SUMMER 2019 | INNOVATION & TECH TODAY 15
One Large Dump
for All Mankind
TheApollo 11 moonlandingwillalwaysbe
seenasa definingmomentinscientifichistory,
pushingtechtoitslimitstotraveloutsideofour
ownstratosphereandtraverseanareaonce
thoughtunthinkable.Asa triumphantsignof
thisfeat,anAmericanflagwasplacedinthe
ground.However,if a simpleflagisn’tenough
evidencethatmanwalkedonthemoon,perhaps
themanybagsofastronautfeces,urine,and
vomitwillcluefuturevisitors.
TheAtlanticreportedin 2012 thatthereare
over400,000bagsoftrasharoundthemoon,
with 96 containingtheaforementionedhuman
waste.It’sgoodtoknowthathumansarecapable
oflitteringanywhereacrosstheuniverse.
However,thereisgoodreasontoretrieveallof
thisspacegarbage,andnotjustbecauseit’sgood
togivea hootandnotpollute.Vo xwriterBrian
Resnickopinesthatleavingthewasteinspace
presentstheopportunityfora fascinatinglookat
microbiallife’sstateinthatenvironment,giving
usevidenceoftypesoflifeformsthatcouldexist
inspace.Kudostothepoorinternthathasto
openthebagsoncetheygetback.What’s in
a Kitty
Name?
Whiledogsmaybeknownasman’s
bestfriend,catsdefinitelydeservesome
recognition.Let’slookatthefacts:cats
areadorable,theymostlikelymakeup
over 50 percentoftheinternet,andyou
canlovethemdespitethefactthatthey
appearconstantlyfilledwithcontempt.
However,whilea dogwillcome
gallopingtowardsyouatthemere
mentionoftheirname,areourfeline
friendsawareoftheirmonikers?
Accordingtoa reportfromScientific
Reports, catsmayactuallybeawareof
thesoundoftheirnames,withthe
capabilitytorecognizeit amongstother
words.Soyes,if Mr.Whiskersisn’t
responding,it mostlikelymeansthat
he’sjustignoringyou.Additionally,it
hasbeenreportedthatcatscanread
facialexpressions,meaningtheyreally
doknowthatyou’remadatthemwhen
theyclawatthefurniture.
ThestudybySophiaUniversity
psychologistAtsukoSaitoanalyzedcat’s
responsestofourseparatenouns,
findingthattheyrespondedmost
stronglytotheirownname.Whileit’s
interestingtolearnthattheyhavethis
capability,thestudywasunfortunately
inconclusiveonthecats’opinionson
Mondays.It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s ...
an Advertisement.
Advertising is one of those “necessary evils” in life. It supports the
economy, allows for a variety of free content, and, most importantly, tells
you what to buy. However, sometimes advertising can get a little out of
hand, especially with obnoxious pop-ups or obvious product placements.
If you ask me, using those forms of advertising is as crazy as not starting
each morning with a bowl of Frosted Flakes, part of a balanced breakfast.
Well, a little-known soda company by the name of Pepsi decided that
mere television commercials weren’t enough to let the public know about
the smooth, refreshing taste of their product and decided to take to the
skies. In a collaboration with startup StartRocket, PepsiCo test-launched
an advertisement for Adrenaline Rush energy drink in the stratosphere
utilizing tiny, reflective satellites. Unfortunately, you now have to pay for
the premium version of life to look at the night sky ad-free.
While this was merely a test and PepsiCo doesn’t appear to be looking
for any more sky advertising, it does show the lengths that brands may
someday go to in order to get the word out about their product. If you
ask us, [this closing sentence brought to you by Denny’s, America’s
diner] it’s starting to get [and new Pantene keratin-enhanced
conditioner] a bit out of hand.
Photo: iStockphoto.com/SonsedskaQUICK BYTES 10 0000100000111000010000011100000111000