Brain-computer implant has passed 1000-day milestone
A paralysed woman was still able to control a computer cursor with her thoughts 1000 days after having a tiny electronic device implanted in her brain, say researchers who devised the system. The achievement demonstrates the longevity of brain-machine implants. The woman, for whom the researchers use the pseudonym S3, had a brainstem stroke in…
Naval sonar drives whales from feeding grounds
The first detailed study of the effects of naval sonar on whales shows that whales flee from prime feeding sites when navy tests begin – leaving them famished when they finally return. Blainville’s beaked whales, Mesoplodon densirostris, use echolocation clicks to track down prey in the lightless depths they hunt in, a kilometre or more…
The beetle that also invented the wheel
When the Australian patent office granted a 2001 patent to Mr. John Keogh for inventing the wheel (an action for which they shared an Ig Nobel Prize), little acknowledgment was given to those animals who regularly reinvent themselves a wheels. One of those animals is celebrated in a new study: “Wind-Powered Wheel Locomotion, Initiated by…
How to Create a Scientifically Plausible Alien Life Form
With a possible two billion Earth-like planets in our galaxy alone, the chances of extraterrestrial life are looking better and better. What will these creatures, shaped by another world, look like? It’s up to science fiction creators to imagine them. But how can you create an alien life form that’s really different than anything you’ll…