Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Popular Science Australia - 082015
Popular Science Australia - 082015
0L engine
SCI-FI SPECIAL
SPACE
TOURIST
tler,
scared of rockets? theres a gen
get to space
more civilised way to (almost)
ISSN 1835-9876
PLUS!
YO U
ARE
HERE!
SURVIVING A
SUPER-DROUGHT
SO CLEAN, SO SICK
NEW
ADD-ON HEOS
Turn any speakers or sound
system into a wireless zone.
WIRELESS MULTIROOM
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
www.heos.com.au
mulTi-Room
EVERY ROOM DESERVES ITS OWN HEOS.
eAsy seTuP
SETUP IN MINUTES. LISTEN FOREVER.
PluG iT in
ConneCT To
Wi-Fi
enJoy youR
musiC
APPS &
STREAMING
SERVICES
Find us online!
www.popsci.com.au
august 2015
Feed
A Bit About Us
OctOBEr 1938
Find yourself without water?
Perhaps theres some dirt
around. We described a
unique tool that used rotary
blades to scoop up sediment
and spray it over blazes.
JUnE 1942
During World War II,
we covered many new
technologies designed to
help the military. One used
carbon dioxide to extinguish
fires that broke out on plane
wings during combat. It was
a different age...
30
Percentage o f a l l d i a m o n d s
th at a re so ld to co n sum e rs
(th e res t a re so ld to i n d ust r y)
P OP u L a R s C I EN C E
/ 03
F E E D AUg U St 2 0 15
US Volume 287 No. 2
DisPATchEs FROM
UNUsUAL FUTUREs
Page 56
08
CONTENTS
15
Featuring
Wish YOU WERE hERE
PAgE 36
PAgE 42
Departments
FEED
03 the Leaderboard
06 From the Editor
08 Peer Review
NOW
NEXT
26 Lightning, dissected
27 the rising fortunes of E Ink
28 Whats really on your dinner plate?
29 Vint Cerf on the future of the Internet
30 Diamonds grown in a lab
31 A helicopter that can fly like a jet
35 Why do people hate the wind?
MANUAL
04 /
POP U L A R S CI E NCE
i l lu st r at i o n by J i m b u r n
END MATTER
F e e d AU G U ST 2 0 1 5
Editors Letter
Alcohol: The
Human Obsession
the feature about space tourism via strato-balloon
youll read on page 36 this issue is equal parts
fascinating and exciting. But for me, one small
paragraph stands out. The company building this
unique travel experience has already said the capsule
that hangs from the balloon and gives travellers a mindenhancing view of their planet below... will serve drinks.
methylpropan-2-amine, which
fermentation of proto-wheat
theyre drinking.
is somehow... depressing.
in a casual, barbie-at-the-beach
kind of way.
Anthony FordhAm
afordham@nextmedia.com.au
1-(Benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-yl)-N-
@popsciau
06 /
POP U L A R S CI E NCE
www.popsci.com.au
To subscribe, call 1300 361 146
or visit www.mymagazines.com.au
DPHONES
CELLING HEA
N
CA
E
IS
O
N
T
ES
N
FI
S
THE WORLD
.
r those with MOMENTUM
Fo
e.
nc
re
ffe
di
e
th
ow
o kn
logy.
mpromise. For those wh
. Superior wireless techno
For those who will not co
ion
at
ell
nc
ca
ise
no
e
tiv
hybrid ac
Class-leading NoiseGard
und.
materials. Exceptional so
m
iu
em
Pr
n.
sig
de
le
ab
Fold
m
heiser-momentum.co
TM
F e e d Au g u st 2 0 1 5
t w E E t Ou t Of CO Nt Ex t
ConCerned Youth
Q:
A:
08 /
Rodent
Control
june
20 1 5
ED ITED BY
TAKE HILLS
WITHOUT
BREAKING
A SWEAT
RIC
ELECT !
BOOST
STROME R ST 2
010 /
POP U L A R S CI E NCE
PHOTOGRAPH BY
Jarren Vink
E L E V E N WO R D S T H AT S PA R K E D A R E VO LU T ION
N O W AU G U ST 2 0 1 5
1
Obsessed
1 DEATH STAR
LIGHT-UP
BEACH BALL
SwimWays lets you
flaunt your Star Wars
fanaticism ahead of
this years big-screen
installment. It might
not have planetdestroying lasers, but
with embedded LEDs,
you can use your
imagination. $7
2 CONNECTED
COLLAR
DogTelligents
Connected Collar quiets
unruly pupsand
trains them to stay
that way. An ultrasonic
speaker emits a sound
that discourages
barking, plus the collar
works as a virtual fence
and leash. $130
3 LUNA
Sleep is a big deal.
So the Luna smart
mattress cover uses
sensors to track your
sleep, and integrates
with smart-home
devices to control lights
or a thermostat to
create the optimal sleep
environment. $235
4 HARDWARE
STORE SAW
Brooklyn Tool & Crafts
short-bladed saw has
a unique tooth design
that can handle both
rip and crosscut jobs.
The blades diagonal
scales and measuring
tools help you convert
to metric or check
angles without
reaching for the
toolbox. $149
5 WASTED SEA
STAR PURPLE
PALE ALE
Next time you reach
for a cold one, the
brewers at Rogue hope
12 /
PO P U L A R S CI E NCE
6 MAP OF LIFE
SLEEP
ER
SMART
3
7 BRAUN SERIES
9 SHAVER
Brauns most efficient
shaver yet isnt just
great at eliminating
tough hairs that grow
in strange directions.
Its pivoting head and
individually floating
cutting elements can
make a three-day beard
disappear with fewer
strokes. $350
8 SURVIVAL LACES
Get yourself out of
any bind with these
shoestrings. Inside the
extra-strong paracord
laces youll find fishing
line, tinder, and a flint
rod that can help start
a fire. $15
FR O M TO P L E FT : C O U RT ESY D O GTE L L I G EN T; C O U RT ESY SWI M WAYS; C O U RT ESY ROGU E ; COU RT ESY PE NGU I N RAND OM HOU S E ; COU RT ESY T YS ON V. RI NI NGE R /PB S ;
C O U RT ESY B R AUN ; C O U RTESY WASATC H O U TD O O RS ; C O U RT ESY LUN A ; C O U RTESY YAL E U NI V E RS I T Y ; COU RT ESY B ROOKLY N TOOL & CRAF T
AUGUST 20 1 5
NOW
Speed Lab
CADILLAC
INTRODUCES
LIGHTWEIGHT
LUXURY
Weight is a problem when it comes to
fuel economy. The heavier something
is, the more energy you burn moving
it down the road. The engineers at
Cadillac tackled this problem head-on
with the new CT6. Rather than relying
on expensive carbon fibre or heavy
IN
PLUGD
HYBRI
FR O M TO P : C O U RTESY G M; C O U RTESY DO D G E
D E SIG N OF T H E M O N T H
2016 Dodge
Viper ACR
The 2016 Dodge Viper American
Club Racer unabashedly exploits
every downforce-enhancing body
attachment imaginable. It sports a
massive carbon-fibre rear wing, a
detachable extension for the front
splitter, sinister-looking dive planes,
and a hood with removable louvres.
Topping out at 285 km/h, its the
fastest street-legal track Viper ever.
P OP U L A R S CIE N CE
/ 13
N o w AUg U St 2 0 1 5
Biohacking
How your
jawbone
can improve
your tunes
Unless were swimming, or have our
heads down on something, every sound
we hear, apart from our own voice, propagates through a gas (the air), and is picked
up by our eardrums and turned into nerve
signals by the cochlear.
But while sound transmits through air
Damson HeaDbones
Wa n t m o r e c h o i c e? A f te r S ho k z has
bo n e co n d uct io n h ead p h o n es, avai l abl e
i n bo t h a w i red a n d w i re l ess m odel . The
B luez 2 uses B lueto o t h a n d gives si x
h o urs o f p l ay back fo r $1 29. T h e cheaper
Spo r tz M 3 w i red h ead p h o n es h ave a
bui l t i n - l i n e a m p l i f ie r t h at r uns fo r 12
h o urs a n d co st $8 0. So un d q ua l i ty i s o n
pa r fo r bo n e co n d uct io n .
w w w. a f te rs h ok z .com
BONE OF CONTENTION
Bone conduction allows a physical design that doesnt block the ears, and
doesnt rely on having little bungs jammed down in there, so its great for
exercise. But bone works best at supplementing audio, not taking care
of the whole spectrum. Wed like to see a hybrid system that uses bone for
mid-range, and still has buds for bass and treble. That could offer truly
intense, in-your-head sound.
