Jumping Spiders
The lovable, multi-talented octopedes
If a spider can be cute, friendly, and comical, it would have to be a member of the Salticid family. These tiny spiders can jump up to 6 inches, but they're not as scary as they sound.
Eye-to-Eye Video
Solving the eye contact problem
Most videoconferencing designs, which put the camera above or to the side of the screen, prevent you from making eye contact with the other participants. Research is underway to give participants true eye-to-eye communication.
The Beale Ciphers
Yet another story of secret codes and hidden treasure
One of the most vexing unsolved cryptographic puzzles of the last two centuries may point to buried treasure, but odds favor a more prosaic explanation.
Leaf Cutter Ants
A different kind of deforestation
If you need to disassemble a large tree and carry it a hundred yards or so, just find yourself a few million leaf cutter ants. That's not hard to do in Central America.
Starlite
The mystery miracle heatproof plastic
A seemingly miraculous plastic invented in the late 1980s appeared to be completely fireproof and a nearly perfect insulator, capable of withstanding 10,000°C without breaking a sweat. So why is it still not for sale?
Lagniappe
But wait, there’s more!
You know the old saying: you get what you pay for. But smart retailers underpromise and overdeliver, making their customers feel they are getting a little something extra.
Bionic Eyes
Seeing is believing
Several techniques are being developed to convert the output from digital cameras into signals the human brain can understand, making them into primitive but functional artificial eyes.
Memetics
The science of idea propagation
The way beliefs spread from one person to another resembles, in some ways, the way a virus spreads. A modern theory of idea epidemiology casts new light on religions, fads, political movements, and more.
Tagmemics
The linguistic theory of everything
According to this fringe linguistic theory, every sort of human behavior, from football games to church services, is fundamentally linguistic in nature.
The B-52s
The deadbeat club follows their bliss
That quirky band from the '80s may have made their reputation with songs like Rock Lobster and Love Shack, but they're under-appreciated for creating truly innovative music. And they're still touring!