Mehdi Sadaghdar runs Electroboom, a Youtube channel that shows off the fun, and occasionally dangerous sides of engineering.

Earth & Energy

Mehdi Sadaghdar runs Electroboom, a YouTube channel that shows off the fun, and occasionally dangerous sides of electrical engineering.

Explosive and Comedic Electrical Education by Electroboom

<p>DIY science experiments have always been popular. You can spending your weekends blowing up a bottle of Diet Coke with Mentos, or your evenings making <a href="https://www.inverse.com/article/23279-science-fair-experiments-for-adults" target="_blank" rel="noopener">handheld fireballs</a>. Sometimes you learn something, sometimes you <em>think </em>you do. But today, unlike in the past, the worst ideas make their way onto the internet, encouraging people to do something stupid, or simply spreading misinformation.</p>
<p>Sometimes, those exploits go viral. But that isn&#8217;t always a good thing.</p>
<p>The internet lost its mind over such a post last week. A California mom posted a photo Facebook post that appeared to show what can only be described as bacterial nastiness, growing in a petri dish. Most disturbingly, Nichole Ward noted in the text accompanying the photo that she obtained her specimens from a hand dryer in a public restroom. &#8220;[This] is what grew in a Petri dish after just a few days. I stuck the open plate in an enclosed hand dryer [&#8230;] for a total of 3 minutes. Yes 3 only. DO NOT EVER dry your hands in those things again,&#8221; she wrote in her post.</p>
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<p>***Alright, Alright, Alright&#8230; now i think is a perfect time to tell you a few things. As y&#039;all know how viral this&#8230;</p>
<p>Posted by <a href="#" role="button">Nichole Ward</a> on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10215141893529732&amp;set=a.10200510697798983.191495.1503955442&amp;type=3">Tuesday, January 30, 2018</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Unsurprisingly, post received <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/woman-sticks-petri-dish-under-public-bathroom-hand-dryer-and-photo-draws-national-horror/ar-BBIRSQ0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">545,373 shares on Facebook</a>. Ward, who says she did the experiment for a microbiology class assignment, also wrote: &#8220;This is the several strains of possible pathogenic fungi and bacteria that you’re swirling around your hands, and you think you’re walking out with clean hands. You’re welcome.&#8221;</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s the thing: if you&#8217;ve been paying attention, Ward&#8217;s post shouldn&#8217;t be telling you anything new.</p>
<p>First of all, microbes like the ones that grew in her petri dish are <em>everywhere, </em>from our countertops and door handles and <a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/bmj7gz/how-gross-is-your-phone-a-motherboard-science-experiment">cell phones</a>, to our bodies themselves. Humans are, by our very nature, walking microbial habitats. Bacteria help us digest our food and protect us from pathogens. And we tend to shed those microbes, both harmless and less so, in the places we occupy. Showing that there is bacteria in the air in a bathroom frequented by people? Hardly deserves a Nobel.</p>
<p>And about that claim that the &#8220;strains&#8221; of microbes in the petri dish are pathogenic? There&#8217;s no proof that&#8217;s the case. Ward didn&#8217;t send those samples off to be genetically sequenced, nor did she make any attempt to identify the types of microbes that grew on the petri dish. So we don&#8217;t even know if they&#8217;re the kinds of bugs found normally and harmlessly on our bodies, or, say, the kinds that only emerge when people didn&#8217;t wash their hands after touching poop <span class="s1">— the ones that can <em>actually </em>get you sick</span>. From the information in the post, we just can&#8217;t know how she tested what she incubated in her Petri dish, nor could we replicate it, even if we wanted to.</p>
<p>Yes, Ward explicitly stated, &#8220;⚠️this post is simply for awareness, not to instill fear⚠️,&#8221; but we also know a gross picture&#8217;s worth 1,000 placating words.</p>
<p><iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hro_3xtdO3Y?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>Ward&#8217;s post may not show us much, but <a href="https://www.popsci.com/do-jet-hand-dryers-spread-more-germs-than-paper-towels">a growing number of scientific studies</a> indicate she might not be too far off — that is, hand dryers do spread bacteria. While some grateful moms might thank Nichole, scientists were already hip to the knowledge.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(11)64617-X/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The jury is still out, </a>however, on whether paper towels are in fact a better bet if you&#8217;re not interested in getting sick after a bathroom visit.</p>
<p>Some people seem to be aware that Ward was spreading misleading information, perhaps going too far in the other direction in trying to stand up for the truth. An article published on Vice reads:</p>
<blockquote><p>The swarm of commenters seemed either vindicated or completely outraged by the post, with some blaming the dryers for making people sick and others claiming that Ward is being deceptive or unscientific. Ward told the [<em>New York</em>] <i>Times</i> she&#8217;s even received some death threats.</p></blockquote>
<p>There&#8217;s nothing wrong with doing your own science experiments at home. But given how easy it is to spread false information on social media, we&#8217;ve got to think about the consequences of what we share online. Most people, as we&#8217;ve learned, are <a href="https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/10/5/16410912/illusory-truth-fake-news-las-vegas-google-facebook">ready to believe false information</a>, instead of critically questioning our conclusions.</p>
<p>Maybe we should all go back to posting videos of our homemade bottle rockets.</p>