14 /
POP U L A R S CI E NCE
N O W AU G U ST 2 0 1 5
The Setup
GOSUN SPORT
GoSuns portable
solar stove was
designed for
car camping
and barbeques.
MSR SE200
COMMUNITY
CHLORINE
MAKER
HARDCORE BUSH
GEAR TO SAVE
YOUR LIFE
AND THE WORLD
GRAVITYLIGHT
Kerosene lanterns
are standard
in developing countries. But theyre
expensive and emit
deadly fumes. The
World Bank esti-
16 /
Parabolic reflectors
surround and heat
a borosilicate
glass tubewhich
holds your food of
choiceup to 290
degrees Celsius. In
full sun, it can cook
up a snag in less
than 10 minutes.
Last year the
company brought
a less-expensive
model of the stove
to Guatemala,
where it reduced
cooking costs
significantly. $335
P O P UL A R SC IENC E
powers lanterns
with kinetic energy.
A 12-kilogram
weight hanging
from the lantern
drops 180 cm on a
high-torque drive
sprocket, which
connects to a
DC generator. A
three-second drop
powers an LED
for 20 minutes.
The company has
tested it in more
than 1,300 offgrid households.
Price not set
P H OTO GR A P H BY
Jarren Vink
Focal
ThaTs
French
For BeTTer
sound
For over 35 years Focal has been
developing and manufacturing
loudspeakers for the home, speaker
kits for cars, and monitor speakers for
recording studios.
The brand is recognised around
the world for sound quality and
technological innovation.
If you are upgrading your car audio
system, audition the sound at one
of our 80 authorised Focal car audio
dealerships across Australia.
Visit www.focalaustralia.com.au
for the dealer nearest you!
N O W AU G U ST 2 0 1 5
Standout
ITS A !
RY
BATTE
PO P U L A R S CI E NCE
TESLA POWERWALL
Di m e n s i on s
1300 x 860 x 180mm
We ig ht 1 0 0 kg
Col ors P ro to ty pes i n clud e
wh i te, ch a rcoa l ,
red , a n d b lue
Mo de l s
1 0 kW h $4 ,70 0
Fo r backup
7 kW h $4 ,030
Fo r d a i ly cycl e
( wh o l esa l e p r ice)
PHOTOGRAPH BY
Jarren Vink
AUGUST 201 5
NOW
Backstory
5.7
Number, in
millions, of
vir tual-reality
devices projected to be
sold in 2015
C O U RT ESY JAU NT V R
The Camera
That Makes Virtual
Reality Feel Real
Facebook, Google, HTC, and plenty
of startups are betting big on virtual
reality. But VR headsets could join
the graveyard of overhyped gadgets
if theres nothing to watch. Luckily
production houses and filmmakers
are working on realistic virtual
experiences. Though its going to take
more than a camera that can shoot 360
degrees of footage.
Arthur van Hoff, co-founder of
virtual-reality studio Jaunt VR, is a
tinkerer. At age 12 he made a working
P OP U L A R S C I EN C E
/ 19
N o w au g u st 2 0 1 5
Form Factor
a
Takes
g
BeaTin
20 /
P O P UL A R SC IENC E
Price: $1100
www.iosafe.com
GettinG insulated
T h e r m a l co n d u c t iv i ty i s
t h e m e a s u r e o f h ow we l l
a m a te r i a l t ra n s fe rs h eat .
Solids and liquids do it
fa s t , w h i l e ga s e s co n d u c t
m o r e s l ow ly. By t ra p p i n g
ga s i n a l i g h twe i g h t
m a te r i a l ( s u c h a s fo a m) ,
co nve c t i o n c u r r e n ts a r e
r e d u ce d . A e r o ge l i s a
m a te r i a l w i t h a ve r y
l ow t h e r m a l co n d u c t iv i ty
- i ts a ty p e o f fo a m m a d e
f r o m s u b s ta n ce s s u c h
a s s i l i ca , a n d i s 9 8 . 2 %
a i r. L i g h twe i g h t , a n d
h e a t r e s i s ta n t .
nomy
The
Foundation
for
the
The
Foundation
forfor
thethe
The
Foundation
The Foundation
for the
Advancement
of
Astronomy
Advancement
of
Astronomy
AdvancementofofAstronomy
Astronomy
Advancement
supporting
excellence
supporting
excellence
supportingexcellence
excellence
supporting
The
Foundation
for
the
Advancement
of
Astronomy,
established
by
the
Astronomical
Society
of
Australia,
recognises
excellence
through
the
Societys
activities.
The
Foundation
for
the
Advancement
Astronomy,
established
the
Astronomical
Society
Australia,
recognises
excellence
through
the
Societys
activities.
The
Foundation
for
the
Advancement
Astronomy,
established
the
Astronomical
Society
Australia,
recognises
excellence
through
the
Societys
activities.
The
Foundation
for
the
Advancement
ofofof
Astronomy,
established
bybyby
the
Astronomical
Society
ofofof
Australia,
recognises
excellence
through
the
Societys
activities.
The Foundation for the Advancement of Astronomy, established by the Astronomical Society of Australia, recognises excellence through the Societys activities.
ocietys activities.
The
Foundation
for
the Advancement
ofby
Astronomy,
establishedstudent
by
the Astronomical
Society
of Australia,
recognises
excellence
through
the Societys activities.
Bok
Prize
outstanding
research
Prize
exceptional
astronomy
communication
The
Bok
Prizefor
for
outstanding
research
byan
anHonours/Masters
Honours/Masters
student
TheDavid
DavidAllen
Allen
Prizefor
for
exceptional
astronomy
communication
The
Bok
Prize
for
outstanding
research
an
Honours/Masters
student
The
David
Allen
Prize
for
exceptional
astronomy
communication
The
The
Bok
Prize
for
outstanding
research
byby
an
Honours/Masters
student
The
The
David
Allen
Prize
for
exceptional
astronomy
communication
Charlene
The Bok
Prize Prize
forPrize
outstanding
research
by astronomy
anastronomy
Honours/Masters
student
Berenice
The David
AllenPage
Prize
for
exceptional
astronomy
communication
The
Charlene
Heisler
for
most
outstanding
PhD
thesis
The
Berenice
&&
Arthur
Medal
for
excellence
ininin
amateur
astronomy
TheCharlene
Heisler
formost
mostoutstanding
outstanding
PhDthesis
thesis
The
Arthur
Page
Medal
for
excellence
amateur
astronomy
The
Charlene
Heisler
Prizefor
for
most
outstanding
astronomyPhD
PhD
thesis
The
Berenice
Arthur
Page
Medal
for
excellence
amateur
astronomy
Heisler
Arthur
Page
Medal
for
excellence
in
amateur
astronomy
unicationThe
The
Bok Prize
forPrize
outstanding
research
by anastronomy
Honours/Masters
studentThe
Berenice
The
David&&Allen
Prize
for
exceptional
astronomy
communication
The
Charlene
Heisler
Prize
for
most
outstanding
astronomy
PhD
thesis
The
Berenice
&
Arthur
Page
Medal
for
excellence
in
amateur
TheLouise
LouiseWebster
WebsterPrize
Prizefor
forexcellence
excellenceby
byan
anearly
earlycareer
careerresearcher
researcher
The
TheRichard
RichardCole
ColeFund
Fundto
supporttraining
trainingfor
forpostgraduate
postgraduatestudents
studentsastronomy
The
Louise
Webster
Prize
for
excellence
an
early
career
researcher
The
Richard
Cole
Fund
support
training
for
postgraduate
students
The
The
Webster
Prize
for
excellence
an
early
career
researcher
Cole
Fund
tototosupport
support
for
postgraduate
students
mateur astronomy
Louise
The
Charlene
Heisler
Prize
for mostbyby
outstanding
astronomy
PhD thesisThe
Richard
The
Berenice
&
Arthur
Page training
Medal
for
excellence
in amateur
astronomy
The
Louise
Webster
Prize
for
excellence
by
an
early
career
researcher
The
Richard
Cole
Fund
to
support
training
for
postgraduate
students
The
Ellery
Lectureship
for
outstanding
contributions
in
astronomy
TheEllery
ElleryLectureship
Lectureshipfor
foroutstanding
outstandingcontributions
contributionsinininastronomy
astronomy
The
Ellery
Lectureship
outstanding
contributions
astronomy
The
uate students
The
Louise
WebsterforPrize
for excellence
by an early
career researcher
The Richard Cole Fund to support training for postgraduate students
The Ellery Lectureship for outstanding contributions in astronomy
The Ellery Lectureship for outstanding contributions in astronomy
Donate
Donateto
tothe
theFoundation
Foundationfor
forthe
theAdvancement
Advancementof
ofAstronomy
Astronomy
Donate
to
the
Foundation
for
the
Advancement
of
Astronomy
Donate
to
the
Foundation
for
the
Advancement
of
Astronomy
ABN:
37
660
297
848
asa.astronomy.org.au/FAA
ABN:
37
660
297
848
asa.astronomy.org.au/FAA
Donate
the Foundation for the Advancement of Astronomy
ABN:3737660
660
297848
848 toasa.astronomy.org.au/FAA
asa.astronomy.org.au/FAA
ABN:
297
Donate
to the
Foundation
for
the Advancement
of Astronomy
ABN:
848
asa.astronomy.org.au/FAA
Amount
A$:
$50
$100
$200
Amount
A$:37 660 297$25
$25
$50
$100
$200 Other:___________________________
Other:___________________________
_________
_________
e ___ / ___
_________
_________
h the support of
de, 1670, NSW.
