My Science School

Scientists suggest that with our modern diets and extended life spans, a limited amount of teeth is hampering us as a species and the current structure of human teeth cannot suffice.

Researchers at the University of Sheffield have been exploring theories as to how evolution might resolve this problem. One way is for human beings to develop beaks.

Scientists have been examining the jaws of the pufferfish, which has evolved over millions of years to form a beak. Pufferfish use these to break open the shells of molluscs and crabs. Beaks are more "robust and practical", according to lead researcher Dr Gareth Fraser.

Another theory states that, in the future, human beings will develop the ability to endlessly replace their teeth, not unlike sharks. Shark's teeth are embedded in the gum but not affixed to the jaw bone, and operate on a conveyor belt-like system, maturing in the back of the mouth and slowly moving towards the front as other teeth are shed.

Researchers said the cells that allow new teeth to be developed and grown are called the putative stem cells, nicknamed "Tooth Fairy" cells. Future generations may generate these tooth fairy cells, enabling them to replace their own teeth.

But Dr Fraser estimates it will be around 50 years before we can grow extra teeth, and several million years before we get beaks!

Picture Credit : Google

Here's a fun way to show your friends what you're up to, it's your excuse to take a selfie. The entire concept of Frontback is in its name Snap a picture of what you're seeing with your phone's front camera; then another with your rear camera of you, and a frontback' is created.

Enter Frontback, the app. It was released today in the App Store. Now, there is no whitespace around a Frontback photo, absolutely no chrome. The photo itself doesn’t have any filter. It’s just two square-ish photos on top of each other, filling up the entire screen of your iPhone. It’s all about immersing yourself and putting yourself in your friends’ shoes.

“It tells so much more than a photo on Instagram,” Instagram designer Tim Van Damme recently told Della Faille. “Two photos change everything,” Della Faille told me. “On Instagram, you share something because it’s beautiful, but you don’t share the context,” he continued.

Share both in a single image on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can tag your FB friends right from the app. Free for iOs from the App Store.

Picture Credit : Google

The Micro Phone Lens is an adhesive add-on lens that lets you take and send microscopic pictures and videos with your phone to all your science-loving (or not) buddies.

Measuring only 6 mm in diameter, the lens simply clips on over the top of the one on your smartphone to provide microscopic levels of detail. It is washable, removable and reusable, so you won't have to lock it into one specific smartphone or tablet. The lens is made using "platinum catalyzed silicone technology", meaning it uses soft plastic instead of glass, making it flexible, scratch-resistant and optically identical to glass.

The lens can achieve a magnification of 15X, and a magnification of 60X with the help of the smartphone or tablet's digital zoom. Phones with cameras of 5MP and higher are recommended.

Picture Credit : Google

A wristwatch for your finger POCKET-watch, wrist-watch, finger-watch? As its name suggests, The Ring Clock is a watch that you wear as a ring. The chunky stainless steel finger ring is made up of an inner and an outer ring. The outer ring has three distinct bands; the top one has 24-hour clock markings, the second has minute markings, and the third has dots showing the seconds ticking away.

The Ring Clock sits on your finger in an inert state until you spin the outside ring, at which point the time is revealed by the correct numbers lighting up with LEDs. This keeps battery use to a minimum, which, as the battery only lasts two hours before needing to be recharged via its Qi wireless power charger pad, is a good thing.

Charging the device looks just as impressive as wearing it. With its own futuristic pad, you can be sure that losing the ring will never happen.

Outdoor enthusiasts would be happy to know that the Ring Clock is water resistant. Unlike most crafty watches, you won’t have to remove it every time you go for a jog or jump in the shower.

The devices comes in standard international sizes, which does not affect the features of the ring.

Picture Credit : Google

The technology in the movie Iron Man is getting a step closer to reality thanks to the United States military. The Army has commissioned a Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS), which would provide the wearer with superhuman abilities like night vision, enhanced strength, and protection from gunfire.

Each suit would have an on board computer that would be able to instantly respond to certain situations and provide the user with enhanced situational awareness. The suit may use liquid armour, currently under development at MIT, which has the ability to transform from a "liquid to solid in milliseconds when a magnetic field or electrical current is applied". The goal is full body ballistic protection, theoretically allowing the wearer to literally walk through a stream of bullets. A panel that rests against the skin would be able to detect and respond to the body's core temperature, skin temperature, heart rate and hydration levels. The suit would also provide basic life support such as heat, air and oxygen.

Picture Credit : Google