Month: May 2016

There are hundreds, if not thousands of theme parks in the world. In fact, the United States alone has 400 different amusement parks. But now, Brazil plans to open the first sex-themed amusement park, featuring go-go dancers on a "train of pleasure," a movie theater with vibrating seats, and even phallic-shaped bumper cars. The sex-themed amusement park is officially called ErotikaLand and is projected to open in two years in the city of Piracicaba. Some of the theme park's other tantalizing attractions include a snack bar that sells aphrodisiac foods, a nudist pool, and a naked waterslide. Yet despite the park's very blatant erotic theme, the executives behind the soon-to-be park are saying that ErotikaLand will have a very strict no-sex policy. “This won’t be a place for nuns, but it’...

Spring is here, and with that, the season of sealing asphalt driveways and parking lots is upon us. While asphalt is typically used to improve the appearance of pavement and prolong its lifespan, it can, unfortunately, be as toxic as it tends to smell. According to Wisconsin Public Radio, asphalt seal coats contain coal tar, a well-known hazard to the environment and to personal health. In a recently published U.S. Geological Survey, researchers found that coal tar-based asphalt sealants that are applied to driveways, parking lots, and other areas can find their way into places they should not be, such as schools and homes. Asphalt can also be used as a roofing material, and comes in two kinds of shingles, organic and fiberglass. However, unlike sealants, these materials aren't respon...

Most Americans now use the Internet to find health information, and thanks to the Web, important medical information can now spread at the speed of light. Of course, that means misinformation can spread just as fast, which is causing preventable deaths all over the world. With warmer weather heating up the Southern United States, officials have been able to quickly spread helpful information on avoiding the Zika virus in areas likely to be affected by the mosquito-borne disease. On the other hand, countless Americans now believe that vaccines can cause autism and other health problems, a dangerous conspiracy theory that's led to several disease outbreaks in the past several years. And in China, the world's largest country is investigating the death of 21-year-old college student Wei ...

May the 4th be with you. Whether you're a Star Wars fan or not, chances are you've heard this dated pun before, but this year's annual celebration brought at least one new thing to fanatics everywhere: the skulls of their favorite Star Wars characters. Not literal skulls, of course. Most humans don't have the nerve or steady fingers necessary to take down something like a full-grown Wookiee. According to 3DPrint.com, through the magic of 3D printing, there will be a much easier and diplomatic way to get a model skull of your favorite galactic creature this year. The 3D-Printable Toys and 3D Printer test kits company 3DKitBash has announced they will embark on a Kickstarter-funded journey to make these miniature skull replications possible. “Two years ago, we had a steel mold creat...

President Obama is expected to visit Flint, MI, next month to see firsthand the effects of the on-going water crisis the city has been facing. The decision to visit stems from a letter 8-year-old Flint resident Mari Copeny sent the President, asking if she could meet him. Copeny wrote her concerns about the effects of the water contamination on not just herself but others in her community. In her letter, she requested to meet with both President Obama and the First Lady. "I am one of the children that is effected by this water, and I've been doing my best to march in protest and to speak out for all the kids that live here in Flint," Copeny wrote. "I know this is probably an odd request but I would love for a chance to meet you or your wife. My mom said chances are you will be to...

Sewer robots aren't exactly the sexiest kind of robot, but according to two MIT researchers, sewer robots may just be the future of public health. And if the technology lives up to the hype, these robots are just the beginning of the "smart sewers" coming to a city near you. Already, MIT's Underworlds project has birthed two sewer robots, fittingly dubbed Mario and Luigi, which have been exploring the sewage flowing beneath Cambridge, MA. Architects Newsha Ghaeli and Alaa AlRadwan recently showed off their second generation sewer robot -- that would be Luigi -- to a writer at IEEE Spectrum, which offers the first up-close look at these sewage-sifting robots. The MIT Underworlds project is based on a simple premise: "A vast reservoir of information on human health and behavior lives i...