This weekend I'll be at Rose City Comic Con! So if you're on the west coast, this is your last chance to see me in person this year. As always, I'll have copies of the Sufficiently Remarkable Minis, OTP, and my Vaccines Work books on hand. Also some bonus goodies!

But first, Portland, we need to talk about your water. It has no fluoride in it? What's up with that?

Most municipalities treat their water supply with a small amount of this fluorine ion in order to combat tooth decay. Some cities opt out of this due to health concerns. Fluoride is odorless and tasteless (despite what anybody will tell you) and the amount in the water is negligible. If you're still on the fence about the issue, this article in the ever-amazing Portland Mercury will explain why you shouldn't be worried.

And if you decide to read the comments on that article (please don't) you will run into this gem, pointed out to me by @MWhipple4:

While the screed seems to fit right in with the rest of the conspiracy theories, film buffs will recognize the passage is actually from Dr. Strangelove. I tip my hat to you, good troll.

A Controlled Burn

Kevin Krasnow

A controlled (purposefully set and carefully monitored) fire set in California.

The size and swiftness of this weekend's deadly Valley Fire in California was startling. But could it (and the other fires currently raging out west) have been smaller if fires in previous years had been allowed to burn?

The authors of a new paper published today in Science certainly think so. In looking at forest fires in the United States, the researchers found that the vast majority of wildfires were kept extremely small, with 98 percent limited to less than 300 acres. Keeping fires small has been a goal for decades, as firefighters tried to preserve the forest the best way they knew how.

Currently, the thousands of firefighters working to control firefighters try to suppress them, or contain them in a specific area where the fires can safely burn themselves out, by building earthen barriers, using water, or even setting small fires to use up fuel (sticks, trees, grasses) before the larger fire gets there. 98 percent of the time, this method works great. But then there's the last 2 percent. That 2 percent accounts for the monster fires, ones that burn through 97 percent of the land burned every year, and also accounts for 97 percent of the cost of fighting fires.

All that money has to come from somewhere, and comes directly out of federal budgets. An accompanying editorial in Science points out that longer fire seasons and drier conditions are forcing the US Forest Service to spend a whopping 50 percent of its budget on firefighting this year. 20 years ago, the same agency spent just 16 percent of its budget on the same task.

So what's to be done? The authors suggest a radical option. Let it burn. Or, set some of the fires ourselves. Instead of just focusing on reacting to the fires we have, the authors say that we can prevent the mega-fires that threaten homes and structures by allowing some fires to burn larger areas, eating up way more fuel in the process and clearing out dead trees. The idea has been around for a while. In Australia, controlled or prescribed burns are fairly common during cooler, wetter seasons, when fires can be managed even over large areas, but the idea isn't always popular with the public, who object to the large amounts of smoke created by the fire.

In this case though, a little smoke today might be a better deal than a huge fire sometime in the future.

Basis Band On Wrist

Dan Bracaglia

In June, Swiss insurance provider, CSS Insurance announced that it would launch a pilot program to monitor its customers’ digital pedometers. Now that project is nearly halfway completed, the company’s higher-ups report that the results have been overwhelmingly positive—so positive, in fact, that the provider may soon start charging higher premiums for those who don’t meet their daily step quota or choose not to participate in the program, according to the Swiss news organization, The Local.

The pilot program, called MyStep, is the first of its kind by any insurer in Europe. The company monitors the step count of 2,000 people using digital pedometers like Fitbits or Apple Watches. That information is regularly synced with CSS' online portal. This works for both the insurer and the customer, the company reasons: Customers can take more ownership over their health and push themselves to complete the recommended 10,000 steps per day (though they could find the same information on their Fitbit). And the insurance company can charge more for those who don’t meet it. The pilot program is also intended to see how much information customers are willing to share with their insurance providers, The Local reports, and it looks like they’re willing to share a lot if it means lower premiums.

This may be the first time insurers directly monitor their customers’ health data, but it certainly won’t be the last; a number of health insurance providers think it’s inevitable that customers will hand over their data. One insurance data expert even predicted to the newspaper Blick that we may have nanochips implanted in our arms to continuously update our online activity profiles for insurance companies. And they may be right—as healthcare costs rise and a large percentage of the population remains obese, it may seem unfair for two people to pay the same amount in premiums if one is much more active than the other.

