemical company at 13 years old. He put in 13 hour days, every day, until he was 21. The down side of this was probably a great deal of fatigue, sorrow, and danger. The up side was that spending more than half of each day doing nothing but working in a chemistry lab gave him good training in that science.

Only after leaving the company did he begin an academic study of chemistry. He studied and worked at multiple universities, where he discovered his first incredibly dangerous substance. It was known as “the odor of electricity.” When chemists were performing the electrolysis of water — the experiment we all did in school, during which electricity is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen — they noticed an odd, slightly sweet scent. The leading theory was that it was little bits of electrode, split off from the main electrode and suspended in the air.

Schönbein didn’t think so. If it were suspended in the air, eventually the scent would dissipate as the particles settled. But he spent long hours in his cramped, stuffy little lab sniffing and sniffing and the scent never went away. Not only that, it was in the air after a lightning strike. Lightning doesn’t require an electrode. Eventually he brought other chemists around to his way of thinking. He called the new “element” ozein, and worked towards, but never succeeded in, isolating large quantities of it. We now know it as ozone, and inhaling will destroy your lungs, heart, and chromosomes.

Schönbein’s first attempts at self-destruction were accidental, but you get the sense that the second time around he was trying. By 1845, he was married and well-established as a chemist. His wife forbade him to take his work home with him, but one weekend she was out of town and he decided to do experiments in her laundry room. He spilled nitric acid, then spilled sulfuric acid, then absentmindedly mopped the spill up with the wife’s apron. To make sure it was dry before she came home, he hung it up near the stove. It burst into flames, burning instantaneously with little smoke. (Come to think of it, maybe he was actually trying to kill his wife.) At that time, the gun was a well-known weapon of war, but gunpowder was slow, unreliable, and produced enough smoke to muck up the machinery in a gun. Schönbein’s discovery became what’s now known as “gun cotton,” a smokeless, cellulose-based explosive that helped make guns easier to use and less messy.

While ozone was just a smell, gun cotton was an invention, and one which Schönbein could patent. Perhaps success mellowed him, because although gun cotton itself was dangerous to manufacture and use, he mostly steered clear of the many fires and explosions that riddle its history. Instead he got a position at the University of Basel, where he sniffed ozone happily until his death in 1868.

[MIKA27]

Antioxidants Might Actually Make Cancer Worse

Antioxidants have made a fortune for the dietary supplement industry, but how many people really know what they are and why they’re supposedly good for you? One common claim is that the these molecules can protect you from cancer. This is supposedly because they can counteract other molecules known as “reactive oxygen species” or “free radicals” that can be created in our cells and then damage DNA, potentially leading to cancer.

But cells generate many different types and levels of free radicals. For example, some are used by the immune system to attack pathogens. Therefore we don’t fully understand the benefits and dangers of wiping free radicals out with antioxidants. If we remove all free radicals we may be preventing their good actions. This may be why there’s little solid evidence that antioxidants actually reduce the risk of cancer or help to treat the disease. In fact, some large clinical trials show the opposite.

My colleagues at King’s College London and I recently published research in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute highlighting that free radicals are not just damaging agents. Our work adds to thegrowing evidence that antioxidant supplements can, in some circumstances, do more harm than good.

Shaping cancer cells

Back in 2008, we showed that melanoma cells — the most serious form of skin cancer — – can change their shape depending on the amounts of two key opposing molecules called Rac and Rho that function like a switch. If there’s more Rac and less Rho, the cells become long and spindly. With more Rho and less Rac, the cells become rounder. More recently, we found that this rounding process allows cancer cells to travel more freely and spread around the body more easily.

To find out how Rac and Rho are involved in free radicals’ effects on cancer, we grew melanoma cells in the lab and treated them with a battery of antioxidants to remove the reactive oxygen species. As a result the cells became more rounded and moved faster, making them more likely to spread.

But if we used drugs to inhibit the Rho signals and boost the Rac, the amount of free radicals increased and the cells became longer and slower. We also saw that the increase in free radicals switched on certain genes in the cells, such as p53, which can protect us against cancer but disappears as cancers become more aggressive, and PIG3, which helps with DNA repair.

Unexpectedly, we found that the PIG3 further suppressed Rho activity.

