ريتشارد دوكنز's Blog, page 711

This Species Of Spider Can “Fly” Through The Amazon Rainforest

Plants and Animals





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A spider from the genus Selenops, which have been found to be able to glide through the forest unaided. Mark Yokoyama/Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

As if things couldn’t get worse for those suffering from arachnophobia. First we had the redback spider taking down a snake, then the massive web discovered in Texas. Now, researchers have found that not only can spiders cartwheel and sail, they can also “fly”.

New Brain-Inspired Chip Can Perform 46 BILLION Synaptic Operations Per Second

Technology





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Chip board. IBM

IBM researchers have been working on building a chip since 2008 that works like the neurons inside your brain. And they’ve just announced an exciting breakthrough. Scientists have developed a system that is made up of 48 million artificial nerve cells, which is about what you'd find in the brain of a small rodent.

Mars’ Spectacular Canyon System Photographed By India’s Probe

Space





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ISRO

Since slipping into orbit almost one year ago, India’s Mars Orbiter has evidently improved its photography skills. Within a few hours of arrival, the amateur probe began beaming back blurry shots of its host, capturing snaps of its atmosphere and surface, and teasing us of what’s to come.

Staring Into Someone’s Eyes For 10 Minutes Can Alter Your Consciousness

The Brain





Photo credit:

Onigiri studio/Shutterstock

Forget LSD: eyes are the new high. Of course, we’re not talking about consuming them, but rather staring intensely into a pair for a prolonged period of time. Apparently, this can make people enter into an altered state of consciousness.

7,000-Year-Old Skeleton Shows Evidence Of Leukemia

Environment





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Reconstruction of a neolithic stilt house, Germany. Robin Nieuwenkamp/Shutterstock

They’re thought to have formed the first farming community in central Europe, bringing with them domestic animals and agriculture from the Middle East. Known as the Linearbandkeramik Culture (LBK), this group of Neolithic peoples lived in a wide area ranging from France in the west to Ukraine in the east around 5200 BCE.

FDA Approves “Female Viagra” Pill

Health and Medicine





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The new drug (not pictured), has been dubbed the “little pink pill.” Iurii Kachkovskyi/Shutterstock.

Earlier this year, we reported on how the government health officials who advise the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had backed what is being called “female Viagra,” voting 18-6 in favor of the drug. It seems that the FDA has taken their advice on board, and finally given it the green-light.

Researchers Use LED Device To Remotely Control A Mouse

The Brain





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Mouse walks around in circles when stimulated with a remote LED device. Austin Yee

It’s an amazing breakthrough – researchers have developed an LED device that can remotely control a mouse. The glowing device is the size of a peppercorn and is a leap forward in this field of research.

‘Artificial Leaf’ Reaches Best Level Of Solar Energy Efficiency Yet

Technology





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Green leaves. jajaladdawan/Shutterstock.

Humans have been struggling for years to create clean, renewable energy that doesn't decimate the planet. What's even more infuriating is that plants, waving gently in the breeze all the while, have been creating 'green' energy before mankind even existed. During plant photosynthesis, water and carbon dioxide is turned into glucose and oxygen. Recently, mankind has been trying to learn from plants to produce our own clean, green machines – in this case, artificial leaves.

E-Cigarettes “Around 95% Less Harmful” Than Regular Smoking

Health and Medicine





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The uptake of e-cigarettes over the past decade has been massive, with 2.6 million users in the U.K. alone. librakv/Shutterstock

A new report published in the U.K. has concluded that e-cigarettes are nowhere near as harmful as smoking. Carried out by Public Health England (PHE), the report found that e-cigarettes are “around 95% less harmful” than smoking tobacco, and that the National Health Service should consider recommending them to help people quit smoking all together.

Scientists Accidentally Produce An Entirely New Type Of Glass

Technology





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The new type of glass with an organized molecular structure, a material previously thought to have a random structure. Wokandapix.

Glass is, by nature, random. It is created by melting several minerals together at unfathomably high temperatures. Glass has a haphazard, disorganized structure, like a liquid frozen in time. However, by some happy accident, some scientists have created glass with a regular molecular pattern.