Quirky Science

This espresso space cup was specifically designed for the low-gravity environment aboard the International Space Station. Photo Courtesy: Mark Weislogel, Science Daily

When you feel like coffee in the space

Espresso-loving astronauts may soon be able to enjoy their favourite beverage in space, thanks to a new cup designed specifically to defy the low-gravity environments experienced aboard the International Space Station (ISS) by replacing the role of gravity with the forces of surface tension.
The invention may have wider impact beyond espresso. "We're striving to use our new methods to reassess all fluid systems aboard spacecraft--including cooling systems, fuel tanks, water processing equipment for life support, plant and animal habitats, medical fluids, foods, etc.," according to  Mark Weislogel who is  a professor in the Thermal and Fluid Sciences Group at Portland State University.

Virtual child after being found and saved. Photo courtesy: PLOS ONE

Learning from virtual superheroes

If you are given super-powers in a game, chances are you may behave better in the real world. That's according to new research published in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Robin Rosenberg and colleagues from Stanford University's Virtual Human Interaction Lab.
The researchers suggest that embodying a superpower in virtual reality may entice players to 'think like superheroes' and thus encourage helpful behaviour in the real world. This was demonstrated when participants in the study “were placed in a virtual environment and either given the power of flight or rode as passengers in a helicopter. They were then assigned one of two tasks: help find a missing diabetic child or tour a virtual city. Participants who were given the power to fly like Superman in virtual reality were more helpful afterward, out of virtual reality, compared to participants who were passengers in a helicopter in virtual reality."

Photo Courtesy: Wikipedia

Spicing up memory

According to Professor Mark Wahlqvist of Monash University, adding just one gram of turmeric to breakfast could help improve the memory of people who are in the very early stages of diabetes and at risk of cognitive impairment.
 The finding is significant because the world's ageing population means a rising incidence of conditions that predispose people to diabetes, which in turn is connected to dementia.
Early intervention could help to reduce the burden, whether by halting the disease or reducing its impact, according to Professor Wahlqvist.
The study was published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Roman boy with his hair worn in the Egyptian style with a “lock of Horus”. First half of the second century CE. Photo Courtesy: Museum of Cultural History, Oslo.

A really old youth organisation

According to Ville Vuolanto of  University of Oslo, 14-year-old boys were enrolled in a youth organisation in order to learn to be good citizens in Roman Egypt around 2000 years ago.
Vuolanto joined forces with Dr April Pudsey of the University of Newcastle to dive deep into a mass of material of around 7,500 ancient documents written on papyrus. Their findings: “Only boys born to free-born citizens were entitled to be members of the town's youth organisation, which was called a 'gymnasium'. These boys were the children of local Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Their families would necessarily have been quite prosperous, and have had an income that placed them in the '12 drachma tax class'. It is uncertain how large a proportion of the population would have qualified, probably somewhere between 10 and 25 per cent.Girls were not enrolled as members of the 'gymnasium', but are often mentioned in the administrative documents as being the boys' siblings.”

Main Source: SCIENCE DAILY