Latest news with #experiments
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
James May: ‘When I'm mistaken for Jeremy Clarkson, I have to go home and examine myself very deeply'
James May. But what would James Definitely Not? All sorts of things. Skydiving. Morris dancing. Living as a monk. Agricultural work. Being a high court judge. Anything that involves dressing up. I'm not too fussy about food. I can't think of anything I wouldn't eat, although I have a strange ambivalence about broccoli. I can't make my mind up about it and it infuriates people. People say: you're not doing it properly. I think: how do you know how I'm doing it? I've heard you can roast it with bits of bacon, garlic and olive oil. In which case, it's not only broccoli any more, is it? Why does the water flow anticlockwise down the plug hole in Australia but clockwise in the UK? Because of the rotation of the Earth. If you go to the equator – and I've done this – you can do an experiment with a bucket of water with a hole in the bottom. If you stand exactly on the equator and drop in a matchstick, it will stay stationary. If you walk north of the equator 100 paces, it starts going around one way. If you walk south, it starts going the other way. It's quite a boring experiment and you have to have absolutely nothing else left to do in your life. If you could have a sandwich named after you, what would you call it? I think sandwiches are crap. I'm making a series on YouTube called Sarnies of the 70s, where we dig up these terrible old fillings like Spam and Branston pickle. It's fascinating to remember what we ate when I was a child. But I describe sandwiches – and I'm afraid I also think this about pizza – as crisis food. Nobody ever says: I can't be bothered to cook tonight. Should we go out for a sandwich? No one wants a sandwich. You are reduced to having a sandwich. Both you and Clarkson own pubs. In the event of a zombie apocalypse, which pub would you rather be stuck at? Oh, mine. It's in Wiltshire. We're heavily armed down here. People queue up at Clarkson's. There's queueing protocol going on, which I don't like. We've had this argument many times. The whole point of the bar in a pub is that it's wide and shallow. It's not a hatch. Why would you queue at it? Good bar people know the order in which to serve. Alan Davies told us in this very column that he gets mistaken for you. Who do you get mistaken for, if not Alan Davies? I have been mistaken for Alan Davies. I've been told I look like King Théoden from Lord of the Rings. Robert Plant is very flattering. Billy Connolly is flattering. Unfortunately, quite a few times when I've been out walking or riding my bike around London, I've been mistaken for Jeremy Clarkson. I have to go home, examine myself very deeply and think: what have I done? The small print on your new tour, Explorers, warns of 'occasional scent, fog and other immersive theatrical elements'. What is your favourite occasional scent? Good question. I like all the obvious nature scents like flowers, freshly mown grass and rain falling on a hot pavement. I like the smell of bicycle shops because I like that smell of rubber and rubber solution. It's not a pervy or fetish thing. I like the smell of freshly pumped petrol, which smells exactly like what it isn't – which is delicious. If you get petrol in your mouth because you're siphoning it from the lawnmower, it tastes absolutely foul. But when it's coming out of the pump into your car, it's got almost a mango juice smell to it. What's been your most cringeworthy run-in with a celebrity? I haven't had any, really. I've never run up to Alan Davies and said: 'I love Top Gear. Can I have your autograph?' Would you rather die at the bottom of the ocean or deep out into space? I've wondered about dying in space. The Apollo 11 lunar module was too fragile to test on Earth, so what if it hadn't worked? They'd have been stuck on the moon for eternity. How do you end it? Do you just sit there and gradually suffocate? Or do you take off your space helmet, take a deep breath, open the door and effectively boil? Dying at the bottom of the ocean feels particularly dark and lonely. I'm going to go for space because the view in the last few seconds would be better. If you could change the size of any animal and keep it as a pet, what would you choose? A miniature elephant. I was going to say a tiger. But then you can just have a domestic cat, can't you? A miniature great white shark in a pond in your garden would be pretty cool. If you had miniature blue whales in an aquarium, they'd come up to the surface and blow off in miniature. I'd like that. Who is your biggest nemesis? Honestly, it's probably Jeremy Clarkson. James May's show Explorers – The Age of Discovery tours Australia and New Zealand from 29 July, and the UK from 20 September
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