How a well-meaning microbiology student freaked the internet out.

Please don't post your hand dryer science experiment on the internet

Health & Medicine

A well-meaning student stuck a petri dish into a hand drier and cultivated a luxuriant landscape of bacterial colonies. Then it uploaded it online.

Please Don't Post Your Hand Dryer Science Experiment on the Internet

Unless you want bacteria with a side of skepticism.

Please Don’t Post Your Hand Dryer Science Experiment on the Internet

<h2>Extended Isolation</h2>
<p>Eight months ago, NASA OK&#8217;d six individuals to serve as psychology research subjects for Mission V, which took place at <a href="http://www.hawaii.edu/news/article.php?aId=8347" target="_blank">a facility at the University of Hawaii, </a>Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) at the Mauna Loa volcano. The crew stayed the course and, eight long months later, are set to emerge from their habitat today (September 17, 2017). The team has successfully completed the mission and contributed, through their months of unique living circumstances, to our understanding of the<a href="https://m.phys.org/news/2017-09-nasa-space-psychology-subjects-months.html" target="_blank"> psychological effects that long-term space missions might have on astronauts. </a></p>
<p>The island, Big Island, on which the simulation is taking place is relatively remote and secluded. But to truly create the experience of isolation — which could be comparable to an astronauts&#8217; aboard a long journey or on a Martian base — the simulation was complete with a 20-minute communication delay with the outside world; approximately the amount of delay between Mars and Earth. At the center of the experiment was a 1,200 square-foot (111-square meter) dome in which the subjects lived.</p>
<p>Two women and four men were aboard the mission, all of whom wore mood-gauging sensors to assist with the monitoring of their well-being. The crew has been eager to leave, however, as Brian Ramos — the Health and Performance Officer aboard HI-SEAS V — stated in the video below, &#8220;The most challenging part of the mission right now has been the end of the mission.&#8221;</p>
<p><iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xP3qdIMcLrY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<h2>From This Distant VantagePoint</h2>
<p>This grueling mission has served a critical purpose in the progressive journey to Mars — a mission NASA aims to achieve with humans as soon as the 2030s. The expedition would be expected to take a minimum of 2-3 years. Within that extended period of time, a small crew would be in close quarters all day every day, with limited communication to those back home on Earth. Understanding how such extreme circumstances might affect the mental health of an astronaut is necessary to help the space agency choose a crew specifically capable of handling such a task.</p>
<p>Astronauts will not only have to be academically accomplished, in extremely good physical shape, and expert problem solvers — they will additionally have to be mentally suited for the challenge of long-term isolation to, and on, an alien planet.</p>
<p>According to phys.org, the team&#8217;s &#8220;first order of business after subsisting on mostly freeze-dried and canned food: Feast on fresh-picked pineapple, papaya, mango, locally grown vegetables and a fluffy, homemade egg strata cooked by their project&#8217;s lead scientist.&#8221;</p>
<p>With that in mind, perhaps NASA may learn (after analyzing eight months of data) that the essential element for keeping tensions at bay and the ill-effects of isolation quelled is simple: better food. But whatever is found as a result of this long experiment, it is certain that such studies are not only important but essential in<a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiOkN3Jp6rWAhUH64MKHczjBlIQFggoMAA&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fscience%2F2014%2Foct%2F05%2Fhallucinations-isolation-astronauts-mental-health-space-missions&amp;usg=AFQjCNFEZaTmzUeVf_wyxA83ljeeRUp62A" target="_blank"> ensuring the safety and mental well-being of future astronauts</a> (and future research subjects).</p>


Two women and four men were aboard the mission, all of whom wore mood-gauging sensors to assist with the monitoring of their well-being.

