Most people think the cyclops is just a mythical one-eyed character from ancient stories, but cyclopia is a real condition that still exists today. Although rare, there are several documented cases of cyclopia in animals and even humans. Are you ready to dive into the jaw-dropping and slightly disturbing world of real animal oddities?
Did you know you can power a car using only a single mousetrap? OK, so it needs to be a small car that you build at home, but it can be done! This is a cheap and easy project that is a lot of fun to show off. The typical mousetrap powered car has a string coiled around the car’s axle and then attached to the bar of the trap. When the trap goes off, the bar moves much more slowly then usual because it is transferring its energy to propel the car forward. Spare mice and explore clean energy at the same time!
Given the choice, would you rather have been born with a different eye color, hair color or skin tone? Maybe you would have chosen to be taller, thinner or more muscular. Of course, you didn’t have these options. The physical and personal traits a person winds up with are just one big roll of the dice, with only the biological parents’ genes to draw from. However, within a few decades, there’s a good chance that biotechnology could give us the ability to pre-choose our children’s physical and personality traits like we pick out options on a new car.
Scientists have found a way to train honeybees to sniff out bombs. With a sense of smell that can detect pollen on molecular levels, the usefulness of the bees challenges that of bomb-sniffing dogs, especially in war zones like Iraq. The bees can also be strapped with radio transmitters and released outside, where they will search the area and swarm on any bombs they find.
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NY Times Article – Details on combining the bees with technology and support from Pentagon.
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Wasps Are Better – Tiny, non-stinging wasps may be a better solution according to this article.
A llama, one of the goofiest looking animals on earth, has a natural antibody that is amazingly strong (much stronger than the human version). Scientists have found a way to extract this antibody and turn it into a sensor that can be used to detect biological weapons. It seems llamas deserve a little more respect than we think.
- HowStuffWorks Article – A brief, easy-to-read article on the topic with some great info.
- LiveScience Article – Another brief article, but with some more technical information.
- Eagle Tribune – A newspaper article on the topic with reference to other llama abilities.
A car company called “Tesla” has developed a completely electric sports car that goes 0-60 miles per hour in four seconds, blowing away the world’s current view of electric cars. The Tesla Roadster’s stylish body and $100,000 price tag (cheap for an all-electric car) might be just what we need to start making the move to electric cars.
Students at the 2006 Michelin Challenge developed a concept automobile that combines a motorcycle, ATV, and snowmobile into one. They call it “The Hyanide”, named because it looks like a crouching hyena. This futuristic, motorcyle inspired, single-tread device has already led to some working models.
If you’ve ever sneezed in a public place, you’ve probably heard someone instinctively say “bless you” or “gesundheit.” Why would they say that? What does it mean? The term “bless you” came from “God bless you” during the plague, when sneezing was a common sign of the illness, and “gesundheit” literally means “health”.
Gang violence is a problem in every major American city. According to a report by the Department of Justice, there are over twenty thousand gangs in the United States. Why do street gangs exist? What is being done to stop them? Learn more here:
- How Street Gangs Work- An interesting and extensive article with good illustrations.
- Gangs or Us – This is referred to as the most complete and comprehensive source on the web.
- NCJJ Report – Official 2006 report from the National Center for Juvenile Justice.
Designed to test a high-school student’s ability to succeed during their first year of college, the SAT is one of most significant academic tasks in many Americans’ lives. Originally introduced in 1941 as the Scholastic Aptitude Test, the SAT has been through many changes over the years, including the sacrifice of it’s name due to arguments over the meaning of “aptitude.”
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How SATs Work- This article provides the history of the SAT, how it works, and how to beat it.
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Wikipedia Article - Lots of information on the SAT and a great chart that defines the scores.
