"New" Pyramid Found

The tomb of Queen Sesheshet has been found near Cairo. Technically, the remains of the tomb. It amazes me people are still finding things anywhere on Earth, let alone in one of the most explored places ever. Here's one of the best quotes ever:

"...you never know what the sands of Egypt might hide."

That was from Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities who gets the award for sounding like a guy from an Indiana Jones movie and making it work! Read more!

Hellcrab's Claw Might Be A Fake

This crab looks like Hellboy! I wonder if he has an air-breathing pal like Abe Sapien in reverse.

He's actually from a National Geographic article about how some fiddler crabs have these badass claws that are actually inferior replacements for their originals but look totally scary to rival crabs. Read more!

Aztec Dancers and Lots of Russians

Hey everybody, it's Fever-Dream Santa!

Just kidding, it's an Aztec dancer on a pilgrimage. He's part of a recent batch of National Geographic's photos in the news. Enjoy! Read more!

Machines From DNA

NEWS FROM THE FUTURE: National Geographic Online reports on the International Genetically Engineered Machine competition at MIT which is every bit as cool as it sounds. I'll just quote from the first paragraph of the article:

"Using bits of DNA like pieces in an erector set, synthetic biologists have created microscopic fuel cells, transformed harmful bacteria into intestinal helpers, and developed pill-size dialysis machines that patients could someday swallow."

I want to direct your attention to two very important words in that sentence:

"have created"

None of these things is in production yet but the advances these teams have made are nothing short of astounding.

6.8 flying cars for the lot of them.
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Biometrics: It's your hand, Buckaroo

NEWS FROM THE FUTURE: Mike Lacelle from The Rogues Gallery reports on advances in biometrics which include scanners that detect the patterns of veins beneath your skin. I work with biometric software as part of my job. I understand how it functions and I've even written some help files for it. However, each time I put my finger on the scanner it's like magic.

This new technology is even cooler. I give it 3.8 flying cars.

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Mail hoarding by mail carriers

Slate's Paul Collins has written a fascinating article about the history of mail hoarding by the people who are supposed to deliver it.

This fascinates me primarily due to the sheer volume of mail involved.

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HBO to produce Song of Ice and Fire Pilot

George R. R. Martin reports on his LJ that there will be a pilot for A Song of Ice and Fire. Woo! This is an excellent series of books and it should translate into moving pictures nicely.

I am really psyched about this. I mean, first the Iron Man movie rocked, the Watchmen film looks like it might not suck, and now Ice and Fire.

It's a new day in America, folks. Read more!

Bacteria Mining

NEWS FROM THE FUTURE: Researchers have discovered that a type of bacterium that uses minerals as its source of energy squeezes out metal ores combined with sulfur in a process called bioleaching.

This allows metal to be pulled from ore samples which were previously useless to the mining industry. I can just see the little guys with their tiny picks and their microscopic hardhats with lamps on them.

This discovery gets 4.6 flying cars. Read more!

Neighborhood Nuclear Reactors

Toshiba (and at least one other company) are developing nuclear reactors designed to run an apartment building, a city block, a neighborhood, or large building complex. Toshiba's model is 20 feet by 6 feet and uses liquid lithium-6.

Dr. Steven Novella has a few things to say about them, too. Most of them positive.

I love this idea. Flying cars and personal jetpacks, here we come! Read more!

Blue-eyed Koala

I don't usually do this on Geekzor or anywhere else for that matter but ZOMG! Look at the cute, tiny blue-eyed koala! (Click image to embiggen)

Ahem.

Click here for more pictures of the little fella.

Also from the same site, Red pandas, which are the most awesome animals ever.


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A Freakin' Deflector Shield

Ruth Bamford is an awesome plasma physicist at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in the U.K. and she is the lead author of a study which posits a magnetic shield which will deflect dangerous solar radiation from spacecraft!

ZOMG! A freakin' deflector shield.



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VOTE!

If you are in the US and have not yet done so:

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Times are hard

The Onion reports that some people are having so much trouble during this recession that they are taking extra-dimensional fourth-shift jobs. Read more!

Electoral College For Dummies

Francesco Marciuliano explains the U.S. Electoral College.


Yowza! Read more!