After "living on Mars" for eight months, Mission V subjects are coming home

Off World

This grueling mission has served a critical purpose in the progressive journey to Mars — a mission NASA aims to achieve with humans as soon as the 2030s.

After “Living on Mars” for Eight Months, Mission V Subjects Are Coming Home

"The most challenging part of the mission right now has been the end of the mission."

Most of the time it doesn’t take too long…

Scientist pipetting a specimen into medium containing bacteria for scientific research in laboratory

Hard Science

Most of the time it doesn't take too long...

Watch: Six of the Longest Experiments Ever

<h5>To See is To Believe</h5>
<p>According to a new study, bacteria can actually see by using themselves as camera lenses to focus light. In this respect, they go beyond just seeing—they sense where light is.</p>
<p>&#8220;The idea that bacteria can see their world in basically the same way that we do is pretty exciting,&#8221; <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/bacteria-have-ability-see-eye-opening-study-finds-n515141">said Conrad Mullineaux</a> of the University of Freiburg in Germany and Queen Mary University of London.</p>
<p>While it is widely known that bacteria can move towards or away from light, and they can photosynthesize light similar to how plants do, scientists didn&#8217;t understand exactly how bacteria registered light.</p>
<p>&#8220;The physical principles for the sensing of light by bacteria and the far more complex vision in animals are similar, but the biological structures are different,&#8221;<a href="http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2016/02/09/Slime-that-can-see-Bacterium-acts-like-a-single-cell-eye/4931455044393/" target="_blank">said</a> Annegret Wilde of the University of Freiburg in Germany.</p>
<p>The experiment was done on bacteria at a microscopic level, with scientists shining lasers at the bacteria to determine how sensitive they are to light. Results of the study revealing the process by which bacteria detect light were <a href="http://elifesciences.org/content/5/e12620" target="_blank">published</a> in the journal <em>eLife</em>.</p>
<h5>Cyanobacteria</h5>
<figure id="attachment_23315" style="width: 600px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-23315 size-full" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2016/02/how-slime-sees.jpg" alt="Image Credit: eLife" width="600" height="383" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Image Credit: eLife</figcaption></figure>
<p>In the paper, the scientists assert that the body of the bacteria acts like a lens, in that it focuses the light that falls upon it. After this, small, tentacle-like pili grow on the side of the bacteria where the light is. These pili then attach onto any surface that they are able to reach, pulling the organism toward the energy source</p>
<p>&#8220;Whenever one edge of a cell encountered the edge of the laser spot, the cell changed direction to move away from the laser illumination,&#8221; they wrote. &#8220;Spherical cyanobacteria are probably the world&#8217;s smallest and oldest example of a camera eye.&#8221;</p>
<p>According to their calculations, the bacteria can focus on the light in a way that is similar to the human eye, but the image would be significantly blurrier.</p>
<p>This basically means that bacteria are, in fact, optical objects; however, no one noticed it prior to this experiment, despite the fact that scientists have been studying bacteria for the last 340 years.</p>


An experiment offers proof that bacteria can actually see. They use their entire one-celled selves as a camera lens to focus light.

