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giovedì 30 novembre 2017

# evol: they were even fluffier than previously thought

<< Anchiornis’ contour feathers revealed a newly-described, extinct, primitive feather form consisting of a short quill with long, independent, flexible barbs erupting from the quill at low angles to form two vanes and a forked feather shape >>

Feathered, Bird-Like Dinosaur Anchiornis Was Even Fluffier than We Thought. Nov 30, 2017

http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/feathered-bird-like-dinosaur-anchiornis-05485.html

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-11-feathered-dinosaurs-fluffier-thought.html

Evan T. Saitta, Rebecca Gelernter, Jakob Vinther. Additional information on the primitive contour and wing feathering of paravian dinosaurs. Palaeontology.  doi: 10.1111/pala.12342. Nov 28, 2017.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pala.12342/full

mercoledì 29 novembre 2017

# ai-bots: an autonomous "golem" perspective; bots could improvise, bots could appear emotionally intelligent, bots could become extremely robust, bots could use non-intercepting cryptic strategies.

Feras Dayoub, Jonathan Roberts,  Michael Milford. We need robots that can improvise, but it's not easy to teach them right from wrong. Nov 26, 2017

https://theconversation.com/we-need-robots-that-can-improvise-but-its-not-easy-to-teach-them-right-from-wrong-87014

David Pring-Mill. Tech Is Becoming Emotionally Intelligent, and It's Big Business. Oct 30, 2017

https://singularityhub.com/2017/11/02/tech-is-becoming-emotionally-intelligent-and-its-big-business/amp/

Artificial muscles give soft robots superpowers. Nov 27, 2017

https://phys.org/news/2017-11-artificial-muscles-soft-robots-superpowers.html

Joris van Rossum. Blockchain for Research. Digital Science. Nov 27, 2017.

https://figshare.com/articles/_/5607778

FonT

in pratica un hacker da manuale, questo assolutamente ipotetico "golem" ...

Also

<< (..) che solva - senz'altro - qualsivoglia brillanza dell' insolto // (..) >>

<< Lascia il letto, figlio mio /
Usa i tuoi talenti con intelligenza /
e fabbrica sostituti agli dei /
affinche' smettano di lavorare ... / >>

1971 - una zolla dalle rive dell' Apsu'. Mar 8, 2006.

http://inkpi.blogspot.it/2006/03/1971-una-zolla-dalle-rive-dell-apsu.html

martedì 28 novembre 2017

# behav: large-eared bats adopting slow-flight feeding strategies

AA << compare quantitative aerodynamic measures of flight efficiency of two bat species, one large-eared (Plecotus auritus) and one small-eared (Glossophaga soricina), flying freely in a wind tunnel >>

AA << find that the body drag of both species is higher than previously assumed and that the large-eared species has a higher body drag coefficient, but also produces relatively more ear/body lift than the small-eared species >>

<< The relatively higher power of the large-eared species results in lower optimal flight speeds and [AA] findings support the notion of a trade-off between the acoustic benefits of large external ears and aerodynamic performance. The result of this trade-off would be the eco-morphological correlation in bat flight, with large-eared bats generally adopting slow-flight feeding strategies >>

Jonas Hakansson, Lasse Jakobsen, et al. Body lift, drag and power are relatively higher in large-eared than in small-eared bat species. 2017; 14 (135): 4099. doi: 10.1098/rsif.2017.0455. Oct 25, 2017.

http://rsif.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/14/135/20170455

The pros and cons of large ears. Nov 10, 2017

http://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/the-pros-and-cons-of-large-ears

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171110084634.htm

lunedì 27 novembre 2017

# ai-bot: a campaign to stop killer bots (i.e. near-future ubiquitous lethal autonomous weapons - nfulaw)

<< In response to growing concerns about autonomous weapons, the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, a coalition of AI researchers and advocacy organizations, has released a fictional video that depicts a disturbing future in which lethal autonomous weapons have become cheap and ubiquitous worldwide >>

Disturbing video depicts near-future ubiquitous lethal autonomous weapons. The technology described in the film already exists, says UC Berkeley AI researcher Stuart Russell. Nov 18, 2017

http://www.kurzweilai.net/disturbing-video-depicts-near-future-ubiquitous-lethal-autonomous-weapons

