Science Links for 07/01/2008

Science Etcetera, Marsday 20080701

July 1st, 2008

I want a gun that shoots these. Using laser beams and electric fields, Rice physicists pushed an electron to orbit far from the nucleus of a potassium atom, creating a millimeter-sized “Bohr Atom.”

Millimeter-Sized Atom
Credit: Jeff Mestayer/Rice University

Perspective please. Fear of flying after 9/11 killed 1600 people who chose to make the much more dangerous choice of driving.

MIT Students have built a 12X12 foot parabolic mirror that can focus sunlight well enough to melt steel… theoretically.

The International Whaling Commission got nowhere, and Japan is considering quitting it so they can eat all the whales they want like a fat little piggy nation.

Stunning collection of photos of Earth from Space (HT Oranchak).

A cloud wake appears on the downwind side of Isla Socorro, Mexico
Credit: NASA Johnson Space Center

Wal-Mart and Costco are adopting redesigned milk jugs that are cheaper to ship and better for the environment. People hate them, but they’re gonna have to suck it up because it’s here to stay.

Using embryo selection, a couple will have a baby free of the breast cancer gene, removing the disease from their lineage. Now consider the truth in Clint’s prediction concerning humans evolving themselves.

Somebody please find me an audio sample of the Aztec Death Whistle, played by those about to be sacrificed.

Rock Dissolving Acid on Bare Human Skin:

20 comments to “Science Etcetera, Marsday 20080701”

Oh cool! I got to be a link! :)
by ClintJCL July 1st, 2008 at 5:30 am
Looks like this was uploaded today:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=oVinnWp1Pck

That’s some right creepy whistlin’.
by Dave July 1st, 2008 at 5:31 am
There are whistle samples in this article, too:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25391041/
by Dave July 1st, 2008 at 5:48 am
We’ve been getting those funky milk jugs from Costco for a month or two, now. Definitely annoying to pour. Thanks for the link, though. Now I know the reasons behind the new jug shape, and learned that maybe I need to change the way I pour from these jugs.

We’ve been buying regular jugs once in a while, rinsing them when empty, and refilling them with the Costco milk. The price at Costco has been in the $2.50-$3 range, while every other store around me charges $4+.
by spugbrap July 1st, 2008 at 10:35 am
So, does that book assume everyone who died in a car in 1600, was actually afraid of flying? Did they find out if people were driving to work, or 8 hours away?

I mean, some people just like taking long road trips. I don’t believe it~
by DJ Nicko July 1st, 2008 at 10:35 am
What’s to be skeptical about? It’s basic statistics. A death occurs on average every X miles driven. If a higher percentage of people choose to drive rather than fly one year vs the last, then it’s plainly obvious that would lead to more deaths.
by ClintJCL July 1st, 2008 at 11:52 am
More people driving doesn’t mean that the people were afraid of flying. Lots of factors could be included. Not to mention the fact that flying is not always feasible. The number of vacations close to home in 2002 could have been less than other years around it, so one would probably drive to those.

Also, people could fly less because they don’t like all the new BS security after 9/11. Just saying Fear of terrorists accounts killed all the people who died in an accident is, I think, blowing up that number a lot.
by DJ Nicko July 1st, 2008 at 3:23 pm
That’s a lot of what ifs. You ever heard of Occam’s Razor?

And it never claimed “killed all people who died in an accident”. Accidents are something like 40,000 a year, not 1600.

More drive + less fly = they drove because they didn’t want to fly. Maybe not 100%, but definitely as a rule of thumb.
by ClintJCL July 1st, 2008 at 5:17 pm
(I take back my earliest dislike for the article/book on the account of I had no idea the number of people who died in automobiles per year. I can now assume cause they only say 1600, that some sort of research was behind that number).

But still, not sure if Occam’s Razor is the best argument thing. A lot of reasons for not wanting to fly could be equally possible in 2002, not just afraid of terrorists. So, wouldn’t say it is the simplest answer.
by DJ Nicko July 1st, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Also Ryan! The 10th and final Y: The Last Man book was released today, I read it already, because it is more interesting than studying for a test. So, I would think that the whole collection in 1 book form may be out in a year from now.

Good stuff though.
by DJ Nicko July 1st, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Well I’ll give you that — Occam’s Razor is more of a rule of thumb to me. And as a rule of thumb, rules of thumb are only correct 80% of the time. (As a rule of thumb.)
by ClintJCL July 1st, 2008 at 7:51 pm
I understand your skepticism Nicko. As Clint pointed out, since 42,000 people died in car accidents in 2005, that 16,000 number is probably an estimate based on the decline of people flying after 9/11.

I’m certain the number is a rough estimate, but it does make the point that people will run from a perceived threat into an unperceived one. In this case, many people chose driving over flying, which is much more dangerous, but those 42k fatalities don’t make the news.
by ideonexus July 1st, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Spugrab,

Thanks for the first-person account! I haven’t seen these new milk jugs in person yet.
by ideonexus July 1st, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Dave,

Sweet! Thanks for finding those. Totally creepy, just like the article describes.
by ideonexus July 1st, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Re: Milk in a jug– Up in Wisconsin and Minnesota, Kwik Trip convenience stores sell milk in a bag (with a complimentary pitcher). If I recall correctly, they’ve been doing it for decades.

I think they still have to ship that milk in the plastic crates (like mentioned in the Wal-mart article), but supposedly the “bag technology costs 10 to 15% less than jugs or cartons” and they are more environmentally friendly.
by Vicky July 1st, 2008 at 11:15 pm
As far as Occam’s razor goes, I can’t believe how many managers don’t believe in Occam’s razor.

My point of view(Occam’s razor): “We have six systems out there. Five of them work. One of them doesn’t. They’re identical. It must be something on the vehicle or the computer”

Manager’s point of view: “It must be the software. If it’s not we need to spend more money to prove that its the computer to justify buying a new computer”(even though the man hours spent trying to do that will cost more than the computer)

FRUSTRATING!
by Chriggy July 1st, 2008 at 11:45 pm
Thanks Clint! My comment should read “1,600″ not “16,000.”

: )
by ideonexus July 2nd, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Vicky,

This reminds me of Clint and Carolyn buying Saurkraut by the bag in college, and then keeping it in jars for costs savings. That’s stuck with me because now I wish everything came in bags instead of plastic cases. Much more environmentally sound and less costly. Milk in a bag rocks! (Hypothetically, since I’ve never been able to purchase it in person)
by ideonexus July 2nd, 2008 at 10:56 pm
I had milk in bags in like, kindergarden. Or preschool. Whenever I lived in texas, that is what we got at the school lunch. Mmm, just stab a straw in and go crazy.
by DJ Nicko July 2nd, 2008 at 11:12 pm
I didn’t remember buying sauerkraut by the bag and keeping it in jars when I lived with you, but Clint refreshed my memory.

We have a bag of sauerkraut in our fridge now. Just need a jar…
by Carolyn July 7th, 2008 at 11:02 pm