While actually called the “pistol shrimp,” its characteristics make it more befitting of the title: banshee. Despite their small size, pistol shrimp are capable of letting loose a sound of 218 decibels that stuns their prey before they devour them. The pressure wave produced by such a sound is capable of killing a small fish. It’s like a gunshot emanating from a bite-sized crustacean, and that’s why it’s named the pistol shrimp.

With rising sea temperatures in UK waters, experts believe that the pistol shrimp’s numbers are on the rise. They claim it’s the temperature in the water, but I say it’s the fact that they’re monogamous and are all about inbreeding. That could explain the bizarre ability their other friends do not possess. Don’t screw your relatives, it could have bizarre results.

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For those not familiar with the Dead Sea Scrolls, they are the only known surviving copies of Biblical documents made before 100 AD. So, it’d be nice to try and preserve them in any way possible. What better way to insure its longevity than the immortal internet? Now, not only is the oldest Hebrew record of the Old Testament discovered to date, it’s now the first ever to be put on public display on the Internet.

“The project will involve the documentation of all of the thousands of Dead Sea Scrolls fragments belonging to about 900 manuscripts, and placing them in an Internet databank that will be available to the public,” the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said.

On top of that, infrared and color imaging scientists will help improve the quality and restore worn down fragments that have broken off from the original piece. Let’s hear it for the preservation of the Jewish faith. Thanks JDate! Erm… I mean, thanks Israel Antiquities Authority!

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When we saw the robot which revealed how sea creatures might first have set slithery fin on land, we never imagined that other aquatic life-form robots would surface which would amaze with such ease. And then we set eyes on the Festo AirJelly, modeled after the jelly fish, which floats through the air as if the atmosphere was as buoyant as water.

Powered by a lithium-ion battery, an electric motor, a tad of helium gas, and what seems to be the brain of a jelly fish, the AirJelly uses its seven tentacle-like arms to float through the air. There’s also an aquatic version, the AquaJelly, but it’s not nearly as gorgeous as the AirJelly. Hit the jump for an amazing video of the creature in flight. (more…)

When we talk about reviewing cameras, most people will think about the image quality, user interface, external design and so on. When those outdoor anti-drop anti-dust anti-splash cameras get reviewed, nobody seems to have the guts to actually test if the camera can really withstand what it claims it can. Chinese site PConline has tested the Olympus [mju:] 770 SW digital camera. Apart from all the usual imaging tests, they also put the camera through a series of ruthless tests. They started by having a 75kg dude stepping on it, then they dumped the camera into the ocean, washed it with soap, froze it… and a lot more. Jump to find out how hardcore the 770SW is.

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