Surprising Science — March 25, 2014

Setting Sound Waves on Fire

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

This classic physics experiment is made thanks to some hot jazz. Literally hot jazz. Flammable gas is pumped through a Reuben’s tube, which is attached to a speaker. Watch what happens:

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Starts With A Bang

How to make peace with the weirdness of quantum mechanics

Our classical intuition is no good in a quantum Universe. To make sense of it, we need to learn, and apply, an entirely novel set of rules.

A golden-brown turkey being carefully lowered into a metal pot outdoors, ready for a deep fry amidst the grassy area and wooden fence.

Starts With A Bang

What happens if you deep fry a frozen turkey?

It’s the ultimate setup for a Thanksgiving Day disaster. The physics of water and its solid, liquid, and gas phases compels us not to do it.

A robotic prosthetic arm with visible internal mechanisms, wires, and a mechanical hand. Labels such as "SFU" and "BESOM" are visible on the arm casing.

The Present

The Cybathlon: Bionic athletes compete for the gold — and push assistive technologies forward

In the international competition, people with physical disabilities put state-of-the-art devices to the test as they race to complete the tasks of everyday life.

A yellow road sign reading "SLOW NOW" stands before a breathtaking mountainous landscape under a clear blue sky, reminding travelers of the art of slow productivity.

Business

Why “slow productivity” is the key to great work and happy teams

Cal Newport explains how you and your teams can accomplish more while improving quality and supercharging workplace morale.

A glitch art depiction of an old sketch reminiscent of Da Vinci, featuring a bearded man in a hat with digital distortion weaving through his face.

High Culture

Ken Burns on what we get wrong about Leonardo da Vinci

Burns’ latest documentary dives into the long-romanticized life and work of the Italian polymath.

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