AmountA$:
A$:
$25
$50
$100
$200 Other:___________________________
Other:___________________________
Amount
$25
$50
$100
$200
ABN: 37 660 297 848
asa.astronomy.org.au/FAA
Amount
A$:
$25
$50
$100
$200
Other:___________________________
Preferred
prize/activity
to
support
(not
compulsory):
________________________________________________
Preferred
prize/activity
to
support
(not
compulsory):
________________________________________________
Preferredprize/activity
prize/activitytotosupport
support(not
(notcompulsory):
compulsory):________________________________________________
________________________________________________
Preferred
Amount A$:
$25
$50
$100
$200 Other:___________________________
Preferred
tofor
support
(not compulsory):
________________________________________________
Cheques
payable
to
Foundation
the
Advancement
of
Astronomy
Cheques
payable
Foundation
for
the
Advancement
Astronomy
Cheques
payable
toto
Foundation
for
the
Advancement
Astronomy
Cheques
payable
toprize/activity
Foundation
for
the
Advancement
ofofof
Astronomy
Preferred prize/activity to support (not compulsory): ________________________________________________
Cheques
payable
to
Foundation
for
the
Advancement
of Astronomy
Credit
Card
Payments:
Mastercard
Visa
Credit
Card
Payments:ooooMastercard
MastercardoooVisa
oVisa
Visa
Credit
Card
Payments:
Mastercard
Credit
Card
Payments:
Cheques payable to Foundation for the Advancement of Astronomy
Credit___
Card
Payments:
o// /___
Mastercard
o___
Visa
Card
Number
___
___
___
___
___
// /___
___
___
___
// /___
___
___
___
Date
___
// /___
Card
Number
___
___
___
___
/___
___
___
___
___
/___
___
___
___
___
/___
___
___
___
___Expiry
Expiry
Date
___
/___
___
Card
Number
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
Expiry
Date
___
Card
Number
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
Expiry
Date
___
___
Credit Card Payments: o Mastercard o Visa
Card
Number
___
___
___
___
/
___
___
___
___
/
___
___
___
___
/
___
___
___
___
Expiry
Date
___ / ___
Cardholder
Name
________________________________________________________
Date
____________
Cardholder
Name
________________________________________________________
Date
____________
Cardholder
Name
________________________________________________________
Date
____________
Cardholder
Name
________________________________________________________
Date
____________
Card Number ___ ___ ___ ___ / ___ ___ ___ ___ / ___ ___ ___ ___ / ___ ___ ___ ___ Expiry Date ___ / ___
Cardholder
Name
________________________________________________________ Date ____________
Cardholder
signature
______________________________________________________________________
Cardholder
signature
______________________________________________________________________
Cardholder
signature
______________________________________________________________________
Cardholder
signature
______________________________________________________________________
Cardholder Name ________________________________________________________ Date ____________
Cardholder signature ______________________________________________________________________
Donations
of
or
are
tax-deductible
for
Australian
residents.
Donors
can
choose
to
which
Foundation
activities
they
would
like
to
Foundation
exists
through
the
support
of
Donations
of$2$2
ormore
more
are
tax-deductible
for
Australian
residents.
Donors
can
choose
toselect
select
which
Foundation
activities
they
would
like
tosupport.The
support.The
Foundation
exists
through
the
support
Donations
are
tax-deductible
Australian
residents.
Donors
can
choose
which
Foundation
activities
they
would
like
Foundation
exists
through
the
support
Donations
ofof$2
$2
orormore
more
are
tax-deductible
forfor
Australian
residents.
Donors
can
choose
totoselect
select
which
Foundation
activities
they
would
like
totosupport.The
support.The
Foundation
exists
through
the
support
ofofof
Cardholder
signature
______________________________________________________________________
Australian
astronomers
and
the
general
public.
Please
submit
your
payment
to
the
ASA
Treasurer,
Dr Dr
Katrina
Sealey
c\Australian
Astronomical
Observatory,
PO
Box
915,
North
Ryde,
1670,
NSW.
Australian
astronomers
and
the
general
public.
Please
submit
your
payment
tothe
the
ASA
Treasurer,
Katrina
Sealey
Australian
Astronomical
Observatory,
PO
Box
915,
North
Ryde,
1670,
NSW.
Australian
astronomers
the
general
public.
Please
submit
your
payment
ASA
Treasurer,
Katrina
Sealey
Australian
Astronomical
Observatory,
Box
915,
North
Ryde,
1670,
NSW.
Australian
astronomers
general
public.
Please
submit
your
payment
toto
the
ASA
Katrina
Sealey
c\-c\-c\Australian
Astronomical
POPO
Box
915,
North
Ryde,
1670,
NSW.
Donations
of and
$2and
orthe
more
are tax-deductible
for
Australian
residents.
Donors
canTreasurer,
choose toDrDr
select
which
Foundation
activities
they wouldObservatory,
like to support.The
Foundation
exists
through
the support of
Donations
of $2astronomers
or more areand
tax-deductible
Australian
Donors
can choose
to select
which Dr
Foundation
activities
they wouldAstronomical
like to support.The
Foundation
exists
the support
Australian
the generalfor
public.
Pleaseresidents.
submit your
payment
to the ASA
Treasurer,
Katrina Sealey
c\- Australian
Observatory,
PO Box
915,through
North Ryde,
1670, of
NSW.
Australian astronomers and the general public. Please submit your payment to the ASA Treasurer, Dr Katrina Sealey c\- Australian Astronomical Observatory, PO Box 915, North Ryde, 1670, NSW.
Astronomical
Society
of
Australia
Inc
Astronomical
Society
of
Australia
Inc
AstronomicalSociety
SocietyofofAustralia
AustraliaInc
Inc
Astronomical
The
Theorganisation
organisationof
professionalastronomers
astronomersin
Australia asa.astronomy.org.au
asa.astronomy.org.au
The
organisation
professional
astronomers
Australia
asa.astronomy.org.au
The
organisation
ofofofprofessional
professional
astronomers
inininAustralia
Australia
asa.astronomy.org.au
The organisation of professional astronomers in Australia asa.astronomy.org.au
The organisation of professional astronomers in Australia asa.astronomy.org.au
N O W AU G U ST 2 0 1 5
Materials
A Surfboard
Made By a
Rocket Scientist
Edison Conner, a former SpaceX rocket scientist and co-founder of Varial
Surf Technology, tried for years to create a durable surfboard from aerospace material. In his eyes, the surfboard industry was ripe for disruption.
Makers had clung to one manufacturing method for more than 50 years. For
strength and flexibility, they created a spine from a strand of wood (known as a
stringer) and glued it into a polyurethane foam cast. The cast was sanded and
wrapped in fibreglass and resin. Conner and the other engineers at Varial tried
something different. They replaced the wooden stringer with an extremely
rigid foam similar to the type used in helicopter rotor blades and in rocket-propulsion systems. The foam is 30 per cent stronger, with seven times the
stiffness (or modulus) of conventional foam. Its also 25 per cent lighter. That
means surfers have a board thats easier to control and more durable.
