DIY science is the perfect way to use your creative skills and learn something new. With the right supplies, some determination, and a curious mind, you can create amazing experiments that open up a whole world of possibilities. At home-made laboratories or tech workshops, makers from all backgrounds can explore new ideas by finding ways to study their environment in novel ways – allowing them to make breathtaking discoveries!
This “Three Meter Geodynamo” project conducted at the University of Maryland was built to study how planets generate magnetic fields. The rotating sphere attempts to generate a magnetic field from spinning liquid sodium metal. Very impressive project and be sure to check out the construction details at the link below. via Collision Detection
Trilobite beetle of Laos Mad Maxine sent me a great bug link – QuaoArlo has a great collection of videos he’s taken – he’s quite the world traveler and really knows his bugs. My favorite is the Trilobite beetle from Laos – it’s fantastic! It moves in a really unusual way; its legs are all […]
Artist David Rogers makes these wonderful ginormous sculptures of bugs. He started constructing things and learned to weld when he was only 13! His bugs are well-traveled; looks like they’re currently at the New England Wild Flower Society’s Garden in the Woods in Massachusetts.
Remember seeing this thing on YouTube a while back? A lot of people thought it was fake, but it’s a real critter, an Asp Caterpillar, Megalopyge opercularis, otherwise known as the puss caterpillar. It pupates into an equally adorable moth. It can be found in the southern United States – anyone ever seen one? If […]
The expansive ash tendrils created by mercury thiocyanide decomposition are nauseatingly amazing! I’m guessing this reaction could have inspired Tetsuo’s animated affliction. More info, and a perilous recipe on YouTube – Alien rock from Mars [Thanks, Erica!]
This simple project combines a touchscreen mounted on some servo motors so that it maintains the balance of a ball bearing centered on its surface as it tilts. Although its purpose remains a question for all, we still applaud the simplicty and elegance of this device. Check out the video above for the full effect. […]
A photo of Lake Nasworthy (via) To plunge weekend-first right into permaculture, you might check out the Austin Bioregional Campout this weekend: A joyful and stimulating experience awaits you at the Bioregional Campout, September 19-21, on the shores of Lake Nasworthy in San Angelo. Lake Nasworthy is located at the headwaters of the longest tributary […]