We confirmed this by looking at mice with skin tumours. The animals were more likely to survive if the cancer cells had higher levels of PIG3, linked to the increase in free radicals. These tumours grew more slowly and cancer cells didn’t spread as much.

By contrast, we found that human patients that had low levels of PIG3 had cancer cells that were much more likely to be rounded and linked to faster travel around the body. At the same time, cancer patients’genetic records showed us that individuals whose melanoma spread had low amounts of PIG3 but high levels of proteins controlled by Rho.

So in short, using drugs to reduce Rho and increase Rac produced an increase in free radicals and therefore PIG3, reducing the chances that the cancer cells would spread. This contrasts strongly with the idea that antioxidants, which reduce free radicals, can help treat the disease.

Caution for antioxidants

Most of our work was carried out in lab-grown melanoma cells, so there’s still more work to be done to show whether the drugs that inhibit Rho signals could stop melanoma spreading in patients. But the same drugs are being tested in clinical trials for other diseases, such as glaucoma, high blood pressure and heart disease, so we know they are safe to use in patients. Our research adds to the growing evidence that indicates this family of drugs could work to slow down the spread of skin cancer.

Other studies indicate antioxidants can increase the risk of cancer and accelerate its progression. High doses of antioxidants could also interfere with some cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, that rely on free radicals to damage and eventually kill the cancer cells.

While our results don’t prove that antioxidants are harmful for healthy cells, they sound an important note of caution about the use of antioxidants in patients that have already developed cancer. More work is needed to fully understand the benefits and drawbacks of taking antioxidant supplements. And we need to find a way to inhibit the “bad” free radicals and allow the “good” ones to do their work.

[MIKA27]

The Way Electric Eels Kill Is Even Cooler Than We Realised

Electric eels are among the most badarse predators on planet Earth. How many other creatures can deliver a shock powerful enough to paralyse a horse? But their superpowers are even more impressive than we realised. These eels don’t just use electricity to attack, they use it to see.

That’s the conclusion of a fascinating study published today in Nature Communications. In a series of laboratory experiments, neurobiologist Ken Catania and colleagues show how electric eels “electrolocate” their prey after paralyzing it, using energy fields to locate and swallow hapless victims almost instantly.

“The eel can use its electric attack simultaneously as a weapon and a sensory system,” Catania told National Geographic. “It’s sort of a science-fiction-like ability.”

Electric eels, which are actually a type of catfish, slink quietly about in the murky depths of the Amazon River, looking for ill-fated creatures on which to discharge their 600-volt weapon. We’ve known of the eel’s formidable hunting ability for decades, but the exact mechanics have proven difficult to study (you try capturing an 8 foot-long living taser and bringing it back to the lab — it ain’t easy).

Catania is more persistent than most. In a study published last year in Science, he showed that electric eels’ high voltage attacks can stimulate their prey’s motor neurons, causing involuntary muscle twitching. Using two or three small electric volleys, the eels will force prey to give away their location before charging up and delivering the paralyzing blow.

Electric eel honing in on an electrically conductive stimulus (red arrow), before initiating its suction-feeding strike. Image Credit: Catania et al. 2015

But how does the eel find its lunch once that prey is disabled? As Catania points out, electric eels will strike and engulf their victims lightning fast — usually within milliseconds.

Electricity figures in here, too, according to a series of laboratory experiments performed by Catania and his colleagues. National Geographic explains:

To understand what was happening, Catania brought electric eels into the lab and presented them with anesthetized fish that were insulated from the eel’s electroreceptors by plastic bags. With an electrode, Catania made the fish flinch, and the eel discharged its high-voltage attack. But then it didn’t seem to know what to do next — the eel lunged in the direction of movement in the water but didn’t attempt to suck the fish into its mouth.

Catania then put an electrically conductive carbon rod into the tank along with the fish. He made the fish flinch, and the eel attacked with a shock. Sometimes the eel started to move in the direction of the fish, but then it changed course to lunge at the rod wherever it had been placed in the tank. To the eel, the fish seemed to be in two places at once.

What these experiments are showing is that electric eels don’t just use voltage to immobilize prey: They follow electric fields, in order to track it. This places the eel in league with sharks, rays, and certain African fish as a predator that can electrolocate — an adaptation that’s similar to echolocation in bats and dolphins.

Me, I’m just grateful this particular hunting ability seems restricted to the water.