22 /
P O P UL A R SC IENC E
PEEK INSIDE
This 70x magnification o f t h e
Va r i a l Foa m
m i c ros t r uc tu re
revea l s a t ig ht
ce l l s t r uc tu re
m ade u p o f
de f i n ed a n g l es
a n d polygon a l
s h a pes . T h e
r ig id s t r uc tu re
o f t h e foa m
m a kes s u r fboa rds l ig hte r,
s t ron ge r, a n d
eas i e r to r ide.
C O U RT ESY VA R I AL (2 )
BLAST
OFF!
AUGUST 201 5
Speakers That
Cut Through Noise
NOW
PROBLEM
SO LU T I O N
LASER
SOUND
C O U RT ESY S MA RTP L AT E
SMART
PLATE,
DUMB IDEA
We Westerners are a health-obsessed
bunch, buying niche gadgets like wearable
step trackers and sensor-filled
P H OTO GRAP H BY
Brian Klutch
P OP U L AR S C I EN C E
/ 23
N o w AUg U St 2 0 1 5
Next Gen
HEPA
CAT!
UP Box
P rice: $2695
U RL: www.3dp r intin gs yste ms.com
Bu ild volume:
255 x 205 x 205 mm
Layer res oluti on:
1 0 0 m ic ron (0.1 mm)
Noise: 51 .7 dB
Filt rat ion: HEPA
Dimensions:
485 x 520 x 495 mm
Weight: 20 kg
A 3D printer that
wont stink you out
Until now, desktop 3D printers have
been useful but rather smelly devices.
At its heart, a filament extrusion 3D
printer is a hot glue gun - it melts a line
of ABS plastic and smooshes it onto
24 /
PO P U L A R S CI E NCE
MUSIC BOX
The UP Box can indeed produce usable objects, like this electric
guitar by Michael Tyson, of Adelaide. Since the guitar is larger
than the printers build area, he separated the model into several parts and assembled it later. With a hollow body, the result is
a strong but very light guitar, exactly the way Tyson wants it.
Thats right, you heard right, the Australian Popular Science app is out now!
Plus, you can check out our other great science title Australian Science Illustrated.
WHY GO APP?
Save time! Receive alerts when the next issue is out!
Save money! Subscribe for even greater savings!
Use your expensive tablet for something more enriching than tweets and recipes!
E DIT E D BY
3.9
E sti mated number of t imes , in
million s, light ning s t rikes E a r t h
eve r y d ay, according to NA SAs
Marsh all Space F light Cent re
26 /
POP U L A R S CI E NCE
Next
AUGUST 2015
NEXT
Tech Checkup
COMIC
SANS!
Exploring
thE uncErtain
futurE of
ElEctronic
papEr
E-paper was invented
in the 1970s, but it wasnt
until more recently that
it found widespread
commercial application. The
ultimate goal of e-paper is
to match the appearance of
normal ink on paper in all
light conditions, while also
being able to change what is
displayed. Current electronic
paper technology already
offers a better contrast ratio
than newspaper, and can
be viewed in direct sunlight.
Unlike LCD displays, one
advantage of some e-paper
varieties is the ability to
maintain an image or text
without an electric charge.
So batteries last for weeks,
not hours or days. Lets take a
closer look between the lines.
LINDSAY HANDMER
Kindle Voyage
P OP U L AR S C I EN C E
/ 27
N E X T AU G U ST 2 0 1 5
Tech Trend
TAKING THE
GUESSWORK OUT
OF FOOD
Between the reports of E. colitainted spinach and Listerialaden ice cream, its easy to become
paranoid about what to eat. And rightly
so: One in six of us will get a foodborne illness this year. But a number of
new and soon-to-exist food-monitoring
technologies can help keep your fridge
contaminant-free, flag when something
should be tossed, and tell you exactly
whats on your plate.
H E AT H E R H A N S M A N
MILK
Scientists at Peking
University in Beijing created gold
nanorod tags to put
on food packages.
Theyre designed to
deteriorate at the
same rate as whats
inside. A colour
change will indicate
if a jug of milk has
gone bad without
having to take a
whiff (or worse, a
swig). In principle,
the tag can be used
for any product
that deteriorates
over time and is
packaged air-tightly:
beverages, medicines, vaccines, and
more, researcher
Chao Zhang says.
28 /
MEAT
Use-by dates are
static; people often
throw away food
thats still goodor
eat food thats
gone bad. Chemists
at MIT created a
thin sensor that
can be put inside
meat packaging. Its
metal-lined carbon
nanotubes carry a
current that drops
when it encounters
amines, chemicals
produced by decaying meat.
PO P U L A R S CI E NCE
FISH
The FDA limit for
mercury in tuna is
1 part per million.
But levels vary
from fish to fish.
While most tuna
companies sample
a few fish per catch,
Safe Catch made a
quick test to biopsy
every tuna at the
dock, accurate to
0.1 ppm. Were not
OK using anyones
average, says Bryan
Boches, Safe Catch
co-founder.
A Food
Label Just
for You
OLIVE OIL
A 2012 study found
that 60 per cent of
olive oil sold to restaurants in California as extra virgin
didnt meet USDA
quality standards.
Researchers at
the University
of California at
Davis developed
an enzyme-based
electrochemical
biosensor that ferrets out aldehydes
indicative of lesspure oil.
FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES
When food-borne
illness breaks out,
it can take months
to follow the bug
back to the source.
A food-safe spray
called DNATrax, developed at Lawrence
Livermore National
Lab, uses DNA extracted from plants
to create a traceable
molecular bar code
thats unique to
fresh fruit and vegs
farm of origin.
33
Pe rce ntage o f f i sh so ld i n US
sh o ps a n d restaura nts
t h at we re m i sl abe l l ed , acco rdi ng
to a 201 3 Ocea n a study
Frustrated by one-size-fits-all nutrition facts, designers at New York University decided to intervene.
We want food labels for consumers rather than a compromise between government, food lobbies, and big
food companies, says Sam Slover. Their app, called Sage, uses info like your weight and activity level to
create personalised labels for food. If youve got a peanut allergy, it can flag risky products. If you splurge
on cheesecake, itll tell you how many minutes youll have to spend on the elliptical to burn it off.
PHOTOGRAPH BY
Sam Kaplan
FO O D STY L I NG BY S U ZA N NE L E NZ ER
AUgUSt 2015
NEXT
Geeking Out
Vint Cerf
The Internet has changed a lot over
its 30-something years. That terrible
dial-up noise is gone; the Ethernet
cord has been cut; Tinder happened.
Whats next? If anyone knows, its Vint
Cerf, Googles vice president and chief
50
Number of
devices, in
billions, Cisco
Systems Inc.
expects to be
connected to
the Internet
by 2020
P OP U L AR S C I EN C E
/ 29
N E X T AU G U ST 2 0 1 5
Instant Expert
Lab-Grown Diamonds to
Keep Electronics Cool
A clear, sparkling
diamond is rare. Thats
part of its appeal.
Those mined today
formed billions of years
ago. But a new method
can grow gem-quality
diamonds on demand
in just three months.
Theyre identical
to their natural
counterparts and cost
30 to 40 per cent less.
Thats promising for
anyone in the market
for an engagement
ring. And it bodes
well for the future of
electronics too.
5
In March, IIa opened
the worlds largest
diamondgrowing facility in
Singapore. Its capable of cranking out
more than 300,000
carats a year, using
half the energy of
diamond mining.
Plus it has far less
environmental
impact. To the naked
eye, the diamonds
are indistinguishable
from natural ones.
But theyll still be
a tough sell for
jewellery, where labgrown make up less
than 1 per cent of
the market. Theyre
seen as inauthentic, no matter that
they are objectively
identical, explains
Ravi Dhar, director
of the Centre for
Customer Insights at
Yale University.
72
1
Luckily, diamonds
can also be made in
a lab. In the 1950s,
scientists first
created diamonds
by replicating the
intense heat and
pressure that forms
them underground.
The stones tend to
be discoloured and
small (in some cases
just a powder), but
they retain a natural
diamonds defining
properties.
Diamond is one of
the hardest known
materials. It can
withstand high levels
of radiation and
doesnt trigger an
immune response.
This makes it useful
in construction,
nuclear engineering,
and medicine. In
2013, industry used
about 1,500 tons
of diamond, 99 per
cent of which was
lab-grown.
