Webcomic artist Twisted Doodles writes, "I made some microbiology themed Valentine’s cards for other people in the lab." I suspect that Neatorama owner Alex, who has a doctorate in that field, is probably swooning right now.
John Farrier's Blog Posts
Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, has liquid seas made of methane and ethane. Since it is the only planetary body other than the Earth within our solar system known to have liquid seas, it fascinates scientists. Some want to learn more about those seas in ways that space probes flying by can't. They have a radical proposal to do so: build a submarine and send it to Titan.
Their plan is to build an autonomous submersible probe than can spend 3 months on Titan examining the largest sea there. The proposal offers serious engineering challenges due to the powerful currents and extreme cold on Titan. Discovery News reports:
Envisaged as a possible mission to Titan’s largest sea, Kracken Mare, the autonomous submersible would be designed to make a 90 day, 2,000 kilometer (1,250 mile) voyage exploring the depths of this vast and very alien marine environment. As it would spend long periods under the methane sea’s surface, it would have to be powered by a radioisotope generator; a source that converts the heat produced by radioactive pellets into electricity, much like missions that are currently exploring space, like Cassini and Mars rover Curiosity.
Communicating with Earth would not be possible when the vehicle is submerged, so it would need to make regular ascents to the surface to transmit science data.
But Kracken Mare is not a tranquil lake fit for gentle sailing — it is known to have choppy waves and there is evidence of tides, all contributing to the challenge. Many of the engineering challenges have already been encountered when designing terrestrial submarines — robotic and crewed — but as these seas will be extremely cold (estimated to be close to the freezing point of methane, 90 Kelvin or -298 degrees Fahrenheit), a special piston-driven propulsion system will need to be developed and a nitrogen will be needed as ballast, for example.
-via Zach Weinersmith | Images: NASA
Faust, a street artist in New York City, finds joy in the midst of heavy winter snows. It's the pleasure in a winter day that we have as children and lose as adults. Faust never left it behind. He writes:
I believe everyone has an affinity for writing in the snow as a child. When most people grow up they lose the urge. I guess I just haven't been able to shake it.
For the past few years, his response has been to compose calligraphy on snow-covered cars. You can see more examples of his work here.
-via Colossal
(Image: CBS)
Caleb Everett, Damián E. Blasi and Seán G. Roberts recently published the results of their research into common characteristics of languages based on native climate. They conclude that as languages evolve, their dominant sounds reflect the climates where they develop. In particular, humidity plays a major role. Tonal languages are more likely to develop in wet climates. Science Daily explains that:
. . . languages with complex tones --those that use three or more tones for sound contrast -- are much more likely to occur in humid regions of the world, while languages with simple tone occur more frequently in desiccated regions, whether frigid areas or dry deserts. […]
One explanation, supported by extensive experimental data discussed in the study, is that inhaling dry air causes laryngeal dehydration and decreases vocal fold elasticity. It's probably more difficult to achieve complex tones in arid climates--particularly very cold ones--when contrasted to warmer and more humid climates. The result is that deviations of sounds, including increased jitter and shimmer, are associated with very cold or desiccated climates, the study says.
-via Seriously, Science?
This is a “prayer nut”—a type of wooden bead sometimes included on a rosary. It dates back to Sixteenth Century Flanders. Objects like these were devotional tools of wealthy people in northern Europe. Shaped like nuts, they unfolded to reveal delicately carved scenes from the Bible. This one, which measures about 2 inches across when closed, shows the crucifixion of Jesus and the marriage of Mary and Joseph, among others. It’s an astonishingly precise work of craftsmanship that testifies to the skill of its artist that is, sadly, lost to history.
(Photos: British Museum)
-via Visual News
(Image: CNTV)
In the capital city of China, train rides may become a lot less boring. The Beijing Metro Transportation Railway and the National Library are making e-books easily available. Passengers with smartphones can scan QR codes to download e-books to read on their commutes. PSFK explains:
Beijing’s program takes cues from other cities like New York who have their own versions of underground libraries. In 2013, students of Miami Ad School devised a way for subway riders to read the first 10 pages of popular books using near field communication (NFC) technology. The idea is that readers could get a preview and then discover the nearest library location that carries the title.
-via Pop-Up City
(Image: Facebook)
The throne, the titles, the lands—you can get them all by arranging the right “accident.” But access to the private Facebook account? Until recently, that was impossible. But now Facebook has added a feature called a “legacy contact.” In the event of your death, even under dubious circumstances, your designated heir will inherit your Facebook account. This permits the inheritor to change the profile and cover photos, respond to friend requests, and make other changes to your account. Geoffrey A. Fowler writes in the Wall Street Journal:
Being a legacy contact is different from simply logging into the account of the deceased, and there are important things legacy contacts can’t alter. They can’t edit what the deceased has already posted, or what his or her friends post on the page. If you chose to post a photo while you are living that looks embarrassing when you are gone, your legacy contact can’t do anything about it. A legacy contact also can’t decide to delete a whole account. […]
There’s more fine print worth paying attention to: You can only select one person—and no backup—so spouses and partners who often travel together may face a difficult choice about whether to designate each other. Ms. Seth says Facebook is continuing to think about how it might allow for contingent legacy contacts.
