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- Batty Day Care | Spicey Space | Warp Bubble - The Convo Kit #26
Batty Day Care | Spicey Space | Warp Bubble - The Convo Kit #26
What do pigs, ticks, and organ transplants have in common?
Listen to Radiolab connect the dots. Check for ticks to avoid a meat allergy.
-Steve
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Batty Day Care
Egyptian fruit bats start hitchhiking earlier than most animals. This species of bat learns to navigate the skies by latching on to their mother during foraging sessions.
Discovered through a 5 year study by Tel Aviv University
Auto-detaching GPS trackers were manually retrieved, sometimes from backyards
Flyers-ed duration: 10 weeks
To make foraging quicker, the stowaways are left in one of a few selected trees. When the pup is able to fly, it goes directly to the last tree before gradually retracing the routes it observed while hanging on for dear life.
Read more on the batty study here.
Spicey Space
ISS astronauts grew chili peppers without sunlight or gravity. Cultivating plants in space is currently done through one of two systems, Veggie and Advanced Plant Habitat (APH).
Veggie: Plants grow in a “pillow” of growth media to balance nutrients and water
APH: Enclosed system with automated water, atmosphere, and lighting
Variable lighting restricts plant height within limited space
The 137-day experiment provided space-gardeners with vitamin-C, spicy tacos, and positive vibes. Long term spaceflight will require astronauts to grow at least some of their own food to consume a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals.
Learn how to grow your own space garden through pics and videos here.
Warp Bubble
Dr. Harold White claims to have accidentally discovered a “Warp Bubble” while studying the Casimer effect. A potentially key breakthrough based on physicist Miguel Alcubierre’s 1994 theory on using warp drives to travel beyond the speed of light.
Oversimplified warp physics: shorten distance by bending space with negative matter/energy
Like how folding paper makes the corners closer
Casimer effect: Manufacturing energy imbalance between conducting plates
Dr. White previously worked on warp drive theory for NASA and did not expect to find anything warpy during this study. While his findings are reviewed and debated, White intends to move forward testing a mini-warp craft.
For more in-depth physics, warp over to Dr. White’s paper here and check out a strong counter-argument here.
Wild ANYmal
ETH Zurich and Swiss-Mile’s ANYmal is a robo-dog with rollerblades. The quadruped is capable of walking, rolling, and standing on its hind legs.
Holds packages with front legs while standing
Run-time: 2 hours
Top speed: 14 mph
ANYmal originally joined the quadruped robot world walking on all fours. Adding wheels increases travelling speed, while maintaining the ability to walk makes sure it can still navigate stairs. Overall a wheely cool way to deliver packages.
Watch ANYmal take on a Tesla and #SendIt down some stairs.
The Luxury Aquatic
What if your small holiday gathering could be underwater? Triton Submarines’ 660/9 luxury vessel is a submersible living room for high-rollers.
Seats 9, including a pilot that can move around the cabin
Top speed: 3 knots (3.5 mph)
Battery life: 12 hours
Patent-pending “Advanced Versatile Acrylics” dome technology enables larger viewing and seating required for underwater poker or a Yankee Swap. For those far from clear waters, 660/9 can be parked in yachts and cruise ships for transportation.
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