7 Man-Made Substances that Laugh in the Face of Physics
The universe is full of weird substances like liquid metal and whatever preservative keeps Larry King alive. But mankind isn't happy to accept the weirdness of nature when we can create our own abominations of science that, due to the miracle of technology, spit in nature's face and call it retarded.
That's why we came up with...
#7.
Ferrofluids
What do you get when you suspend nanoparticles of iron compounds in a colloidal solution of water, oil and a surfactant? Did you guess Zima? The real answer is ferrofluids, though you should be proud if you just knew what "surfactant" was.
A ferrofluid is a liquid that reacts to magnetic fields in trippy ways that make you think that science is both magical and potentially evil. They have multiple real world applications, many which are pretty badass, and none of which you will care about after seeing this:
Tell us that didn't look like the birth of the most sinister dildo ever.
What happens is that when a magnetic field is applied to the fluid, the particles of iron compound inside align to it. Once that happens, the fluid becomes a fluid-solid. That's right, ferrofluids are first generation T-1000s, only metallic black and thus 10 times as badass.
What the Hell is it Used For?
Ferrofluids have a lot of pretty mundane uses, from lubricating and protecting hard drives to providing heat conduction in speakers, but their primary use is in looking cool.
The ability to become solid or liquid with the application of a magnetic field also makes them perfect for computer assisted shock absorbers in Ferraris; NASA uses them for high-tech flight altitude assistance, and like a gyroscope in spacecraft. The Air Force uses their magnetic field absorbing properties to make aircraft invisible to radar and we like to think someday they'll be able to make super hot, futuristic robot dominatrices that we can store in a cup in the pantry when not in use.
#6.
Aerogel
It's not the brick in the picture up there, it's the stuff under the brick. Aerogel, also called "Frozen Smoke," is very much like Ben Affleck's appeal: practically non-existent, but still there somehow. It is 99 percent air, with the other percent being silicon dioxide or fudge or whatever, and looks like fucking magic. Its structure makes it a piss-poor conductor and thus makes it an excellent insulator. In other words, aerogel is also fireproof.
In addition to being awesomely heat resistant, aerogel can also hold insane amounts of weight proportionate to the size of the aerogel being used, up to 4000 times, which shames regular air something fierce. To put it in totally nonsensical terms, if air had a party, while aerogel was busy getting hummers in the back, loser oxygen would be making sure everyone was using a coaster. That's how much cooler aerogel is. Fuck you, oxygen.
What the Hell is it Used For?
The suits astronauts use are filled with it to keep the cold of space from, you know, killing them. More transparent aerogels are being made to insulate windows, or the world's lightest ping-pong ball, as you can see in this clip at 0:36:
Every once in a while, science rules.
#5.
Perfluorocarbons
Remember that scene in The Abyss, before you fell asleep, when Ed Harris was put in a diving suit that was filled with pink goo that he then breathed? It turns out James Cameron wasn't blowing pink goo-laced smoke up our ass; that stuff really exists. Perfluorocarbons are fluids that contain shitloads of oxygen, making it possible to breathe liquid. They originally tested it back in the 60s on mice, with a certain degree of success... sort of.
The mice ended up dying after being submerged in it for a few hours, possibly due to the gut wrenching horror of drowning, but not dying, while trying to scream in their tiny mouse voices. Rather than manning up to the fact that breathing liquid destroyed the mice's diaphragms, the scientists blamed the deaths on impurities in the liquid (most likely horrified mouse shit).
What the Hell is it Used For?
Aside from slow, tortuous rodent murder, perfluorocarbons are used for ultrasounds, and even artificial blood. But before you go out and fill your pool with some for a leisurely four-hour swim at the bottom, be aware they are also awful pollutants. The worst offenders have a half life of 50,000 years and warm the atmosphere 6,500 times more effectively than carbon dioxide, and God knows how many cow farts that would be. Supervillains of the world, we hope you are taking notes.
that black fluid ( i forgot what it's called ) kinda scares me >.
ReplyIf they could use that clear aluminum to make medical braces/wraps, could you imagine the effectiveness of medical intervention? We could also assess burns without having to either risk peeling the skin, or just not assessing it. Dude I want some of that shit!
ReplyCarbon nano tubes are certainly awsome, as long as they dont have the health benefits of thier structurally identical twin asbestos.
Reply Hide All See All 4 RepliesDon't tell that to the Indians, who we still export it to
Don't tell WHAT to the Indians? How great Asbestos is? Don't be ridiculous.
*awkward smile*
I'm not sure, but I THINK they would have the same effects as asbestos. The cancer caused by asbestos is caused by fibers of it floating in the air and getting into the respiratory tract, so it would seem probable that the same would occur with the carbon nano tubes. Just my two cents.
