Micro stories - small news bits too small to have their own thread

[SvenSvensonov]

Hey guys!!! I often find myself confronted with something interesting, but don't feel it deserves its own thread. So I'm starting a thread, that I will be updating daily, dedicated to things that are interesting but don't need their own threads due to their lack of length or depth. Micro stories for short - mostly anything I or anyone else finds interesting and wants to share!

Anyone can contribute, but as noted, I'll at least sustain it on my own, though I always welcome contributions!

Thanks and I hope you enjoy, it'll be random!

SvenSvensonov

I'll start with:

These anamorphic drawings will screw up your brain

Italian artist Alessandro Diddi is back with more mind-boggling anamorphic drawings that seem to be popping out of the paper. Even if I know that these are plain 2D drawings, my brain keeps telling me it's 3D.

'

From These anamorphic drawings will screw up your brain

@levina @Gufi @Nihonjin1051 @thesolar65 @Gabriel92 @Jungibaaz

 

[SvenSvensonov]

Incredible aerial view of Chinese New Year's fireworks over Beijing

Apparently, July 4th ain't got nothing on Chinese New Year in Beijing. This video was recorded on an airplane that was landing in Beijing at midnight of Chinese New Year and it shows all the fireworks going off at once across the city. It looks like every corner is firing off explosions at the same time.

There are so many that it almost looks like a warzone.

@Yizhi - is it always like this?


Drone footage of Russia's Air Force Museum shows a heaven for planes

All these fighter jets and war planes and attack helicopters are on display at Russia's Central Air Force museum just outside of Moscow. They're advanced killing machines. And yet this drone footage makes them look so peaceful, resting and hibernating in the Russian winter snow. It's as if we've stumbled upon a paradise for planes.

Russia Today shows more of the spectacular footage below. The Central Air Force Museum is one of the world's largest aviation museums and is home to 173 aircrafts.

From Drone footage of Russia's Air Force Museum shows a heaven for planes




Watch people throw molten iron to make it explode against a brick wall

Dashuhua is a 500-year-old Chinese tradition practiced in Nuanquan town, in Hebei province, during the Lantern festival. It consists in throwing molten iron scraps to the cold bricks of the city gate to produce a spectacular shower of sparks that burst into the aircreating a similar effect to a fireworks display.

First ever drone footage of the Soviet-era secret lightning machine

You have seen photos of the secret Soviet-era Tesla tower—capable of discharging as much energy as the entire USSR's power grid in 100 milliseconds—but you have never seen this like this, from a drone. Russia Today got permission to take this video of one of the most fascinating science facilities in the planet.

The facility is still operational in a forest near Moscow, where it can generate 492-foot (150-meter) artificial lightning bolts, making it "one of the world's most powerful lightning machines." Its latest job, according to RT: "lightning protection tests for Russia's Sukhoi Superjet aircraft."

Robotic hand made of wires is flexible enough to rotate meditation balls

Baoding balls are two metal balls that are rotated over and over again in one hand for meditation, exercise or rehab purposes. A lot of dexterity and focus and strength is necessary to pull of the rotation. Not everyone can do it! This robotic arm controlled by wires can though. Look at those fake flexible fingers move.

To be clear, in advanced exercises the Baoding balls shouldn't be touching but I'll cut the robot arm some slack since it's a beginner. The robotic hand is impressive because it does such a good job of replicating the nimbleness and flexibility of our human hands.

It's pretty fascinating how the hand was made, the researchers first created a dummy hand and then tracked and measured six different poses of the hand necessary to rotate the meditation balls so they could design a specific transmission system that would control the prosthetic. You can read more about the project here.




This is how NASA makes the rocket boosters that will take us to Mars

This video shows how NASA makes and tests their largest, and most powerful solid rocket boosters ever. These engineering beauties will propel the new Space Launch System (SLS)and its astronauts to deeper space explorations. Mars, here we go.

 

[Azizam]

I believe this could be something interesting.