It’s only a matter of time before similar programs make their way to the U.S.—our healthcare is the most expensive in the world, and insurance companies are constantly on the lookout for new ways to pay for it. Get ready to start running around your living room in circles at night to meet that 10,000-step quota.

Flickr user 5chw4r7z

Makerspaces are a new resource for young STEM students.

Ahmed Mohamed's arrest for bringing his clock project to MacArthur High School in Texas has sparked public outrage (and the hashtag #IStandWithAhmed). And although police eventually released the 14-year-old, there is now a serious discussion around the fact that, like Ahmed and Kiera Wilmot, many students from underrepresented backgrounds may have a hard time finding support for their interests in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

The STEM workforce is no more diverse than it was 14 years ago, and it may be because smart kids with STEM interests can only go as far as their resources and support allow them. Some schools simply aren’t equipped to give these youngsters the skills they need for their projects.

Thankfully, it's easier than ever for students to find help outside of the classroom. Here are 5 organizations that could use your contribution now in their mission to help minority students like Ahmed Mohamed who dream of bringing their inventions to life.

NACME

NACME (National Action Council For Minorities In Engineering) is a nonprofit that seeks to increase the number of successful minorities in STEM education and careers. The organization is a helpful source of educational material for students learning about engineering as a career, and it also runs scholarship programs and reports data on diversity in the workforce. NACME accepts donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations.

TechHive

TechHive, based in the Bay Area, is a 10-week program that seeks to immerse teenage girls and minorities in the Maker movement. After their skill-building workshops, students begin to build and design STEM projects for industry and community partners. TechHive is still seeking donations for the 2015-2016 school year as it hopes to raise $6,000 for supplies and field trips by October 15th.

We Teach Science

We Teach Science connects underserved students in California and Texas with STEM mentors and tutors. Over the past academic year, more than 80 percent of the student participants were members of underrepresented communities. Mentors can work as little as one hour a week and are still being accepted for the 2015-2016 school year.

Maker Ed

Maker Ed has a hand in various STEM education projects throughout the U.S., including hands-on workspaces for young makers from underrepresented backgrounds. The nonprofit runs a resource library for members of the maker education community and offers training opportunities for STEM educators. Donations and volunteer inquiries are welcome.

Girlstart

Girlstart has prepared girls in Texas for STEM careers by providing year-round educational programming since 1997. In addition, the nonprofit sends girls of minority backgrounds and low-income environments to Girlstart Summer Camps located throughout the U.S., and even organizes Girls in STEM Conference, a one-day event for inventors between 4th and 8th grade. Girlstart is currently seeking volunteers and donations for the new school year.

Mattel

The newest Hello Barbie will be backed by natural language processing.

The next version of Barbie might not find math so hard, after all. This week, Mattel revealed that for the first time Barbie will be backed by artificial intelligence, a move to make the doll more lifelike.

In addition to the traditional hair products and accessories, the doll’s belt buckle doubles as a button for activating voice recognition. Through this mechanism, children can have interactive conversations with the classic toy.

Barbie, full name Barbara Millicent Roberts, knows 8,000 lines of dialogue, and can improvise with them based on the conversation she’s having with the user, according to ToyTalk CEO Oren Jacob. ToyTalk, who developed the system and will run the networks backing the AI, is a children’s game developer focused on conversation with in-game characters. Jacob says that Barbie will be able to tailor her conversations with the child and talk about their favorite things, “just like a real friend.”

Mattel

Barbie's belt buckle will work as a button to activate speech recognition software.

When a child speaks to Barbie (and holds down her belt button), the doll records the audio and transmits it back to the ToyTalk server. According to Jacob, the server runs a decision engine that uses natural language processing to choose an appropriate response. He describes it as a map with forks in the road. Based on a number of heuristics, the AI navigates the road and arrives at a optimal response. We've heard the phrase "decision engine" in the mainstream before: Bing, Microsoft's search engine, touted itself as a decision engine at its launch in 2009, with an ability to judge relevance.

The audio recordings are stored on ToyTalk servers, available to teams that work on improving the speech recognition platform and to the child’s parents. Parents can listen to, delete, or even share recordings on the site.