To make purer
gems, diamondgrower IIa Technologies refined a process called chemical
vapour deposition. In
a vacuum chamber,
they shower a
fingernail-thin
diamond seed
with microwave rays
and methane and
hydrogen gases.
These build up layers
of carbon bonds.
30 /
POP U L A R S CI E NCE
G l oba l d i a m o n d
jewe l l e r y sa l es, i n
bi l l io n s o f US d o l l a rs, pe r yea r
If anyone says
they can tell
the difference
without a
machine,
theyre lying.
AR I E L BAR UC H , JEWELER AT
D IAM OND S BY IS RAEL STANDARD INC.,
WH ICH S ELLS L AB -GROWN D IAM OND S
6
Diamonds unsurpassed thermal
conductivity makes
it an ideal heat sink
for electronics.
It transfers about
twice the heat and
can carry more
current than the
silicon usually used
in semiconductors.
IIa is working to
grow diamond plates
that will enable
smaller, morepowerful devices
that dont overheat.
It will take time,
says physicist Devi
Shanker Misra, who
invented IIas
technique, but I
hope that it will
replace silicon.
C O U RT ESY P U RE G ROW N DI A MO ND S
R E BECCA H A R R I N GTO N
AUgUSt 2015
NEXT
The Roundup
1 Project Wing
Not just a marketing stunt
from Pizza Hut or Amazon,
Google is actually testing
delivery drones. Rather
than buzzing around
crowded city areas, the
drones are designed for
remote areas where normal
delivery systems are slow
and inefficient. Project Wing
uses custom electric drones
that can transition from
long distance fixed wing
flight to vertical take-off
and landing. Delivery payloads are actually winched
down to the ground and
released, rather than the
drone landing.
CHALLENGE: Regulation.
LIKELIHOOD:
3 Project Loon
Two thirds of the world
doesnt have access to the
internet - something Google
wants to fix, fast and cheap.
But building 4G towers or
rolling out fibre isnt cheap
or fast in rural or remote
areas, so the Google boffins
have a more ambitious plan.
They want to build a wireless network with an array
of high altitude balloons.
Testing is already underway,
though one failure has
already seen a Loon balloon
crash into power lines in
the US. That probably has a
negative effect on Netflix.
CHALLENGE: Approval,
human trials, power source
LIKELIHOOD:
CHALLENGE: Weather,
borders, regulation.
LIKELIHOOD:
4 Project Tango
Googles venture into real
time 3D vision mapping and
augmented reality, Tango
is designed to bring motion
tracking, depth perception
and area learning to mobile
devices. This set of skills
comes naturally to humans,
but for a computer they are
among the hardest tasks.
Tango could help create
more intelligent and
spatially aware robots which means they will be
safer to work alongside - as
well as create a huger new
market in awesome augmented reality games. Just
like in Neuromancer!
CHALLENGE: Application, testing
LIKELIHOOD:
5 Nanoparticle Platform
Straight out of the Google
X research labs, this project
is a smart pill that can be
swallowed and then used
to detect disease - from
inside your body. It uses
magnetic nanoparticles that
are combined with special
antibodies and proteins
that can identify and latch
onto other molecules. The
particles can be directed to
certain parts of the body,
then collected to see what
they have discovered. Its
weird, but beats having
chunks cut out of your
body for a biopsy.
CHALLENGE: Safety,
human trials, transmission system
LIKELIHOOD:
P OP U L AR S C I EN C E
/ 31
N E X T AU G U ST 2 0 1 5
Concepts & Prototypes
SP EC S
THE MOST
VERSATILE AIRCRAFT
IN THE SKY
Future conflicts will favour faster,
nimbler military forcesthink
precision strikes and special ops.
The military needs assets that allow
32 /
P O P UL A R SC IENC E
STREAMLINED NACELLES
FLY-BY-WIRE CONTROLS
STRAIGHT WING
5
Our nation and our
service members should never
have to fight a fair fight.
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
P OP U L AR S C I EN C E
/ 33
58
N E X T AU G U ST 2 0 1 5
Subjective Measures
Robot Pets
Have a Leg Up
on Fido
Humans have been bonding with domestic animals
for tens of thousands of years, but Jean-Loup Rault, an
animal scientist at the University of Melbourne, thinks
new companions are coming: robot pets. Just as digital
technologies have altered how we interact with each
other, they could soon do the same for us and animals.
This may not sit well with pet-lovers. A plastic dog is hardly
as cuddly as a Pomeranian. But Rault argues the robot variety
has a lot going for it: You dont have to feed it; you dont have to
walk it; it wont make a mess in your house; and you can go on
holidays without feeling guilty. Plus mechanical animals could
open up pet ownership to people with allergies, mobility issues,
A BRIEF
HISTORY
OF
ROBOPETS
34 /
POP U L A R S CI E NCE
C O U RT ESY S O NY
BR E AN N A DR AX L E R
AU G U ST 2 0 1 5
NEXT
Rethink
Anthony Fordham
is the editor of the
Australian Edition
of Popular Science
and lives in an urban
area where he cant
see any wind turbines. He sure can
hear the coal trains
come through at
2:30am, though.
27
Percentage of
electricity in South
Australia produced
by wind farms, as of
August 2014.
Source: Government of
South Australia
Why do so many of
us hate the wind?
C o lu m n by A n THo n y Fo R D HA m
/ 35
36 /
PO P U L A R S CI E NCE
AUgUSt 2015
Wish You
Were Here
You dont need a rocket to get to space.
theres a slower, gentler trip in the works
and it comes with a cocktail.
i l lu st r at i o n by wo r l d v i ew e x p er ie n c e
By Kalee Thompson
P OP U L AR S C I EN C E
/ 37
When Alan Eustace lifted off into space from the New Mexico
desert this past October, it was with a quiet whoosh, and a slight
jostle of his harness. The 57-year-old computer scientist from
Googleoutfitted in a 117-kg pressurised space suitdangled
solo from a polyethylene balloon as thin as a dry-cleaning bag.
As the balloon rose steadily into the air, the small bubble of
helium inside began to expand, and as it rose, the balloon changed
shape. At first it undulated skyward, limp and oblong, like a
jellyfish. Then it grew into a soft, bulbous teardrop. Finally,
as Eustace neared his destination, 40 km above the planets
surface, it became perfectly firm and rounded, a shimmering
object the size of a football stadium. Beyond it spanned the
blackness of space. Beneath lay what has long drawn humans
to these heights: a soul-altering view of the curvature of Earth.
To most, Eustaces flight seemed
the antithesis of space travel, which
since the dawn of the space age has
been synonymous with the fiery
roar of a rocket. The first private
companies racing to take paying
customers to the edge of space
Virgin Galactic, XCOR Aerospace, and
Blue Originpromise the kind of
thrill ride experienced by astronauts.
But theres an alternate space race
taking shape, one whose selling point
is slow and serene. A handful of
startups are rushing to pioneer tourist
trips to the stratosphere beneath
enormous balloons. Balloons are
a beautiful mechanism for taking
off, Eustace says. Youre perfectly
balanced; its perfectly quiet; theres no
38 /
POP U L A R S CI E NCE
you can
take your
parents
and children. its
going to
be the
ultimate
facebook
status
update:
the entire
family in
space.
A h e l ium - f i l l ed ba l l o o n wi l l car r y
Ze ro 2 In f i n i ty s to ur i st po d to 4 0 km above Ear t h.
AUgUSt 2015
P OP U L AR S C I EN C E
/ 39
Pass en gers i n Wo rld V iew s ca psul e ( h e re, a m o cku p) w i l l h ave Inte r n et access fo r up l oad i n g p h o to s.
40 /
POP U L A R S CI E NCE
F ro m to p : C o u rt esy wo rl d V i ew ex pe r i enC e; ssp l / G e tt y im aG es ; FaC i n G paGe : Cou rt esy worl d V i e w e x pe ri e nCe ; Cou rt esy xC or ae ros paCe
AUgUSt 2015
2 the ascent is
slow and steady,
averaging about
17km/h. You
barely feel it.
as the helium
inside the balloon
expands, the
shape transforms
from a long, thin
teardrop into a
taut, rounded object. after an hour
and a half, the
balloon reaches
100,000 feet (30
km). Youre free to
walk around, use
the restroom, or
have a cocktail.