Lituya Bay Megatsunami

The 1958 Lituya Bay megatsunami occurred on July 9 at 10:15:58 p.m. with a moment magnitude of 7.8 and a maximum Mercalli Intensity of XI (Extreme). The event took place on the Fairweather Fault and triggered a landslide that caused 30 million cubic metres of rock and ice to fall into the narrow inlet of Lituya Bay, Alaska.[6] The sudden displacement of water resulted in amegatsunami that destroyed vegetation up to 524 metres (1,720 feet) above the height of the bay and a wave that traveled across the bay with a crest reported by witnesses to be on the order of 30 metres (100 feet) in height.[6] This is the most significant megatsunami and the largest known in modern times. The event forced a re-evaluation of large wave events, and recognition of impact and landslide events as a previously unknown cause of very large waves.

It's terrifying to think that most parts of the world are vulnerable to megatsunamis of this scale. If such an event takes place in a populated area, the result would be catastrophic.

 

[SvenSvensonov]

I believe this could be something interesting.

Lituya Bay Megatsunami



It's terrifying to think that most parts of the world are vulnerable to megatsunamis of this scale. If such an event takes place in a populated area, the result would be catastrophic.

Great!!! And thanks, that's exactly the kind of stuff I was looking for.

Spectacular video shows the beautiful and epic explosions on the Sun

To celebrate the fifth anniversary of NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, NASA put out this video of all the coolest, jaw dropping explosions that happened on our Sun over the past five years. You basically watch the Sun dances with shooting flares and solar loops. It's unreal.

This video from NASA is just fantastic. NASA writes:

February 11, 2015 marks five years in space for NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which provides incredibly detailed images of the whole sun 24 hours a day. Capturing an image more than once per second, SDO has provided an unprecedentedly clear picture of how massive explosions on the sun grow and erupt ever since its launch on Feb. 11, 2010. The imagery is also captivating, allowing one to watch the constant ballet of solar material through the sun's atmosphere, the corona.

Game of Thrones' The Mountain breaks 1000-year-old weightlifting record

Watch Júlíus Björnsson (AKA The Mountain of Game Of Thrones) carrying a 1433-pound (650 Kg) log on his back and walk five steps with it breaking a 1000-year-old viking weightlifting record.

The record is based on the 1000-year-old legend of Orm Storulfsson, an Icelander that carried a 1433 pounds and 33 feet (10 meters) long Monster Wooden Log. It took 50 men to place it on his back. Right after he took the third step his back couldn't hold the weight and broke. The legend says Orm Storulfsson wasn't the same after that.

Watch the unbelievable camouflage super powers of an octopus

Octopuses have become my favorite animals because it's very clear that they possess super powers from an alien world and even clearer that they use those powers for evil (or exactly how I would use them). Here's an octopus showing off his truly incredible camouflage powers. It goes from a brown mound to a blue water alien real quick.

If you've forgotten, enjoy these videos of octopuses breaking free from jar jail and using their camouflage to vanish on a boat.

This anti-bullet wall can stop bullets from penetrating and ricocheting

Somehow a wall filled with these hard ceramic balls is bulletproof. It stops bullets from penetrating through the wall and even prevents bullets from ricocheting off the wall too. It's basically the best shield against a gun we have.

Sure, sandbags can also stop bullets but Saab's Soft Armour system anti bullet wall looks like a normal wall that can be put onto any building. The technology is explained here:

Saab's Soft Armour system offers protection against ballistic penetration up to NATO 7.62 mm AP ammunition (STANAG level III). The system is a box concept filled with hard ceramic balls. The system is especially designed to enhance survivability and can be fitted to any structure prior to missions, or even retrofitted to existing structures in operational theatre.

A unique ceramic material protects against ballistic penetration. Soft Armour is a patented ballistic protection technology that provides security for people in vulnerable environments. Soft Armour also protects critical equipment and facilities. Soft Armour protects against all small arms ammunition including armour piercing. The system has a lower total cost than ceramic and composite protection, with reusability, multi-hit capabilities and high flexibility.

