Science Etcetera, Jupiterday 20090709

Posted in Science Etcetera on July 9th, 2009

Within a decade, for $200k, you’ll be able to buy a Twendy-one, a nurse robot that brings medications and breakfast in bed.

Twendy-one
Credit: Sugano Laboratory/Waseda University

Triaphilia, the idea that things come in threes, three deaths, three philandering politicians, three disasters… is a self-fulfilling prophecy, a result of the pattern-seeking nature of our brains.

A striking new species of salamander has been found in the Appalachian foothills that lacks lungs and breathes through its skin.

Deep within the NY Museum of Natural History is a state of the art DNA library for endangered species, and it is now working with the National Park Service to acquire more species.

Analysis of a 40,000-year-old skeleton found in China reveals freshwater fish was a regular staple in our ancestors’ diets, long before fishing tools appeared on the scene.

Lower mandible of the 40 000 year old human skeleton,
found in the Tianyuan Cave near Beijing.
Credit: Hong Shang / Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing

Software was able to learn sign-language after 10 hours of comparing the speakers motions to the subtitles on a television screen.

Forbes senior writer’s new book $20 Per Gallon argues that rising oil prices will be good for the world, migrating people to the cities and forcing people into other more environmentally-sound lifestyle choices.

Interesting article on using glass for load-bearing structures in buildings, such as the Sears Tower’s new observation deck, which allows visitors to step onto a glass floor and see all the way down.

IBM Hydro-Cluster Supercomputer