[Smooth]

http://news.nike.com/news/nike-mag-2015

Beat me to it Mika.

I will be bidding..

[MIKA27]

Gene-Edited Dogs With Jacked-Up Muscles Are A World's First

Researchers in China are reportedly the first to use a powerful gene editing tool to produce super-muscled dogs. The goal is to create test subjects that mimic degenerative human diseases, but the breakthrough also raises the prospect of customised pets.

A cheap and powerful gene editing technique called CRISPR is taking the science world by storm. Over the past year, biologists have used the genetic cut-and-paste tool to genetically modify human embryos, produce supersized fruit, and create double-muscled pigs and micropigs. Other animals involved in CRISPR work include goats, rabbits, and monkeys.

Image at left: Hercules and Tiangou, the world’s first gene-edited dogs. They may not look particularly extra-muscled, but the researchers say Tiangou (the one of the right), features larger thigh muscles compared to her littermates, along with other “obvious muscular phenotype.” (Journal of Molecular Cell Biology via Technology Review)

Now, as Technology Review reports, scientists in China have used CRISPR to knock out the myostatin gene (MSTN) in beagles, which roughly doubles their muscle mass. The details of this work can now be found at the Journal of Molecular Cell Biology.

The researchers say that the super muscly beagles could be used for hunting, police, and military applications, but the ultimate purpose of the experiment is to create dogs with other DNA mutations, including those similar to Parkinson’s and muscular dystrophy.

“The goal of the research is to explore an approach to the generation of new disease dog models for biomedical research,” noted study co-author Liangxue Lai in Technology Review. “Dogs are very close to humans in terms of metabolic, physiological, and anatomical characteristics.” Lai is a researcher with the Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology at the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health.

TR writer Antonio Regaldo describes the experiment:

In the end, of 65 embryos they edited, 27 puppies were born, but only two, a female and a male, had disruptions in both copies of the myostatin gene. They named the female Tiangou, after the “heaven dog” in Chinese myth. They named the male Hercules.

Lai and his colleagues reported that in Hercules, the gene editing was incomplete, and that a percentage of the dog’s muscle cells were still producing myostatin. But in Tiangou, the disruption of myostatin was complete and the beagle “displayed obvious muscular phenotype,” or characteristics. For example, her thigh muscles were large compared to those of her litter mates.

The beagles are similar to super-muscled Belgian Blue cattle and whippet dogs, both of which have been bred in such a way that they now “naturally” suppress myostatin production at the genetic level.

A whippet with the myostatin mutation

When the myostatin gene is disrupted, the body fails to produce the muscle-inhibiting protein manufactured by the gene. The end result is extra muscle mass. Some humans have actually been born with this mutation.

By studying this genetic quirk, and related conditions involving muscle buildup and decay, scientists hope to treat degenerative disorders in humans. As it stands, however, it is currently illegal and grossly premature to use CRISPR on human subjects. But as this research shows, human applications may not be too far off in the distance.

The researchers say they have no plans to breed the jacked-up beagles as pets, but it’s obvious that this is where the technology is headed. In future, dogs and other animal companions could feature an assortment of genetic manipulations, including changes to intelligence, temperament, physical proportions, and colour patterns.

[MIKA27]

THIS STEAMPUNK-THEMED BAR FILLED WITH ART WILL BLOW YOUR MIND

Steampunk (a genre of science fiction that features steam-powered machinery rather than advanced technology) along with it's rapid fanbase use to be confined to the world of literature and film - until now.

Over in Romania the world's first kinetic steampunk bar called 'Enigma' has officially flung open its mechanical doors to the public and yes it's every bit as amazing as you'd expect it to be.

There's cogs, levers, pulled weights, sculptures, gears and even a humanoid robot to help supplement your refreshing beverage or ice cold bear. As you can imagine, once the word gets out it's going to damn hard to get a seat at such an incredible spot.

So if you're in the area you'll find the bar tucked away at Luliu Maniu, Nr 12, Cluj-Napoca (here's directions) but get in quick before the rest of the world does.

[MIKA27]

http://news.nike.com/news/nike-mag-2015

Beat me to it Mika.

I will be bidding..

Be sure to let us know how broke you become

[MIKA27]

BREMONT ALT1-B

The Bremont ALT1-B is a chronograph developed for use at altitude by military pilots. The design is based on the ALT1-Z chronograph that Bremont delivered to B2 Stealth Bomber Aircrews in 2012.

