Stephen Hawking: Run, The Aliens Are Coming!
April 25th, 2010 | 
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There are few scientists out there who we respect more than Prof. Stephen Hawking.
This is the guy who has turned little-known and hugely complex fields of theoretical astrophysical research into books read
The guy who has, despite the ravages of motor neuron disease, continued to be an active and inspirational researcher.
The guy who has, despite the ravages of motor neuron disease, had three kids and two wives.
Truly, a legend.
And the latest words from the great man merely cement that reputation: mathematically, he reckons, there almost certainly have to be big ships full of aliens roaming the universe. And they won’t be happy to see us. Read the rest of this entry »
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SlantedScience’s Monday Morning Tongue: The Ox (Deceased)
Monday mornings: a time for quietly contemplating the upcoming week’s trials and tribulations, then deciding to do nothing about them until Tuesday.
And, in our opinion, a great time for pictures of tongues. Here’s this week’s: an ox tongue, all dissected and ready for the grill.
And you, sniggering away at the back of class: it is in no way phallic. Grow up.
Here it is in all its glory:
New Supertrout Set To Muscle Its Way Into Supermarkets?
Are you a fan of fish? Maybe you love a nice smoked salmon, or Cajun-seasoned tilapia? But don’t you sometimes wish that instead of the thin and scrawny fillet in front of you there was a nice, thick slab of piscine flesh?
Well, you’re in luck. Scientists have just announced their success in breeding a transgenic trout which boasts a set of chest and shoulder muscles that could see it making an appearance on the next season of Jersey Shore.
The only problem? Well, you just get out there with your rod and try reeling in one of these bastards. Read the rest of this entry »
SlantedScience’s Monday Morning Tongue
Monday mornings: a time for quietly contemplating the upcoming week’s trials and tribulations, then deciding to do nothing about them until Tuesday.
And, in our opinion, a great time for pictures of tongues. Here’s this week’s: a goose tongue, sporting an array of what look like teeth along its outer edges.
Real or fake? Find out in a moment… Read the rest of this entry »
“Oceans For Pathi” Renamed: It’s Now “Oceans”, It’s By Disney, And It’s Out In April
We reported back in December 2009 that there was quite the buzz about an upcoming film called “Oceans For Pathi“. It was reported to be a mind-blowing piece of cinematography, which had taken years to make and which used novel techniques (such as remote-controlled helicopters with cameras attached) to document the oceanic world in ways never seen before.
Well, it turns out that Disney have acquired the film’s rights, and are going to be releasing it this year using the new title, “Oceans“. Read the rest of this entry »
Dead Man Blinking: Scientists Create Working Synthetic Eyelid
This is a story which may be of great benefit to many people in a few years’ time, but which at the moment we find most remarkable for two things. One is cool but a little bit weird, the other is cool but so freaking creepy it’ll dance through your dreams tonight. Read the rest of this entry »
SlantedScience’s Monday Tongue: The Sun Bear
Monday mornings: a time for quietly contemplating the upcoming week’s trials and tribulations, then deciding to do nothing about them until Tuesday.
And, in our opinion, a great time for pictures of tongues. Join us after the jump for this beauty: a foot-long hunk o’ Sun Bear lovin’… Read the rest of this entry »
Re-Post: Pork Chop Grown In A Lab; Paul McCartney Is “Confused”
We’re not sure why, but everybody is reporting today on the Dutch scientists who have created meat within a lab culture system. First as always, we reported this in November last year. So here’s a re-post for ya:
Great news for vegetarians who miss the taste of meat: in a few years, you may be able to chow down on a slice of bacon or two with a clean conscience. Scientists report today the first ever production of a piece of meat grown entirely in vitro.
Where next with this? May we suggest co-culturing a piece of pork with a pair of pigeon wings? Hey presto: flying pigs. Read the rest of this entry »
Online Poker: Winners Are Actually Losers
Your mother always warned you about gambling, and now scientists have validated her opinion: a paper just published in The Journal Of Gambling Studies shows that even when you win, you still lose.
Oh, Life, is there no end to your cruelty? Read the rest of this entry »
Cancer Cells Feed On Fat To Increase A Tumor’s Malignancy
Cancer begins when a single cell’s DNA acquires sufficient mutations in key areas (or ‘genes‘) that it can no longer regulate its own growth. The cell begins to divide and divide repeatedly, being unable to either sense or act upon the signals coming from nearby cells telling it to “be a good neighbor and quit with all the mitosis already“. The result, perhaps only detected after several years of growth, is a tumor.
But why are some cancers relatively benign – growing in mass but showing no inclination to leave their location – while others are extremely aggressive, throwing out their seeds to grow as copies of the original cancer (or ‘metastases“) in different parts of the body? Well, scientists are reporting that they have discovered a new reason which partly explains the aggressive behavior: cancer cells can dramatically ramp up production of a protein which helps them to release energy and cellular building blocks from stored fat. Read the rest of this entry »