Tag: Science
Use your wits! Can you solve these fiendishly difficult puzzles?
Isn’t it time we learned to reconnect with the idea of problem-solving for fun? After all, argues Alex Bellos, the best puzzles are pieces of poetry. In an exclusive extract from his new book, he selects some of his favourites. For those of us whose school memories include struggling with long division and quadratic equations, […]
Nonsense paper written by iOS autocomplete accepted for conference
New Zealand professor asked to present his work at US event on nuclear physics despite it containing gibberish all through the copy. A nonsensical academic paper on nuclear physics written only by iOS autocomplete has been accepted for a scientific conference. Christoph Bartneck, an associate professor at the Human Interface Technology laboratory at the University […]
A possible ninth planet may be the reason for a tilt in our solar system
“A hypothetical giant world beyond Neptune, which could be located in the next few years, orbits at a 30-degree angle to other planets,” astronomers said. Astronomers presented new research on the possibility of a gigantic, unseen planet beyond Neptune on Wednesday, saying the hypothetical world may have set the solar system at a tilt. Researchers […]
Ig Nobel prizes: trousers for rats and the truthfulness of liars
Nobel winning scientists gather for 26th straight year to award the most absurd, strange and curious research of the year Investigations into rats wearing pants, the personalities of rocks and the truthfulness of 1,000 liars won Ig Nobel prizes on Thursday night at Harvard, where Nobel-winning scientists gathered to honor the strangest research of the […]
Could the Higgs boson have been discovered by accident?
A theorist says no. I say yes. See what you think. We have a tendency to oversimplify complicated issues. Sometimes this gives useful clarity, but more frequently it gives a distorted impression of what I am stubborn enough to call the truth. Clarity can be seductive, but is disastrously misleading if it neglects important facts. […]