New Study Reveals that Bacteria Can “See”

<h5>QUANTUM MECHANICS AND EVERYDAY OBJECTS</h5>
<p>Of the weird implications of quantum mechanics, superposition may be the hardest for humans to wrap their minds around. In principle, superposition means that the same object can exist in more than one place at the same time.</p>
<p>Ordinarily, superposition is only relevant on the microscopic scale of subatomic particles. Effects on this scale are the key to some possibly groundbreaking technologies, like <a href="https://futurism.com/welcome-new-world-quantum-computing/" target="_blank">quantum computing</a>. No one has ever demonstrated quantum effects on the scale of <a href="https://futurism.com/how-to-observe-schrodingers-cat-without-killing-it/">Schrödinger’s cat</a>–the mythical unobserved cat in a box that is both alive and dead at the same time.</p>
<p>But researchers from Stanford University’s Department of Physics recently published a paper in <em><a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v528/n7583/full/nature16155.html" target="_blank">Nature</a></em> documenting their successful attempt to show quantum superposition on a macro scale. Their efforts examine well known elements of quantum mechanical theory and “explore the transition to classical physics.”</p>
<h5>HOW IT WORKED</h5>
<p>To achieve this bold objective, the researchers had to create a <a href="http://www.britannica.com/science/Bose-Einstein-condensate" target="_blank">Bose-Einstein condensate</a> (BEC) in a super-cooled chamber. A BEC is a special state of matter that only exists at the coldest temperatures near -273.15°C (-459.67 °F or 0K). In this state, a collection of atoms can be described by wave function.</p>
<figure id="attachment_21267" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img class="wp-image-21267 size-medium" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2016/01/image-2-300x222.jpeg" alt="image" width="300" height="222" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Photo Credit: Taylor S. via Flickr</figcaption></figure>
<p>The team from Stanford created a BEC from a cloud of around 10,000 rubidium atoms. Using lasers to push the cloud of atoms into two separate states at the top of the chamber, the scientists were able to achieve large-scale superposition.</p>
<p>Superposition can only persist as long as it is unobserved, by observing it, we interfere with the system,so the scientist could not observe the phenomenon directly.</p>
<p>But as the atoms settle back to the bottom of the chamber, the lasers facilitate the transition of the matter back into one state. This process confirms that, while unobserved, the atoms really were in two places at the same time. For a more technical breakdown of the workings, <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v528/n7583/full/nature16155.html">see this article</a>.</p>
<p>All told, the atoms existed in the two positions over half a meter apart for about one second.</p>
<p>That might not sound like much, but for a demonstration of quantum effects on a macro scale, this is a huge leap forward. Previous <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21729065-000-quantum-skyfall-puts-einsteins-gravity-to-the-test/" target="_blank">experiments</a> only managed distances of less than a centimeter for under a quarter of a second.</p>
<p>“Our work really is definitive for large separations,” said Mark Kasevich of the Stanford team to <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn28709-new-quantum-record-as-ball-of-atoms-ends-up-in-two-spots-at-once/" target="_blank"><em>New Scientist</em></a>. “Nobody else has done that.”</p>
<p>The researchers believe this work may help future efforts to detect gravitational waves or phase shifts related to general relativity.</p>


Researchers have demonstrated the effects of superposition on the scale of everyday objects.

New Quantum Record: Ball of Atoms Ends up in Two Spots at Once

<h5>No Strings Attached</h5>
<p>Here’s a question Germany seeks to answer—would the country be a better place if each citizen was given a check worth $1,100 by the government each month, with no strings attached? Would people still feel compelled to get up, go to work, and be productive with an unconditional basic income (which, by the way, is half the average monthly wage in Germany but twice the amount of those receiving welfare)?</p>
<p>These are the questions that the privately funded German experiment involving 26 people, “<a href="https://www.mein-grundeinkommen.de/start">Mein Grundeinkommen</a>” (My Basic Income) wants to answer. The project is financed through crowdfunded donations that raise issues about Germany’s utopian ideals given the rise of poverty in Europe.</p>
<p><a href="https://futurism.com/videos/is-unconditional-basic-income-the-answer-to-technological-unemployment/">Basic income</a> follows four core elements—it has to be universal, individual, unconditional and it must be high enough to provide a decent standard of living.</p>
<p>The experiment explores what are largely considered leftist ideals but has also been granted some support from the right side of the political spectrum. Main issues from detractors focus on fears that this model could potentially cause lower productivity amoung people and ultimately cost the government.</p>
<p>Watch Rutger Bregman discuss w<span id="eow-title" class="watch-title " dir="ltr" title="Why we should give everyone a basic income | Rutger Bregman | TEDxMaastricht">hy he thinks we should give everyone a basic income in this TedX video.</span></p>
<p><iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aIL_Y9g7Tg0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<h5>Emancipatory Basic Income</h5>
<p>&#8220;A <a href="https://futurism.com/links/finland-explores-offering-a-universal-basic-income-to-its-citizens/">basic income</a> paid out to everyone could unleash enormous amounts of creativity,&#8221; <a href="http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-germany-basic-income-20151227-story.html">said Michael Bohmeyer</a>, a 31 year old who launched “My Basic Income” project in 2014.  “[So] to be able to work creatively, people need some security, they need to feel free. And they can get that with a basic income.&#8221;</p>
<p>The participants picked from a pool of 66,000 applicants, have been chosen at random and additional participants are chosen through drawings and are set to receive the money each month for a full year. Participants are free to use the money as they wish. Each new draw is held whenever enough donations have been collected. To date, 31,449 have made donations.</p>
<p>For most participants who have been chosen for the experiment, the guaranteed income is not enough to spur them to quit their jobs. &#8220;The one thing that everyone tells us is that they&#8217;re able to sleep much better,&#8221; Bohmeyer said. &#8220;But, ostensibly, not a lot changes: The students keep studying, the workers keep working, and the pensioners are still pensioners. But there is a big change that takes place in their minds. People feel liberated and they feel healthier.&#8221;</p>
<p>What do you think? Is this the way of the future?</p>