Facebook members can change their legacy contact selection at any time, but once they’ve died, a legacy contact can’t pass along the responsibility to someone else.
-via Joe Carter
It’s the perfect pick-up opportunity! I wish that I had thought of this while I was single.
Step 1: Donate a major organ to woman.
Step 2: Ask her on a date.
It’s a foolproof plan!
At least it worked for Ashley McIntyre and Danny Robinson of Louisville, Kentucky. Robinson needed a kidney transplant. McIntyre heard about him on a local radio show and wanted to help, even though he was a complete stranger. She was tested for compatibility and they were a match. On April 17 of last year, doctors transplanted one of her kidneys into him. The surgery was completely successful.
(Photos by Ashley McIntyre and Danny Robinson)
It turned out that McIntyre and Robinson were a match in more ways than one. They grew closer and spent more time together. On Christmas Day of last year, Robinson proposed to McIntyre. The Courier-Journal describes the scene:
"On Christmas Day, we went to my mom's and started opening gifts," he said. "I told her I'd forgotten one and pulled out a small box" with an engagement ring. He got on his knees and asked her to marry him.
She said yes.
-via Huffington Post
(Photo: Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers)
Women! Ugh. Right, guys? Nothing keeps them happy. You catch a snake and put it in your car, forget to tell her about it, and she flips out.
One man in Australia is experiencing this first hand. Richie Gilbert’s profession is snake catching, which must put him in high demand at his local elementary school on Career Day. He works for Sunshine Coast Snake Catchers. In a recent Facebook update, he wrote:
WHOOPS!!! Note to self: Next time I have a 1.5m snake loose in my car, don't let my wife drive it. […]
A couple of days earlier I had a python escape from a bag (mistake no.1) inside my car and Nat knew this but had assumed I had found it again and I didn't tell her otherwise (Mistake no.2).
Last night I was sound asleep and I get a call from her saying "I just opened the door and there was a snake coming out from underneath the steering wheel in the dashboard". Whoops!!!!
My bad.
The snake left the dashboard 3 days later.
Dog is man’s best friend and man occasionally returns the favor. In this case from Russia, man really delivered. You see, the man who bravely jumps into a frozen lake isn’t rescuing his own dog, but a stray. The man uses his fists to smash through the ice as he swims toward the dog. According to news reports and video descriptions, after the rescue, a passerby in a car picked up the man and the dog and took them someplace warm where they could get vodka (for the man) and sausage (for the dog). The unknown hero has adopted the dog and named him Rex.
-via 22 Words
Twitter user Overtime Queen had a brilliant idea: make a scarf that she can eat! It will keep her both warm and well-fed.
She used 15 packs of a type of gummy candy that comes in 50-inch strings. Her knitting needles are actually chopsticks. With them, she elegantly wove citrus soda and cola-flavored strands into fabric.
The final product is about 10 by 6 inches, so she probably needs about 100 more packs to make a full size winter scarf.
Do you love to ride? Artist Graham McLoughlin does, so he developed a bike rack to show it. He worked with the bike rack manufacturer Cyclehoop and the British Heart Foundation to place 14-heart shaped racks around London. You can see more photos of it at Contemporist.
P.S. The Cyclehoop website is really fascinating. There are all sorts of exotic rack and hanger designs like nothing I've ever seen.
The Kaikottikali is a dance performed by women in Kerala, a state in south India. The Musical Heritage of India explains that it "is a feature of every home in Kerala." That's a large talent pool to draw from. But it still took 10 months of organization and practice to get 5,211 women costumed and perfectly syncronized into a living wave of rhythmic motion. This effort secured the Guinness World Record for the largest performance of the Kaikottikali.
Quidditch is a sport in the Harry Potter universe. It's sort of like soccer, except that the players ride on broomsticks. There are real world versions too--even for Muggles like you.
These Buddhist monks in Thailand are clearly contemplating putting down their robes to play professionally. This photo, which shows them in flight, has landed them in serious trouble with Thailand's National Office of Buddhism. The Phucket News reports:
NOB Director Nopparat Benjawattananan said today (July 10) that the monks in the widely shared photo acted inappropriately and lack discipline. The organization will identify them, he said; they deserve punishment.
-via Tor
(Photo: Europics)
A swan was swimming amidst a group of ducks in the Peacock River, Korla, Xinjiang, China. A couple walking along the river noticed that in the cold weather, the swan's beak had frozen shut with a thick layer of ice. The swan was unable to eat food offered to her.
The couple alerted the Swan Guard, which is a local force that provides care for resident swans. The Swan Guard lured the swan into a warm building, where the ice thawed. The New York Post reports:
“I have been caring for swans for years and I admit that this is the first time I have ever come across anything like this,” said Swan Guard Sheng Liang. “We think it must have happened when she fell asleep with a wet beak.”
Sheng, 45, lured the frozen fowl to shore, then rushed her to a “swan house” the group uses for healing sick or injured birds, according to CEN.
“Once there, we put her in a warm room and waited for the ice to melt,” Sheng said. “Once she could open her beak again, we gave her a special treat of fish before taking her back to the river.”
-via Huffington Post
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