The doll with be available in November, just in time to chat through the holiday season.

The ever-delightful Ig Nobel award ceremony—which, in their words, honor achievements that make people laugh then make people think—is Thursday. For the 25th year! In honor of the anniversary, we highlighted a few of our favorite Ig Nobel awards in the current issue of Popular Science.

You can watch this year’s ceremony right here:

Festivities begin at 6 p.m. Eastern on September 17.

Viva Las Vegas

ADTeasdale/Flickr

Everyone is positively electrified by the news that a Chinese company is planning to build a high-speed train that will connect Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Californians will be able to bypass gridlock and airport hassles and make it to Vegas in just 80 minutes. It's a thrilling idea, but that doesn't mean it's new.

Back in the eighties, a West German company tried to do the same thing. Popular Science wrote about their plans in 1989, reporting that trains traveling 310 miles per hour would travel between the cities in 75 minutes by the mid-1990s. But by 1992 funding ran out. Whoops.

Hopefully this time the project will manage to stay on the rails. The new agreement already has $100 million, and hopes to start construction September of next year. No word on cost, but the Verge reports that an earlier version of the project estimated costs at $6.3 billion. Quartz reports that number as more like $12.7 billion, and cites sources that think the project could be complete in 3 years. As for cost to consumers? They can expect to pay about $89 a ticket for the trip.

High-speed rail remains elusive in the United States, mostly because the United States is huge and we don't have a robust incentive for spending tons of money on trains--cars and airplanes get most people everywhere they want to go. But there is a growing desire for better public transportation.

If this doesn't work, there's always the Hyperloop.

Refuse Truck Driver is Supported by Robot

Volvo

As long as there are humans, there will be garbage. And, for a long time, it seemed inevitable that there would always be garbagemen, too, to collect that refuse. A new project by carmaker Volvo, recycling company Renova, Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology and Mälardalen University, and Penn State University wants to create robot assistants for garbage trucks. With automation, a human driver can stick to the road, and a robot can do the literal heavy lifting.

Dubbed Robot-based Autonomous Refuse handling, or ROAR, the project will feature a robot designed by Mälardalen University, control system designed by Chalmers University, and a control panel designed by Penn State. Combined, these efforts will hopefully yield a robot that can grab trash and toss it on board a Renova waste truck by June 2016.

Volvo’s release on the matter suggests the purpose behind ROAR is a system that collects garbage “without waking the sleeping families and without heavy lifting for the refuse truck’s driver,” but there’s little evidence yet that humanoid robots or quieter or more graceful than actual humans. In terms of cost, robots can certainly be cheaper than people, if the same already-employed driver is now also responsible for steering a pair of robots instead of waiting for a couple people to hop off, grab trash, and get back on.

But that assumes waste collection companies will even still want human drivers in the future. If they’re looking to completely automate the garbage collection process, the next step is to hand the keys over to a robot.

[BusinessWire]

SpaceX Falcon 9 Lander Game

Jim Storer/dixiklo

Do you have what it takes?

Guys, it is super hard to land a rocket on a platform in the middle of an ocean. Elon Musk has had to learn that the hard way, and now, you too can experience the crushing disappointment of trying to land the SpaceX Falcon 9 lander, thanks to a new internet game (completely unaffiliated with SpaceX).

As Gizmodopoints out, it's all the fun/frustration, without the millions of dollars and crushed dreams. The game is simple; choose a level with your space bar, and use the arrow keys to gently guide the rocket onto the tiny floating platform before you run out of fuel. Or hit the ocean. Or hit the platform and explode violently. You could also succeed, but only if you are a secret genius/wizard.

Play the game here. Good luck!

Steven Stamkos Versus Drone

Screenshot by author, from YouTube

No one likes it when they move the goalposts. In this made-to-be-viral video produced by Canadian sporting goods outlet Sport Chek, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos demonstrates his ability to nail shots into the four corners of an unguarded net. Seconds later, though, a second pair of targets appear, carried by what appear to be some very basic quadcopters.

Moving fast, Stamkos turns his arsenal of available pucks into a projectile attack, flinging them at the taunting drones. In seconds, he destroyed the first target drone, and with a quick flick, he downs the second.