At its heart, the ALT1-B uses a modified calibre 13 1/4” BE-54AE automatic chronometer, with 25 jewels, a Glucydur balance, an Anachron balance spring, a Nivaflex 1 mainspring, 28,800bph, a 42 hour power reserve, and a Bremont moulded and skeletonised DLC coated rotor. It’s offered with either a calf leather or steel band, and it’s water resistant to 10 ATM/100 metres. [Purchase]

[MIKA27]

'Back to the Future' Was Cool, but 1985 Was an Amazing Year for Video Games - Part 1

Let me tell you a little about the culture of 1985. It was, mostly, s**t. On TV, both EastEnders and Neighbours started. In music, ****-dipping, cock-rock douchebags Guns N' Roses formed, likewise—and this might surprise you—the miserable posh-experimentalist bastards who make up Radiohead.

At the box office, two of the top three movies of the year starred Sylvester Stallone, Rambo: First Blood Part II and Rocky IV. The highest-grossing film was Back to the Future, which has some relevance to today's Twitter trends. Back to the Future was pretty good. Its sequels also.

Video gaming, however, was completely awesome in 1985. Important stuff happened, loads of it. Here's just some of it.

The Console Wars Kicked Off

Nintendo's Famicom—its "family computer"—had been a hit in its homeland of Japan since 1983, and 1985 saw the company up its international focus considerably by remodeling their 8bit system for a stateside release. This boxy, gray, entirely iconic machine, the Nintendo Entertainment System—sold not as a toy but a family entertainment product—reached American customers for the first time in October '85. Five years later, 30 percent of US homes would have one, and the console would be celebrated as a vital player in reversing the games industry's economic crash of the early 1980s.

SEGA, in contrast, was more obviously focused on the arcade market in the mid-1980s. But its heated home gaming rivalry with Nintendo, the root of a thousand arguments every hour of every day around the developed world at the time, would begin in 1985 with the release of its Mark III system in Japan. Created to be a direct competitor to the Famicom, for its international campaign the Mark III was remolded into the Master System. It reached Europe in 1987, ultimately outselling Nintendo's alternative in the EU, but SEGA wouldn't gain a satisfactory foothold in the States until the introduction of the Genesis in the summer of 1989.

Until Sony's scene-changing PlayStation came along, the console of choice beneath any TV in the 1980s and early 1990s would be either a Nintendo or SEGA, and rarely would owners of one machine see the positives of the other. Magazines and marketers regularly attacked the opposition, and the console wars were upon us: forged in the competitive flames of 1985 and unlikely to ever be extinguished, as new players have risen to enter the game while others, notably SEGA, have fallen away.

SEGA's Arcade Games Were Fantastic, Though

Hang-On and Space Harrier landed in arcades in 1985, and proceeded to quaff quarters like fat kids do doughnuts. There were a handful of other notable arcade releases the same year, like the blueprint-forming shooter Gradius from Konami and Atari's Paperboy and Gauntlet, both of which would enjoy a number of solid home-system ports. But few featured a full-enough-size motorbike that you sat on and leaned left to right while you played. Hang-On did, so Hang-On won. Fourteen years later, designer Yu Suzuki put a fully operational Hang-On cab in his Dreamcast adventure Shenmue. Not quite the same, but less likely to leave you with aching balls.

Continues in the article below:

[MIKA27]

'Back to the Future' Was Cool, but 1985 Was an Amazing Year for Video Games - Part 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnVOtWtQlf4

The Amiga Came Out

If you had a computer in your house in the late 1980s into the early 1990s, there's a very strong chance that it was a Commodore Amiga. At the very least, loads of my mates had one. Numerous models were released between the series' launch in 1985 with the Amiga 1000 and its official discontinuation in 1996, with the most popular undeniably the 500, selling as many as 6 million units worldwide. We had a 500 at home, and later a 1200. I'm sure that our first was picked up because of its homework potential, but the Amiga for many was first and foremost a gaming machine, host to countless absolute classics of the 16bit era, some of which never made the move to consoles (or if they did, they weren't as good). Speedball 2, The Chaos Engine, Lemmings, Sensible Soccer, Moonstone, The Secret of Monkey Island, Cannon Fodder, Turrican II, Alien Breed, Populous, Syndicate. Sod it, I'll throw in Deluxe Paint II, given the hours I spent staring at it. The Amiga is the bedrock of my gaming identity, more so than any console. Cheers, dad.

