(YouTube link)
Purdue University holds an annual Rube Goldberg Machine Contest for students from colleges all over. A world record was set this year, as the Purdue Society of Professional Engineers and Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers team of 17 students built a contraption that took 244 steps to water a flower. That beat the existing world record of 230 steps. Read all about it at Popular Mechanics. Link -via Boing Boing
A rare species of lady's slipper orchid (Cypripedium fargesii) grows black spots that look like a fungus. But it's not a fungus; it's a feature, as Zong-Xin Ren of the Chinese Academy of Sciences found out during four years of research.
Like they always say, you catch more flies with fungus than with vinegar. Cypripedium fargesii is not the only orchid that attracts pollinating insects by deception, as you'll see in the article at Not Exactly Rocket Science. The article also illustrates the importance of humorous headlines. Link
The lady’s slippers are generally pollinated by bees but C.fargesii is different. Over many hours of observation, the only insects that Ren ever saw leaving the flowers were flat-footed flies. Ren captured four of them and when he peered at them under an electron microscope, he saw pollen grains from the orchid, and spores from a fungus called Cladosporium. This fungus infects leaves and fruits, and when it does so, it produces black mould spots. The purpose of the orchid’s black splotches was becoming clear.
Ren also analysed the orchid’s scent, an unpleasant fragrance reminiscent of rotting leaves. He found that the flower produces over 50 aromatic molecules that are found in other flowers, but three unusual ones that are common to Cladosporium moulds.
Like they always say, you catch more flies with fungus than with vinegar. Cypripedium fargesii is not the only orchid that attracts pollinating insects by deception, as you'll see in the article at Not Exactly Rocket Science. The article also illustrates the importance of humorous headlines. Link
The Liebherr LTM 11200-9.1 is a monster crane with a 100 meter (328 feet) boom that can lift up to 1200 tonnes (1322 US tons). You may have seen bigger cranes, but this one is carried on its own truck -two, actually. See pictures and video of this crane in action at Dark Roasted Blend. Link
The fossil itself is not as big as this picture.
The spider, a new species called Nephila jurassica, stretches about two inches from end to end. It was found in a fossil-rich rock formation near Daohugou village in northeastern China. The fossil dates back to the Middle Jurassic, about 165 million years ago, researchers reported in the April 20 Biology Letters.
Spiders from the same family still exist today. Female giant golden orb-weaver spiders can grow to a whopping 4 or 5 inches in diameter (although males tend to be less than a quarter that size). These spiders are known for spinning huge webs of golden silk and have been known to trap bats and small birds.
Spider fossils are very rare, and this discovery leads scientists to believe that the Nephila genus is 130 million years older than previously thought. Link
(Image credit: Paul Selden)
It's time once again for the Fill in the Bubble Frenzy with boy genius Mal and his talking dog Chad! What goes in this empty speech bubble? Tell us and you might win any T-shirt available in the NeatoShop -take a look around, pick one out and tell us what shirt you’d like with your submission in the comments. If you don't specify a t-shirt with your entry, you forfeit the prize. Enter as many times as you like (text only, please), but leave only one entry per comment. For inspiration, check out Mal and Chad’s comic strip adventures by Stephen McCranie at malandchad.com. Have fun and good luck!
Update: The winning entry is from Alan: "Be careful; someone started a flame war between mac and pc users and it's a long way down." However, Alan did not select a t-shirt. Be watching for the next contest from Mal and his buddy Chad!
(YouTube link)
Why are giant eggs hollow and small eggs full of sugary creme? Several years ago, we brought you the recipe for making your own Giant Cadbury Creme Egg. Epic Pudding Time shows you a shortcut to making your giant egg by using existing eggs in this video. -via the Presurfer
The Bregenz Festival brings opera to the shores of Lake Constance in Bregenz, Austria in July and August. They are now building the stage on the lake front, which is, as you can see, quite an enterprise. See more pictures of this fantastic stage and its meaning at Kuriositas. Link
(Image credit: Flickr user Kecko)
War- what is it good for? Well, if the Falkland Islands are any indication, it certainly helps penguins.
The Falkland Islands are small. Collectively, the 200-plus islands that make up the Falklands are only about as big as Connecticut. But through the years, they've managed to inspire some Texas-sized international contention. Ever since Argentina gained independence from Spain in 1816, it's been vying for control of the Falklands in one form or another. Some Argentines even claims possession of the region today, even though Queen Elizabeth's face graces every piece of currency, the Union Jack appears on the official flag, and every other government in the world recognizes British rule over the Falklands. Despire the fact that Argentina famously lost its military bid for control of the islands back in 1982, national polls still show 80 percent of Argentines want their government to take back the Islas Malvinas, as they're known in the Spanish-speaking nation.
