Were our ancestors water apes, hairless bipeds that lived an aquatic existence? Did Canadian inventor Troy Hurtubise really build an "Angel Light" that makes any object transparent when bathed in its glow? How come fish sometimes fall from the sky? Can pets actually predict earthquakes? These are some of the questions that scientists throughout history have seriously examined. For two years, Mark Pilkington, the fantastic Fortean behind Strange Attractor Journal, explored these weird experiments, scientific failures, and downright kookiness in his column Far Out that appeared in The Guardian's science supplement. Now, he's compiled those columns into a fantastic small book, Far Out: 101 Strange Tales from Science's Outer Edge. Each short entry tackles a single anomalous report or invention from science's cabinet of curiosity: electronic voice phenomena, The Cerebrophone, the memory of water, Skinner's Box, plant sentience, just to name a few. My only complaint about this terrific text is that it's not much, much longer.
Far Out: 101 Strange Tales From Science's Outer Edge
Crafting a leather-bound 'spellbook' with traditional bookbinding techniques
“I made this huge leather bound "spellbook" with traditional bookbinding techniques,” says Nerdforge7 of NERDFORGE, on IMGUR. What an amazing project. READ THE REST
Why Satellites Stay in Orbit: Cool 1964 kids' science book
Years ago, I read a bit of advice in The Whole Earth Catalog, which said a great way to get up to speed on a subject you are interested in… READ THE REST
Astonish Yourself: 101 Experiments in the Philosophy of Everyday Life
I came across Astonish Yourself: 101 Experiments in the Philosophy of Everyday Life when I took my kids to the California Science Center in Los Angeles in 2009 and found… READ THE REST
Short Post, just one paragraph
Dessert cheesecake wafer bear claw fruitcake. Fruitcake chupa chups donut candy canes marzipan. Apple pie sweet roll tart chocolate cake macaroon marshmallow carrot cake gummi bears sweet. Pastry sugar plum… READ THE REST
Save 50% on a 1-year subscription to Dashlane's premium password manager
We all know vital information about ourselves and our private digital accounts can be compromised by cybercriminals. However, many would be frightened to know just how compromised they and their… READ THE REST
The Bite Helper removes the itch of a mosquito bite in seconds
While mosquitoes have certainly earned their title as the deadliest animal on earth, their impact on most of our lives is usually a lot less consequential. But even though they… READ THE REST
