Friday Fragments (7/29/11)

Another Friday, another round of interesting science articles for you to pass the time with.  This week there is wide range of things so there should be something for everyone.

-I love iced tea (hot tea is not my forte but whatever). Now, high school scientists have discovered undisclosed ingredients in many different varieties of teas. That's right, a bunch of high school students under the guidance of a few full-fledged scientists have uncovered that most tea brands that you buy can have unlisted amounts of ingredients. I like this story because they are high school students who are actively participating in research. (Bryan, dare I say 10-year plan?)

-Here's a little office prank you can try...

And I bet this person still gets crappy cellphone reception in their cubicle.

-Scientists in Hong Kong say they have dispelled one type of time travel.  They physics is sound but I still want to believe it can happen someday.  Decide for yourself!

-Want a luxury yacht that actually has a dock of it's own and a volcano?  Of course you do!

The Mousculator

-While we are asking hypothetical questions...have you ever been using your mouse and thought I wish I could do simple math while surfing the internet.  Search no further!  Canon has released the mouse/calculator.  Whew, that's so much easier than using the simple calculator on my computer!

-Test you eyesight on your computer with this awesome optical illusion picture. If you only click one link today, click this one!

-Alright, let's knock out all the big medicine news in one paragraph. Stem cell research was given the go ahead by a judge this week. This is actually a big step for stem cell researchers.  Other scientists claim that a universal flu vaccine can be as close as five years away.  They claim that they can target the parts of the flu virus that hasn't changed over many years, but I believe it may not have changed because we haven't targeted it yet.  Did you follow? (I call shenanigans, but it's worth the effort).  And now there is a new push by a few researchers to classify cancer on a new species.  Interesting idea, I feel like it is a matter of perspective but they intend to prove it so we will see.  And if you are interested in the current state of HIV drugs...here is a quick update from a conference in Rome.

-If you like science movies, watch the following trailer for a web miniseries.  It's called H+ and is about implanting computers directly into humans so we are connected to the internet 24/7.  Scary? Yes. Enticing? Yes. Possible? Maybe someday.

Alright, if that does not at least get you through your lunch hour, then go watch an episode of Teen Mom and get the hell off my blog! But seriously, tell your friends if you like what you read here. Until next week!