Karma Rogue » Science

Cockroach Robots

Eric Cumberworth — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 19:01:43 +0000

Roboticist Garnet Hertz has fulfilled our dreams: he’s created a robot that is controlled by roaches! Check out the video after the break

The video also includes some sort of robot music video featuring the song “Tribulation” Sam Amidon.Thanks to boingboing

Drink Beer After Workouts

Eric Cumberworth — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 23:53:33 +0000

Scientists. You never know what they will come up with next. And quite often I don’t care for what they have to say. But this is good news: A beer after a long run, playing sports, or any other cardiovascular exercise is good for the body!

Beer helps you retain liquid better than water when you are dehydrated, according to some Spanish researchers. Manuel Garzon, a Professor from Granada University, claims that the bubbles in beer help to quench thirst and that beer’s carbohydrate content helps replace lost calories.

Of course there are other scientists that dispute this but we won’t listen to them.

Thanks to Telegraph for this encouraging news!

Bizarre Penis

Eric Cumberworth — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 22:22:02 +0000

A man’s penis has one head. The spiny anteater’s penis has four heads. When scientists tried milking semen from the spiny anteater, they were puzzled by the massive four-headed monster that emerged. The scientists were unable to get a drop from the well-hung fellows either – although I don’t know what part of electric-stimulation they were supposed to enjoy. What was more puzzling was the fact that females only have two points of entry. Apparently, during a normal erection two heads get shut down and the other two slip right in to the female. More bizarre is the fact that the heads used are swapped each time the spiny anteater has sex. Video and source in the full article

Via NewScientist

Dolphins Once Looked Like Humans

Eric Cumberworth — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 01:46:08 +0000

It has long been thought by scientists that, once upon a time, dolphins were living on land. The recent studies conducted by Australian white-coats indicate that Atlanteans may have actually been ancestors of the dolphins. Atlanteans? You know – the people from the lost city of Atlantis!

According to biologist Dr. Leslie Huskeway, “No matter how weird it may appear, dolphins used to have two legs and a couple of arms in place of fins. They lived side by side with the people of the Stone Age.”

When they made the move to water, they found that it was difficult to see very far under water and developed sonar – the ability to “see” by hearing echoes. It’s interesting to note that sound travels nearly five times faster through the water than through the air.

I may believe the whole lost city of Atlantis dolphin-people story but that whack job scientist just can’t stop there. Huskeway also claims that dolphins have larger brains than humans! Blasphemy!

Source

Appendix May Actually Have a Purpose

Eric Cumberworth — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 18:01:17 +0000

According to new research, the seemingly useless organ known as the appendix may actually have a purpose after all. Despite the fact that people who have their appendix removed have no noticeable changes in health, the appendix does appear to have a higher purpose – as a place to protect good bacteria in the gut.

“That way, when the gut is affected by a bout of diarrhea or other illness
that cleans out the intestines, the good bacteria in the appendix can
repopulate the digestive system and keep you healthy.

But in a modern society less of these good bacteria are needed due to better
hygiene practices, which may explain why the appendix has gained a reputation
as a useless organ.”

Article