Neatorama

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• The Science Against Making Tea in a Microwave
• The Nazi Interrogator Who Killed Them With Kindness
• Martial Artists You Don’t Want A Fight With
• A Blood Test That Can Detect Cancer Years Before Symptoms Surface
• The Heliosphere Looks Like A “Deflated Croissant”
• The Best Place To Stargaze, According To Scientists
• Soccer Ball Unexpectedly Goes Inside The Goal
• Persona 4 Golden Rainy Day Mega Beef Bowl Challenge
• Making Heads Turn
• Nine Eyewitness Accounts of the Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• This Star Bed Is Part Of An Ultimate Safari Adventure
• New “Germ Repellent” Business Class Suite
• Bizarre Bats
• Where The World Splits In Two

The Science Against Making Tea in a Microwave Posted: 06 Aug 2020 10:23 PM PDT A current topic that is sure to start an argument is how to make tea. Should one use a tea kettle, or just put a cup of water in the microwave? I use the barbaric American method of microwaving the water, because I need some hot caffeine in a hurry, and I already have a microwave that needs to justify its continued existence. Really, is there a difference in hot water made by one method or the other? Yes, according to research from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. Typically, the study describes, if you're warming a liquid like water on the stove or within a kettle, the heating source warms the container from below. This is when a process called convection happens, when the liquid at the bottom of the container warms up, diminishes in density, and moves to the top, letting the remaining cooler liquid to get access to the sweet, sweet heating source below. This results in even, uniform temperature throughout the container. But if you're throwing your cup of water in the microwave for 90 seconds, like the researchers did, the device's electric field heats it from all angles, not just from below, so while the top part of the cup's water may be sitting at boiling point, the bottom may not. "Because the entire glass itself is also warming up, the convection process does not occur, and the liquid at the top of the container ends up being much hotter than the liquid at the bottom," reads the study. This is crucial, since the temperature of the water affects the taste of the tea. However, different types of tea require different temperatures. The researchers came up with a solution, which is to invent a new gadget you can put on top of your cup while you microwave it. I think it might be simpler to just use a spoon to stir the water after microwaving it, and then see if the homogenized water is hot enough. Your microwave time can be adjusted accordingly. Read the findings on this important subject at Mashable. (Image credit: Liebesland)

The Nazi Interrogator Who Killed Them With Kindness Posted: 06 Aug 2020 06:15 PM PDT Hanns Scharff was drafted into the German army during World War II. Terrified of being sent to the Eastern Front, he used his family connections and ability to speak English to work his way into the position of interrogating Allied POWs for the Luftwaffe. The Nazis had established brutal tactics for extracting intelligence from captives, but Scharff found them distasteful and decided to go his own way. And so it was that Scharff would use the role of "Good Cop" to achieve his goals. Scharff first gained the trust and confidence of the captives, plying the captives with long walks in the woods, his wife's baked delicacies, casual conversations, good medical care, and even letting one POW fly a plane. Beyond all these little kindnesses, he would sell himself as their biggest advocate with his superiors. He was the one who could keep them from the Gestapo, but only if they worked with him and played ball. No Nazi dentist would dig into their gums and ask them, "is it safe?" His methodology was as follows: get to know the POW, and then allow him to talk without coercion. Along the way, Scharff pretended to know everything beforehand, but stated that his superiors insisted that the information come from the captive. Then he would either confirm that he knew the information or discontinue the conversation. This eventually became known as the Scharff Method, and it was highly successful. POWs often offered up vital intelligence on their own through his trickery. No brutality, no torture…no raising of voices. No use of the Gestapo. Scharff didn't follow the manual, but the Nazis couldn't argue with his success. Read about the life and legacy of Nazi interrogator Hanns Scharff at Today I Found Out. (Image: not Hanns Scharff)

Martial Artists You Don’t Want A Fight With Posted: 06 Aug 2020 03:44 PM PDT Ozzy Man warns us of these people who we don't want to cross paths with, from a dude who you shouldn't judge by his physical appearance, a one-legged warrior, a ballet and swordmaster, to a kid with nunchucks who has more muscles than you. (Image Credit: Ozzy Man Reviews/ YouTube)