 

[SvenSvensonov]

The Wild, Nominally Edible World of 3D-Printed Foodstuffs

People have fabricated all kinds of things with 3D printers, but some of the most innovative creations yet have been edible ones. Does 3D printing really have what it takes to transform the food industry? Have a look at some prototype snacks and decide for yourself.

The Foodini Prototype, by UK-based Natural Machines, can hold 5 capsules, each filled with a different ingredient. It could make you spaghetti, pizza, ravioli or some cookies, among other food items, or awesome shapes that would be difficult to craft by hand.

I couldn't resist this image posted by the US Navy. Their position in the sky seems counterintuitive, yet it is perfectly normal for them.

 

[Yizhi]

Incredible aerial view of Chinese New Year's fireworks over Beijing

Apparently, July 4th ain't got nothing on Chinese New Year in Beijing. This video was recorded on an airplane that was landing in Beijing at midnight of Chinese New Year and it shows all the fireworks going off at once across the city. It looks like every corner is firing off explosions at the same time.

There are so many that it almost looks like a warzone.



@Yizhi - is it always like this?

xixixixixixi......yes, it's always like this! i set off lots of fireworks this New Year.
it's not just fireworks though.

a Teo Chew tradition, "迎老爷".
looks more like a warzone ...self made ones...lol.

 

[SvenSvensonov]

Watch a super hydrophobic knife cut through a water droplet

Black magic and sorcery and deals with the devil and breaks in The Matrix and possibly other dimensions. That's what super hydrophobic material is made out of. Like this super hydrophobic knife that just slices through a water droplet and cuts it in two. Are we really sure science can explain what my eyes are seeing?

I can watch hydrophobic material work its wonder all day.

New amazing metal is so hydrophobic it makes water bounce like magic

Scientists at the University of Rochester have created a metal that is so extremely hydrophobic that the water bounces on it as if it were repelled by a magic force field. Instead of using chemical coatings they used lasers to etch a nanostructure on the metal itself. It will not wear off, like current less effective methods.

The applications can be revolutionary: From the construction of airplane surfaces—which will avoid water freezing of the fuselage—to non-stick pans to phones to computers to TVs to cars to whatever you can imagine made of metal. They are also thinking of applying the technique to create 100-percent efficient water recollection systems in underdeveloped countries and the creation of latrines in areas where water is not abundant enough to allow for effective cleaning.

But it gets even better: The lead scientist says that 'the structures created by their laser on the metals are intrinsically part of the material surface' so they will not disappear over time, like current chemical coatings do.

Their research paper says they made the metals using a "powerful and precise laser-patterning technique that creates an intricate pattern of micro- and nanoscale structures to give the metals their new properties." According to Chunlei Guo, professor of optics at Rochester the effect is amazing:

The material is so strongly water-repellent, the water actually gets bounced off. Then it lands on the surface again, gets bounced off again, and then it will just roll off from the surface.

Here's Guo in a explanatory video along with the co-writer of the study, Anatoliy Vorobyev, who is a professor at the University of Rochester's Institute of Optics.

 

[SvenSvensonov]

Cuttlefish hypnotize their pray transforming into trippy light shows

Wow. This is amazing. I knew cuttlefish could change their hue to blend in with the sea floor and protect themselves from predators. But I didn't know they could use that skill to create trippy light shows that put their pray into trance.

Check out the amazing acrobatic skills of a jumping praying mantis

When a young praying mantis leaps into the air, it can reach its target in literally a blink of an eye (less than a tenth of a second). Speed aside, the mechanics of a praying mantis jump is what makes it special: three different body parts rotate in different directions and different combinations in an incredibly skilled acrobatic act.

The Conversation explains:

Once in the air the mantises precisely rotate three body parts – the front legs, the hind legs, and the abdomen – in different directions and in different combinations, all the time exchanging momentum between them and keeping the spin of the whole body at the correct rate to successfully reach and land on the target.