It falls squarely into the world of gimmick drones, where flying toy robots become pitchmen for otherwise unrealistic and expensive ads. No one really needs to hit drones out of the sky with hockey pucks, but we’ve all now watched the ad to see that it can be done.

Watch the full video below:

[Fast Company]

Falcon Shield Interface

Screenshot by author, from YouTube

"Kinetic" here probably means "with bullets."

The rise of drones will, inevitably, lead to their Icarus-like fall. Earlier this week, Selex ES, part of Italy’s large Finmeccanica defense giant, unveiled an anti-drone weapon at the Defence and Security Equipment International in London. Dubbed “Falcon Shield,” the system neither mimics nor uses actual birds to attack unmanned flying machines. Instead, “Falcon Shield” is a collection of sensors and software that are supposed to work together to find, track, and then either disable or take over hostile drones.

Here’s how Selex ES describes the system:

Falcon Shield makes use of Selex ES’s high-performance, passive electro-optical and electronic surveillance sensors, combined with scenario specific radar. These provide a fully integrated threat detection, identification and tracking capability which enables Falcon Shield to operate in environments that range from wide area through to high-clutter, ‘urban canyons’.

Incorporated within the Falcon Shield system is Selex ES’s unique electronic attack capability that provides users with the ability to disrupt or take control of the threat. Because Falcon Shield is inherently flexible, this electronic attack capability can be complemented by the integration of additional, optional kinetic effectors.

That’s a lot of jargon. In plain talk, the first part means that cameras and radar look for and track drones. "Electronic attack" translates roughly to "jamming or hacking," and "optional kinetic effectors" is jargon for "bullets," or something like bullets.

Selex ES lists five technologies which are part of the Falcon Shield system, though it’s probably safe to assume there are more components they aren’t advertising. These systems are the NERIO-LR long-range camera, the NERIO-ULR ultra-long-range camera, the camera-on-a-32-foot-stick Observer 100 with radar too, Vantage camera and sensor-coordinating software, and the Horizon HD infrared camera. (Many of these cameras have thermal imaging components as well.) The Falcon Shield system as displayed is, it appears, a collection of cameras, all focused on identifying and tracking small drones.

The material is vague on how exactly it stops small drones, but a video of the system shows the hypothetical threat: a quadcopter dropping a bomb in a stadium.

The video then rewinds to show the same attack, foiled by Falcon Shield after mysterious beams take over the drone:

It’s certainly possible to confuse drones with wrong coordinates, or even shut them down through Wi-Fi. It’s unclear what method Falcon Shield uses for takeover, but the set of sensors at least show a product very dedicated to tracking drones as they fly. Watch the full video below:

Child About To Lose A Tooth

Screenshot by author, from [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlHHS7IC7M0&feature=youtu.be&t=22_

That string is attached to a drone. No, really.

What you are about to see is a video of a father using a drone to remove a child’s tooth. Let me be very clear: this is not something Popular Science endorses or condones, as the combination of child, tooth, rope, and quadcopter could go very poorly. That said, just freakin’ look at this thing:

Here’s the play-by-play. The kid, Adam, has a loose tooth, so naturally pops decided to attach a Phantom Vision Quadcopter to it. Adam seems pretty pumped about the whole thing.

The drone hovers at the ready, and with a thumbs up from Adam, the quadcopter skyrockets into the air, pulling the tooth in one short, quick movement.

Adam then happily treats viewers to the bloody gap in his mouth where the tooth once was. All told, it’s a surprisingly clean and smooth operation. Finding the tooth is after that is tricky, but perhaps the parents could claim that the tooth fairies snatched-it in mid-air. If Adam’s clever, maybe he’ll negotiate, instead of some coins under his pillow, for a share of advertising revenue from this video.

Adam isn’t the first kid to get a tooth pulled in a weird way. YouTube is full of videos where rockets, cars, bow-fired arrows, and all manner of strange and excessive contraptions Rube Goldberg loose teeth from their perch. Adam isn’t even the first kid to have a quadcopter remove a tooth. Last year, another dad (it is always dads) attached dental floss to his daughter’s tooth and then back to his Phantom quadcopter, and then pulls away! Amidst a crowd of filming onlookers, the daughter calmly looks for her tooth while her dad screams in delight.

