The underwater icicle of death: Bizarre 'Brinicle' forms BENEATH the sea and kills everything in its path

By Daily Mail Reporter


An underwater 'icicle of death' which sinks to the seabed destroying everything it comes into contact with has been caught on camera for the first time.

The sinking brine is so cold that it causes the seawater to freeze around it.

BBC film crews recorded the brinicle for the first time ever as it sunk to the bottom of the sea in Antarctica.

The icicle of death: The brinicle can be seen extending towards the seabed. Slowly it grows bigger over time as more water freezes around it


When it hits the surface, a web of ice spreads killing sea urchins and starfish.

The remarkable underwater footage was filmed for Frozen Planet on BBC One using timelapse technology.

The 'icicle of death' grew so rapidly towards the seabed that teams could see it advancing before their eyes. Brine falls to the surface as it is a lot more dense than seawater.


Remarkable broadcast moment: The ice begins to expand outwards. The brine is a lot more dense than seawater so sinks to the bottom. It is also a lot colder - causing the freezing

Touchdown: The brinicle reaches the ocean floor. Starfish can be seen. Often the brinicles break up before they become so large


When the seawater freezes as it comes into contact with the brinicle it is a lot more spongelike than normal ice.

They are usually found in the Antarctic when saline water is introduced to the ocean.

The remarkable footage was filmed underwater in temperatures of -2C by BBC cameramen Hugh Miller and Doug Anderson at Little Razorback Island, near Antarctica's Ross Archipelago.

Mr Miller said the sinking brine grew rapidly before their eyes.


Killer: The ice floods outwards across the ocean surface rapidly, destroying everything in its wake

Destruction: The starfish are frozen by the ice as it expands outwards


'It was a bit of a race against time because no-one really knew how fast they formed,' he told BBC Nature.

'The one we'd seen a week before was getting longer in front of our eyes... the whole thing only took five, six hours.

'I do remember it being a struggle. All the kit is very heavy because it has to sit on the sea bed and not move for long periods of time.'

Although the existence of brinicles has been known since the 1960s, it is the first time it has been caught on camera.

Frozen Planet was screened at 9pm on Wednesday November 23 on BBC One and is available on iPlayer.


Broadcasting feat: Although the existence of brinicles has long been known it is the first time they have ever been caught on camera


Seabed spread: When the seawater freezes as it comes into contact with the brinicle it is a lot more spongelike than normal ice


source:dailymail

Read more!

Video of babies 'talking' takes the Internet by storm and is viewed TEN MILLION times on YouTube

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Online hit: Twins Sam and Ren McEntee, aged just 17 months, enjoy a lively exchange in which they laugh, raise their hands emphatically and nod their heads


A home video of two babies engaged in an animated conversation in a kitchen has become an Internet phenomenon.

The two-minute clip shows twin brothers Sam and Ren McEntee, aged just 17 months and barely able to stand, enjoying a lively exchange in which they laugh, raise their hands emphatically and nod their heads.

So far the footage has attracted a staggering 9.4million views on YouTube.

This is probably because the boys' conversation is so adult in its mannerisms and they appear to genuinely understand what each other is saying.

Transfixed viewers even made suggestions as to what the brothers might be talking about - before comments on the video were disabled.

Suggestions had included one brother telling the other 'That diaper is so 2010', before receiving a response of 'If you're so smart, where is your other sock, Einstein?'

The babies' mother Abby has a blog, twinmamarama.com, on which she writes about her experiences as a twin sister raising twin boys.


Good times: The home video has been watched almost ten million times


Mrs McEntee wrote on Wednesday: 'We've had a fascinating time seeing language blooming around here. Now the experts weigh in on this kind of twin language.

'I remember my own folks talking about my sister and I sending out verbal signals (essentially squeaks and shouts) in an attempt to pinpoint the location of our twin sister around the house!'

Child development specialists have even chimed in to say how natural and healthy it is for babies to develop language skills as they mature.


An early 15 minutes? The brothers arrive to make in Times Square, New York, to make an appearance on Good Morning America this week


Professor Karen Thorpe, of the Queensland University of Technology’s School of Psychology and Counselling, told ABC News: 'Babies are wired for communication from the start and we see here a fine example of how sophisticated and beautiful communication in even young children can be.'

The broadcaster also reported that 40 per cent of twins develop what appears to be their own language.

However, they are mimicking sounds and mannerisms that they have heard or seen, rather than actually understanding what each other is saying.


twin baby boys have a conversation - OFFICIAL VIDEO



source: dailymail

Read more!