FonT

in effetti si puo' immaginare - senza sconfinare troppo nella fantascienza - una entita' "nfulaw"  nella forma funzionale del bot-mosquito, di pochi millimetri, armata di device a pungiglione e adatte nano-vescicola e nano-pompa - in grado di iniettare qualche sorta di micidiale molecola -  che traccia e individua il suo bersaglio tramite il riconoscimento facciale oppure attraverso il segnale dello smartphone ...

sabato 25 novembre 2017

# behav: a new dead leaf camouflage strategy with orange spots and unexpected preserved resonance (T. spurioculis)

AA << study the wing mechanics and resonances of Typophyllum spurioculis, a new species of leaf-mimic katydid >>

<< This species performs an unusual laterally directed aposematic display, showing orange spots that simulate eyes at the leg base. At night, males are conspicuous by their loud, audible calling songs, which exhibit two spectral peaks at ca. 7 and 12 kHz >>

AA << find the effective sound radiators of the wings (speculae) vibrate with three modes of vibration, two of which include the frequencies observed in the calling song. Remarkably, this resonance is preserved in the parts of the wings mimicking necrotic leaves, which are in theory not specialised for sound production >>

Andrew Baker, Fernando Montealegre-Z, et al. Wing resonances in a new dead-leaf-mimic katydid (Tettigoniidae: Pterochrozinae) from the Andean cloud forests. Zoologischer Anzeiger - A Journal of Comparative Zoology. 2017; 270: 60-70.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0044523117300748

Cerri Evans. New insect species mimics dead leaves for camouflage
Nov 13, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-11-insect-species-mimics-dead-camouflage.html

venerdì 24 novembre 2017

# gst-chem: cascade reactions to generate complexity by triggering new chemical bonds from simple parent substances

<< organic chemists can synthesize substances of almost any complexity — vitamins, proteins, terpenes, etc. To do this, they often use cascade reactions, sequences of several chemical transformations in the course of which new chemical bonds are formed >>

<< cascade reactions are a powerful tool for rapidly increasing molecular complexity, that is, for obtaining complex compounds from simple parent substances >>

AA << have developed a new chemical reaction to synthesize a whole class of yet unexplored substances – diazabicyclo [3.2.1] octanes. These compounds are used in drug development >>

Scientists report a new cascade reaction. Nov 15, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-11-scientists-cascade-reaction.html

Dmitry V. Osipov, Irina V. Melnikova, et al. Synthesis of 8-substituted 1,5-diazabicyclo[3.2.1]octane derivatives via double aza-Michael addition of homopiperazine to 3-trifluoroacetyl-4H-chromenes.  Journal of Fluorine Chemistry. 2017; 202: 71-5.  doi: 10.1016/ j.jfluchem.2017.09.006  Sep 14, 2017.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022113917303676

giovedì 23 novembre 2017

# gst: levitation in a temperature gradient: the two liquids don't mix

<< A drop or two of cold cream in hot coffee can go a long way toward improving one's morning. But what if the two liquids didn't mix? >>

AA << have now explained why under certain conditions a droplet of liquid should not coalesce with the liquid surface below. If the droplet is very cold, and the bath sufficiently hot, then the droplet should "levitate" on the bath's surface, as a result of the flows induced by the temperature difference >>

<< If you study that process mathematically, you can show the way in which temperature is changing in the droplet over time is exactly with this power law of 2/3 that we observed in our experiments >> Michela Geri.

Jennifer Chu. Study explains how droplets can 'levitate' on liquid surfaces. Nov 15, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-11-droplets-levitate-liquid-surfaces.html

Michela Geri, Bavand Keshavarz, et al. Thermal delay of drop coalescence.
Journal of Fluid Mechanics. 2017; 833  doi: 10.1017/jfm.2017.686  Nov 8, 2017.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-fluid-mechanics/article/thermal-delay-of-drop-coalescence/CB55985D6ADC2251BA5EA94C8021C18F#

mercoledì 22 novembre 2017

# gst: inside self-organization; "swarmalators", when both synchronization and swarming occur together

<< Strogatz and O'Keeffe [Steven H. Strogatz and Kevin P. O’Keeffe], used the curious mating ritual of male Japanese tree frogs as inspiration for their exploration of "swarmalators" - their term for systems in which both synchronization and swarming occur together >>

Tom Fleischman. Mathematician's study of 'swarmalators' could direct future science. Nov 17, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-11-mathematician-swarmalators-future-science.html

<< Synchronization occurs in many natural and technological systems, from cardiac pacemaker cells to coupled lasers >>

<< A complementary form of self-organization occurs among swarming insects, flocking birds, or schooling fish >>