Sci-Fi Visions

A new German experiment explores the possibilities of emancipatory basic income and what its implications are on productivity and creativity.

Germany’s Basic Income Experiment: What Would You Do If You Had $1,100 a Month With No Strings?

<p>This is a rather simple experiment. Put a cute, fluffy <a href="https://www.marshmallowpeeps.com/" target="_blank">marshmallow Peep</a> in a bell jar. Suck out all the air using a vacuum. Watch in horror as the cute, fluffy Peep turns horrid colors, expands radically, and essentially transforms into an unrecognizable monstrosity.</p>
<p>You can watch <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy.html" target="_blank">Bad Astronomy&#8217;s Phil Plait</a> giving this test a go at the Texas A&amp;M University Physics and Engineering Festival in the video below.</p>
<p><iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UEetdatpUO0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>Of <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/04/16/peep_pull_what_happens_you_expose_a_peep_to_a_vacuum.html" target="_blank">the experiment</a>, Plait writes:</p>
<blockquote><p>In the demo, the Peep is placed on a rubbery surface, the glass bell jar is put over it, and the air pumped out. Air expands to fill whatever volume it is in, pushing on the walls of its container until the pressure is balanced. When the air outside the Peep is removed, the air in the little spongy holes expands to replace it. Because the Peep is soft, the material around the holes gets pushed by the air and expands as well, inflating the Peep overall. The tension in the material itself provides a force that keeps the air from expanding into the jar, so at some point, the expansion stops when the forces balance.</p>
<p>However, that material is made of sugar molecules all stuck together in a crystalline state. When the Peep expands, the crystal structure is partially broken, and it stays expanded only because the air pressure inside the bubbles is holding it up, balanced by the tension in the sugar. Once the air is let back into the bell jar the air inside the bubbles contracts again, and the material collapses. That part made me laugh even more than the expansion.</p></blockquote>
<p>Getting eaten probably doesn&#8217;t seem so bad when you consider this as an alternative fate.</p>


FromQuarkstoQuasars

Placing a marshmallow Peep in a bell jar and sucking out the air causes the candy to undergo a slightly horrific-looking transformation.

/Experiment

Earth & Energy

Explosive and Comedic Electrical Education by Electroboom

Health & Medicine

Please Don’t Post Your Hand Dryer Science Experiment on the Internet

Off World

After “Living on Mars” for Eight Months, Mission V Subjects Are Coming Home

Hard Science

Watch: Six of the Longest Experiments Ever

Hard Science

New Study Reveals that Bacteria Can “See”

Hard Science

New Quantum Record: Ball of Atoms Ends up in Two Spots at Once

Sci-Fi Visions

Germany’s Basic Income Experiment: What Would You Do If You Had $1,100 a Month With No Strings?

FromQuarkstoQuasars

What Would Happen If You Threw a Peep out an Airlock?

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