You can see them twist and turn in the video below. It's surprisingly graceful, even when they mistime their jump.

France's Nuclear Aircraft Carrier, Aglow in the Dark

This long exposure night shot shows a Rafale M multirole fighter aircraft during take off from the flight deck of Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, the flagship of the French Navy.

Charles de Gaulle is the only nuclear-powered carrier completed outside of the United States Navy. It started military operations against Islamic State in Iraq on the February 23rd 2015. Don't worry though—the bright glow is a result of the long exposure, and nothing to do with its nuclear power source.


Watch This Octopus Unscrew The Lid Of A Jar (From Inside The Jar)

As though the case for octopus intelligence wasn't strong enough already, check out the moves on this eight-limbed beastie. With a few deft turns of its tentacles, it manages to unscrew the lid of its enclosure from the inside.

 

[SvenSvensonov]

This Is What Lockheed's New Laser Can Do

Lockheed Martin recently tested its new Advanced Test High Energy Asset (ATHENA) laser—not to be confused with the Navy's laser—on the Ford F-150 pictured above. The weapons system hit the truck's running engine from a mile away. The engine doesn't run any more.

@Nihonjin1051 @AMDR @Gufi

 

[AMDR]

Two quantum properties teleported together for first time - physicsworld.com

 

[Sugarcane]

Hey guys!!! I often find myself confronted with something interesting, but don't feel it deserves its own thread. So I'm starting a thread, that I will be updating daily, d

People here open thread even on one tweet or sometime their own one liner thought, It's good to have one thread for this kind of news but disadvantage is that the news will not get noticed by majority of members.

 

[SvenSvensonov]

What it looks like in the Arctic Circle when the Sun never sets

This time lapse shows what 24 hours of a summer day (and I guess, a summer night) looks like in the Arctic Circle. You can see the Sun rising and setting like it normally does anywhere else but instead of disappearing beyond the horizon as the Earth turns, it pops right back up and the world never turns dark.

It's like living inside a 2D side scrolling video game. The time lapse was filmed by Maxie Max.

 

[Gufi]

This Is What Lockheed's New Laser Can Do

GENERALS ZERO HOUR :p

 

[Armstrong]

GENERALS ZERO HOUR :p

A Kashmiri, a Lahoriyaa and a fan of C&C Generals !

 

[SvenSvensonov]

GENERALS ZERO HOUR :p

I'm unhappy though. The picture is nice, but I wanted to see a video. Image the horror on the faces of the people of PDF who think lasers don't work when the see the limited amount of time it takes to burn through a target!

Seriously, it takes less than a second with a laser of that size and power!!!

Also, since I know you appreciate medicine as much as I do, check this thread if you haven't already done so:

Childhood Trauma Alters Neural Responses to Stress

A Kashmiri, a Lahoriyaa and a fan of C&C Generals !

Any interesting stories you've found? They don't need to be sciency, anything interesting will do.




Watching uranium emit radiation inside a cloud chamber is mesmerizing

Here's a really neat, classic experiment that's always fun to see. When you place uranium inside a cloud chamber, you can see it decay and emit bits of radiation. It's like seeing little alpha particle torpedoes shooting out in every direction, leaving a trail behind.

You can actually do this type of experiment at home too by following these instructions. Below is a video showing nearly an hour's worth of footage.

Seeing a nuclear reactor start up is cooler than my sci-fi dreams

Ka-freaking-boom. The piercing blue flash reverberates through the water and looks cooler than my imagination. If watching movies has taught me anything, it's that when you see that particular shade of glowing blue, something superhuman is happening. And yes, a nuclear reactor starting up is as powerful as it gets.

Why does it glow blue? It's the Cherenkov radiation:


Cherenkov radiation is electromagnetic radiation emitted when a charged particle (such as an electron) passes through a dielectric medium at a speed greater than the phase velocity of light in that medium.

It's going faster than the speed of light (in water). The blue glow is basically a sonic boom but for light.