Something cool thread

[China]

 

[China]

Researchers Unveil Ultra-Precise, Mind-Controlled Prosthetic: ‘It’s like you have a hand again’

 

In a major advance in mind-controlled prosthetics for amputees, University of Michigan researchers have tapped faint, latent signals from arm nerves and amplified them to enable real-time, intuitive, finger-level control of a robotic hand.

 

To achieve this, the researchers developed a way to tame temperamental nerve endings, separate thick nerve bundles into smaller fibers that enable more precise control, and amplify the signals coming through those nerves. The approach involves tiny muscle grafts and machine learning algorithms borrowed from the brain-machine interface field.

 

“This is the biggest advance in motor control for people with amputations in many years,” said Paul Cederna, who is the Robert Oneal Collegiate Professor of Plastic Surgery at the U-M Medical School, as well as a professor of biomedical engineering.

 

“We have developed a technique to provide individual finger control of prosthetic devices using the nerves in a patient’s residual limb. With it, we have been able to provide some of the most advanced prosthetic control that the world has seen.”

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Renegade7]

 

[China]

 

[China]

 

[China]

Scientists discover a new snake and name it after Salazar Slytherin

 

A team of researchers from India, upon discovering a new species of green pit vipers, have decided to name the snake after the one, the only Salazar Slytherin. Their findings were published this month in the journal Zoosystematics and Evolution.

 

 

One of the things that makes this particular pit viper stand out, though, is the orange-reddish stripe found on the side of the head in males.

Unfortunately, a spokesperson for Slytherin was not available for comment.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[twa]

twofer

 

 

 

 

Quote

Could a New Ultraviolet Technology Fight the Spread of Coronavirus?

Columbia researcher David Brenner believes far-UVC light—safe for humans, but lethal for viruses—could be a ‘game changer.’

https://news.columbia.edu/ultraviolet-technology-virus-covid-19-UV-light

 

 

[TheGreatBuzz]

@twa shouldn’t this be in another thread?  One that you got kicked out of?  Just sayin, you might not want to push your luck by just using different threads.

[Kosher Ham]

Ten year old girl is giving away baked goods to essential employees in Charlotte. Pretty cool as far as I am concerned. 

[twa]

1 hour ago, TheGreatBuzz said:

@twa shouldn’t this be in another thread?  One that you got kicked out of?  Just sayin, you might not want to push your luck by just using different threads.

 

it is cool

[Jumbo]

obviously you didn't post it here just because you thought it was cool

 

whether a "suicide by mod" shtick or a "help help i'm being oppressed, but will nobly fight on" dealio, etc, it's a poor choice

 

 

 

 

 

 

[China]

For the First Time, Researchers Make Plants That Glow Sustainably—And They Could One Day Light Up Our Homes

 

Although glowing plants may seem like a work of science fiction, researchers have succeeded in creating plants that produce their own visible luminescence—and they say the possibilities for how we can use these plants are endless.

 

This week in Nature Biotechnology, the scientists revealed that bioluminescence found in some mushrooms is metabolically similar to the natural processes common among plants. By inserting DNA obtained from the mushroom, the scientists were able to create plants that glow much brighter than previously possible.

 

 

The plants described in this week’s discovery can also be used for practical and aesthetic purposes, most notably for creating glowing flowers and other ornamental plants—and while replacing street lights with glowing trees may prove fantastical, the plants produce a pleasant green aura that emanates from their living energy.

 

 

Click on the link for the full article

[StillUnknown]

 

 

edit: better quality vid

Edited May 2, 2020 by StillUnknown

[China]

That guy looks like a mutant.  Those shoulders are huge.  With a name like Thor Bjornsson I assume he competes in the World's Strongest Man competitions.

[StillUnknown]

26 minutes ago, China said:

That guy looks like a mutant.  Those shoulders are huge.  With a name like Thor Bjornsson I assume he competes in the World's Strongest Man competitions.

 

He does. He was also The Mountain on game of thrones

[PokerPacker]

13 hours ago, StillUnknown said:

edit: better quality vid

Is that a human?

[LD0506]

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/incredible-map-of-pangea-with-modern-borders/?fbclid=IwAR0hdOw3pBOi8zEsc6xTGkvrn7deDNSOFAGtErHIQZuubojXxLyMAJirY-Q

[China]

UK’s largest bird of prey returns to England for first time in 240 years

 

Britain’s largest bird of prey has returned to the English skies for the first time in 240 years.

