Derren Brown's Blog, page 84

Fossil Reveals 48-Million-Year History of Zombie Ants

"A 48-million-year-old fossilised leaf has revealed the oldest known evidence of a macabre part of nature — parasites taking control of their hosts to turn them into zombies. The discovery has been made by a research team led by Dr David P Hughes, from the University of Exeter, who studies parasites that can take over the minds of their hosts.

All manner of animals are susceptible to the often deadly body invasion, but scientists have been trying to track down when and where such parasites...

We can see where life started

"That age-old question, "where did life on Earth start?" now has a new answer.

If the life between the mica sheets hypothesis is correct, life would have originated between sheets of mica that were layered like the pages in a book.

The so-called "life between the sheets" mica hypothesis was developed by Helen Hansma of the University of California.

According to the theory, structured compartments that commonly form between layers of mica – a common mineral that cleaves into smooth sheets – may h...

The world's best countries

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The phrase "world's best" belongs on a mug next to the word "dad", but as reductionist as it sounds, the rather wonderfully made infographic over at Newsweek is a fascinating insight in to the rankings of various countries.

The detailed comparison such as 'quality of life ranking' includes: income inequality, gender gap, % living on less than $2 a day, Consumption per capita, homicide rate, environmental health and unemployment – all of which can be compared to any other country based on its p...

The Diana Conspiracy – an alternative viewpoint

When you put it like this you see the Diana conspiracy claims in a different light. From the awesome Mitchell and Webb look.

Mind Hacks – Experiencing slow motion during extreme danger

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Mind hacks reports on the sensation of experiencing slow motion during times of extreme danger:

NPR has a fantastic short radio segment on whether we really do experience time more slowly when our life is in danger.

The piece riffs on a 2007 study called 'Does Time Really Slow Down during a Frightening Event?' led by neuroscientist David Eagleman who discusses the project on the show.

The experimenters wanted a way to find a way to test whether we suddenly start experiencing time in greater...

Neuromarketing – using visual cues to influence your purchasing

Turquoise branding have a short article on the mechanics of Neuro-marketing. It is apparently the science of making you buy things and claims that it works on creating imagery that taps in to your subconscious and increasing the likelihood of a purchase. These new theories have been emerging recently and this months cover of New Scientist has embodied this technology to see if the results hold up.

Full article and examples via Turquoise

Drug firms hiding negative research are unfit to experiment on people

"This week the drug company AstraZeneca paid out £125m to settle a class action. More than 17,500 patients claim the company withheld information showing that schizophrenia drug quetiapine (tradename Seroquel) can cause diabetes. So why do companies pay out money before cases get to court?

An interesting feature of litigation is that various documents enter the public domain. This is how we know about the tobacco industry's evil plans to target children, the fake academic journal that...

New Spider-Man Device Could Let Humans Walk on Walls

"A new high-tech suction device could allow humans to walk on walls like Spider-Man or create adhesive devices that could be turned on and off with the flick of a switch.

The contraption, inspired by a beetle that can hold on to a leaf with a force 100 times its weight, uses the surface tension of water to make an adhesive bond, but it does so with a creative twist. It could be used to create sticky shoes or gloves, researchers said today.

The device consists of a flat top plate riddled with...

Skull electrodes give memory a boost

"Finding it difficult to revise for an exam? Help could be on its way in the form of the first non-invasive way of stimulating the brain that can boost visual memory.

The technique uses transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), in which weak electrical currents are applied to the scalp using electrodes. The method can temporarily increase or decrease activity in a specific brain region and has already been shown to boost verbal and motor skills in volunteers.

Richard Chi, a PhD student...

Amusing Mirror Prank

"Replace the mirror in a bathroom with a window pane, place a set of identical twins in identical rooms opposite each other and proceed to prank everyone who walks in. Theyve all become a vampires!"

Via Break (Thanks Katherine)