Science

Drug Hunters

A look at the scientists working to identify the endless stream of synthetic designer drugs that have flooded the market in recent years.

This Parasite Drugs Its Hosts With the Psychedelic Chemical in Shrooms

A look at an unflinchingly brutal fungal parasite that invades the abdomens of cicadas, turning them into “flying saltshakers of death” when they then fly around releasing spores from the fungus on to their brethren on the ground. The cicadas’ obliviousness to the catastrophic loss of their bottoms is perhaps explained by the fact that the fungus has been found to contain psychedelics and amphetamines.

What would it take to build a tower as high as outer space?

Such are the advances that have been made in structural engineering, that proposals now exist to create buildings that can reach space. For such “megastructures” to be viable however, we may need to look to the natural world for inspiration – perhaps even our own bodies, where an estimated 98% of atoms are replaced each year.

When Your Child Is a Psychopath

A look at what can be done for children that display traits commonly associated with psychopaths. They do not feel the wrong of actions, though they might intellectually understand them – they Òknow the words but not the musicÓ. http://www.bit.ly/atlantic-psychopath