Presenting the fact and fiction of tomorrow since 2001
Where the hell are those mag-lev trains they promised us when they discovered superconductivity? They are a step closer to reality thanks to scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, who have introduced nanoscale defects into a “cuprate” superconductor to create short wires that can carry large currents and work in strong magnetic fields. Once they get it scaled up to kilometer lengths, high speed trains will be one of many applications.
The world eats a lot of chickens. The world uses a lot of PCBs too, and they’re made of expensive materials that are hard to recycle. So why not kill two birds with one stone and start making PCBs from processed chicken feathers and soybeans? Not only will they be recyclable, they’ll be faster than normal boards as well – the University of Delaware is on the case.
Vincent VanAllen’s new story is an absurdist poke in the eye for egotistical super-parents.
[ IMPORTANT NOTICE: This story is NOT covered by the Creative Commons License that covers the majority of content on Futurismic; copyright remains with the author, and any redistribution is a breach thereof. Thanks. ]
Journal of Prenatal Psychology & Health
2016 Jul;105(1):44-57.
Artificially accelerated fetal development in Homo sapiens: what is the role of the baby window?Authors: Ripley R.C., Hess N.J.
I. IMPLANTATION: The search for a guinea pig
Child psychologist Norman Hess clasped his hands and dropped to a knee. “Angela, please. Just think about watching our baby grow inside your womb, right before our eyes!”
“It doesn’t seem safe,” Angela said. She was six weeks pregnant with their first child, and already Norman insisted on treating the baby like another one of his lab experiments. “What if there’s an infection or something? I don’t know. It just seems so unnatural.” Continue reading “THE BABY WINDOW by Vincent VanAllen”
Bodies moving in liquid experience a great deal of friction, something you know from experience if you’ve ever tried aqua aerobics. In fact, it’s physically impossible for a liquid not to create this resistance, no matter the liquid or the body in question. At least, that was true until some USC researchers found a molecule that, when properly stimulated, will actually force water away, allowing it to move without resistance.
As Geekpress points out, APOD’s time-lapse animation showing Earth and the asteroids that swarm around it looks like the old Asteroids video game. Only the consequence for not putting shields up in time is a lot scarier. (Caveat: the animation exaggerates the size of the Earth and asteroids — none in the animation made it inside the moon’s orbit.)