3 the craft drifts
at this altitude. its
movement is gentle; the pilots refer
to it as sailing.
they point out
constellations and
planets. Soon, the
sunrise begins,
illuminating the
winding scar of
the Grand canyon
30 km below. Your
pilot describes
his own first experience with the
so-called overview effect, the
emotional shift
in perspective
that comes with
gazing down at
earth. You pull out
your phone and
snap a picture,
a selfie from the
stratosphere.
4 after two hours,
the pilot vents
helium from the
balloon to begin a
descent. He then
sets the balloon
free, leaving the
capsule hanging
from a 30-m-wide
parasail. it begins
a directed glide.
the wind pushed
the balloon
several hundred
kilometres, and
the parafoil will
make up most of
that distance on
the return. the
pilots attention
is focused on
flyingthis is the
part of the trip he
has trained for.
the sensation is
similar to being in
a small, perfectly
silent aeroplane.
the swooping
descent takes
less than an hour,
delivering you to
an airfield four to
five hours after
you lifted off.
r o c k e t- p owered pl a ne
carrier:
Xcor
aerospace
i l lu st r at i o n p h oto by c r ed i t h e r e
coSt:
$135,000
1 Youre secured
into the passenger seat of the
lynx suborbital
spaceplane, seconds from takeoff.
Youve passed
your medical
examination and
spent two days
training, learning
tricks of the trade
like shallow
breathing to
handle G-forces.
though the cabin
is pressurised,
youre wearing a
pressure suit as
4 after about
five minutes, you
begin to descend.
the force of
gravity returns,
stronger than
before. re-entry is
swift and hard. at
its greatest, you
feel the pressure
of four times
gravitys pull. the
force lessens as
the lynx grips the
atmosphere, and
soon youre at
cruising altitude.
the spacecraft
feels more like a
commercial plane
now, and the landing gear lowers as
you make a final
approach. after
your 30-minute
ride you touch
down, back where
you started. its
an extreme sport,
awesome... but
maybe not
for everyone.
P OP U L A R S C I EN C E
/ 41
42 /
PO
P
OP U
UL
LA
AR
R SSC
CIIENC
E NCEE
AUgUSt 2015
PORSCHE @ LE MANS
PPOP
OPUULLAAR
R SSCIE
C I EN
N CE
CE
/ 43
or some reason,
the mood in the
Porsche garage
reminds me of musical
theatre. Then I get
it: the drivers are
the actors, out there
on the stage. The mechanics and
engineers are the stagehands and
AV crew. The high ranking Porsche
executives sitting in front of the big
monitors are the directors. Everyone
is somehow simultaneously tense
and relaxed. After 380-something
laps and 22 hours, the team has
slipped into routine.
Pit stops become a set of almost
instinctual moves: fuel the car, peel
back the plastic on the windscreen
for an instant clean, swap tyres if
necessary, occasionally change drivers.
It all happens with seamless German
efficiency. No one shouts. No one falls
L E M A N S i S A fAv o u r i t E o f M o t o r S p o r t
ENthuSiAStS bEcAuSE itS A ShowcASE
of ENgiNEEriNg SoLutioNS to A vEry
N o N -t r i v i A L p r o b L E M : h o w t o M A k E A
c A r d r i v E v E r y fA S t f o r 2 4 h o u r S .
44 /
POP U L A R S CI E NCE
The 919 is a
cramped carbon-fibre capsule that offers
little in the way
of creature comforts. Drivers
do three-hour
shifts and bring
their own custom-moulded
seat when they
jump aboard.
AUGUST 2015
PORSCHE @ LE MANS
1
10
11 12
18
WHEEL OF FORTUNE
Calling this control system a
steering wheel hardly seems
adequate. With limited space in
the cabin, the driver must be able
to adjust vehicle settings on the
instruction of the engineering crew,
relayed to him via radio.
Because the 919 needs to drive at
night and in whatever conditions
may come, the wheel includes a
few more controls than you might
find in a Formula One car. Among
the 26 buttons are a flasher under
the right thumb, used to alert the
slower GT-class cars that an LMP1
is approaching them with a closing
speed of 80km/h or more. Theres
also a button for windscreen wipers unglamorous, but necessary.
Many of the other controls
involve elements of the car that are
becoming increasingly familiar to the
rest of us. The difference is that the
driver can adjust things like traction
control strength (front or rear) and
brake balance manually, instead of
13
24
19
20
21
22
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
23
Overtake button
Select display
Reduce traction control front
Adjust radio volume
Reduce traction control rear
Brake balance to the rear
Team radio button
Brake balance pre-selection
Mystery multi-switch 1
Mystery multi-switch 2
Activate multi-switch 9/10
Brake balance to front
14 15
16
17
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
P OP U L AR S C I EN C E
/ 45
Materials and
manufacturing
are so advanced
now, race organisers have to
specify an 870 kg
MINIMUM weight
for LMP1 cars.
46 /
POP U L A R S CI E NCE
AUGUST 2015
PORSCHE @ LE MANS
At f i rs t g l a n ce, L M P 1 ca rs l oo k
id entica l . Bl a me convergent
evo lu tio n , or at l eas t th at big f i n
over th e en g i n e. Bu t i n fac t each ca r
from Audi , Po rs ch e a n d Toyo ta i s
rad ica l ly di f ferent
P OP U L AR S C I EN C E
/ 47
AUGUST 2015
PORSCHE @ LE MANS
POINTS OF INTEREST
3
5
48 /
POP U L A R S CI E NCE
TYRES AND
WHEELS
Multilink suspension enables
ultra-precise handling, and narrower
355-mm-wide wheel
(405 mm is more
traditional) keeps
the car nimble
through
the corners.
AERODYNAMICS
COCKPIT
CHASSIS
HEAD LIGHTS
The shape of
the car produces
downforce, which
is vital for the
insane cornering
speeds, but its also
specially designed
to cool the hybrid
system. A combined
700 kW+ generates
a LOT of heat.
The specifications
for Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1) cars
require the cockpit
to be closed in.
This is primarily a
safety concern. A
crash at over 300
km/h requires a
heck of a crash
cell to survive.
AUGUST 2015
PORSCHE @ LE MANS
ENERGY DEBT
P OP U L AR S C I EN C E
/ 49
50 /
POP U L A R S CI E NCE
AUgUSt 2015
We live in fear
of the microBes
t h at i n h a B i t
our homes and
Buildings.
B u t o u r h e a lt h
m ay d e p e n d
on preserving
theirs.
Jaso n p i e tr a/ t ru n k a rch i v e
Bugged
B y r i n k u pat e l
P OP U L A R S C I EN C E
/ 51
52 /
POP U L A R S CI E NCE
R Pa Ru l a n J R. / G e tt y I maG es
someone
once told
m e t h at
a p r ay i n g
mantis in
your home
brings
luck and
good
h e a lt h
august 2015
Bugged
/ 53
AUgUSt 2015
54 /
POP U L A R S CI E NCE
Bugged
AUgUSt 2015
Bugged
The Pop
Sciome
cOnference-rOOM TabLe
kITchen fLOOr
We painstakingly swabbed
a dozen sites around the
Popular Science off ice for a
week in March. Heres a sliver
of our microbiome, analysed
by a lab at Weill Cornell
Medical College. katie peek
Present
Unique
Absent
One species
is an extremophile thats also
been found
on the space
station Mir.
Another
is crucial
for making
milk into
cheesebrie
and cheddar,
specifically.
A bacterium
that breaks
down oil after
a spill made an
appearance on
our conferenceroom table.
All bacteria found at the three sample sites appear as circles. The trees
show how the bacteria are related,
from phylum (centre) to family (outer
edge). For each site, bigger circles
represent more-abundant species.
This species is
from Sweden.
A Swedish
company
owns Popular
Science.
Coincidence?
Our most
abundant
species of
bacteria was
first isolated in
permafrost in
Russia.
Several bacteria
in the sample
including this
onehave
shown antibiotic
resistance.
/ 55
august 2015
featuring
_
Dispatches
from
the Future
ten of the brightest minds in science fiction imagine how we will liveon
Earth and beyondin the decades and centuries to come
James
S.A. Corey
Kameron
Hurley
N.K.
Jemisin
M a r y Robi ne tte
Kowal
Karen
Lord
Transplant
Seanan
McGuire
Will
McIntosh
Genevieve
Va l e n t i n e
Andy
We i r
_
I lurc h ed
toward h er
l Ike th e
monster th e
protesters
saI d I wa s .
with dignity was better than being Frankensteins monster. a woman was waiting by the
van. My heart leaped, thinking sangita, my
wife of 36 years, had had a change of heart.
this woman was much younger, though, and
I recognised her from news photos: Portia
Langley, my body donors widow.
