Science Roundup – 16th February 2009
Posted on February 16th, 2009 in Science News
Engadget reports that IBM has filed a patent for bionic body armour. Apparently, “the device works by constantly emitting electromagnetic waves that bounce off any fast-moving projectiles, and it uses the data to calculate risky trajectories. If the object in question is determined to be a threat, muscle stimulators activate and cause the wearer’s body to contort in such way to avoid being hit. It works under the idea that a sniper typically fires from a distance, given the armor time to detect the oncoming bullet and react accordingly.”
The science of attraction was discussed at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting. Prof Wendy Hill, provost and professor of neuroscience at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, conducted a small study on the science behind kissing which showed that snogging isn’t simply about love, but also contains a dash of biochemistry, neurotransmitters and evolution. In fact the “part of the brain which was strongly active for those passionately in love also happened to be the brain centre involved in cocaine addiction and the satisfaction felt when eating chocolate.” The Guardian goes into a bit more sloppy detail.
io9 posts about the history (and future) of commercial space flight. If it’s a topic of interest to you, Stephen Attenborough of Virgin Galactic, talked about the same subject at the Science Week Lecture Series last year.
Roisin Burke writes about innovation happening in our own back yard in the Sunday Independent. Here’s a sample:
Mi-POWER, a cushion which harnesses naturally occurring body heat and converts it to top-up battery power suitable for MP3 players, mobiles, game consoles, laptops and more.
KidSpotter is a device that aims to actually enhance children’s freedom to roam rather than restrict it, by means of a gadget that is worn like a watch and monitors where a child is via GPS or Bluetooth signal, using the internet or a mobile phone.
UCD campus-based company Bioplastech is looking at new ways of converting everyday waste materials into biodegradable plastics to deliver an alternative to the pricey and increasingly scarce petrochemicals used in much plastic manufacture.
The BBC interviewed Richard Dawkins (audio) about Charles Darwin on the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth.