Watch below:

Tesla Motors is currently the go-to machine for those looking to add electrified style and performance in their life. Other automakers have, of course, noticed and now more offerings are on their way. Porsche rolled out its Mission E electric sedan concept at this week's Frankfurt Auto Show, and Audi was there with its e-tron quattro concept electric crossover. Another name you may not have heard of before brought an electric concept as well, and this one posts a lot of promises about its performance. Say hello to the Thunder Power Sedan.

The car is being produced by a power tool company from Taiwan, and the spec sheet is impressive. This Thunder Power Sedan is a rear-wheel-drive four-door that comes with either a 308- or 429-horsepower setup. On a full charge, the Thunder Power is said to have a range of just over 400 miles. If you give it a quick 30-minute charge it can have a range of around 186 miles.

With that promised range comes some promised performance as well. The run from 0-62 miles per hour happens in under five seconds on the more potent version, and the Thunder Power Sedan will have a top speed of 155 miles per hour. That funky styling? It comes by way of famed Italian design house Zagato, apparently. We do like some of the angles presented here, but we're not sold on that schnoz just yet. The profile and rear three-quarter views aren't too bad, though still a bit lumpy.

The company has another concept, however, as there's also Thunder Power Racer. It looks like an electric GT3 race car concept, and we have to say we like the looks of this one much more than the standard sedan. The aggressive treatments on the front fenders and the way the hood dives into the nose work quite well. The wide-body flares also help the overall stance of the car.

It's all an adventurous concept at this point, but if this Taiwanese company can pull off the Thunder Power Sedan we'd be quite impressed. Those would be some impressive range and performance figures. We call it a concept, but Thunder Power says it should go on sale in Europe by the end of 2017. After that the company will launch in China in 2018, and then attempt to head over to the United States.

For more from the Frankfurt Auto Show, head to Motor Authority's dedicated hub.

More From Motor Authority
2016 Ford Focus RS Configurator Goes Live, Confirms $36,605 Starting Price
Porsche Design Chief Talks About The Mission E Concept: Video
‘Forza Motorsport 6’ Reveals More Potential Ford GT Specs: Video
New Cylinder Deactivation System Allows V-8s To Run On Two Cylinders

iOS 9 Best/Worst Features

Apple

Here's what you can and cannot look forward to in iOS 9

Apple’s iOS 9 has finally come to an iPhone near you. Available on the new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus and old models of iDevices going all the way back to the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, the updated software brings a long list of new features you’ve likely heard about by now. Siri has been enhanced with Proactive features that pull in data about your contacts and location, transit has been added to Apple Maps, and a lower power mode has been included to preserve your battery.

“Back To” options in the top-left your iOS 9 screen make using Apple’s devices more fluid and the new option to install ad-blockers in the default mobile Safari web browser has many publishers worried about how they’ll pay the bills. The iPad receives among the most exciting updates with Split Screen, Picture in Picture and cursor movement using the keyboard. So what’s left?

Best Hidden:

Continuity, Everywhere**

Continuity

Apple

Your devices no longer need to be on a similar wifi network in iOS 9's iteration of Continuity

Apple first introduced the ability to send SMS messages and receive phone calls from non-iPhone devices back in 2014. With Handoff and Continuity, texts sent and received on your iPhone were pushed to your iPad and Mac when on the same Wi-Fi network. Similarly, call forwarding would ring all your devices when receiving a phone call to your iPhone’s number. Now with iOS 9, devices need not be on the same Wi-Fi network.

If your iPhone is at home, for example, you’ll still be able to receive calls and texts from the number at your work computer—provided that computer is a Mac and you’re logged into your iCloud account. As long as all devices are connected to the internet (and not in low power mode), talking on the phone can take place anywhere. Provided your carrier supports it. T-Mobile remains the only carrier ready for the feature.

Incognito Mode For Your Camera Roll

Hide Photos

iOS 9

Hiding secret photos is now possible in the latest version

For when you want to show off vacation photos but your family members get a little too swipe-happy. iOS 9 users are now able to hide specific photos from the iPhone and iPad’s photo library. Tap "Select" in the top right and the summon the share sheet from the bottom left icon. On the bottom left of the menu, the option to "Hide" will appear.