'Super Mario Bros.' Changed the Gaming World as We Know It

The greatest video game in the whole damn world, possibly. Depends who you ask. Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. of 1985 was certainly the biggest-selling game for many years, not beaten in terms of units shifted until 2008, it's currently the fifth highest-selling game of all time. It speaks for itself.

Konami Effectively Defined the Fighting Game Genre

You're forgiven for having never heard of Yie Ar Kung-Fu, but without this one-on-one fighting game from Konami, it might be that we never got Street Fighter II, or Mortal Kombat, or Eternal Champions. (Shut up, Eternal Champions was terrific.)

Hitting arcades in January 1985 and moving to European home computers come the autumn, ultimately becoming the second-biggest seller of 1986 across all formats in the UK, Yie Ar challenged the player to overcome a series of foes, each of whom has a style entirely their own, with unique moves and the occasional projectile. Sounds pretty familiar, doesn't it; yet before Yie Ar, gaming didn't really have a title in what we now consider the Street Fighter mold (Capcom's fighter didn't debut until 1987). There was Karate Champ, apparently, but I don't remember seeing it around at the time. Yie Ar, though, felt like it was everywhere, infectious and hugely inspirational. There's probably a Spectrum copy in your parents' loft.

The ColecoVision Died

It was probably for the best. I mean, that controller, honestly. What were these people smoking?

[MIKA27]

BUDGET BEATS: 5 BEST BLUETOOTH SPEAKERS UNDER $50

Mobile music has undergone one of the biggest upsurges in interest and development over the years. An industry that could barely make irritating Bluetooth headphones that self-important Wall Street brokers were constantly screaming into now makes some of the most incredible speakers out there, all completely without wires. As the market has gotten larger in this region, so too has it become increasingly difficult to separate a valuable speaker that is worth the money, and an inexpensive speaker that’s trash. It’s tough, even for those in the industry. That’s why we wanted to tackle the Bluetooth speakers for those on a strict budget.

Naturally we looked toward sound quality, but also range. A quality speaker can’t just pump out a lot of power or throw a lot of bass at your music. It needs to be rich and refined. Even if you aren’t paying top dollar, you should still be getting more than tinny little whines from drivers that also can’t keep a connection. That was where our other main focus was: On connectivity. A great Bluetooth speaker is just another waste of space if you can’t get it to stay bonded to its device. After testing, we’ve got the 5 best Bluetooth speakers under $50 US.

LIZTEK PSS-100

Pro: Pairs with anything

Con: Speakerphone mic requires that you be extremely close

Certainly not meant for extreme outdoor adventures, the PSS-100 has a dreadfully boring name (we like to think of it as the Brick House) but it comes with room-filling noise at a size that is best for moving from room to room during a marathon cleaning session or while cooking a Thanksgiving feast. Crank it up and the sound will carry, while it can keep a strong Bluetooth connection even through most doors and drywall. The dense body and increased is a little too heavy to be a go-anywhere speaker, but that weight goes into backing up the dual 40mm drivers with plenty of power so they don’t distort even at high levels, yet can run for 8 solid hours on a single charge. It also bears bass enhancement that will help those budget bass lovers get a little more bounce in their jams, though it’s never going to be a window-rattler. [Purchase]

OMAKER M4

Pro: Great acoustics for the bathroom or shower

Con: 3.5mm jack is deeply recessed

Omaker really wanted to emphasize toughness on a budget with the M4 and they nailed it. It can take plenty of splashes (IP54 certified) and loads of drops on mountain trails and concrete. The body won’t show damage, and the sound quality won’t degrade with abuse. As far as personal audio goes, these can easily compete with portable speakers twice the price for sheer output. It bears a 3 watt audio driver along with a passive “subwoofer” that does add some richness to the bass, but is way too small to give you much bump. For power, it will go strong at 80% volume for about 12 hours and will recharge in about three using the on-board micro USB. Throw in an AUX line and NFC (Near Field Communication) capabilities, and you’ve got an outdoorsy winner. [Purchase]

