Stoned spiders

Some time ago, I read about experiments that tested the effect of various drugs on the web building abilities of spiders. Cannabis.net has some photos of the original webs. My version on the right is what I think they should have found.

I always thought this seemed like pretty pointless research - drugs have an effect on ability... now there's a surprise... Although the ex-scientist in me is insisting that of course it had to be tested, how else would we know.

But either way, I'm glad to hear the Canadian Wildlife Service has taken this research further...

A challenge to the senses

I've just tried the BBC's "senses challenge". I didn't do too well, just 12 out of 20, but then a lot of the questions are ones that our senses are designed to fail.

Still, I always knew there was something very wrong with parmesan.

Image by Flickr user Joaoloureiro.
Licensed under Creative Commons by-nc-nd 2.0

Silvered swindle

I love buying jewellery, but luckily my tastes don't run to anything expensive. I'd rather a string of glass beads than something with gold and diamonds. But I do enjoy silver, and have ended up with a pile of necklaces that desperately need cleaning.

So looking around for the best way to clean them, I came across "pristine2u", who sell "electrolytic cleaning plates". Which looked good, despite their badly spelt FAQs, until I found a handy video on YouTube:

I tried this myself today, and got great results. So I think rather than a £12 plate "specialy made from several diferant metals", I'll stick with a pound or so's worth of foil.

Cracked humanity?

Here's one of cracked.com's fascinating lists: 5 psychological experiments that prove humanity is doomed

I'd heard of most of these before, but they do look pretty damning all in a block. But maybe the fact that we have looked at these twists in our collective psyche, and so can be aware and on guard for them, is a positive thing.

I guess the scary question for all of us is whether we could break out of this wired-in pattern, and do what's right when it really matters.

When the cat's away, the mice will PARTY.

Here's a nice site from the University of Utah.

Mouse Party allows you to look inside the brains of (animated) mice on various recreational drugs. It's very simplified, but a nice way of showing some of what goes on at a molecular level with these substances. Neatly animated too.