AA << explore systems in which both synchronization and swarming occur together. Specifically, [AA] consider oscillators whose phase dynamics and spatial dynamics are coupled >>

Kevin P. O’Keeffe, Hyunsuk Hong,  Steven H. Strogatz. Oscillators that sync and swarm.  Nature Comm 2017; 8 (1504).  doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-01190-3  Nov 15, 2017

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-017-01190-3

FonT

<< Amico, qualunque  cosa suonerai . . . >>  Jelly Roll Morton. cit.: 2113 - soniche a ramulo. Jan 28, 2007

http://inkpi.blogspot.it/2007/01/2113-soniche-ramulo.html

martedì 21 novembre 2017

# acad: oops! sometimes scientific results are published which other researchers cannot reproduce ...

<< Ioannidis [John P. A. Ioannidis], an expert in statistics, medicine and health policy at Stanford University, has done more than anyone else to ring the alarm bells on science's quality control problems: scientific results are published which other researchers cannot reproduce >>

Andrea Saltelli. Opinion: Science's credibility crisis will get worse before it can get better. The Conversation. Nov 9, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-11-opinion-science-credibility-crisis-worse.html

https://theconversation.com/sciences-credibility-crisis-why-it-will-get-worse-before-it-can-get-better-86865

AA << investigate two critical dimensions of the credibility of empirical economics research: statistical power and bias >>

AA << survey 159 empirical economics literatures that draw upon 64,076 estimates of economic parameters reported in more than 6,700 empirical studies. Half of the research areas have nearly 90% of their results under-powered >>

<< nearly 80% of the reported effects in these empirical economics literatures are exaggerated; typically, by a factor of two and with one-third inflated by a factor of four or more >>

Ioannidis John PA, Stanley TD, Doucouliagos Hristos.  The Power of Bias in Economics Research. The Economic Journal. 2017; 127: F236–65 doi: 10.1111/ecoj.12461 Oct 24, 2017

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecoj.12461/full#

lunedì 20 novembre 2017

# acad: around p-hacking, when writing in a blog may be accidentally dangerous

<< Brian Wansink didn’t mean to spark an investigative fury that revisited his entire life's work >>

<< But his blog post accidentally highlighted some questionable research practices that caused a group of data detectives to jump on the case >>

the << practice of "p-hacking" — hunting for significant p-values in statistical analyses — is one of the many questionable research practices responsible for the replication crisis in the social sciences >>

<< people who work in fields that are kind of on the periphery of (..) have told me that most of their colleagues aren't even aware there's a problem yet >> Nicholas Brown

Cathleen O'Grady. "Mindless Eating,"or how to send an entire life of research into question. April 24, 2017

https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/04/the-peer-reviewed-saga-of-mindless-eating-mindless-research-is-bad-too/

sabato 18 novembre 2017

# gene: knockdown of a single gene, the generation of a third eye (in scarabaeid beetles)

<< The creation of three-eyed beetles through a new technique (..) provides scientists a new way to investigate the genetic mechanisms responsible for the evolutionary emergence of new physical traits >>

Kevin Fryling. Biologists create beetle with functional extra eye. Nov 13, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-11-biologists-beetle-functional-extra-eye.html

AA << report the ectopic induction of complex and functional organs, compound eyes, by down-regulation of a single transcription factor through RNAi, a technique known to work well across a broad taxonomic range >>

AA << results show that knockdown of a single gene is sufficient for the middorsal head to acquire the competence to ectopically generate a functional compound eye-like structure >>

Eduardo E. Zattara, Anna L. M. Macagno, et al. Development of functional ectopic compound eyes in scarabaeid beetles by knockdown of orthodenticle. PNAS. 2017; 114 (45): 12021–6

http://m.pnas.org/content/114/45/12021

venerdì 17 novembre 2017

# behav: apropos pulsatile interferences

<< Grooming interactions benefit groomers, but may have negative consequences for bystanders >>

AA << tested the impact of dominance rank and social relationships on grooming intervention likelihood and outcome in two sympatric primate species, Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) and sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys atys) >>

<< bystanders in both species appear to monitor grooming interactions and intervene based on their own dominance rank and social relationships, as well as triadic awareness of the relationship between groomers >>