ANKER CLASSIC PORTABLE

Pro: Doesn’t move even when played at maximum volume

Con: Limited connective range

Coming in at about 9 ounces, the first thing that we expected to be sacrificed on the altar of size was the battery life, but it seems that is the initial thing that Anker reinforced. It can run for about 15 hours on a full charge at high volume. Turn it down a bit and you can get as much as 20 hours out of the Classic Portable. The 4 watt, 2 inch driver is best used sitting on a desk or counter, making it an ideal companion for those home office folks who just want something to tote around their house as they work, do their daily diligence around the home, or head out to the workshop to putter. Easy, one-step connection and simple tethering as well as a 3.5mm jack and rudimentary on-board controls make the Classic perfect for the least technologically inclined among you. The small size won’t give you noise from room to room, but it also won’t disturb your office mates or take up desk space if you put it in your cube. [Purchase]

JBL CLIP/CLIP+

Pro: Easily connects to most devices

Con: Made almost exclusively for individual use

We’re going to break down and say it: We actually prefer the sound of the original Clip to that of the Clip+, so if you’re looking to save a little money and get improved sound, go with the OG. For those who need more splashproofing and a tougher exterior, there’s the Clip+. Either way you’re getting an entry level speaker that is clearly made for personal audio. This isn’t going to be ideal for your backyard barbecue unless you get a bunch of them, hang them all over, then sync them up via JBL’s app, but for on-the-go sound for mountain bike excursions or hiking, the built-in carabiner handle clip makes this a solid tag-along for the most active mover and shaker. Loads of color options, a built-in mic for answering calls, and a 5 hour battery give this a lot of accessories to go with good sound, if limited in range. [Purchase]

HOUSE OF MARLEY CHANT MINI

Pro: Smart, sensitive mic for speakerphone calls

Con: Volume severely alters battery life

Despite taking their laid back brand name from the Rasta king, Bob Marley, there’s nothing relaxed about the dedication to sound that the Chant Mini shows. Made completely out of recycled materials there’s a touch of bamboo trim at the top, a stylish and durable fabric covering on the outside that helps keep the speaker frame protected from the elements. Inside is an aluminum housing around a lithium-ion battery that will give you about six hours worth of playback. The 52mm driver is great for portable use, with the ability to produce a load of sound that fills smaller to medium rooms or gives out plenty of power for personal audio when clipped to your bag or belt via the included carabiner. Probably one of the most naturally stylish speakers out there, the on-board controls and LED indicator light add to both the look and usability of the Mini. [Purchase]

[MIKA27]

100 DEADLY SKILLS: THE SEAL OPERATIVE’S GUIDE

Clint Emerson’s new book titled 100 Deadly Skills: The SEAL Operative’s Guide to Eluding Pursuers, Evading Capture, and Surviving Any Dangerous Situation will teach readers 100 survival skills that are real and can actually be used in real emergencies.

The book includes modified black ops methods for self-defense, immobilization maneuvers and evasion tactics. The book takes an easy-to-comprehend visual approach by using simple illustrations to demonstrate the directions. It’s not filled with nonsense about the zombie apocalypse like some other survival books. It includes the best way to make a taser, trick facial recognition software, avoid being kidnapped, and more. Each instruction requires little to no tech, as it focuses on the life skills necessary to survive without the need for your smartphone. The book is the number one bestseller in survival and emergency preparedness books on Amazon, and it’s available now for $11 [Purchase]

[MIKA27]

Wireless Earbuds You’ll Never Lose

We’ve thought about picking up a pair of wireless earbuds to replace all our various pairs of headphones, but we never did because we were absolutely sure we’d lose them. Skybuds, by Alpha Audiotronics, Inc., addressed this very real issue by pouring just as much design and development into a revolutionary new phone case as they did their excellent ear candy delivery devices. Skybuds themselves use top-of-the-line, balanced armature speakers, passive noise cancellation and psychoacoustic algorithms to give each of your ears access to best-in-class sound whether you’re listening to your favorite new track or conference calling with the boss. After three to four hours of continuous listening, you insert your Skybuds into the left and right slots on the bottom of your new phone case to immediately start recharging them using the built in battery (that can also be used to charge your phone). In essence, you’re getting truly wireless premium earbuds, an extra battery for your phone and a Bluetooth headset all built into a sleek new case for your phone. [Purchase]