By selecting one or multiple thumbnails, iOS 9 users’ photos and videos can hide in plain sight. While the picture won’t appear in the main camera roll, moments, collections, and years, it will still be available to view in previously assigned albums. To unhide, simply select and tap "Share" to reveal the "Unhide" option.

Secret iOS 9 App

iCloud Drive App

Apple

iOS 9 comes with an iCloud Drive app

iOS 9 comes with a new app that you might miss at first blush. That’s because it isn’t on any of the default homescreen pages. The latest iteration of Apple’s mobile OS comes with a hidden iCloud Drive app, here’s how to reveal it.

Head to the Settings app. Tap on "iCloud," then "iCloud Drive." The option that allows you to “Show on Home Screen” is what you’ll want to turn on. For those that don’t prefer Dropbox or Google’s apps, the iCloud Drive app could come in handy.

Screen Rotate Switch For The iPhone

iPhone Mute Switch

Creative Commons

The mute toggle will now be able to act as a rotation lock switch

Now, similar to the iPad, iPhone users can make their vibrate switch a rotation toggle. In the General section of the Settings app, iOS 9 now lets you make your silent mode switch a rotation lock button.

Mail Attachments, Supercharged

Mail App

iOS 9

Any type of attachment can be added to an email in iOS 9

Apple is increasing the amount of photos you can attach to an email. Additionally, any type of file can now be included with your email, not just photos or videos. Bringing the default iPhone and iPad app closer to desktop-class mail clients.

Quick Reply For Any App

Quick Reply

iOS

iOS 9 will allow quick reply from more apps than just the default messaging application

iOS 8 brought the ability to quickly reply to SMS texts and iMessages from anywhere within the OS. Swiping down on a banner notification revealed a text box where texters could enter a response and send without leaving their current app. Now that functionality is coming to non-Apple apps.

Soon apps like Facebook Messenger, Twitter and more will offer the ability to send off text from anywhere within iOS 9.

iOS 9’s Worst Features

The New App Switcher

App Switcher

iOS 9

Not better or worse, just different

When Apple brought users the new app switcher in iOS 7, it offered users many useful changes from the previous version. When double tapping the home button on the older iPhone OS, a tray of icons were revealed. More recently, revealing the app switcher showed full thumbnails of app windows—allowing you to swipe up to easily quit an app or scroll to see what’s open. The app switcher in iOS 9 changes that —but not for the better.

While the new switcher isn’t worse, it feels like change for the sake of change. Large thumbnails and swiping up to quit are still available in this view, but iOS users must now relearn which direction to swipe for the rest of their apps. Though when looking at the various “Back To…” menus that appear in the top left of iOS 9 following an app-jump, the new switcher view makes slightly more sense. Though we still lament the departure of iOS 7's and 8’s take on the switcher.

Default Apps Still Unremovable

The dreaded Newsstand may finally be gone, but default Apple apps still can’t be uninstalled from your iOS 9 device. Seldom used applications like Tips or the Apple Watch companion app may prove useful to some, but wastes space for those that have no need for it.

But luckily that may be changing soon. Tim Cook recently hinted at the ability to remove Apple’s default iOS apps in an interview with Buzzfeed, but only some. Let’s not get crazy.

Compatibility

There are some features that make an OS unusable, and others that simply make using it impossible. Compatibility falls on the latter side of this line. While newer iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches can join in the iOS 9 fun, older devices must sit this one out. iPhones before the 4S, iPod Touches before the fifth generation, and first-gen iPads are not able to install iOS 9.

And then there are features that exist on iOS 9, but potentially not your device. The iPad 4 and Mini 1, for example, can install the new OS but don't get the "Picture-In-Picture" or "Slide Over" features. And Split View for multiple apps can only be had on Apple’s 2015 iPads.

How To Turn A Chicken Into A Dinsaur

Figure from Grossi et al., PLOS One, February 2014

Just add a tail.

