ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 704

Tiny 3D-Printed Microbots Could Be Used As A Drug Delivery System

Technology





Photo credit:

The tiny microfish turn fluorescent red when binding toxins. W. Zhu & J. Li/UC San Diego

A team of nanoengineers has created a minuscule 3D-printed robotic fish – or microfish – that they hope will one day be used as a drug delivery system in the body. The tiny microbots can propel themselves, be steered using magnets, and even neutralize toxins in a fluid if loaded with the correct nanoparticles.

School reportedly bans Wonder Woman lunchboxes as being “too violent”

Well, let’s take this report with a grain of salt for the time being, although it’s been reported by several venues. I learned about it when a reader sent this tw**t from philosopher/writer/friend Russell Blackford:

Okay, if that indeed true, it’s one of the worst examples of Coddling Our Students I’ve seen. The photo and Russell’s link goes to a piece by Johnny McNulty on SomeLife, who in turn apparently got it (and the photos) from a post originally put on reddit:

Here’s the offensive lunchbox (click on photo to go to the original page):

Study Suggests Fish Oil Supplements Don’t Prevent Mental Decline

Health and Medicine





Photo credit:

Syda Productions/Shutterstock

Fish oil pills are a popular dietary supplement, with people in the U.S. spending about $1.2 billion on them annually. This money is probably better spent elsewhere, according to a new study. A large clinical trial found that the key ingredient in fish oil pills – omega-3 fatty acids – didn’t slow mental decline in older people. 

Gorgeous New Hubble Image Of Cosmic Butterfly Wings

Space





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ESA/Hubble & NASA, Acknowledgement: Judy Schmidt

With so many bewilderingly beautiful examples of these cosmic objects taken over the years, it’s difficult to pick a favorite planetary nebula. But of these stunning scenes, Minkowski's Butterfly has always evoked a sense of awe in me. Never failing, here I am once again hypnotically staring into my computer screen, bedazzled by Hubble’s latest portrait of the celestial butterfly.

What’s The Number One Reason People Die Early in Your Country?

Health and Medicine





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YouTube screen capture/Global Burden of Disease Study and The Lancet

Today 150,000 people will die.

But how do all these people die? Unsurprisingly, where you were born plays a major role in just how you shuffle off the mortal coil (or are dragged off of it).

In Africa, preventable diseases are a common killer due to poor health infrastructure across the continent.

But in Saudi Arabia car accidents are the leading cause of early death, despite only 50% of the population being allowed to drive.

15 Celebrities And Politicians Who Secretly Love Science

Editor's Blog





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Anne Hathaway "wants to understand string theory." John Harrison/Wikimedia Commons

The next time someone scoffs at your love of the sciences, ask them what a desperate housewife, a legendary rock guitarist, a Wu-Tang Clan rapper, and the Beavis and Butthead creator all have in common.

The obvious is that they’re all well-paid celebrities, but a little known fact is that they also have a huge passion for science.

The Perimeter Institute has put together a list of the biggest celebrities and their nerdy passions, as well as their contributions to science and education. A few may take you by surprise…

Indian Boy Born With Three Penises

Health and Medicine





Photo credit:

Oleg Ivanov IL/Shutterstock

If the story of DiphallicDude, or DoubleDickDude (it’s in the name), somehow did not leave your jaw hanging and your eyebrows glued to your hairline, then this exceedingly rare case surely will.

A child from Uttar Pradesh, India, was born with three penises and no anus. While that may sound suspiciously like a tabloid headline that has emerged from a stretched truth and Chinese whispers, doctors who operated on the two-year-old child in Sion Hospital have spoken to the media about his condition.

Psychologist Writes Book That He Claims Will Send Children To Sleep In Minutes

The Brain





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Mother and son reading a book in bed. Nejron Photo/Shutterstock.

For parents, the word "bedtime" can be the alarm call for a war zone of tantrums, screaming and excuses – far from the restful experience that every parent dreams of. So, you can imagine that a book promising to send the kids to sleep when read aloud would top the Amazon book charts. 

The Origins Of The World’s Most Powerful Ocean Currents Revealed

Physics





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Tasmania is not just beautiful. Its movements have changed the climate of the world. 2630ben/Shutterstock

For tens of millions of years the staggeringly powerful current that encircles Antarctica has helped shape the world's climate. Without it much of the land we know today would have been buried beneath the waves, and was above the surface might have been too warm and constant to lead to the evolution of humans. Now we have a better idea when and how this mighty phenomenon first appeared.

“Surfing” Antimatter Breakthrough Could Accelerate The Hunt For Exotic Particles

Physics





Photo credit:

An illustration of antimatter positrons being accelerated in a "wake." W. An/UCLA.

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California and the University of California, Los Angeles, have found a way to smash electrons and their antimatter opposites, positrons, together at higher energies than possible before. The breakthrough could be used to create future particle accelerators that can find a cavalcade of exotic particles. The research is published in the journal Nature.