College Professor Sets Off Ping-Pong Ball Explosion

Dan Seitz — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 16:03:44 +0000

Dr. Roy Lowry wanted to demonstrate a few basic principles of science, notably the behavior of liquid nitrogen under pressure. But how to get that across in a way that even the least scientifically curious student would think of as awesome. Easy: Just add ping-pong balls! Lowry and his assistants put together the “experiment” quite [...]

Science Confirms That Itching Is Contagious

brad.bruner — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 19:47:38 +0000

Scientists have confirmed that viewing somebody itch makes a person more likely to itch themselves.

Researchers at Wake Forest University had 25 volunteers watch a five minute video of a person either scratching their arm or sitting idly. As the videos played, the volunteers who were viewing the images of scratching were twice as likely to start scratching, as well. (Admit it: You totally want to scratch your arm as you're reading this.)

Our impulse to mimic the itching of others may have evolved as a way to prevent parasitic infestations from jumping from person to person, suggest the researchers.

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College Professor Sets Off Ping-Pong Ball Explosion

Science Confirms That Itching Is Contagious