Eggs can be un-boiled, at least partially. Mammals all pee for the same length of time. Every language has a word for “huh?” CEOs of risk-taking firms tend to have lived through—but didn’t suffer from—natural disasters. Police in Bangkok can get extra pay for refusing bribes. Allergic people get fewer hives if they make out with someone, and DNA persists in saliva after kissing such that saliva may provide evidence of an assault. It is mathematically possible for the Moroccan Emperor Moulay Ismael the Bloodthirsty (1672–1727) to have fathered 888 children, as lore holds. Chickens will walk like dinosaurs if they have heavy fake tails attached to their butts. A species of paper wasp has the most painful insect sting; the nostril is among the most painful places to be stung by a honey bee.

(Read all about the Ig Nobels and browse 25 years of previous winners at the Annals of Improbable Research. Or just check out Popular Science’s favorites in the September issue.)

Mislabeled Scene From Jurassic Park

Screenshot by author, from YouTube

Computers lack common sense. This isn’t a fault of theirs: The world of context and relations that humans learn from birth isn’t something innately grasped by computers, so when given simple cognitive tasks, they sometimes answer like toddlers eager to try out new words. Watch below, as a computer neural network attempts to label video of a BigDog robot walking down a hall.

Those captions are part of a neural network created by AI researcher Samim using NeuralTalk. This summer, Google famously revealed the products of its neural network’s dreams, strange images cobbled together from a computer’s understanding of what an object looked like. Samim’s project doesn’t draw new pictures, it just gets the computer to put into words what it thinks it sees.

And sometimes, that’s laughably, laughably wrong.

Yoda Stands In A Swamp

Screenshot by author, from YouTube

But it’s wrong in a way that derives from learning. A child who had never seen a giraffe but was told they have long, sideways ears might reasonably guess that Yoda is one, which the machine totally did. Samim explains his project and how to replicate it at Medium, and you can watch the full video of machine description bloopers below

Watch the video below:

[Gizmodo]

Elio Motors prototype takes on the snow

Ever since Paul Elio founded Elio Motors in 2008, the company has popped up in the news a few times a year. Sometimes it’s to hail the startup’s three-wheeled vehicles as an innovative solution for urban transportation and sometimes to predict the fledgling company's imminent demise. But there's no demise in sight yet, and now Elio Motors has made the Los Angeles Auto Show’s 2015 Top 10 Automotive Startups list and will be featured at the Connected Car Expo on November 17. Elio is the only auto maker; other honorees include a drunk driving prevention system, a car sharing company, and speech recognition software.

So what is this the vehicle Forbes.com recently called “the most revolutionary car since the Tesla Model S”? It starts with three wheels and a funky two-person cockpit with a .9-liter 3-cylinder engine good for 55 hp. But since the vehicle is so small, that translates to a 100-mph top speed and a 672-mile range, thanks to an expected 84 mpg.

It’s not completely without creature comforts and safety features, like power windows and locks, air conditioning, and the required airbags and ABS, plus stability control. All this quirky commuting can be yours for a projected $6,800.

The company is planning to build these cars in a former GM plant that made Hummers in Shreveport, LA, adding about 1500 jobs to the area. For now, the prototypes are being built in Detroit, where all of the suppliers are located. Production has been pushed back several times, with a target date now of late 2016.

If you’d like to check one out for yourself, Elio Motors has a prototype, P4, painted in Creamsicle that’s making the rounds. You can even be one of the more than 45,000 who have already plunked down at least $100 as a reservation for an Elio of their very own.

Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson poses for the cover of Popular Science

Popular Science

Following our September cover story featuring Neil deGrasse Tyson as our guide for “How To Be An Expert In Anything”, Popular Science sat down with Tyson for breakfast at the 21 Club in New York on Friday morning.

Beforehand, we had asked all of you to share your questions for Tyson on Twitter using #AskPopSci. As usual, Tyson charmed us with his thoughts on everything from scientology to STEM education. Here we’re sharing a few of our favorite moments. You can also watch the entire event on Periscope.

At breakfast with Neil deGrasse Tyson

Katie Linendoll / Twitter

Tyson kicked off breakfast with some thoughts on inspiring people to learn science.

He discussed some of the hottest topics in science today, including why it’s important to fund science exploration…

… but why it’s imperative to look after our own planet too. (He also threw some shade at SpaceX founder Elon Musk.)