 

White-tailed eagles, which have a wing span up to 2.5 metres, were once a common sight across southern England until the 18th century when they were wiped out by illegal killing.

 

They were last recorded in England in 1780 at Culver Cliff on the Isle of Wight, before becoming extinct in the whole of the UK in 1918 when the final bird was shot on the Scottish Shetland Islands.

 

European populations of the sea eagle also suffered from heavy persecution, which led to significant declines and extinction in several countries, according to Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

 

But thanks to Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation this lost species is making a comeback.

 

Last summer, six young white-tailed eagles were released on the Isle of Wight as part of a five-year project to restore the species to southern England.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[bakedtater1]

I'm not sure if this story is considered cool.. I'm actually reaching out hoping someone has an answer on what it is considered.

 

Who knows what a June bug is?

 

For those who don't, it's a big nasty flying bug that bites real hard and I guess it hurts like an sob...

 

When I was a young kid.. I remember being told that these bugs are attracted to bright items, lights in particular, and even white t-shirts. The sun was going down and I was on my bike riding home and wearing a white T-shirt and started panicking thinking I need to get home and change my shirt well lo and behold while hauling ass home on my bike one hit me in the chest and was stuck on my shirt and it scared the **** out of me I freaked, crashed my bike and have had a massive fear of these things scince..they are massive in size and are ugly and they actually hiss and so yeah...absolutely terrified of these things.

 

Now to the part where I'm reaching out to someone who might be able to explain what this is.

 

Tho its early the june bugs are out. 

 

I'm standing in the kitchen the other evening and I'm wearing a plain white tee shirt it's stuffy in the kitchen and I decide to open the window more than halfway and there is no screen.. like I mentioned I've had a fear of these bugs ever since that day I was a kid on my bike.. I open the window and of course obviously knowing that I'm wearing a white T-shirt I kid you not I instantly start thinking yeah haha what's the chances of one of them flying in here and attacking me..and I kid you not, not one minute later I heard one buzz right by my head for the kitchen light, I took my sandle off and had to swat this thing down and kill it. 

 

What is that called..when you think of something happening and it happens?..

 

This happens to me all the time..

 

Any one ever hear of the angie dodge story here in idaho?..haaaa ask me about that one.

 

 

Edited May 7, 2020 by bakedtater1

[China]

Archaeologists discover 2000-year-old unique complex by the Western Wall

 

Two thousand years ago, Jerusalem residents were storing food and water, cooking, maybe even living in a unique subterranean multiple-room structure barely 30 meters from the holy Temple.
 
This new discovery was unveiled by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation on Tuesday ahead of Jerusalem Day.

 

“At the time of the Second Temple, 2,000 years ago, this was a public area, the civic center of ancient Jerusalem,” Dr. Barak Monnickendam-Givon, co-director of the excavation on behalf of the IAA together with Tehila Sadiel, told The Jerusalem Post. “We think that the public street passed just a few meters from here, and we are standing next to what we archaeologists call the ‘big bridge’ that connected the upper city to the Temple itself.”

 

 

The complex features two rooms connected by a staircase and an open courtyard. The entrance presents clear signs of the presence of door hinges and bolts, while the walls offer several niches for oil lamps as well as carved-in shelves.
 
The structure was discovered under the white mosaic floor of a monumental Byzantine building from about 1,400 years ago.

The large hollow space where both the building and the more ancient chambers stand has walls erected in the typical Jerusalem stones of different sizes, blackened by the centuries, pieces of Roman columns and floors built in a variety of materials and at different levels. The excavations are ongoing.
 
In a corner, an IAA conservator was working on preserving the Byzantine mosaic, while a few meters away two archaeologists were sifting through some dirt to make sure it did not contain other artifacts or shards.
 
Clay cooking vessels, oil lamps and stone containers, useful to store water and minimizing the risk of giving it ritual impurity according to Halacha, are among the objects retrieved by the researchers so far, allowing them to assess that the carved structure was in use in the first century CE. How much earlier it was actually built remains a mystery, one of the many that will be addressed as the studies proceed.

 

 

Several features make the discovery unique, Monnickendam-Givon said, adding that very few structures from that period survive in the city.
 
