The Six Antagonists to Semi-Benign, Beneficial, Scientific Research or How I Learned to Love Consistency in the Biological Sector

While many scientists are trying to create vaccines for viruses that currently terrorize the public, a few are finding ways to resurrect illnesses that have long been extinct. Sounds just fine, right? According to Popular Science, six such cases are the anti-heroes to conventional biological research ideology--that is, to secure the growth and health of humanity first and foremost.

But maybe this security does exist in these ideas.

In addition to the resurrection of dead viruses, the research includes the ultimate caffeine pill, robotic infantry, an outer space sun block, the anti-domestication of wildlife, and regrowing lost appendages. What do these things have to offer? Endless possibilities, according to researchers.

Microbiologists say giving new life to archaic viruses provides them with two types of information. The first is to trace the history/origin of the epidemic, while the other is to track its evolution. Both pieces aid in the development of preventative methods for more current diseases.

Zombie enslavement is not the purpose of the new pill designed to keep the user awake for 20-hour periods. Rather, modafinil (the contents of the pill) was created to battle narcolepsy. It also works well for those who work dangerous jobs and must have full focus on their work.

The idea behind robots as soldiers is simple enough: to lower the number of human infantry.

Though wacky sounding, launching small spacecraft around Earth is the latest innovation in controlling global warming. The spacecraft would bend 1.8 percent of the sun's rays away from the planet, Popular Science says. It sounds somewhat tedious, but it could work.

Studying the extremes of animal traits is the goal of turning wildlife even more feral. The idea stemmed from the "ultimate tameness" experiments conducted in the 50s by Dmitry Belyaev.

What about regrowing a hand or foot? By today's standards, the current prosthetics employed are obsolete, as they lack true touch and dexterity. As Stephen Badylak, University of Pittsburgh, says, "We grow a whole human in nine months. A limb should be nothing!"



Information for this post was obtained from Laura Allen's article "The Scariest Ideas in Science."

Creativity and the Thieves Who Ruin It for Everyone

Microsoft users that have long been bashing Mac addicts for their "intuitional userface" will now bask in the glow of their fluorescent light fixtures. Too bad they have not yet discovered that true innovation means going out into the sunlight.


No more than a month ago, Microsoft began shipping its new operating system Windows Vista. The release of Vista meant the end to the longest time span between two versions of Windows--five years, to be exact.


During these five years, Bill Gates must have been using the Apple-based OS X because the similarities between the two operating systems are uncanny.


To name a few:


- "Windows Aero," Microsoft's reply to Apple's "Hot Corners" and "Exposé," is the new graphical interface that includes animated minimizing and enlarging windows, the ability to "flip" through windows, and fewer driver-related crashes.


- To jump on the "Widget"--or as Microsoft calls theirs "Gadget"--bandwagon, Vista introduces "Sidebar." Sidebar is a place to hold certain bits of information, such as the weather or other small programs. "Dashboard," anyone?


- "DVD Maker," a carbon copy of "iDVD," and a companion to "Movie Maker," a cheap, low-quality rip-off of "iMovie." 


- "Windows Calendar," the antagonist to Apple's "iCalendar."


- Even OS X's navigational tools, such as "Spotlight," are being emulated by Vista through "Windows Search," a way to quickly skim through files directly from the desktop.




Information for this post was obtained from the Wikipedia article "Windows Vista" and from the Microsoft "Windows Vista" Web Site.