Tyson talked about the science that baffles him (and he wasn't the only one who felt that way) …

… while reminding us that science, at its core, is a step-wise process of feeling more and more baffled.

In the same vein, he talked about why scientists need room to be wrong.

Tyson discussed the necessity of bringing STEM to the forefront of society…

… as well as the necessity of bringing women to the forefront of STEM.

In response to a question about future technologies for space exploration, he wasn’t afraid to dream big.

Lastly, Tyson made us smile with this confession:

Dog In Cerberus Harness

Visual Engineering

Named for the mythical guardian of the underworld, the Cerberus camera system from Visual Engineering puts a second head on a military or police dog. On display at London’s Defence and Security Equipment International exhibition this week, Cerberus upgrades dogs of war into scouts and more.

The harness-mounted camera includes a microphone, and can be upgraded to include thermal imaging, high definition cameras, and an audio recorder. Normally flat against the dog’s back, that camera springs up when activated by a trainer, who controls it over an encrypted link from up to 1600 feet away, and can watch the video through a hand-held receiver. The whole system is battery-powered.

Armies have used dogs since there were both armies and dogs. That work has expanded from guard duty to include drug detection and bomb sniffing. Adding a camera to a working dog means that not only can it go places humans can’t, but it can stream video in real time, potentially spying ambushers or other important information. Thanks to the microphone in the Cerberus kit, a handler could then call the dog back, having gained the needed information without giving away her position. Dog, camera, and handler working together become a three-headed threat.

[IHS Janes’s]

Nishimasu et al, 2014

Cas9, the enzyme used in the CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing technique, employed on a stand of DNA.

While scientists around the world continue to debate the use of the CRISPR/Cas9 system, the tool capable of precisely editing DNA on the genomic level, British scientists working at the Francis Crick Institute in London announced today that they have applied for permission from the United Kingdom's fertility regulator (the UK Human Fertilization & Embryology Authority) to use this technique on viable human embryos. If granted, this would allow them to directly study humans’ earliest stage of development and would mark the first approval by a national regulatory body to employ the CRISPR/Cas9 system on viable human embryos.

The use of the CRISPR/Cas9 system remains a controversial issue. This new announcement comes only a few months after an op-ed was published in Nature cautioning against its use, and after Chinese researchers reported they had indeed successfully employed the CRISPR/Cas9 system on non-viable human embryos to remove a part of the gene that causes a genetic blood condition called beta thalassemia.

Kathy Niakan, a group leader at Crick and lead author of the research, says her and her team plan to use CRISPR/Cas9 for basic research, with no intention of a clinical application. Further, the viable embryos would only be studied for two weeks and, by UK law, cannot be implanted for a successful pregnancy. However, the information gathered by this basic research could have broad clinical implications, particularly to improve the success rate for healthy embryonic development after in vitro fertilization as well as potential for use in stem cell research, according to the press release. Crick’s announcement was first reported in an article in The Guardian.

The use of this research in even non-viable embryos has been intensely regulated. The U.S. National Institutes of Health reaffirmed its ban on research that involves gene editing of human embryos in late April of this year, shortly after the Chinese researchers reported their use of CRISPR/Cas9 in non-viable embryos. Thus even asking permission to use this research in viable embryos is likely to spark another gigantic wave of discussion as to whether CRISPR/Cas9 should be used on any human embryos at all. Some argue that editing the human genome could have unintended consequences that could be passed down to future generations, but at the same time, many scientists believe CRISPR/Cas9 could be an important tool for treating and even preventing certain diseases, if given the proper basic research.

Niakan told The Guardian:

“There are suggestions that the methods could be used to correct genetic defects, to provide disease resistance, or even to introduce novel traits that are not found in humans. However, it is up to society to decide what is acceptable: Science will merely inform what may be possible.”

Whether or not this new research proposal will be conducted remains under discussion. Nevertheless, in the wake of this surge in interest and because of the broad implications the CRISPR/Cas9 technique could have, scientists around the world advise that before any further research gets underway, conversations need to be had. On September 14th of this month, scientists from the United States, China, and Britain announced that they plan to host an international summit to discuss the future of human gene editing, Reuters reported. That meeting is currently scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C. on December 1-3 of this year.