Alt-week 11.03.12: zombie animals, martian methane and self healing buildings

Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days.

Altweek 110312 zombie animals, martian methane and self healing buildings

After a week where large numbers of people found themselves at the mercy of mother nature, many will be reminded just how vulnerable we really can be at times. That said, science still provides us with a pretty big stick to whack many other problems with. After the break we look at how crumbling buildings could soon be self-healing, why some UK-based scientists think they are one step closer to answering the “is light made of waves or particles” quandary, and NASA reveals its latest results in the hunt for martian methane. Oh, and there’s some zombie animals too. This is alt-week.

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Alt-week 11.03.12: zombie animals, martian methane and self healing buildings originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Nov 2012 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alt-week 20.10.12: our oldest primate ancestor, the birth of the moon and a planet with four stars

Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days.

Alt-week 20.10.12: our oldest ancestor, the birth of the moon and a planet with four stars

Most mornings, we wake up with little to no idea what happened the day before, let alone last week. Fortunately, they don’t let us run important scientific research projects. Or maybe they do, and we just forgot? This week (and most others as it goes) we definitely leave it to the pros, as we get some insightful glimpses at some important origins. Ball Lightning, the moon and even us humans are the benefactors of those tireless scientists, who work hard to explain where it all comes from. There’s also a planet with four stars that sees the first few paragraphs of its origin story excitedly written out. One thing we never forget, however, is that this is alt-week.

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Alt-week 20.10.12: our oldest primate ancestor, the birth of the moon and a planet with four stars originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Oct 2012 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alt-week 20.10.12: our oldest ancestor, the birth of the moon and a planet with four stars

Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days.

Alt-week 20.10.12: our oldest ancestor, the birth of the moon and a planet with four stars

Most mornings, we wake up with little to no idea what happened the day before, let alone last week. Fortunately, they don’t let us run important scientific research projects. Or maybe they do, and we just forgot? This week (and most others as it goes) we definitely leave it to the pros, as we get some insightful glimpses at some important origins. Ball Lightning, the moon and even us humans are the benefactors of those tireless scientists, who work hard to explain where it all comes from. There’s also a planet with four stars that sees the first few paragraphs of its origin story excitedly written out. One thing we never forget, however, is that this is alt-week.

Continue reading Alt-week 20.10.12: our oldest ancestor, the birth of the moon and a planet with four stars

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Alt-week 20.10.12: our oldest ancestor, the birth of the moon and a planet with four stars originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Oct 2012 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alt-week 10.13.12: is the Universe a simulation, cloning dinosaurs and singing mice

Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days.

Altweek 101312 is the Universe a simulation, cloning dinosaurs and singing mice

Are you reading this? Seriously, are you? Sure, we know you think you are, but what if you’re just a sub-feature of a complex computer program. A sprite, nothing more than the creation of software. The problem with this question is, how would you ever know? You wouldn’t, right? Well, not so fast there. Turns out, maybe there is a way to unravel the matrix (if there is one). It’ll come as no surprise, that this is one of the topics in this week’s collection of alternative stories. Think that’s all we got? Not even close. We’ll explore the truth behind cloning dinosaurs, as well a rare performance by singing mice — all before dinner. Or is it really dinner? This is alt-week.

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Alt-week 10.13.12: is the Universe a simulation, cloning dinosaurs and singing mice originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Oct 2012 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alt-week 10.6.12: supercomputers on the moon, hear the Earth sing and the future of sports commentary

Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days.

Altweek 10612 supercomputers on the moon, hear the Earth sing and the future of sports commentary

Normally we try to encourage you to join us around the warm alt-week campfire by teasing you about what diverse and exotic internet nuggets we have for you inside. Sadly, this week that’s not the case. There’s nothing for you here we’re afraid. Not unless you like totally mind-blowing space videos, singing planets and AI / sports commentary-flavored cocktails, that is. Oh, you do? Well what do you know! Come on in… this is alt-week.

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Alt-week 10.6.12: supercomputers on the moon, hear the Earth sing and the future of sports commentary originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Oct 2012 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alt-week 9.29.12: 3D pictures of the moon, 4D clocks and laser-controlled worms

Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days.

Altweek 92912 3D pictures of the moon, 4D clocks and lasercontrolled worms

Dimensions, they’re like buses. You wait for ages, and then three come along at once. And then another one right after that. While that might be about where the analogy ends, this week sees us off to the moon, where we then leap from the third, right into the fourth. Once there, we’ll learn how we could eventually be controlled by lasers, before getting up close and personal with a 300 million-year old bug. Sound like some sort of psychedelic dream? Better than that, this is alt-week.

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Alt-week 9.29.12: 3D pictures of the moon, 4D clocks and laser-controlled worms originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 29 Sep 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alt-week 9.22.12: Quantum Scotch tape, moving walls and scientific beer

Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days.

Altweek 92212 Quantum Scotch tape, moving walls and scientific beer

Sometimes, here at alt.engadget.com, we’re literally on the bleeding edge of technology. We get to explore concepts and ideas that are almost nebular in nature. Not this week though, where there’s a distinct utilitarian aroma in the air. The glittery overcoat of future science is replaced by the rolled-up sleeves of good old-fashioned engineering. A bit of sticky tape, a proof of concept omnidirectional bike and a hardware matrix wall. After all that, you’ll probably want a beer to wash it down with. Fortunately for you, it’s all here. This is alt-week.

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Alt-week 9.22.12: Quantum Scotch tape, moving walls and scientific beer originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Sep 2012 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alt-week 9.15.12: The ultimate wind machine, Egyptian Lego and the office of our dreams

Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days.

Alt-week 9.15.12: The ultimate wind machine, Egyptian Lego and the office of our dreams

Sometimes we wonder, what would we have ended up doing if we didn’t spend our time trawling the web for the week’s best alternative tech stories? We could have been paleontologists, novelists, engineers, or if we were really lucky, worked for Google. Instead, here we are bringing you some of the more colorful tech-tales from the last seven days, which we’re really not complaining about. That said though, at least on this occasion, we got to taste a bit of all the above. This is alt-week.

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Alt-week 9.15.12: The ultimate wind machine, Egyptian Lego and the office of our dreams originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 Sep 2012 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alt-week 9.8.12: Moon farming, self powered health monitors and bringing a 50,000 year-old girl to life

Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days.

Altweek 9812 Moon farming, self powered health monitors and bringing a 50,000 yearold girl to life

Some weeks things get a little science heavy, sometimes it’s a little on their weird side, and there’s usually a bit of space travel involved, but these week’s trend seems to be “mind-blowing.” Want to grow carrots on the Moon? We got you covered. How about bringing a 50,000 year-old ancient human back to life? Sure, no biggie. Oh but what about a solar eruption that reaches some half a million miles in height. We’ve got the video. No, really we have. Mind blown? This is alt-week.

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Alt-week 9.8.12: Moon farming, self powered health monitors and bringing a 50,000 year-old girl to life originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Sep 2012 17:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Alt-week 9.1.12: growing bones, repairing voices, and a pair of satellites

Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days.

Alt-week 9.1.12: growing bones, repairing voices, and a pair of satellites

There’s definitely more than a touch of a biological theme to proceedings this week. In fact, so much so that we thought we might well end up with enough ingredients to make our own cyborg. Or rather, a light-responding canine cyborg with a really cool voice. Yep, science and technology is working hard to make all of these things possible — albeit independently. If science ever does do the right thing, and pool its resources on such a project, you can thanks us for the tip off. This is Alt-week.

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Alt-week 9.1.12: growing bones, repairing voices, and a pair of satellites originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 Sep 2012 17:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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