Science Friday: Boats Without Sailors... Worlds Without Men?

Are scientists really trying to get rid of men?

No, but it makes good media headlines! The announcement of lab-created sperm cells on that other island is getting spun in many ways, but remember this post about the Daily Mail's page three-esque "world without men"?

Seriously, it's pretty likely that we'll have babies produced from same-sex couples within a decade or two, but what's with the whole "extinction of men angle? It's preposterous.

Even the BBC (image above) gets on board, though while the Daily mail fantasizes about a pillowfight-filled future populated by Rosy the riviter clones, the women of the Beeb just want to escape the tooth-gnashing nightmare of their scary white t-shirt boyfriends! Go Science!

Planes, Trains and Submersimobiles...

There's a critical mass of cool marine-tech projects going on in Ireland at the moment, from Wavebob and Ocean Energy's wave-generators, to Strangford Lough's "What if we put a wind turbine upside down" tidal generator. But if you're into submersibles and autonomous boats, The Mobile & Marine Robotics Research Centre (MMRC) at UL is testing a robotic submarine for deep water research off the west coast.

Not to be outdone by mariners from outside the pale, UCD have their own autonomous sailboat that is set to be tested this week. Check out this video of it in action:

Of course, perhaps the cake-taker will be the autonomous boat "Avalon" from ETH Zurich, which is set to sail, on it's own, across the Atlantic. Oh, and only using only solar cells for power. It launches from the west coast of Ireland in September as part of the Microtransat Transatlantic challenge.

Infectious is Infectious

Lastly, as part of the "Make Science Viral" project, some ScienceGallery members, and all-around guerrilla videographers have their own take on the ideas brought up at Infectious. Check out "Kiss Me, Don't Shake Me" and more of their videos below. And don't forget the member's only Infectious closing party next Friday, so get your tix ASAP.

Your Science Your Say

PS- Your Science Your Say (or YSYS to those in the know) is running now till the end of June in the science Gallery and online here. Watch four min-docs, and tell the EPA which topics you think pose the most risk, and which have the most potential benefits. Teaser-trailer below: