Dear God that article is annoying. A wasp that turns its prey into zombies isn’t interesting enough without spending half the bloody article going on about Harry Potter and tweets?
It’s USA Today. Science alone isn’t awesome enough for their readership.
The whole thing was a publicity stunt from the get-go. And also a great idea. Taxonomy and biodiversity studies need all the help they can get to be even noticed by the public, so if you can get JK Rowling to tweet about a newly described species - good for you.
'Large Hadron Collider turns on ‘data tap’:
They discovered 7 new miniature species of frogs in Brazil recently, one of which is the smallest known species of vertebrate in the world.
Awesome (what a cutie!). Now if only we could discover new animals quicker than making them extinct!
Test unravels history of infection:
pretty cool, and will help find cures for diseases too.
Surfers wanted for ‘superbug’ study:
‘Beach Bums’ - someone got a sense of humour!
‘Blood cells’ found in dino fossils:
I was hoping they’d find some DNA. But I’ve heard DNA it’s very unlikely for DNA to survive that long, or you need a massive sample to be able to counter-act that length of time :(
Or lots of amber.
Cuba stamps out mother-to-child HIV:
! Go Cuba! didn’t see that coming, but what an amazing breakthrough - if only all medical systems were funded by their nation ;)
BBC Micro Bit computer’s final design revealed:
The BBC has revealed the final design of the Micro Bit, a pocket-sized computer set to be given to about one million UK-based children in October.
The device - which features a programmable array of red LED lights - includes two buttons and a built-in motion sensor that were not included in a prototype shown off in March.
But another change means the product no longer has a slot for a thin battery.
That may compromise its appeal as a wearable device.
An add-on power pack, fitted with AA batteries, will be needed to use it as a standalone product.
The BBC’s director general Tony Hall said the device should help tackle the fact children were leaving school knowing how to use computers but not how to program them.
“We all know there’s a critical and growing digital skills gap in this country and that’s why it’s so important that we come together and do something about it,” he said at a launch event in London.
Hopefully this will help fight back against the issue of console dominance and kids this last decade (although it is better in that respect with XNA etc)? Hmm i can see it maybe not being ‘cool enough’ for the non geeks sadly, so maybe a number of them will just sit gathering dust while the kid is on their Xbone/PS4 etc?
It would be cool to have another generation of British bedroom coders. So many great studios came out of the 80s BBC/Spectrum/C64 scene.
More from the ‘it’s going to create a blackhole at the centre of the earth and kill us!’ machine:
Hadron Collider discovers new particle:
Tee hee hee…
…penis
Man, a guy really has to guard his shtick around this place.
Jesus, not a single mention of the Pluto flyby in this thread?
Zhenyuanlong suni: biggest ever winged dinosaur is found in China:
An ancient feathered creature dug up in northeastern China is the largest winged dinosaur ever found, researchers say.
The fossil of the prehistoric raptor is so well preserved that scientists have been able to reconstruct its impressive plumage, from the tiny feathers on its head and neck, to the larger quill pen-like feathers that sprout from its tail and substantial wings.
A cousin of the velociraptor made famous by the Jurassic Park movies, the carnivore two metres in length lived 125m years ago in the region where dense forests became home to some of the first flowering plants.
The discovery raises broader questions about how wings evolved in the first place. Small, fluffy feathers are thought to have arisen for warmth, with more elaborate feather structures emerging for displays, and ultimately flight.
But Brusatte said that wings themselves might have evolved for reasons other than flight, before they helped creatures take to the skies.
“When you see a dinosaur like this that’s pretty big, and has these short arms and bird-like wings, it begs that question: what are wings really for? We used to think pretty much anything that had wings was flying, but that’s not so clear now,” he said.