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Posts from the ‘Sciencefun’ Category

May 6

Rockstar Scientists in Lego: Hilarious!

Maia Weinstock thought it would be great to create the Lego forms of the most famous scientists, science bloggers, and science journalists who are also active online. The project is called Scitweeps because the scientists are identified by their Twitter feed. Amazing pictures and as a bonus, a Lego version of a TED talk:

Here is the synthetic biologist and father of the Human Genome Project, Craig Venter:

And the top science blogger, PZ Myers:

Flying to Saturn: Carolyn Porco in LEGO:

Jan 26

3 Comments

Videogames with paramecia players

Stanford University bioengineer Ingmar Riedel-Kruse and his colleagues are developing “biotic games” where players control paramecia and other living microorganisms. The PacMan-like video games are the first in which a player’s actions influence the behavior of living microorganisms while the game is being played.

Here we propose the concept of ‘biotic games’, i.e., games that operate on biological processes. Utilizing a variety of biological processes we designed and tested a collection of games: ‘Enlightenment’, ‘Ciliaball’, ‘PAC-mecium’, ‘Microbash’, ‘Biotic Pinball’, ‘POND PONG’, ‘PolymerRace’, and ‘The Prisoner’s Smellemma’. We found that biotic games exhibit unique features compared to existing game modalities, such as utilizing biological noise, providing a real-life experience rather than virtual reality, and integrating the chemical senses into play. Analogous to video games, biotic games could have significant conceptual and cost-reducing effects on biotechnology and eventually healthcare; enable volunteers to participate in crowd-sourcing to support medical research; and educate society at large to support personal medical decisions and the public discourse on bio-related issues.

Sep 20

2 Comments

‘Dance Your Ph.D.’ Finalists Announced

Last year, I wrote about Science Magazine’s competition in which researchers could dance their research projects or PhDs. Now the finalists are announced. Check these highly creative scientists out:

That’s the idea behind “Dance Your Ph.D.” Over the past 3 years, scientists from around the world have teamed up to create dance videos based on their graduate research. This year’s contest, launched in June by Science, received 45 brave submissions.

Today, judges—including scientists, choreographers, and past winners—announced the finalists in four categories: physics, chemistry, biology, and social sciences. Each receives $500.

The judges will announce the winner next month at the Imagine Science Film Festival in New York City. But you can vote for your favorite now. We’ll reveal the victor—and our reader pick—on 19 October.

Winner of the Biology category: The influence of previous experiences on visual awareness

Runner-up: Genetic Diversity of Bacillus anthracis in North America

Dec 20

1 Comment

Genetically Engineered Machines Competition: Super Mario

iGEM stands for International Genetically Engineered Machines and this is quite an interesting and unique competition organized by MIT for university-level students.

Each team is provided with a kit of genetic ‘parts’, which they can use to construct new parts, and design biological systems and devices to produce desired functions in living cells. Starting from 2004, this will be held with over 112 teams from over 20 countries participating.

See more results here including Super Mario…

Dec 16

4 Comments

10 Simple Science Tricks for Parties

It may come in handy…

Dec 14

2 Comments

Dance Your Research Project: Videos of Finalists

Do you remember the Dance Your PhD contest? The Science Dance Match-Up challenge is not a new one but still features really interesting videos.

This experiment began back in October 2008 with a challenge to scientists to interpret their Ph.D. theses in dance form, capture the dances on video, and upload them onto YouTube. Six weeks later, a panel of expert judges chose four winners, hailing from Australia, Germany, Canada, and the United States. (All of them have artistic backgrounds.)

The scientists then passed the baton to the artists. Each scientist was paired with a choreographer. Between November and January, the choreographers studied in depth a peer-reviewed research article from their scientists’ labs. The scientists helped them come to grips with the research and its underlying science. The four choreographers then used that raw scientific material to create a four-part dance called THIS IS SCIENCE.

Mar 7

4 Comments

Daily Fun: Biochemical Puzzles

Just a short post about a blog where you can find biochemical puzzles and quizzes. Let’s start with an amino acid crossword.

amino-acid-crossword

Further reading:

Feb 22

7 Comments

Dance Your Ph.D. Contest!

Science Magazine’s Dance Your Ph.D. contest is just amazing. What’s next?

Before the show, each dancer had about 60 seconds to describe their research to the judges. So this was more than just a dance contest. Folded in was the ability to summarize your work succinctly. In Stewart’s case, that work is titled “Refitting repasts: a spatial exploration of food processing, sharing, cooking, and disposal at the Dunefield Midden campsite, South Africa.” His highly stylized chase of an antelope—played by fellow University of Oxford archaeologist Giulia Saltini-Semerari—followed by processing and sharing of the goods, was elegant. “What I most looked for was that scientific ideas came across,” said Gschmeidler. “He did this perfectly.”

(Via BoingBoing)

Nov 21

2 Comments

D.N.A. Flash Game for Scientific Geeks

An other game for scientific geeks to waste time with. Here are the instructions:

  • If you left click on two different colored proteins, you create a cell.
  • If you chain 10 proteins together, you burst a cell.
  • If you burst cells, you fill your colored quotas.
  • And filling your quotas grows your experiment.

dna-flash-game.jpg

Do you want to play more?

Nov 18

6 Comments

Order Your DNA Portrait!

Deepak Singh, the author of BBGM, shared an interesting link with us through Twitter. You can get your own DNA portrait at DNA 11. In the era of personalized genetics, it’s a perfect example how industry will use these methods to explore all the financial possibilities. Here is DNA 11:

DNA 11 is the original creator of DNA Portraits-the world’s most personal form of art. We have propelled an entire industry with unique artwork based on genetic codes.

Endorsed by the Museum of Modern Art design stores in New York as innovative masterpieces, our DNA Portraits, Fingerprint Portraits and KISS Portraits let you make the ultimate personal artistic statement.

How does it work?

  • You order your complete DNA collection kit.
  • Collect a cheek cell swab using the swab they provide.
  • Send the sample to them.
  • And you get this:

dna-portrait.jpg

Would you like one above your bed?

dna-11b.jpg

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