Alexander Mielke, Liran Samuni, et al. Bystanders intervene to impede grooming in Western chimpanzees and sooty mangabeys. Royal Society Open Science. doi: 10.1098/rsos.171296  Nov 8, 2017

http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/4/11/171296

Chimpanzees and sooty mangabeys interfere with other group members' relationships. Nov 8, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-11-chimpanzees-sooty-mangabeys-group-members.html

giovedì 16 novembre 2017

# lang: hierarchical temporal structures in speech, song and music

<< Jazz musicians riffing with each other, humans talking to each other and pods of killer whales all have interactive conversations that are remarkably similar to each other, new research reveals >>

Human speech, jazz and whale song. Oct 13, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-10-human-speech-jazz-whale-song.html

AA << developed a new method to measure and compare hierarchical temporal structures in speech, song and music >>

Christopher T. Kello, Simone Dalla Bella, et al. Hierarchical temporal structure in music, speech and animal vocalizations: jazz is like a conversation, humpbacks sing like hermit thrushes. J Royal Soc Interface. doi: 10.1098/rsif.2017.0231 Oct 11, 2017

http://rsif.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/14/135/20170231

mercoledì 15 novembre 2017

# gst: more on turbulence under rotation, by Biferale, Bonaccorso, Lanotte, et al.

AA << study turbulence under rotation in the presence of simultaneous direct and inverse cascades >>

AA << quantify (..) the effects of those coherent vertical structures on the preferential concentration of light and heavy particles >>

<< Rotating, turbulent flows are ubiquitous in nature >>

Biferale L, Bonaccorso F,  Lanotte AS, et al.  Coherent Structures and Extreme Events in Rotating Multiphase Turbulent Flows. Phys. Rev. X 6, 041036 doi: 10.1103/PhysRevX.6.041036  Nov 21, 2016

https://journals.aps.org/prx/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevX.6.041036

<< What can you find in the air, on an aeroplane, or even deep inside your heart? No, the answer isn’t love. It is, of course, turbulent flow >>

In a spin: studying turbulent flow under rotation. Nov 5, 2017

http://www.prace-ri.eu/spin-studying-turbulent-flow-rotation/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171106100301.htm

martedì 14 novembre 2017

# gst: a striking analogy between solid–solid and solid–drop frictions

AA << report that the lateral adhesion force between a liquid drop and a solid can also be divided into a static and a kinetic regime. This striking analogy with solid–solid friction is a generic phenomenon that holds for liquids of different polarities and surface tensions on smooth, rough and structured surfaces >>

Nan Gao, Florian Geyer, et al. How drops start sliding over solid surfaces. Nature Physics doi: 10.1038/nphys4305 Nov 6, 2017

https://www.nature.com/articles/nphys4305

AA << acknowledges that their experiments are just the beginning in trying to fully understand the nature of friction between drops and solid objects >>

Bob Yirka. Droplet friction found to be similar to that of solid objects. Nov 8, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-11-droplet-friction-similar-solid.html

lunedì 13 novembre 2017

# soc: particularly intriguing two over 125 issues regarding The World Economic Forum's Transformation Maps: "Mental Health" & "Corruption"

<< The Forum opened access to its Transformation Maps, a digital tool used by leaders for framing knowledge around 125 issues, industries and economies as well as their sometimes-hidden connections >>

Oliver Cann. Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils Ends with Pledge to Put People at the Heart of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Dubai, United Arab Emirates,  Nov 12, 2017

https://www.weforum.org/press/2017/11/annual-meeting-of-the-global-future-councils-ends-with-pledge-to-put-people-at-the-centre-of-the-fourth-industrial-revolution

<< The World Economic Forum's Transformation Maps - a constantly refreshed repository of knowledge about global issues, from climate change to the future of work - are now publicly available for the first time and free of charge. But what are they? And what can we do with them? >>

James Landale. What is a Transformation Map? Nov 8, 2017

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/11/what-is-a-transformation-map

<< Transformation Maps
Harnessing the Forum's Collective Intelligence. A dynamic knowledge tool to understand the issues and forces driving transformational change across economies, industries, global issues and the Forum's system initiatives >>

https://toplink.weforum.org/knowledge/explore

sabato 11 novembre 2017

# brain: your brain needs to process quickly whether the sound is coming from, say, a bear or a chipmunk ...

<< When you are out in the woods and hear a cracking sound, your brain needs to process quickly whether the sound is coming from, say, a bear or a chipmunk >>

AA << has a new interpretation for an old observation, debunking an established theory in the process >>

Beth Miller. Bear or chipmunk? WashU Engineer finds how brain encodes sounds. Nov 7, 2017.