James May: ‘When I'm mistaken for Jeremy Clarkson, I have to go home and examine myself very deeply'
James May. But what would James Definitely Not? All sorts of things. Skydiving. Morris dancing. Living as a monk. Agricultural work. Being a high court judge. Anything that involves dressing up. I'm not too fussy about food. I can't think of anything I wouldn't eat, although I have a strange ambivalence about broccoli. I can't make my mind up about it and it infuriates people. People say: you're not doing it properly. I think: how do you know how I'm doing it? I've heard you can roast it with bits of bacon, garlic and olive oil. In which case, it's not only broccoli any more, is it? Why does the water flow anticlockwise down the plug hole in Australia but clockwise in the UK? Because of the rotation of the Earth. If you go to the equator – and I've done this – you can do an experiment with a bucket of water with a hole in the bottom. If you stand exactly on the equator and drop in a matchstick, it will stay stationary. If you walk north of the equator 100 paces, it starts going around one way. If you walk south, it starts going the other way. It's quite a boring experiment and you have to have absolutely nothing else left to do in your life. If you could have a sandwich named after you, what would you call it? I think sandwiches are crap. I'm making a series on YouTube called Sarnies of the 70s, where we dig up these terrible old fillings like Spam and Branston pickle. It's fascinating to remember what we ate when I was a child. But I describe sandwiches – and I'm afraid I also think this about pizza – as crisis food. Nobody ever says: I can't be bothered to cook tonight. Should we go out for a sandwich? No one wants a sandwich. You are reduced to having a sandwich. Both you and Clarkson own pubs. In the event of a zombie apocalypse, which pub would you rather be stuck at? Oh, mine. It's in Wiltshire. We're heavily armed down here. People queue up at Clarkson's. There's queueing protocol going on, which I don't like. We've had this argument many times. The whole point of the bar in a pub is that it's wide and shallow. It's not a hatch. Why would you queue at it? Good bar people know the order in which to serve. Alan Davies told us in this very column that he gets mistaken for you. Who do you get mistaken for, if not Alan Davies? I have been mistaken for Alan Davies. I've been told I look like King Théoden from Lord of the Rings. Robert Plant is very flattering. Billy Connolly is flattering. Unfortunately, quite a few times when I've been out walking or riding my bike around London, I've been mistaken for Jeremy Clarkson. I have to go home, examine myself very deeply and think: what have I done? The small print on your new tour, Explorers, warns of 'occasional scent, fog and other immersive theatrical elements'. What is your favourite occasional scent? Good question. I like all the obvious nature scents like flowers, freshly mown grass and rain falling on a hot pavement. I like the smell of bicycle shops because I like that smell of rubber and rubber solution. It's not a pervy or fetish thing. I like the smell of freshly pumped petrol, which smells exactly like what it isn't – which is delicious. If you get petrol in your mouth because you're siphoning it from the lawnmower, it tastes absolutely foul. But when it's coming out of the pump into your car, it's got almost a mango juice smell to it. What's been your most cringeworthy run-in with a celebrity? I haven't had any, really. I've never run up to Alan Davies and said: 'I love Top Gear. Can I have your autograph?' Would you rather die at the bottom of the ocean or deep out into space? I've wondered about dying in space. The Apollo 11 lunar module was too fragile to test on Earth, so what if it hadn't worked? They'd have been stuck on the moon for eternity. How do you end it? Do you just sit there and gradually suffocate? Or do you take off your space helmet, take a deep breath, open the door and effectively boil? Dying at the bottom of the ocean feels particularly dark and lonely. I'm going to go for space because the view in the last few seconds would be better. If you could change the size of any animal and keep it as a pet, what would you choose? A miniature elephant. I was going to say a tiger. But then you can just have a domestic cat, can't you? A miniature great white shark in a pond in your garden would be pretty cool. If you had miniature blue whales in an aquarium, they'd come up to the surface and blow off in miniature. I'd like that. Who is your biggest nemesis? Honestly, it's probably Jeremy Clarkson. James May's show Explorers – The Age of Discovery tours Australia and New Zealand from 29 July, and the UK from 20 September
CTV News
19-06-2025
- Science
- CTV News
Could the colour of your child's swimsuit save their life?