12mph step-on-and-go unicycle you can take anywhere

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Balancing act: A user test out the Solowheel, which has a top speed of 12mph and can travel for two hours on a single 45-minute charge


A designer has reinvented the wheel - with the world's smallest self-balancing unicycle.

Suitable for the daily commute or for weekend leisure, the one-wheel machine is powered by a 1,000-watt electric motor that generates a top speed of 12mph.

Users place their feet on a foldable platform either side of the wheel and simply lean forward to move, back to stop and left and right to turn.

The further forward you lean, the faster it goes, and a series of gyroscopes inside ensure the wheel remains perfectly balanced.

The Solowheel can travel for two hours on a single 45-minute charge and can climb hills with an incline of up to 15 per cent.

The rechargeable lithium-ion battery even recaptures energy when going downhill or slowing down.


The one-wheel machine will retail at £975


It was designed and created by Shane Chen, 54, who has created over 30 sports-related products for his company, Inventist.

A spokesman for the firm, based in Washington, U.S., said: 'The Solowheel is the smallest, greenest, most convenient people-mover ever invented.

'Our new self-balancing electric unicycle is more compact and fun to ride than any folding electric bike.

'Because of the gyro-sensors and left and right steering capability, you can literally step on and go - it is easy to learn.

'The Solowheel is very portable and weighs only 20lbs. This allows you to carry your wheel with you into a shop or restaurant, on an elevator, into work, to the cinema, onto a bus or train or into your classroom.

'It eliminates chaining your electric bike up to a bike rack along with others where it may get damaged or even stolen.

'Solowheel provides users with an easy, uncomplicated, straightforward ride.'
The unicycle costs £975 and will be available in the UK from next month.





source: dailymail

Read more!

US Army to build a Cheetah robot that can run faster than humans... let's hope it doesn't get a taste for flesh

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

The Cheetah-bot will be developed by Boston Dynamics and could reach speeds of 70mph. The first prototype is due in 20 months


But despite spending taxpayer millions on the android the Department of Defense officials don't know what they will use it for

A new robot that can outrun the fastest man on Earth and a Terminator-type android that will work alongside troops is being developed for the US Army.

The speedy robot – called, unsurprisingly, the Cheetah – is being developed by Boston Dynamics, which brought to the world the $18million BigDog robot used to help soldiers carry equipment over tough terrain.

But despite the multi-million dollar contracts awarded by the Department of Defense, army officials still don’t know exactly what the robots will be used for, according to the company’s boss.

Marc Raibert, lead investigator on the project and president of Boston Dynamics told the Boston Herald the Department of Defense is ‘not so focused on what the ultimate use will be.’

He added: ‘They’re most focused on developing the technology and seeing what uses they can be applied to.’

The four-legged Cheetah will have a flexible spine and articulated head, and, when built, it will be added to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s impressive robot arsenal.


Boston Dynamics boss, Marc Raibert, who will oversee the multi-million project, said the army doesn't know what purpose the Cheetah will have


It will be able to sprint, take sharp corners, zigzag and be precise enough to stop on a dime.

The costs have not been revealed, but the multi-million dollar contract is expected to take quite a bite out of the department’s $3.2billion annual budget.

Real Cheetahs – the faster animal on land – can reach speeds of up to 70mph, and the company are hopeful their robot will be able to match them pound for metal.

The company hopes to have a prototype built in 20 months which will hit between 20 and 30mph.


Robots in disguise: The BigDog was unveiled in 2008


The Atlas robot, which looks not too dissimilar to the androids in Terminator, will be a force to reckon with, the company hopes.

It has a body, two arms and two legs but no head and will be able to walk over rough terrain, fit through tight gaps and crawl on its hands and knees if needed.

The makers hope it will be a more technologically advanced version of its Petman robot, which is used to test out chemical weapons protection suits for the army and is capable of walking at 3mph and remain standing, even when pushed.


the Atlas is set to be the newest robot built for the Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency alongside the Cheetah


Boston Dynamics hope to recreate the success its BigDog robot had when it was unveiled in 2008.

The BigDog supports American troops by carrying up to four backpacks of equipment over bumpy and rocky ground that wheeled vehicles cannot move over.

The 2ft tall and 3ft long metal beast also comes with high-tech gadgets including laser gyroscopes, video camera sensors and an on-board computer.

It wowed the world in 2008 and the company hopes to eventually sell the dogs to farmers for transporting crops.


BigDog Reflexes



PETMAN Prototype



source: dailymail

Read more!