“After the Roman siege and destruction in the year 70 CE, Jerusalem was burned and devastated, and all the Jewish people were exiled,” he said. “A few decades later, the Romans started rebuilding it from scratch.”

 

Click on the link for the full article

[PleaseBlitz]

 

 

[Jumbo]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/yearinoffbeatgoodnews/an-8-year-old-labrador-retriever-named-moose-received-an-honorary-doctorate-for-helping-so-many-students-during-his-time-as-a-therapy-dog/ar-BB14nFEm?li=BBnb7Kz

 

An 8-year-old Labrador retriever named Moose received an honorary doctorate for helping so many students during his time as a therapy dog

Quote

 

Just like a lot of universities around the world, Virginia Tech was forced to have a virtual commencement. But the school's ceremony included one special graduate: an 8-year-old Labrador retriever named Moose. 

 

During his time as a therapy dog, Moose has helped thousands of students, his owner and licensed counselor Trent Davis told Insider "It was the right place at the right time because we wanted to honor his years of service," Davis said. "To honor him knowing that his life span has been shortened by cancer. It's not one of those where we say, 'Well, we will wait another year and give him a degree then.'"

 

The cancer Davis is referring to is prostate cancer, which Moose was diagnosed with in February. The 8-year-old dog has been going through treatment ever since. Although his tumor has shrunk, Moose is still continuing his chemotherapy and will be on medicine for the rest of his life.

 

"We're just trying to extend his life and quality of life, but right now he's happy, playful and fully recovered from his treatments," Davis said. "Enjoying life and not worried about a thing. I wish I was like him. He has a good prognosis but it's one of those things that just is."

 

Moose is actually one of four full-time therapy dogs that Davis and his colleagues work with at the counseling center. Moose and his younger brother Derek live with Davis while the two others, Wagner and Carson, are staying with other colleagues. To celebrate Moose's honorary degree, Davis and the dogs watched the commencement when it went live. Davis said he texted his friends and family to tune in as well. "They got lots of treats, which is all they really care about," Davis said. "Some friends brought me treats and flowers to commemorate. We are still enjoying those treats!"

 

Before he was adopted by Davis, Moose was actually trained as a guide dog and autistic service dog in New York but was released because of medical issues. "Moose is a very chill dog. He's so chill that he's never barked on the job," Davis said. "No one at work has ever heard him bark. He really doesn't get excited about a whole lot except food or toys." "I'll take him to a football game and he doesn't even flinch. He just keeps sleeping," the owner added. "He's a very composed, mature dog, and he's becoming more that way as he ages."

 

This isn't the first time Moose has been recognized for his service. In 2019, he was named the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association's 2019 Animal Hero. It's an award "given to an animal that has performed a heroic act of service or provides daily outstanding service for humans," according to Virginia Tech's website.

 

Davis hopes that aside from the honorary degree and the awards, Moose's legacy is about how much he was able to help students. "First off, I want to give Virginia Tech kudos for supporting me! The students have unconditionally loved it and benefited tremendously from it," he said. "I want to inspire other people to move towards animal-assisted therapy and also to reduce the stigma around mental health and mental illness." "I want Moose to help make the world better," Davis continued. "These dogs were built to serve and this is another way of serving."

 

 

[dfitzo53]

On 5/7/2020 at 9:42 AM, bakedtater1 said:

What is that called..when you think of something happening and it happens?..

 

 

I believe the technical term is coincidence.

[China]

The First U.S. Woman To Walk in Space Just Traveled to The Ocean’s Deepest Depth

 

With an absolutely poignant hunger for adventure, the first American woman to walk in outer space becomes the first woman to set her eyes upon the deepest-known point on the ocean floor.

 

In doing so, she also becomes the first human to do both.

 

From the International Space Station, 254 miles above the surface of the earth, to the Challenger Deep, about seven miles below it, one could say that in her life, Dr. Kathy Sullivan has had high points and low points.

 

In 1978, Dr. Sullivan joined NASA as part of the first group of U.S. astronauts that included women. On Oct. 11, 1984, a veteran of three space shuttle flights, she became the first American woman to walk in space.

 

The astronaut has always been fascinated by oceanography. Now, just as she reached for the stars at age 33, she completed a 35,810-foot (11,000 meters) dive to the Mariana Trench’s deepest point at age 68.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Bang]

 

 

 

 

~ Dang