The above incredible creature captured in this extremely rare footage has been identified as a Deepstaria enigmatica, a type of jellyfish. The last time one was seen was 1967.
More details on how it was identified (spoiler alert: by its gonads) can be found here.
While looking through related videos I found the below video which takes a closer look at other members of the deepstaria genus. Includes fascinating footage of a type of marine isopod that parasitically lives inside many deepstaria, referred to as the “pilots of the medusa”
Europe 1000AD to present day.
An animated map of the changing face of Europe over the last thousand years. The map shows actual power on the ground as opposed to politically recognised borders. 10 frames per year. Software available from: http://www.clockwk.com/
Using viruses to harvest energy for mobile devices
From Boingboing:
“For years, researchers have worked on fascinating methods to scavenge power from kinetic energy — humming air conditioning ducts, roads that vibrate as cars pass over, etc. Now, engineers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are integrating viruses into small devices that convert mechanical energy into electricity. The harmless viruses exhibit natural piezoelectric properties — when stress is applied to them, they accumulate charge. In this prototype viral-electric generator, tapping a finger on the virus-coated electrode cranks out enough current to drive a tiny LCD display.
The milestone could lead to tiny devices that harvest electrical energy from the vibrations of everyday tasks such as shutting a door or climbing stairs.
It also points to a simpler way to make microelectronic devices. That’s because the viruses arrange themselves into an orderly film that enables the generator to work. Self-assembly is a much sought after goal in the finicky world of nanotechnology.
“More research is needed, but our work is a promising first step toward the development of personal power generators, actuators for use in nano-devices, and other devices based on viral electronics,” says Seung-Wuk Lee, a faculty scientist in Berkeley Lab’s Physical Biosciences Division and a UC Berkeley associate professor of bioengineering.
Aerogel, also know as frozen smoke, is the world’s lowest density solid, derived from a gel in which the liquid element has been replaced by gas (the entire material is actually 96% gas). If you hold a small piece in your hand, it’s practically impossible to either see or feel, but if you poke it, it’s like styrofoam. It supports up to 4,000 times its own weight and can withstand a direct blast from two pounds of dynamite. It’s also the best insulator in existence.
A 2.5 kg brick is supported on top of a piece of aerogel weighing only 2 grams.
(Source: kcjo, via sad-dad-dance)
Incredible early concept models & illustrations for the space shuttle program.
More at the San Diego Air & Space Museum Archive on Flickr.
(Source: shobu-obu, via sad-dad-dance)
Cropped images from the highest resolution photograph of Planet Earth ever taken (Warning, v.large file size)
Apparently the infra-red light information is shown as orange so that’s why the land masses that would normally be green look kind of brown. Below are two time-lapse videos taken by the same satellite. Make sure you watch them full screen & in HD. Absolutely stunning. I fucking love this planet.
More images & videos at http://planet—earth.ca/
(via infinity-imagined)
Adam Savage from Mythbusters dipping his fingers into a pot of molten lead. Immediately prior to submerging his fingers in the lead, he wet them with water that will form a thin protective layer of water vapor on contact with the lead, which was heated to 850 degrees Fahrenheit. This is known as the Leidenfrost effect.
This effect is most commonly seen when cooking; one sprinkles drops of water in a skillet to gauge its temperature—if the skillet’s temperature is at or above the Leidenfrost point, the water skitters across the metal and takes longer to evaporate than it would in a skillet that is above boiling temperature, but below the temperature of the Leidenfrost point.
(Source: snarkinthewater, via proofmathisbeautiful)
How the Hubble Space Telescope's stunning colour images are created - video
Link to the video on The Guardian website.
The Secret Life of Plankton.
The voice over is a little cheesy, but the photography in this short video about the world of plankton is incredible.
(Source: brainmeat)
From right to left, african elephant (currently, the largest land animal) indricotherium (the largest ever land mammal), TRex (one of the largest predators), Brachiosaurus (one of, although not the largest of dinosaurs) and human. In top, blue whale (the largest animal of all time) and quetzalcoatlus (the largest flying creature)
Illustration by José Antonio Peñas
(via paleoillustration)
The above diagram shows the relative size of a great grey owl’s body to its feathers.