https://engineering.wustl.edu/news/Pages/Bear-or-chipmunk-WashU-Engineer-finds-how-brain-encodes-sounds.aspx

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171108151851.htm

AA found that << Dense and sparse coding may (..) work together dynamically in order to represent complex, temporally overlapping sensory content >>

Wensheng Sun, Dennis L. Barbour. Rate, not selectivity, determines neuronal population coding accuracy in auditory cortex. PLoS Biol 15(11): e2002459. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.2002459 Nov 1, 2017.

http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.2002459

venerdì 10 novembre 2017

# soc: four plausible scenarios: if this is the scorecard after (#1, #2), what will (#3) democracy look like after (#4) years of (#5), by Brian

<< If this is the scorecard after 10 months (#1, #2), what will American (#3) democracy look like after four (#4) years of Trump(#5)? Will it be recognizable? As I see it, there are four plausible scenarios, ranging from the hopeful to the catastrophic >> Brian Klaas

<<
1. The Trump Vaccine [..]
2. Democratic Decay [..]
3. The Forerunner [..]
4. American Authoritarianism [..]
>> Brian Klaas

Brian Klaas. The four futures of Trump (and American democracy). Nov 9, 2017

https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/democracy-post/wp/2017/11/09/the-four-futures-of-trump-and-american-democracy/

FonT

ipoteticamente i 4 scenari ("four plausible scenarios") indicati da Brian Klaas potrebbero essere riconducibili e anche individuabili attraverso ipotetiche  'traiettorie' generate da  componenti strutturali che gia' sono presenti, attivi e coesistono 'in nuce',  sottotraccia, in quel tessuto sociale (e altrove); di volta in volta, in funzione delle caratteristiche del sistema al tempo 't' (e anche per componenti  casuali, fluttuanti, oppure per autoamplificazione di una singolarita' che interferisca  all'interno e all'intorno), un 'ramo' della dinamica emerge, si stabilizza e predomina transitoriamente sulle altre tre in una specie di danza tra stati stazionari (di meta-stabilita') e oscillaz periodiche e aperiodiche; in prima approx la soluzione (1.) potrebbe dipendere dalla velocita' e dalla efficacia  dell'immunizzazione individuale; la (2.) dalle specifiche caratteristiche del tessuto economico sociale culturale al tempo 't'; la (3.) dalla esistenza nel contesto di 'adatta entita'' immediatamente operativa (l'adatto attrattore disponibile); la (4.) dal complesso intrecciato di problematiche assai male/mai risolte e/o assai male/mai impostate dalle classi dirigenti che hanno preceduto l'ineffabile Donald;

Also

'acicliche', in poetiche quasistocastiche:

http://inkpi.blogspot.it/search?q=acicliche

'onda', in poetiche quasistocastiche:

http://inkpi.blogspot.it/search?q=onda

PS
chissa' quanti interessanti 'paper' si potrebbero 'generare' partendo da queste 'semplici' considerazioni, inveroe' ed anzicheforse ...

giovedì 9 novembre 2017

# chem: Van der Waals' bonds: to measure the tensile strength and the force required to pull the crystal until it breaks

<< Van der Waals' are weak electric forces that attract atoms to one another through subtle shifts in the atom's electron configurations >>

AA << grew and compared three different types of crystals: one pure gallium selenide, one with 0.6 percent tellurium and one with 10.6 percent tellurium. To test the effect on the tellurium on interlayer bonding, [AA] invented the equivalent of a crystal sandwich opener. Their system is able to measure with exquisite detail the tensile strength, the force required to pull the crystal until it breaks >>

Opening the Van der Waals' Sandwich. Oct 31, 2017

https://publishing.aip.org/publishing/journal-highlights/opening-van-der-waals-sandwich

Tadao Tanabe, Shu Zhao, et al. Effect of adding Te to layered GaSe crystals to increase the van der Waals bonding force featured. Journal of Applied Physics  2017; 122 (16) doi: 10.1063/1.4986768

http://aip.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1063/1.4986768

mercoledì 8 novembre 2017

# gst: more light on 'zombie' phenomena

<< Various parasite-host interactions that involve adaptive manipulation of host behavior display time-of-day synchronization of certain events. One example is the manipulated biting behavior observed in Carpenter ants infected with Ophiocordyceps unilateralis sensu lato >>

AA << hypothesized that biological clocks play an important role in this and other parasite-host interactions >>

Charissa de Bekker, Ian Will, et al. Daily rhythms and enrichment patterns in the transcriptome of the behavior-manipulating parasite Ophiocordyceps kimflemingiae.  PLOS ONE 12(11): e0187170. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187170. Nov 3, 2017

