ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 524

Ten Trillion-Degree Quasar Astonishes Astronomers

Space





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Artist's impression of a quasar. Wolfgang Steffen, Institute for Astronomy, UNAM, Mexico

A newly deployed space telescope has struck pay dirt almost immediately, discovering a quasar – a superheated region of dust and gas around a black hole – that is releasing jets at least seventy times hotter than was thought possible.

U.K. Government Can’t Ban All Psychoactive Substances As It Doesn’t Know What They Are

Health and Medicine





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The Psychoactive Substances Act had been due to come into effect on April 6, but has now been postponed. r.classen/Shutterstock

A controversial piece of legislation designed to place a blanket ban on all so-called psychoactive substances in the U.K. has been indefinitely shelved after concerns were raised about its enforceability. Confusion has reigned ever since the act was first announced last year, largely because scientists and politicians have struggled to agree on which substances the new law actually prohibits.

Are You A “Grammar Nazi”? Here’s What That Reveals About Your Personality

The Brain





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B Calkins/Shutterstock

We’ve all come across those kinds of people who are overly picky with apostrophes and typos. But according to a recent study, being a “grammar Nazi” could reveal something unexpected about your personality.

The study, published in PLOS One, was carried out by linguists Julie Boland and Robin Queen.

Watch What Happens To Dead Bodies At The Bottom Of The Sea

Plants and Animals





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Pig carcasses were used in the experiments. Simon Fraser University/Ocean Network Canada's Victoria Experimental Network

It’s important for forensic teams and police to know the gruesome ins and outs of how bodies decompose in different circumstances. But we know surprisingly little about how fleshy bodies fair when they are submerged at sea.

Antarctic Ice Melting Could Raise Sea Levels Nearly 50 Feet By 2500

Environment





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Why is this study's calculated sea level rise so high? NASA/Dave Pape/Wikimedia Commons; Public Domain

Last December, the world’s politicians finally acknowledged what almost every climatologist has been saying for ages: The world is warming, and we are mostly responsible. A new study published in the journal Nature reveals just how catastrophic our manipulation of the world’s climate may be.

What if the FBI Tried To Crack An Android Phone? We Attacked One To Find Out

Technology





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How many attempts will it take to unlock this phone? Phone with lock and keys via shutterstock.com

The Justice Department has managed to unlock an iPhone 5c used by the gunman Syed Rizwan Farook, who with his wife killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California, last December. The high-profile case has pitted federal law enforcement agencies against Apple, which fought a legal order to work around its passcode security feature to give law enforcement access to the phone’s data.

See How To Spice Guard Your Bird Feed –And Other Nifty Chemistry Life Hacks

Chemistry





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Chilli: not nice for mice. Shutterstock

We all love a life hack that makes our day a little cheaper and easier. And the neat tricks that iron out the niggles of life can come from some interesting places. There’s some cool chemistry loitering in your cupboards that can also be put to good daily use. Here’s how – in words and video.

1) Clean your silver

There are plenty of products out there for polishing up the silverware. But there’s actually no need to buy any of them – all you need is some aluminium foil and a little bicarbonate of soda (sodium hydrogen carbonate).

Why Being Bold All Comes Down To Evolution

Plants and Animals





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Shutterstock

Chevalier Blondin was 35 years old when in 1859, with no safety harness and no net beneath him, he first tightrope-walked nearly half a kilometre across the Niagara Gorge. At different times over the coming years, he would repeat the crossing blindfolded, carrying a stove (stopping to cook himself an omelette half way), and with his manager on his back. Later on, during a visit to the UK, he crossed a tightrope while pushing a wheelbarrow with a lion in it. Chevalier Blondin was a risk taker.

Antimatter Changed Physics, And The Discovery Of Antimemories Could Revolutionise Neuroscience

The Brain





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Antimemory, the yin to memory’s yang. Naeblys/shutterstock.com

One of the most intriguing physics discoveries of the last century was the existence of antimatter, material that exists as the “mirror image” of subatomic particles of matter, such as electrons, protons and quarks, but with the opposite charge. Antimatter deepened our understanding of our universe and the laws of physics, and now the same idea is being proposed to explain something equally mysterious: memory.

These Tiny Nanobots Can Automatically Sense And Repair Broken Electronic Circuits Too Small For Us To See

Technology





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These small "robots" are actually particles made of both gold and platinum. arleksey/Shutterstock

The next big revolution in science may come from the world of the very small.