I lurched toward her like the monster the
protesters said I was. When I reached her,
Portia took my hand. she turned it over,
studying it, struggling to hold back tears.
Id like to visit from time to time. I nodded.
It was the least I could do, after what her
husband had given me.
I climbed into the van, suddenly feeling
light as a feather, and waved to the protesters
as we drove off. a laugh of pure joy escaped
me. I recognised my voice, because the vocal
cords were mine.
56 /
POP u L aR s CI E NCE
i l lu st r at i o n by sa m W eb er
Kim Stanley
Robinson
AUgUSt 2015
Sunshine Ninety-Nine
N.K. Jemisin , N e b ul a Award - wi nni ng au thor, whos e
n ex t bo o k , T h e F if th S ea s o n , i s ou t i n A u g u st
The
Wanderer
Karen Lord, aut h o r o f Th e Galaxy Game
58 /
PO P U L A R S CI E NCE
Tricorder Device
i l lu st r at i o n by J o h n h ar r i s, al i s o n el d re d. c o m ;
i n se t: c o u rt esy i mag es h ac k . c o m
AUgUSt 2015
The
Improbable
War
Kameron Hurley s late st book, E mpi re As c e nda nt, wi l l b e released
i n O c to b e r
he wall was
made from the
faces of the
dead. Their
souls rested
deep inside
it, powering
the great probability engine
at its core. It started as a war
memorial, but the technology
used to capture these souls had
turned the wall into something
else: a sentient consciousness
that could make even the most
unlikely outcome possible. No
one could predict what it would
do; one could only ask for its aid.
Now 4 million soldiers in
gleaming obsidian suits stood
on top of it, facing an army 10
times their number. First Officer
Khiv stood with them as the
faces of the dead in the wall
cried beneath her.
How can we fight? the
generals had asked Khiv when
their old enemies had risen up
from the north. Weve given up
A RT IST NOT E:
DO N ATO
GIANc Ol A
Smartphones
P OP U L AR S C I EN C E
/ 61
AUgUSt 2015
Superluminal
The
Drones
m ea n i n g a t ra n si t io n ve l o ci ty o f 1 . 82 t i m es t h e speed
he drones for
construction
were smaller
than beetles
but their solar
collection grids
shone like
real insect wings. The swarm
scattered over the ice, drifting
in the soft breeze of the thin
Martian atmosphere, catching
the light of a small sun. Machines
had been the first to inhabit the
Red Planet, probing its surfaces
and digging into its depths. It
was always like that. Squidlike
machines had been first to
explore the deep seas of Europa
and Titan, while geological survey
mites had dug into the surfaces of
Io and Ganymede. And then, like
always, they died. On
Mars surface, insect-inspired
drones now litter the bare stone,
their artificial lives over, their
T h e q u a n tu m d r ive i n i t i a l ly fa i l e d to o p e ra te w i t h
a ny o f t h e f i r s t 2 17 s u g g e s te d s e tt i n gs . Bu t t h e 2 1 8 t h ,
co n f i g u ra t i o n 9 24 -A l p h a - 6 F, wo r ke d p e r fe c t ly. T h e
c r e w i s h ea l t hy a n d j u b i l a n t . Weve l o s t a l l s i g n a l s
f r o m E a r t h o t h e r t h a n l ow - p owe r ba c kg r o u n d ra d i o
n o i s e . We s u s p e c t o u r r e ce p t i o n a r ray wa s d a m a g e d
by p s e u d o - C h e r e n kov e m i s s i o n s a s we pa s s e d t h r o u g h
s o l a r m a g n e t i c f i e l d s , b u t i ts d i f f i c u l t to s ay. T h i s i s
t h e f i r s t t i m e m a tte r h a s pa s s e d t h r o u g h a m a g n e t i c
f i e l d fa s te r t h a n l i g h t .
Weve r u n s e ve ra l d i a g n o s t i c s
on the equipment and can
f i n d n o t h i n g w r o n g, b u t we l l co n -
T h IS IS Th E
f IRST T Im E
m AT T E R
h A S pA SSE d
T h RO ug h A
m Ag N E T Ic
fIE l d fA ST E R
Th A N l Ig h T.
t i n u e to wo r k t h e p r o b l e m . I ts n o t
c r i t i c a l we w i l l b e ba c k o n E a r t h
i n fo u r d ay s . Bu t b e a dv i s e d t h a t
wer e b r o a d c a s t i n g i n t h e b l i n d ;
we wo nt h ea r yo u r r e s p o n s e .
S id e n o te : Tur n s o ut t h e ast ro no my so f twa re h as se r io us bugs.
Weve obse r ved t h e po si t ions o f
Me rcur y, Ve nus, a n d E a r t h, and
t h ey d o nt re m o te ly m atch t he
d ataset p red ict io n s. Fo r tu nately,
we id e nt i f ied t h e p rob l e m and
a re n av igat i n g by obse r ved data
i n stead o f t h e p red icted values.
Were sett i n g co urse fo r Ear t h
retur n n ow.
C L A S S I F I C AT I O N TO P S ECRET:
FO R T H E P R E S ID E N T O N LY. TH E
A B OV E M E S SAG E WA S
62 /
PO P U L A R S CI E NCE
Y E A R S. T H E A IR FO RCE CO N F IR M S A N A RTI F I CI AL
O BJ ECT IS O N COU R S E TOWA R D E A RT H WI TH AN
EX P ECT E D A R R IVA L O F J U LY 22 , 2016 . AWAI TI NG
EX ECUT IV E O R D E R S O N H OW TO P RO CE E D.
i l lu st r at i o n by J i m b u r ns , al i so n e l dr ed. c o m
ARTI ST NOT E:
JIm BuRNS
AUgUSt 2015
<3/</3
Genevieve Valentine , au thor of Pe rs ona
i l lu st r at i o n by pat ri c k j o n es
Exploring Location X
Kim Stanley Robinsons latest book, Aurora, comes out in July
Grinding
Time
Mar y Robinette Kowal , puppet eer an d Hugo Award-w i nni ng a u thor,
wh o se lat est bo ok is O f Noble Family
lbina sat
crosslegged on
the reclaimedbamboo floor
of her condo,
with the
SmartMortar
gripped between her thighs.
Leaning into the motion, she
ground the pestle with soothing
clockwise rotations. She was top
of the leaderboard on Grynder,
and intended to stay that way.
After 50 reps, the mortar chimed:
Good job! Now grind counterclockwise, and remember to keep
your shoulder blades back!
Albie? Light footsteps
sounded in the hall, and her
husband leaned through the
door. Todd sighed. Its the middle of the night.
With our flight tomorrow, I
wont have time in the morning
to grind cornmeal and coffee
for breakfast. Albina kept her
focus and tried to take deep
breaths with each rotation.
P OP U L AR S C I EN C E
/ 65
AN UP BOX
3D PRINTER!
We love 3D printers
here at Australian Popular
Science, but until now most
models have either been
really small, or hardcore
DIY kits. The UP Box is
one of the first really big,
fully-enclosed desktop 3D
printers. It has a massive
10 litre build platform,
an HEPA filter and fan to
kill those burning-plastic
smells, and a build speed
up to 30% faster than
WOR T H
$2695
mymagazines.com.au
Me
Gift
Best
value
Address:
State:
Postcode:
Email:
Phone: (
MR/MRS/MS/MISS Name:
Address:
State:
Postcode:
Email:
Phone: (
pAyMEnT DETAILS
I enclose a Cheque / Money Order for AU$
NextMedia pty ltd
OR
Please charge $
to
VISA
payable to
MasterCard
AMEX
CVC/CVV/CSC:
Signature:
In 25 worDS or LESS, how wILL A 3D prInTEr hELp you
STArT (or coMpLETE!) your LATEST DIy projEcT?
Terms and conditions: Price offer available to Australian and NZ residents. Expires 26/8/15. Includes GST.
Overseas airmail 12 issues A$150 or 24 issues A$299. Savings based on total cover price. This form may be used
as a tax invoice, nextmedia Pty Limited ABN 84 128 805 970. Competition open to Australian and NZ residents.
