SNELL'S SHORTCUTS #7

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The Sun-Powered Sailboat

A Turkish design team dreams up a self-sufficient craft for the eco-conscious yachting class By Catherine Price Posted 06.20.2008 at 4:23 pm 1 Comment

FOUR-WING STABILITY: Volitan may look more like an X-wing fighter than a boat, but the four-wing structure keeps it stable while maximizing maneuverability. Photo by Bob SaulsFor most of history, sailboats were by definition pollution-free. Now, however, even purists use outboard motors to get their three-sheeters in and out of the harbor. Including conventional motorized boats, there are more than 10 million hydrocarbon-burning marine engines in the U.S. alone. [ Read Full Story ] READ MORE ABOUT > alternative fuels, boats, Catherine Price, environment, july 2008, ships SciTech

Saving More Lives by Building a Better Scanner

A new body scanner captures tumors, blood clots and leaky arteries in action By Michael Rosenwald Posted 06.20.2008 at 2:45 pm 0 Comments

To grasp the power of Toshiba’s new Aquilion ONE computed-tomography (CT) scanner, imagine facing a picturesque beach. Your camera doesn’t have a panoramic function, so you take snapshots pointing to the left, the center, and the right. You tape the photographs together and it looks gorgeous, sure, but you’re missing the action of the waves crashing on the sand.

[ Read Full Story ] READ MORE ABOUT > ct scanner, july 2008, medicine, MICHAEL ROSENWALD, scanner SciTech

The Voodoo Wasp

Not content with laying its eggs inside a caterpillar's body, a parasitic wasp then turns the host into a zombie babysitter By Stuart Fox Posted 06.20.2008 at 1:50 pm 3 Comments

Let's hope the Glyptapanteles wasp continues to find caterpillars tastier than humans — otherwise mankind might be in some trouble. As if laying 80 eggs inside of a caterpillar's body weren't bad enough, a new study published by the Public Library of Science details how the wasp larvae then take over the mind of the caterpillar, turning it into a zombie-like bodyguard.

[ Read Full Story ] READ MORE ABOUT > caterpillars, parasites, parasitoids, stuart fox, wasps, zombies Gray Matter

DIY

Shattering the Strongest Glass

Explosive glass drops demonstrate why your car windshield is so strong and safe By Theodore Gray Posted 06.19.2008 at 3:31 pm 0 Comments

BANG!: Break the tail of a Prince Rupert’s glass drop, and the whole thing explodes. Photo by Mike Walker; special thanks to Glass Lake StudioIf you want a scientific display of the dangers of pent-up stress, Prince Rupert’s drops are it. After the trauma of being dropped molten-hot into a bucket of cold water, these glass balls, named for a 17th-century amateur scientist, turn into bundles of high tension. They’re impervious to even the strongest blows, until you find their hot button: Flick the tail, and they explode. [ Read Full Story ] READ MORE ABOUT > glass, gray matter, july 2008, prince rupert drops, Theodore Gray, Videos Inspired By Nature

SciTech

Yeast, What is it Good For? (Absolutely Something)

Scientists find the stuff that makes bread oh-so-tasty also may cure everything from Lou Gehrig's disease to aging By Dan Smith Posted 06.19.2008 at 2:29 pm 1 Comment

You know that humans have used yeast for thousands of years for baking and brewing, but did you know that it’s also prized for its applications in medical research?

The metabolic processes of yeast cells are similar to mammal cells, and since yeast reproduces quickly, experimental results can be obtained much faster than they would using animals. Yeast’s rapid reaction time has allowed scientists to put all sorts of research in fast-forward, with the aim of efficiently developing new disease treatments.

[ Read Full Story ] READ MORE ABOUT > aging, Dan Smith, fungi, genes, inspired by nature, lou gehrig's disease, yeast The Score

Entertainment & Gaming

The (Ultimate) Ultimate Remote

Forgot Father's Day? It's gonna take a heck of a gesture to win him back By Brett Zarda Posted 06.19.2008 at 2:05 pm 2 Comments

For 18 years you fought a nightly crusade for control of the television. Like a samurai with his sword, your father protected his remote during dinner, while seated on his porcelain pedestal and while snoring loud enough to wake the dead. An air horn wouldn't rouse him, but a mere footstep towards the volume setting was perceived as a sign of aggression. Yep, Dad's a pretty special guy. Yet you, like so many other sons across this great land, forgot about Father’s Day. And forgiveness comes at a cost. So what better sign of devotion than to purchase your pop that which you so brilliantly battled for throughout your childhood—a remote.

Not just any remote, mind you. No, your father deserves more: the ultimate remote branded with four letters that mean so much to men and their television rituals: E – S – P – N. Yes, for a mere $299 you can purchase you father the ESPN Ultimate Remote (currently only available on Amazon.com).

[ Read Full Story ] READ MORE ABOUT > Brett Zarda, ESPN, gadgets, remote controls, sports science, the score SciTech