A Blood Test That Can Detect Cancer Years Before Symptoms Surface Posted: 06 Aug 2020 03:44 PM PDT For a long time, scientists have dreamed of developing the ultimate cancer-screening test, one that can detect malignancy early, a phase before tumor cells are able to spread and treatments are more effective. Now, thanks to their hard work, we are a step closer into achieving that dream. By using a blood test, the international team was able to diagnose cancer long before symptoms appeared in nearly all the people it tested who went on to develop cancer. "What we showed is: up to four years before these people walk into the hospital, there are already signatures in their blood that show they have cancer," says Kun Zhang, a bioengineer at the University of California, San Diego, and a co-author of the study. "That's never been done before." This method is said to be an "essential first step" in creating a cancer-screening product. Learn more about this over at Scientific American. There is much hope for the future. (Image Credit: Pixabay)

The Heliosphere Looks Like A “Deflated Croissant” Posted: 06 Aug 2020 03:44 PM PDT For years, astronomers have thought that the heliosphere (the "bubble" that protects the planets inside our Solar System from interstellar radiation) is shaped like a comet. Data from one of NASA's satellites, however, seems to contradict that suggestion. …according to new research, its shape could look far more peculiar than that: like a "deflated croissant," according to a NASA statement. Less comet and more like a chewed up piece of gum, or maybe something vaguely biological from the movie "Annihilation." To construct the model, a team of astronomers took a closer look at data collected by NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX). The mission analyzed energetic neutral atoms as cosmic rays travel from the Sun and outwards towards the heliopause, the theoretical boundary past which solar winds can't penetrate, some ten billion miles from Earth. More information about how the astronomers came up with this model over at Futurism. (Image Credit: Futurism)

The Best Place To Stargaze, According To Scientists Posted: 06 Aug 2020 03:44 PM PDT If you want to have a great stargazing experience, free from atmospheric turbulence (which makes stars seem to twinkle), then you might consider going to the place scientists say is the best spot for watching these celestial bodies. It might be a bit far from your home, however, and it's cold there as well, as it's located near the South Pole. The hotspot (or cold spot, in this case) is called Dome A, and is located on a plateau near central Antarctica, roughly 2.5 miles, (4 kilometers) above sea-level. In a new study published July 29 in the journal Nature, researchers found that the conditions at Dome A are positively perfect for staring at the cosmos with minimal interference from Earth's atmosphere. In particular, the stars above Dome A actually twinkle less than they do elsewhere around the world, the researchers found. That's because of a phenomenon called atmospheric turbulence. Basically, as wind blows across uneven terrain, like mountains or valleys, it creates turbulent eddies in the atmosphere that can warp the appearance of light reaching Earth from distant stars. Learn more about this place and why scientists claim that this is the perfect place to stargaze, over at Live Science. (Image Credit: Noel_Bauza/ Pixabay)

Soccer Ball Unexpectedly Goes Inside The Goal Posted: 06 Aug 2020 03:44 PM PDT Soccer is one of those games that you will have a really difficult time trying to score a point. This is why scoring a goal, or successfully defending a goal, is very much celebrated. And since scoring a goal can be an occasional event in this game, celebrating too early can have fatal consequences. In this game (possibly a local game) posted by Reddit user one_percentage, the player in blue can be seen attempting to score a penalty. Unfortunately, he miscalculates, and the ball hits the metal and bounces high up in the air off camera. Seeing this, the goalkeeper from the opposing team gets back up immediately and runs towards his teammates, while the player bows his head to the ground looking defeated. However, something unexpected happens: the ball appears again on camera and bounces back on the ground, with just enough spin to send itself back on the goal, and this time it goes by its own and is unhindered. The goalkeeper tries to chase it, but is too late. Watch the video on Reddit. (Image Credit: u/one_percentage/ Reddit)

Persona 4 Golden Rainy Day Mega Beef Bowl Challenge Posted: 06 Aug 2020 03:43 PM PDT The Persona 4 Golden Rainy Day Mega Beef Bowl challenge is one of the challenging 'mini-games' (while not exactly a mini-game, it does require you to raise your character's stats to win) in the game. Experience the deliciousness and the challenge in real life by trying to recreate the bowl itself! Watch CHEFPK as he shares the recipe of the rice bowl. It's up to you to be challenged, tempted (to eat a big meal like this one), or both.