There's no scientific proof, but it's a question worth asking, could the colour of your child's swimsuit play a role in how visible they are in the water? Some water safety experts think it might. A company called Alive Solutions, which specializes in water safety, conducted a few experiments to explore how swimsuit colours perform in both pools and lakes. In two separate experiments they found that certain swimsuit colours are easier to spot in a swimming pool versus open water. Independently conducted testing The tests were conducted independently and not published in a peer-reviewed journal. In controlled tests, swimsuits in 14 different colours were submerged in different bodies of water to observe how visible they were under certain conditions. In a swimming pool, with a light-coloured bottom, the company's tests showed that neon pink and neon orange seemed to be most visible. White and light blue colours, on the other hand, tended to disappear, blending in with the pool bottom. Darker colours showed up against the light pool bottom, but could often be dismissed for shadows, leaves or dirt. In lake water, the tests showed that bright neon colours including neon orange, yellow and green were visible but neon pink did not perform well. White swimsuits appeared more vibrant due to reflecting light. All other colours were not very visible. Swimsuit Colour Test The company Alive Solutions tested how visible various swimsuit colours are against a light-coloured swimming pool bottom. The top photo in each section is the fabric underwater, and the bottom photo is the fabric with surface agitation. (Courtesy Natalie Livingston via CNN Newsource) Many factors play a role According to the Lifesaving Society Ontario, many other factors play a role in visibility, including glare, water clarity or even wave action. 'Dressing in swimwear that is high-contrast to your environment may increase your ability to be seen in the water, but there are many factors such as glare, water clarity and water agitation that can still reduce visibility. There is a lack of formal research to support wearing one colour over another in specific settings under specific conditions,' Stephanie Bakalar, senior communications officer of Lifesaving Society Ontario told CTV News. Still, even if these results haven't been formally validated, they point to a simple step that could improve safety. That said, no colour choice replaces the need for constant supervision. 'In Ontario, 100 per cent of drowning deaths in children under five is caused by absent or distracted supervision.' Bakalar said. 'It is important that when children are around water that they are directly supervised by a responsible adult and in the case of weak or non-swimmers they remain within arms' reach.' Water safety Approved lifejackets offer another layer of protection, especially on boats. Provincial experts recommend lifejackets in bold colours. 'We recommend lifejackets be red, orange or yellow to increase your visibility on the water and approved by Transport Canada,' Bakalar continued. The safest place to swim is where trained lifeguards are on duty. Fewer than one per cent of drowning deaths in the province occur in lifeguard-supervised areas, according to Lifesaving Society Ontario. 'The Society's national lifeguards are trained to scan the surface, middle and bottom of their supervision zones and maneuver to reduce visual disruptions such as glare. Water quality standards in pools are set to ensure clarity allows for visibility to the bottom. Natural bodies of water present different challenges to visibility, but lifeguard supervised waterfront zones are established to create the most visibility possible,' Bakalar said. So, does swimsuit colour save lives? It is not scientifically proven. But in the approach to water safety which starts with supervision and includes life jackets, swimming lessons, and safe environments it could be a small change that makes a difference.
