JR Minkel, science writer, RIP

Rising-star science journalist JR Minkel, whose work we've linked to many times on Boing Boing, took his own life on Monday. Only 31 years-old, JR was a talented writer who covered space, physics, cosmology, and technology for Scientific American, where he was a staff writer, Popular Science, New Scientist, LiveScience, IEEE Spectrum, and many other publications. Author of the Instant Egghead Guide: The Universe, he also blogged at his own site, A Fistful of Science. JR had a knack for making complex science understandable by anyone, and his quest for knowledge, meaning, and humor shone through his writing. We send our deepest condolences to JR's family and friends. JR Minkel obituary (The Tennessean). LINK: Boing Boing

Dan Lieberman on Skulls

LINK: Youtube, Read more in "Head to Toe," January-February 2011. http://harvardmagazine.com/2011/01/he...

Leaping Shampoo

Scientists of the University of Twente in The Netherlands won a prestigious place in the 'Hall of Fame' of videos about fluid-in-motion. They have made a video of leaping shampoo, in which they explain the so-called Kaye effect. Scientifically interesting but also of great aesthetic beauty! LINK: Youtube

Symphony of Science: The Big Beginning

[YouTube Clip]

Eight in the auto-tuned Symphony of Science music series by John Boswell is "The Big Beginning." It’s about the Big Bang and the origins of the universe, and features Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking, Richard Dawkins, Tara Shears and Neil deGrasse Tyson. LINK: Neatorama

Previously on Neatorama: A Glorious Dawn (#1 in the series) | We Are All Connected (#2) | The Poetry of Reality (#5) | 10 Neat Facts About Carl Sagan

Oktokopter Fun!

Having fun. LINK: Youtube

Music: James Galway;John Georgiadis - Canon

BBC Horizon 2010: What Happened Before the Big Bang

They are the biggest questions that science can possibly ask: where did everything in our universe come from? How did it all begin? For nearly a hundred years, we thought we had the answer: a big bang some 14 billion years ago.
But now some scientists believe that was not really the beginning. Our universe may have had a life before this violent moment of creation.
Horizon takes the ultimate trip into the unknown, to explore a dizzying world of cosmic bounces, rips and multiple universes, and finds out what happened before the big bang. This video is part one of six. More at the LINK: Youtube

Music video made from re-cut public domain science fiction B-movie

Noah from the Skull-a-Day project sez, " I thought you would enjoy this video I made for my new project, League of Space Pirates. It's a track from our recently released digital Hypertrophy EP and the video was made entirely with footage of the public domain film Assignment Outer Space which I got from Archive.org. I was interested in seeing if I could find enough footage within the film to carve out a new totally different story that related to the song."

League of Space Pirates - Constant Reminder (Thanks, Noah!). Via: Boingboing, Via: Youtube

Hitting droplets of nitroglycerin with a hammer in slow motion

In the interests of science, the presenter from the BBC's "How We Shook the World" hits a droplet of nitro with a hammer, over and over again, in slow motion.

Nitroglycerine Detonation Filmed in Slo-Mo - Explosions: How We Shook the World, Preview - BBC Four (Thanks, Freeal, Via: Submitterator), Via: Boingboing

Science of the Heart

The human heart emits the strongest electromagnetic field in our body. This electromagnetic field envelops the entire body extending out in all directions, and it can be measured up to several feet outside of the body. Research from the Institute of HeartMath shows that this emotional information is encoded in this energetic field. HeartMath researchers have also seen that as we consciously focus on feeling a positive emotion - such as care, appreciation, compassion or love - it has a beneficial effect on our own health and well-being, and can have a positive affect on those around us. LINK: Youtube

Ligers: A Cruelty Unveiled

AnimalMedia | June 24, 2009
READ FIRST:
COMMENTS WERE DISABLED DUE TO THE FACT THAT I CANNOT REPLY TO EVERYONE'S COMMENTS/STATEMENTS REGARDING INFORMATION IN THIS VIDEO.
I understand that this is a controversial topic. YES, some ligers are healthy and even outlive their parents, HOWEVER, this video addresses issues regarding the majority of ligers which are unhealthy due to genetic defects caused by hybridization. All information here comes from credible sources (AKA not exploiters of ligers, but rather unbiased reports). Wether you belive in the scientific aspect of the cruelty or not, these animals are "showcase" animals. They are exploited and often kept in poor conditions as most live in roadside or unregulated facilities. Some, though rare, are well cared for, I am not denying that, but they are stull bred for exploitation, NOT conservation like many claim. Those who breed them will often decieve the public by using their liger to try and disprove claims of cruelty through lies and false information. It is a free country and you are free to choose what to believe, however, this is cruelty. Yes, they are beautiful but don't you think they deserve better than being a tool for man kind's exploitation?
Thank you for taking the time to read this and watch the video. LINK: Youtube

Universe Painted in Light

In 1080p, enjoy the unusual visual style in this adaptation of the ground-breaking "Science on a Sphere" production, including depictions of Earth. From NASA and NOAA, with additional images from ESA Hubble.

