Screening Passengers by Observation Technique or (SPOT) is a real, but apparently pseudo-scientific program run by the TSA that claims to train security personnel to detect tiny facial cues that will identify terrorists and other criminals as they pass through the airport. The trouble, it seems, is that the likelihood that all of this is a bunch of bs is rather high. [More]
science
Witness The Horrific Abuse Humans Endure In The Name Of Testing Bug Repellent
By 5.27.10
Help! Consumer Reports is run by mad scientists who subject hapless humans to their cruel experiments — all in the name of determining which bug repellent works the best. Ok, so the testers are paid professionals and the bugs are disease-free. It sounds more fun the other way, doesn’t it? [More]
Poor People Spend 9% Of Income On Lottery Tickets
By 5.26.10
A recent study found that poor folks – households earning under $13,000 per year – spend about 9% of all their income on lottery tickets. [More]
Study Finds Sunscreen May Help Cancer Develop Rather Than Prevent It
By 5.25.10
The advice for the Class of 99 was to wear sunscreen, but the Environmental Working Group doesn’t think that’s such great advice, concluding that sunscreen does little to prevent skin cancer and in fact may speed up the rate at which cancer develops and spreads. [More]
Apocalypse Sweet: 1/3 Of Bees Didn't Survive Winter
By 5.3.10
We’re all going to die: Over 1/3 of US bee colonies didn’t make it through the winter, for the fourth year in a row. Bees are an important part of the global food economy; It’s estimated that at least a 1/3 of the stuff we eat gets pollinated by honeybees. At this rate, we may only have the comic stylings of Eddie Izzard with which to remember our apiatic friends by. (Video after the jump). [The Observer] [More]
Scientist Says He's Found The Secret To Breeding Nicer Chickens
By 4.28.10
Among the problems faced by chicken breeders who pack their chickens into close quarters is that the territorial birds will often henpeck each other, often to the point of cannibalism. One way to cut down on chicken-on-chicken crime is to trim the beaks of the birds. But a professor at Purdue University thinks he’s found the solution — breed nicer chickens. [More]
Lay's Says Redesigned Salt Molecule Won't Need FDA Approval
By 4.22.10
Want to eat lots of salty potato chips without overdoing the salt? Frito-Lay thinks it has the answer. Apparently, because of the way salt crystals form, most of the salt you eat doesn’t have time to dissolve on your tongue — but instead is digested. Now Frito-Lay/PepsiCo, the maker of Lay’s potato chips, says it has redesigned salt to melt more efficiently — allowing them to cut back on the amount you eat without sacrificing taste. [More]
War Declared On Salt!
By 4.20.10
Are you tired of the high fructose corn syrup battles? Today the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, released a report that said Americans on average eat enough salt every second to kill a humpback whale kraken. I have not actually read the report, but it probably said something like that. It also said that public education campaigns have failed to reduce sodium intake, and voluntary self-regulation by the food industry hasn’t been effective. [More]
The Touch Of Money Takes Pain Away?
By 4.13.10
A University of Minnesota professor is arguing that the touch and thought of cash helps solve your woes. Money may not be able to buy happiness, but it helps take the pain away, he says he’s found. [More]
To Your Brain, Bacon And Chocolate Are Sort Of Like Cocaine
By 3.28.10
A recent scientific study on rats shows that our brains’ wiring is what causes humans to love overeating so darn much. Rats offered a selection of rich, tasty human foods not only became obese, but their brain chemistry changed. The rats needed more food to feel content…and discomfort wouldn’t keep them away from their tasty snacks. [More]
Consumer Reports Quantifies Waste Due To Stupid Packaging
By 3.13.10
Do you squeeze every last bit of toothpaste out of the tube, and remove the spout to get every last drop of detergent out of the bottle? You’re reading Consumerist, so you very well might. But sometimes extreme measures are needed to get everything out. Our sister publication Consumer Reports noticed this, and applied some mad science to see exactly how much product people are paying for, but leaving behind. [More]
1928 Scientific Breakthroughs For The Home: Teakettle With Lid, Serrated Knife, Salad Spinner
By 3.5.10
Google Books now hasPopular Science‘s entire archive on the web for free, so we thought we’d take a look and what was new and hot in 1928. Check it out! Prototype tea pots with LIDS. So you can clean ’em! Is that a mop with a ringer? Shut up! Oh, and check out this new thing you can kneel on when scrubbing your floors.
When you’re done with that, spin your salad with this crazy French thing and then use this weird bumpy knife to cut an orange. You’ll realize the future is now as you unplug your toaster or vacuum without needing to yank on the cord. Yay, science!
Science Renders Chickens Obsolete With Special Soy
By 2.22.10
University of Missouri scientists have invented a soy substitute with chicken, which supposedly matches chicken’s texture, moisture content, appearance and taste, Jeannine Stein blogs for the Los Angeles Times. [More]
Science Reveals CVS Generic AA Batteries Suck
By 2.16.10
Our science-obsessed cousins over at Consumer Reports decided to test some AA batteries to see which ones were the best. The results? Generic CVS batteries suck! They took the fewest amount of pictures in CR’s digital cameras before giving out. [More]
Consumer Reports Science Shows Magic Jack Is Actually Worthwhile
By 1.6.10
Consumer Reports didn’t love Vince’s nuts, and their tests found that the Snuggie sheds like a pack of crazed Labrador retrievers. But in their article about informercial products this month, they did find one that their mad science shows actually works, provides good value, and is useful: the Magic Jack. [More]
Consumer Reports Science Proves Slap Chop Sucks
By 1.5.10
Consumer Reports decided to compare the infamous Slap Chop commercial to the actual reality of using a Slap Chop. Can you guess how this goes? [More]
Science Toys "For Girls" Don’t Need As Much Power
By 12.31.09 — Updated: 5.2.13
Budding female science nerds of America, Toys R Us has an important message. This message is: “don’t worry your pretty little head with the most powerful science toys we have to offer.” [More]
How Clean Are Netflix DVDs?
By 11.29.09
Netflix DVDs and their envelopes pass from hand to hand, and from home to home, with all sorts of interesting opportunities for contamination. What sorts of bacteria are on them? A Texas local news team set out to find out and discovered…well, not much of anything likely to kill you. Sorry to disappoint. [More]