Making Heads Turn Posted: 06 Aug 2020 03:42 PM PDT Movie stars are photographed from all angles, and if they make enough movies, eventually all those angles will end up on movie posters. Duncan Robson compiled enough movie posters featuring the biggest stars to make animated sequences of them turning their heads! The effect is a bit disconcerting, probably even more so to the actors themselves. -via Digg

Nine Eyewitness Accounts of the Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Posted: 06 Aug 2020 03:42 PM PDT Embed from Getty Images Seventy-five years ago, on August 6, 1945, the United States unleashed a terrifying new weapon as the new atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima, Japan, followed by another in Nagasaki three days later. An estimated 200,000 people were killed, and others who survived the bombings dealth with the effects for years afterward -some for the rest of their lives. Many suffered in silence, as they were victims of discrimination in postwar Japan, only opening up about their experiences recently, in their old age, for projects like the 1945 Project and The Last Survivors of Hiroshima. Taeko Teramae is one such hibakusha. Hiroshima survivor Taeko Teramae didn't realize the full extent of her injuries until her younger brothers started making fun of her appearance. Confused, the 15-year-old asked her parents for a mirror—a request they denied, leading her to surreptitiously track one down on a day they'd left the house. "I was so surprised I found my left eye looked just like a pomegranate, and I also found cuts on my right eye and on my nose and on my lower jaw," she recalled. "It was horrible. I was very shocked to find myself looking like a monster." Nine people who agreed to be a part of these projects tell their stories of surviving Hiroshima's and Nagasaki's bombings at Smithsonian. Warning: these accounts are disturbing and sometimes graphic.

This Star Bed Is Part Of An Ultimate Safari Adventure Posted: 06 Aug 2020 08:31 AM PDT We really can't get out of our homes right now, but who can stop us from daydreaming or planning our future trips? If you're looking for more places to put on your itinerary list, this Star Bed in Zimbabwe might catch your interest! Wilderness Safaris's Star Bed overlooks a productive area for wildlife activity, as Travel and Leisure detailed:  "Linkwasha's new Star Bed is positioned right in the middle of the action where the animals come to drink at Scott's Pan and is a wonderful addition to our Hwange offering," Wilderness Safaris Zimbabwe Managing Director, Ron Goatley, shared in a statement. "In the dry season, the magical elephant experience will be taking place all night long, in front of and all around the Star Bed — offering a life-changing experience for our guests who want an authentic wildlife adventure." The star bed sits out on a wooden platform, covered in a protective mosquito net, and not much else. But, its minimal design is ideal, as the true star of the show is the epic view.  image via Travel and Leisure

New “Germ Repellent” Business Class Suite Posted: 06 Aug 2020 08:30 AM PDT This latest private airline suite concept will be a dream come true for germaphobes, or for people who would like a very clean suite.The concept called 'Pure Skies' was created by UK design consultancy PriestmanGoode. The company improved hygiene and personal space by harnessing UVC light and heat cleaning, as Dmarge detailed:  "We've introduced UVC light and heat cleaning, in combination with photochromic and thermochromic inks in the materials and finishes," the company wrote. "As the heat from cleaning reacts with the inks, a message of reassurance appears on seats, helping alleviate passenger anxiety about hygiene during boarding." "The pandemic will have a lasting impact on passenger expectations. Pure Skies is a complete review of both Economy and Business Class cabins." "Our vision takes into account development times, airline requirements for revenue streams, increased passenger concerns around hygiene and personal space and green recovery incentives," PriestmanGoode added. image via Dmarge

Bizarre Bats Posted: 06 Aug 2020 08:30 AM PDT There are more than 1,400 different species of bats known to science, but most of us just know fruit bats with their dog-shaped faces and insect-eating bats with relatively flattened faces. Nature is full of very different-looking bats, some adorable and others the stuff of nightmares. The picture above is of a white-throated round-eared bat. While these species have their taxonomic Latin names, their common names tend to describe them well. See 30 species of odd-looking bats at Bored Panda, with names like the hammer-headed bat, the yellow-winged bat, the little white-shouldered bat, the big-eared woolly bat, the desert long-eared bat, the eastern tube-nosed bat, and the wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bat. (Image credit: Desmodus)

Where The World Splits In Two Posted: 06 Aug 2020 07:27 AM PDT This one isn't just some art illusion drawn in the ground. The Abyss is a deep crack that appears to go down to the centre of the earth. If you wanna reach this place, you need your hiking shoes because you'll take a 4.5-kilometre hike along the Extension Ridge in Nanaimo, Canada. Narcity has more details:  The photos of this fissure don't do it justice for how impressive it is. Just make sure not to get too close. There are no barriers around here, so you do have to be careful. The long crack in the ground is roughly 16 inches wide. It is wide enough for a pet or person to fall into. The cause of the long split is still a mystery. Some of the theories suggest the area is the result of a collapsed old mine tunnel or an earthquake. The unusual sight is 30 minutes from downtown Nanaimo. You'll need to drive along Harwood Mine Road.  image via Narcity

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