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Rockhopper Penguin (Image credit: Flickr user Marcus Borg)
For several hundred years, human activity on the Falkland Islands -roughly 300 miles of the Argentine coast- threatened its penguins' survival. But the trend started to reverse in 1982, when Argentina and Britain began duking it out for control of the Falklands. Turns out, a war, a few landmines, and some unstable diplomatic relations might have been just enough to get the penguins back on track.The Falkland Islands are small. Collectively, the 200-plus islands that make up the Falklands are only about as big as Connecticut. But through the years, they've managed to inspire some Texas-sized international contention. Ever since Argentina gained independence from Spain in 1816, it's been vying for control of the Falklands in one form or another. Some Argentines even claims possession of the region today, even though Queen Elizabeth's face graces every piece of currency, the Union Jack appears on the official flag, and every other government in the world recognizes British rule over the Falklands. Despire the fact that Argentina famously lost its military bid for control of the islands back in 1982, national polls still show 80 percent of Argentines want their government to take back the Islas Malvinas, as they're known in the Spanish-speaking nation.
King Penguins (Image credit: Flickr user andym8y)
So what is it the Argentines so jealously covet? Hard to say. The Falkland Islands aren't home to much, other than about 3,000 humans, 700,000 sheep, and a few fishing installations. What they do have, however, is an enormous population of penguins from five different species -the Southern Rockhoppers, the Magellanic, the King, the Gentoo, andthe Macaroni. Their names derive from, respectively, the ability to hop on rocks, a celebrated circumnavigator, a British ruler, a religious slur, and a slang reference to flashy dressers. With those five species combined, the Falklands are home to to a penguin army more than 1 million strong. That's pretty impressive, but it's believed the number was closer to 10 million only 300 years ago.(Video link)
Here's a video clip showing the Swiss climber Ueli Steck in action - known for climbing mountains in an extremely fast pace. Here we see him climbing the 3,970 meter (13,025 ft) tall Eiger mountain in no more than 2 hours 47 minutes and 33 seconds.
via Pusha
Superman Mighty Wallet - $14.95
Are you looking for a wallet worthy of Superman? Well, look no further. You need the Superman Mighty Wallet from the NeatoShop. This baby is made from Tyvek. That means it is tear-resistant, water-resistant, and recyclable (see more Mighty Wallets).
Be sure to check out all the super Wallets & Coin Purses available at the NeatoShop!
Poor Easter Bunny! Seattle public school is renaming Easter eggs "Spring Spheres." The story broke on Dori Monson Show on the radio:
The School District said that it was done to comply with their "Religion and Religious Accommodation" policy, where "no religious belief or non-belief should be promoted by the School District or its employees, and none should be disparaged." (Update 4/19/11 - The School District didn't say it was done to comply with their policy. That was my mistake - they did put a statement pointing to their Religion and Religious Accommodation policy - Thanks Joe Mondo!).
A+ for political correctness, but what grade do you think the school should get for common sense? Link
Jessica, 16, told KIRO Radio's Dori Monson Show that a week before spring break, the students commit to a week-long community service project. She decided to volunteer in a third grade class at a public school, which she would like to remain nameless.
"At the end of the week I had an idea to fill little plastic eggs with treats and jelly beans and other candy, but I was kind of unsure how the teacher would feel about that," Jessica said.
She was concerned how the teacher might react to the eggs after of a meeting earlier in the week where she learned about "their abstract behavior rules."
"I went to the teacher to get her approval and she wanted to ask the administration to see if it was okay," Jessica explained. "She said that I could do it as long as I called this treat 'spring spheres.' I couldn't call them Easter eggs."
The School District said that it was done to comply with their "Religion and Religious Accommodation" policy, where "no religious belief or non-belief should be promoted by the School District or its employees, and none should be disparaged." (Update 4/19/11 - The School District didn't say it was done to comply with their policy. That was my mistake - they did put a statement pointing to their Religion and Religious Accommodation policy - Thanks Joe Mondo!).
A+ for political correctness, but what grade do you think the school should get for common sense? Link
Phil Askin created this fantastic 60-second video clip of Shaun of the Dead, in the style of Brian Lee O'Malley of Scott Pilgrim fame. Phil entered this clip to the Jameson/Empire Done in 60 Seconds competition (so go there and check out the rest of the clips after you see this one).
Hit play or go to Link [YouTube]
An armed robber entered the home of 81-year old Bobby Smith. That made Mr. Smith angry, and you don't want to make Mr. Smith angry:
Police soon caught the robber nearby. There's a video at the link.
Link via Say Uncle | Photo: Kelly Jordan/Times-Union
The man told Smith to "gimme what you got" before shoving him to the ground and taking his wallet, according to the police report. That didn't stop Smith, who said he "went back after him." He grabbed the nearest weapon, while Sones grabbed for something else to give him.
"I grabbed the frying pan and hit him upside the head. I knocked his teeth out ... and he went to the floor," Smith said. "There was a pitchfork about six feet away. ... I stuck him."
Police soon caught the robber nearby. There's a video at the link.
Link via Say Uncle | Photo: Kelly Jordan/Times-Union