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0187170

Allison Hurtado, Rachel Williams. Biological Clock Found in Fungal Parasite Sheds More Light on ‘Zombie Ants’ Phenomenon. Nov 6, 2017.

http://today.ucf.edu/biological-clock-found-fungal-parasite-sheds-light-zombie-ants-phenomenon/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171106145654.htm

martedì 7 novembre 2017

# gst: the intriguing dynamics of a crack

<< Cracks develop intricate patterns on the surfaces that they create >>

<< Although fracture mechanics predict that slow crack fronts should be straight and form mirror-like surfaces, facet-forming fronts propagate simultaneously within different planes separated by steps >>

Itamar Kolvin, Gil Cohen & Jay Fineberg. Topological defects govern crack front motion and facet formation on broken surfaces.  Nature Materials. doi: 10.1038/nmat5008 Oct 16, 2017

https://www.nature.com/nmat/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nmat5008.html

Novel technique reveals the intricate beauty of a cracked glass. Oct 31, 2017

http://new.huji.ac.il/en/article/35974

Intricate beauty of a cracked glass
Physics, math and special gels explain the formation of fracture patterns in brittle materials. Oct 31, 2017

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171031111457.htm

lunedì 6 novembre 2017

# astro: so strong concentration of 'dust pebbles' ultimately leads to a collapse

<<  'dust pebbles' are concentrated so strongly by an instability in the solar nebula that their joint gravitational force ultimately leads to a collapse >>

Comet mission reveals 'missing link' in our understanding of planet formation. Oct 25, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-10-comet-mission-reveals-link-planet.html

Jurgen Blum, Bastian Gundlach, et al. Evidence for the formation of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko through gravitational collapse of a bound clump of pebbles. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, stx2741 doi: 10.1093/mnras/stx2741 Oct 25, 2017

https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article-abstract/doi/10.1093/mnras/stx2741/4564447

domenica 5 novembre 2017

# game: Kel'Thuzad e' il Lich responsabile

<< Kel'Thuzad e' il Lich responsabile di aver diffuso la piaga dei non-morti nel regno di Lordaeron ma e' probabilmente piu' conosciuto dai fan per essere il signore della necropoli di Naxxramas e dunque il boss finale dell'omonimo dungeon. Apparsa inizialmente in World of Warcraft, Naxxramas fu poi riutilizzata nella seconda espansione, Wrath of the Lich King, poiche' quasi nessuno era riuscito a raggiungere il livello necessario per provare il raid la prima volta >>

I FAN DI Blizzard DI IGN! I migliori 25 personaggi creati da Blizzard. Nel bel mezzo della BlizzCon 2017, una classifica per appassionati e curiosi. 04 Nov 2017

http://it.ign.com/m/overwatch-pc/132966/feature/i-migliori-25-personaggi-creati-da-blizzard

sabato 4 novembre 2017

# brain: actually they have heads that shrink ...

AA << followed the intra-individual change in skull size and body mass throughout the full cycle in wild recaptured shrews (Sorex araneus) >>

Using X-ray images [AA] << showed that individuals decreased the size of their braincases in anticipation of winter by an average of 15.3%. Braincases then partially regrew in spring by 9.3%. Body mass decreased by 17.6% and then dramatically increased by 83.4% in spring >>

Javier Lazaro, Dina K.N. Dechmann, et al. Profound reversible seasonal changes of individual skull size in a mammal. Current Biology 27 (20): R1106 - 7 doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.08.055

http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(17)31093-X

These shrews have heads that shrink with the season. Oct 23, 2017

https://m.phys.org/news/2017-10-shrews-season.html

venerdì 3 novembre 2017

# gst: origami, strange behaviors hiding in simple structures

<< The Miura-ori is also unique in having what’s called a negative Poisson’s ratio. When you push on its sides, the top and bottom will contract >>

Marcus Woo. The Atomic Theory of Origami. Oct 31, 2017

https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-atomic-theory-of-origami-20171031/

mercoledì 1 novembre 2017

# brain: they may not exist, but they tell us a lot, by Kathryn

<< Consider the yeti ... >>

Kathryn Schulz. Fantastic Beasts and How to Rank Them. The relative plausibility of impossible beings tells you a lot about how the mind works. Oct 30, 2017.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/11/06/is-bigfoot-likelier-than-the-loch-ness-monster/