Daily Mail
13-06-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Inside the CIA's secret squad of adorable assassins dubbed 'Project 94'
A secret CIA project conducted bizarre experiments on wildlife in the hopes of creating an army of 'animal assassins' that could eliminate America's enemies. Called Subproject 94, the chilling plot saw scientists implant electrodes into the brains of rats, cats, dogs, monkeys, donkeys, guinea pigs, and birds in order to control their movements through electrical impulses during the 1960s. It was all part of MKUltra, an infamous CIA program led by chemist Sidney Gottlieb to develop mind control techniques during the Cold War. Declassified records about MKUltra have revealed how Americans were drugged and tortured during dozens of different experiments more than 60 years ago. The subjects included criminals, mental patients, and drug addicts, but Army soldiers and average citizens were also given drugs like LSD and cocaine without their knowledge. However, more declassified files delving into Gottlieb's oversight of these dangerous experiments have revealed that people weren't the only weapons the CIA was planning to use against the Soviet Union. Heavily redacted documents from the 1960s show that the CIA were looking to send 'payloads' of these remote-controlled animals to carry out 'direct executive actions' - which some experts now believe meant assassinating officials who opposed the US. Eventually, scientists working on Subproject 94 planned to take what they learned from animals and apply them to people, creating mind-controlled soldiers programed to kill. In the new book, 'Project Mind Control,' author John Lisle revealed how Subproject 94 was one of 149 MKUltra experiments aimed at harnessing cutting-edge neuroscience to manipulate behavior. This particular experiment was inspired by Swedish psychologist Valdemar Fellenius, who taught trained seals how to attach explosives to submarines during World War II. Gottlieb turned this idea into a plot to have animals plant listening devices, deliver deadly toxins, or even rig larger creatures like bears to serve as mobile bombs. This was done by stimulating the pleasure centers of the animals' brains with positive feedback. Scientists successfully managed to make the animals to move how they wanted them to, controlling their speed and direction in field tests. In one test, researchers were able to make a dog follow an visible path 'with relative ease.' In fact, Lisle revealed that the hardest part of these experiments was finding isolated areas where the public couldn't see what the CIA was doing. Lisle, a historian and professor specializing in the history of the US intelligence community, revealed that rats were the easiest creatures to control. Uncovered notes from Subproject 94 researchers noted that they had to be careful not to 'overdo the pleasure reaction' in these animals because it would cause them to become immobile. On the other hand, experiments with negative feedback in the brain's punishment centers only caused the animals to panic and become unresponsive to mind control. Uncovered CIA documents revealed that the cost of Subproject 94 was more than $55,000, which was hidden as part of the Geschickter Fund for Medical Research Documents uncovered by in the CIA's declassified archives revealed that Subproject 94 began in December 1961. The CIA covered up the funding for these experiments by hiding it in the Geschickter Fund for Medical Research. This private foundation was established in 1939 by Dr Charles Geschickter, a prominent American pathologist and professor at Georgetown University. It was created to support research in areas like cancer, but later became infamous in 1977 when a congressional investigation revealed that the fund was acting as a front for MKUltra's experiments for decades. However, the full scope of Subproject 94 and MKUltra's mind control operations may never be known, as Gottlieb had many of the project's files destroyed in 1973. A previous discovery of more than 1,200 declassified pages revealed that MKUltra also attempted to weaken individuals and force confessions through brainwashing and psychological torture between 1953 and 1964. Those files documented how the CIA used methods such as induced sleep, electroshocks, and 'psychic driving' on drugged subjects for weeks or months to reprogram their minds . While it has long been said that subjects only included prisoners, mental patients, and drug addicts, one report showed that some CIA and Army officials and 'subjects in normal life settings' were 'unwittingly' given LSD over the decade-long experiment. Unlike people, however, many animals are capable of achieving feats that even mind-controlled humans simply couldn't do. Researchers with Subproject 94 wrote that yaks and bears "are capable of carrying heavy payloads over great distances under adverse climatic conditions." It's unknown if the CIA ever used mind-controlled animals in an actual operation or assassination attempt of a foreign official. The revelations about MKUltra in the mid 1970s led to public distrust of the CIA and US intelligence community as a whole, leading to stricter congressional oversight of intelligence agencies. Some victims of MKUltra experiments pursued legal action. Notably, the family of Frank Olson, a CIA scientist who died in 1953 after being unknowingly dosed with LSD, received a $750,000 settlement from the government in 1976, acknowledging the CIA's role in his death. Other lawsuits, such as those by former prisoners and mental patients, faced challenges due to lack of evidence and CIA denials.
The Independent
30-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Scientists finally work out how clapping hands generates sound
A study has unravelled the physics behind the sound of hand claps, revealing it's more complex than just hands hitting each other. The sound is generated by a pocket of air compressed between the hands and rapidly expelled, causing air molecules to vibrate, similar to the Helmholtz resonance principle. Researchers used live experiments, theoretical modelling, and silicone replicas of hands, modifying speed, shape, and skin softness to understand clapping. The elasticity of hands causes energy absorption, resulting in a short "pop" sound rather than a longer noise. Researchers suggest clapping could potentially be used for human identification due to the unique sound and frequency of each person's clap.
