New Scientist video round-up - September 19, 2008

TL;DR

Scientists discover that deep-sea fish can see red, fungi in cowpoo have the fastest airborne acceleration in nature, and a new bus prototype can be guided by magnets embedded in the pavement.

Transcript

welcome to this week's video Roundup I'm Valerie Jemison and I'm going to take you through my favorite science videos from the past week first off we take a look at an underwater Discovery that's making some fish experts see red if you dive more than 10 meters into the ocean the color red will become nothing but a memory that's because seawater abs... Read More

Key Insights

• 🙂 Seawater absorbs long wavelengths like red light, which led to the assumption that there were no redfish living deep in the oceans.
• 😪 Red color in deep-sea fish could serve various purposes such as communication and camouflage.
• 💨 Fungi in cowpoo use fast airborne acceleration to launch their spores several meters away for propagation.
• 🙈 The spores of these fungi have the fastest airborne acceleration ever seen in nature.
• 👶 A new bus prototype can be guided by magnets in the pavement, improving precision parking and reducing journey times.
• 👤 The use of magnets in the bus system eliminates the need for wheelchair ramps and allows for a higher density of buses on the road.
• ❓ The technology is cheaper to implement compared to proposed Light Rail Transport Systems.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why was it believed that there were no redfish living deep in the oceans?

It was believed that red light was absorbed by seawater, making it impossible for fish in deep waters to see the color red.

Q: What purpose could the red color serves for deep-sea fish?

The red color might serve as a means of communication, signaling danger or attracting a mate, or as a form of camouflage to protect against predators.

Q: How fast can fungi spores accelerate in the air?

The fungi spores can accelerate up to 25 meters per second and can travel 1 million times their own length in just one second.

Q: What advantages does the new bus prototype offer?

The new bus prototype can park with precision, eliminating the need for wheelchair ramps, allowing for shorter journey times, and enabling buses to follow each other at closer distances.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Marine biologists have found redfish living deep in the ocean, challenging the previous assumption that they couldn't see red light.

• Fungi living in cowpoo use fast airborne acceleration to launch their spores several meters away for propagation.

• A new bus prototype can be guided by magnets in the pavement, eliminating the need for manual steering and allowing for more precise parking and shorter journey times.