Enter by subscribing to Popular Science between 00:01 AEST 30/7/15 and 23:59 AEST 23/9/15. You will be eligible
by answering the question In 25 words or less, how will a 3D printer help you start (or complete!) your latest DIY
project?. 1 lucky subscriber will win a UP BOX 3D printer, valued at $2695.00. Total prize pool is $2695.00. This
is a game of skill. Entrants must subscribe to Popular Science for 12 months or more to be entered into the draw.
Multiple entries are accepted however a separate subscription must be purchased for each entry. Entries will be
judged by the editorial team on 29/9/15. The judges decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
The winner will be notified by email and published online. The Promoter is nextmedia Pty Ltd 207 Pacific Highway,
St Leonards NSW 2065. Please allow 6-8 weeks for your first magazine. For full terms and conditions visit www.
mymagazines.com.au. Please tick if you do not wish to receive special offers or information from nextmedia or its
partners via mail email. Please refer to www.nextmedia.com.au for the full Privacy Notice.
MA/508
68 /
POP U L A R S CI E NCE
The
Spe
J u sti n su l l i van / G e tty i maG es ( 4 )
2011
Dry
ell
AUgUSt 2015
2014
California iS in The
fourTh year of The
worST DroughT in iTS
h i S T o r y. w h y C a n T
SCienTiSTS explain iT?
By Jeneen inTerlanDi
P OP U L AR S C I EN C E
/ 69
AUgUSt 2015
ScienTiST
LiSA SLoAn
mADe A Dire
f o r e c A S T : m e LT i n g
ArcTic ice couLD
proDuce An epic
D r o u g h T.
70 /
PO P U L A R S CI E NCE
AbouT A
DecADe
Ago,
P OP u L aR sC I EN C E
/ 71
AUgUSt 2015
72 /
POP U L A R S CI E NCE
Manual
E D I TE D by
Sophie Bushwick
StatS
Time 2 hours
Cost $130
Diff iculty
g
keepin
house
If your
Walls
Could
Talk...
p hoto g r a ph by
Jarren Vink
P OP U L AR S C I EN C E
/ 73
M a n u a l AUg U St 20 15
Build It
45
M at e rIal s
resistors
Humidity and
temperature
sensor
5V step -up
breakout 2
LiPo charger
Arduino Pro
Mini 328
3.3V/8 MHz 1
PIR motion
sensor
Hookup wire
Two 1K
basic 3
Ambient light
sensor breakout
MEMS
microphone
breakout 4
Micro OLED
breakout 5
1 ,000 mAh
poly mer
lithium-ion
battery 6
Pi Tin for a
Raspberry Pi
to o l s
Soldering iron
Pliers
Wire cutter
MEMS microphone
to the 3.3V pin of
the Arduino.
1 Program the
Arduino with the
sketch you can find
via Google. This
is also where you
can find a hookup
guide. It illustrates
the wired connections between each
component.
2 Prepare the PIR
motion sensors
circuit board
74 /
by locating and
removing the
black rectangular
three-pad chip
(also known as an
integrated circuit,
or IC) labelled
78L05. On the part
of the board where
the chip used to
sit, identify the
now-empty pads
1 and 3. Solder a
piece of hookup
PO P U L A R S CI E NCE
wire between
the pads.
3 Solder a 1K resistor between pin
2 of the humidity
and temperature
sensor and the 5V
pin of the 5V stepup breakout.
4 Solder the
humidity and temperature sensors
6 Solder the
Arduino Raw pin
and the ambient
light sensor VCC
11 Finally, place
the home-health
sensor in the room
of your choosing.
The micro OLED
screen will let you
keep a finger on
your homes pulse.
i l lu st r at i o n by C l i n t fo rd
Inst ruct I o n s
AUgUSt 2015
manual
Fix the World
Turn up The
Bass, Turn
Down The
heaT
87
Firef ighter
fatalities
repor ted in the
U.S. in 2014
Toolbox
P OP U L AR S C I EN C E
/ 75
m a n u a l AU g U St 2 0 1 5
Hackertainment
76 /
P O P UL A R SC IENC E
193
Speed , i n k m p e r
h o u r,
at which a
M e ga B o ts
p ne um at ic
a r m ca nnon
shoots 150-mm
pa intba lls
Alex Gagne
400
Bags of potato
ch i ps Tol bas
mach i n e h o ld s
A DIY
Arcade
Claw
AUgUSt 2015
manual
Enviable Project
How
Its Made
t
inser
candy
dog
(re)walker
When his cousins schnauzer, Walt,
had a stroke and faced leg amputation
in 2002, prosthetics expert Martin
Kaufmann put together an improvised
braceeven though he had never
worked with nonhumans before.
Walt kept his leg, and the following
year, Kaufmann and his wife founded
the worlds first veterinary clinic
for orthotics (limb supports) and
prosthetics in Denver. At OrthoPets,
Kaufmann keeps dogsas well as cats,
horses, and even llamason their feet.
C o u rtesy o f o rth o pe ts ( 2)
ANDREW ROSENBLUM
06
Average time, in
days, to create
a veterinary
prosthetic
P OP U L AR S C I EN C E
/ 77
Go Ahead . . .
Ask Us
Anything
A N SW E R S BY Daniel Engber
IL LU STR AT I O N S BY Jason Schneider
Q: How much
exercise do we
get from talking?
Short answer Not much, unless
YOURE SHOUTING.
A:
Q: COULD A LION LIVE ON
VEGGIE BURGERS?
Short answer Not by a long shot.
A:
78 /
POP U L A R S CI E NCE
AU G U ST 2 01 5
Balloons
Explore
New
Heights
In May 1948, the unmanned
research balloon on Popular
Sciences cover lifted off to
explore the stratosphere.
As part of Project Skyhook,
researchers from General
Millsmakers of Halloweenthemed monster cereal
loaded the balloon with
instruments, and deployed it
to 30,000 metres to analyse
air composition and cosmic
rays. Where our balloons
now float will be mans
highway of tomorrow, Otto
C. Winzen, the projects
engineer, told us then. Now,
companies are racing to prove
Winzens prediction correct.
They plan to lift tourists to
30,000 m using footballfield-size balloons that drift
on a path over Earth before
descending. Read more about
how theyll do it on page 36.
R AC H E L FO BA R
31
Weight, in kilograms, of
weather instruments the
Project Skyhook research
balloon could support
UNUSUAL
BALLOON
CARGO
TAKES
FLIGHT
Pet Turtle
In October 1934,
Jeannette Piccard
became the first
woman to reach the
stratosphere in a
balloon. One of her
travel companions was
a pet turtle named
Fleur de Lys.
Chair
As part of a
stunt to advertise a
new TV in 2009, DIY
space program JP
Aerospace helped
Toshiba send an
armchair more than
29,800 metres up into
the stratosphere.
Bobbleheads
During the 2012
election, California
middle- and highschool students sent
bobbleheads of
presidential contenders Barack Obama
and Mitt Romney to
near-space.
Doughnut
Two Swedish brothers
launched the first
doughnut (with
sprinkles) into the
stratosphere above
Norway in April 2015.
Unfortunately, it
returned to Earth in
Lake Vttern.
P OP U L AR S C I EN C E
/ 79
T H E N AUGU ST 2 0 1 5
Retro Invention
80 /
PO P U L A R S CI E NCE
AU G U ST 2 0 1 5
THEN
Retro Invention
RADIOISOTOPE
THERMOELECTRIC
GENERATOR
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
Since they contain fairly large
amounts of radioactive material,
RTGs dont exactly get a Greens
seal of approval. The Soviet Union
built and deployed thousands of
RTGs as power sources in remote
areas, many of which are now
past their design life span or even
lost. Some have been targeted by
scrappers who steal the metal
shielding to sell, exposing later
scavengers to radiation burns.
The aborted Apollo 13 mission saw
NASA dump a hot RTG in the
Pacific Ocean. It was designed to
withstand re-entry though, and
no contamination was released.
As far as we know.
/ 81
Labrats
PROJECT
TUESDAY
82 /
Po P U L A r S CI E NCE
STo ry by
Subject Zero
nExT
iSSUE!
Australian
Popular
Science #82
Sept 2015
On SALE
27th Augst
MISSION
EU RO PA ! We
h ead fo r t he
m o st i mpo r tant
m o o n in
t h e So l ar
Syste m. PLUS!
B io h acki ng,
robo t
i nvest ment , t he
Hum a n V i ro m e
a n d t h e I gnobel
p r i ze !
Porsche recommends
TRP PC 8482