We perceive light--we see it—but what we see and what it means are not the same. Without context, detail means nothing.

Oh, there are so many factors at play here: what wavelengths of light can we see, how well can our brains take what we see and turn it into something we understand?

And also, how do we compare ourselves to the thing we're observing? What tools do we use to help us capture information? How do we turn light into data, data into pixels, pixels into meaning? Start with a planet. LINK: Youtube

The Axolotl Song

What happens if an axolotl drink some salamander goo? This video clip explains how axolotl remains in neoteny until its metamorphosis to a salamander is triggered when it is given hormones.

If only all science lessons were this cool! Link [embedded YouTube clip] Via: Neatorama

The Hooded Pitohui - a Poisonous Bird

YouTube link

Jack Dumbacher, an ornithologist at the California Academy of Science, describes the discovery of and studies of a neurotoxin produced by this bird from New Guinea. The batrachotoxin that the bird produces is a sodium-channel blocker that is chemically identical to the neurotoxin used by poison dart frogs, and it is potentially lethal in higher doses. One assumes that this evolved as a deterrent to predation, so it’s interesting that like monarchs and other toxic butterflies, this bird exhibits a strikingly bright warning coloration. LINK: Neatorama

The Mechanical Taxidermy of Ron Pippin

Artist Ron Pippin creates sculptures of animals with mechanical augmentations, such as the above work entitled “Solar Deer”. In an interview, Pippin said:

My work is often related to ideas about the relationship of Science, Art, and Nature. My scientific aesthetic is primarily drawn from the 19th Century, when, I feel, science still had a relationship to beautiful forms.

Content warning: Pippin uses actual animal parts in many of his works.

Link, Via: Make | Official Website | Interview | Photo: Ron Pippin, Via: Neatorama

Laser cut model rocket ship

The Raygun Gothic Rocketship is a 40 foot retro-future rocket ship model created by Sean Orlando, Nathaniel Taylor, David Shulman. For those unable to climb aboard in person, Almost Scientific has created a stately and elegant scale model. It's laser cut from 1/8" ply wood, 13" tall, and ships flat in a envelope! Yours for $100 in the Boing Boing Bazaar at the Makers Market.

Raygun Gothic Rocketship Wooden Model. Via: Boingboing

Symphony of Science V: "The Poetry of Reality"

(YouTube Link)

We’ve previously featured the first video in John Boswell’s Symphony of Science autotuned music project. This video, the fifth and latest in the series, features Michael Shermer, Jacob Bronowski, Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Richard Dawkins, Jill Tarter, Lawrence Krauss, Richard Feynman, Brian Greene, Stephen Hawking, Carolyn Porco, and PZ Meyers.

Via: Geekologie | Official Website, Via: Neatorama

100 Coolest Science Experiments On YouTube

A list of 100 cool science experiments on YouTube. It goes without saying that many of these videos contain procedures that may be dangerous to perform at home or without the proper equipment and/or training. Please do not duplicate any of these experiments unless assured that they are entirely safe for amateurs. LINK: The Presurfer

The Mystery of Resin

Image Credit
Resin is a mysterious thing and is often overshadowed by the far more glamorous amber. However, even though resin takes millions of years to form in our six thousand or so years of history we still haven't managed to read a concensus about what on earth it is for. As the scientific battle rages this article takes a look at the unique substance that is resin, with some marvellous macrophotography that will take your breath away. LINK

The Mystery of Resin | Scienceray

Microbial Art

Microbial Art shows a collection of unique artworks created using living bacteria, fungi, and protists. The site is presented as an example of the exciting interface between art and science.

A team of students from the nanobiology laboratories at the University of Osaka, Japan, genetically engineered bacteria to express fluorescent proteins and carotenoid pigments to create works of art. LINK: The Presurfer

Make A Perpetual Spinner

Using a few simple items and a little science, create a cool perpetual spinner. LINK: Youtube