Wychunter - if that is true, won't they be warning against it in advance? I assumed there was something about asbestos that's toxic that wouldn't be the case with carbon nanotubes?
Anyway, that shouldn't be a problem for the building of space elevators, which should reduce costs, and help me afford that Moon holiday I've been saving up for.
Newt Gingrich says it's lovely this time of year.
lets get down to brass tacks, how can this miraculous tech be applied to killing and espionage?
Replylove,
your government
More defense in these cases.
Invisible super strong armor would be such a mindfuck for the enemy.
ReplyAttacking forces-
Okay there they are...
They don't have any armor....
Morons! Hahahaha! (fires madly)
Wait....they....what...?
Run Away!!!
It could also be a way to make the biggest military bluff possible - if you've got no armour, attack anyway, try not to flinch when they hit you, and make out you're all wearing the super armour, in the hope they run away in the first few seconds of the battle.
Of course, it's pretty much an all or nothing gamble...
Invisible super strong armor would be such a mindfuck for the enemy. They would pretty much pull a Monty python.
ReplyDidn't they do something with non-Newtonian fluid on The Big bang Theory?
ReplyYep! On a much smaller scale though.
Non-Newtonian fluids have now been ruined forever.
Nice to see you're thinking BIG on the nanotubes. Great article.
ReplyAs a matter of fact, I did guess Zima!
Reply#7 gave me the idea for two band names 1# Killer Dildo and 2# Painful Pussy. :)
ReplyI think Killer Dildo has already been done, hasn't it?
Kildo, jeez
I don't get why everyone is arguing about the spelling of Aluminum/Aluminium. I tend to not notice the I in aluminium anyways, I read them the same and have to actually re-read some comments just to see if they said Aluminum or Aluminium.
Reply Hide All See All 6 RepliesWebster's allows for both, but Oxford says "fuck you, it's aluminium", because that's how the Oxford dictionary rolls. It depends on where you live. In the U.S. it's 'aluminum'. Everywhere else it's 'aluminium'. I guess since Webster wanted to change the spelling of every English word, and much of the Oxford dictionary was originally written by a madman in an asylum (seriously, he killed a guy because he was paranoid about the Irish being after him), they both have their faults. The one I can never understand is pronouncing the word nuclear 'noo-kyoo-lerr'. That's kind of pushing it.
George Bush didn't understand either
Saying 'aluminium' anywhere but England will either make people think your stupid, or they will be too stupid to wonder why you say it that way, so they will simply call you a f*g and waddle off.
But that is nothing to people's reaction when you write 'your stupid' on the internet.
*compared to. Damn...
Aluminum (original spelling) was given the extra i to standardise the name (most other metal names end in -ium).
What's more important is the difference between Alumin(i)um and *Alumina* (an Aliminium Oxide), which is the compound that makes up this transparent ceramic. Confusing Aliminium with Alumina is like confusing Iron with rust.
Problem is, as soon as they turn Carbon Nanotubes into body-armor, someone will start making bullets out of Nanotubes. I swear to God.
ReplyThe sad part is I can see almost all of what's discussed in this article being turned into bullets.
"I understand where you're coming from General, but I just don't see how making invisible bullets is necessary."
water is still the most physics defying natural substance known to man
ReplyThat's because it's bipolar. Can I get an amen from a chemist for my crap pun?
^ no.
ooooh..ahhhh...
ReplyBags of chips that never get stuck in the vending machine. Carbon nanotubes will f*****g solve it all.
ReplyWhat is with physics these days
ReplySee,I'm offended.I happen to be one of those geeks who drool over carbon nanotubes.They WILL solve everything.Their awesomeness will allow it.
Replyso... are quicksand a natural example of non newtonian liquid?
ReplyQuicksand is the opposite - a thixotropic fluid. That means it liquifies under pressure, instead of solidifying.
Don't thumbs down the question. He probably didn't know. Hence, you know, asking.
It's funny because they all work because of physics, and it's transparent alumina not aluminum. As in aluminum oxide, i.e. not a metal. Just like sapphires are not metal and rubies are only red sapphires. Metal can not be transparent...if they were, then they would laugh in the face of physics.
Reply Hide All See All 4 RepliesLeave it to Buzz Killington, Douche of Earl to attack an awesome article with such a trivial ass argument. Nobody gives a s**t about what you're talking about.
The article DOES say transparent alumina jackass!
The article refers to alumina as a metal, however it is an ionic crystal.., like salt. The windows being talked about are essentially thin, colorless rubies.
NERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRD
In all honesty, when playing with cornflour and water a few years ago i thought you could use it to make body armour, but then i thought nah theyd have done it already if you could. From now on i will make a point of patenting all brain farts..."ferrofluidhandsfreedildo!" Im gonna be so rich one day...
Replymess up the magnetic field once, and spikes will shoot through your vagina and ass...