Comic Book Science

You can’t have a good hero without a good villain. And the world of comics is full of groups of villains - some super and some not-s0-super. Some non-super examples include  Marvel Universe’s Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM) and Hydra. These would be world dominators always reminded me of the scheming bad guys from  James Bond movies whose sole reason for being is to take over the world.  The James Bond comparison is very accurate considering this Science Daily report on non-super super-villains that really do exist in today’s world.

Believable bad guys

The article cites a research study by Professor Richard J. Aldrich an international security expert at the University of Warwick, that says modern security services are facing threats from real bad guys that are much like fictional super-villains. These real life bad guys and their minions are, according to Aldrich, “part master criminal - part arms smuggler - part terrorist - part warlord. They are always the miscreants of globalization, they endanger not only the security of single country, but the safety of the whole world. Like our modern enemies, they thrive on the gaps between sovereign states and thrive on secrecy.” Wow! These bad guys are  not exactly in the same league as Galactus but they are  a lot more likely to cause real harm. Click the link above to read Aldrich’s entire report. 

Comic Book Scientist Alert

What other not so super super bad guys are there in the world of comics? Leave a comment and we’ll update our comic book guide to science database.

written by Comic Book Scientists \\ tags: AIM, Hydra

The two most famous swimming superheroes are Marvel’s Namor the Submariner and DC’s Aquaman. Both have the ability to breath under water and communicate with fish. But one of the things that sets Namor apart is the massive Atlantean navy that he commands.  And, as is befitting a race of underwater people, the battle ships are fish-shaped. Does it really make sense to design ships to look like fish? Apparently the US military thinks so because they’re building robot tuna that resemble artist Jack Kirby’s futuristic fish craft.  

Image credit: MIT

Fish and ships

ZD Net reveals that the Navy, in it’s watery wisdom, realizes that the bluefin tuna is a highly efficient swimmer, reaching speeds up to 50 mph. So they’re “borrowing” Mother Nature’s design to create robotic tunas for submarine surveillance missions. Instead of using propellers like most other autonomous underwater vehicles (UAVs for short) these techy tunas will flip their flippers just like the real thing.   That’s because they have a spine and a vertebrae that create a a wave of motion by moving  synthetic polymeric muscles inside the robot’s body.  A prototype of the robo tuna is expected to hit the waters later this year. 

Comic Book Scientist Alert

Who else in the world of comics uses animal-inspired technology? Leave a comment so we can update our comic book guide to science database.

written by Comic Book Scientists \\ tags: Atlantis, Namor

For you X-men fans out there we’ve blogged before about how to turn your arms into Angel wings.  Now here’s a science story for Hawkman fans: researchers are figuring out how to decipher bird language so they can talk to our feathered friends just like Hawkman does.

Bird babble

Sandra Vehrencamp, a Cornell professor of neurobiology and behavior, is learning how birds use song systems to exchange information about  ”mating and reproduction, territorial boundaries, age and even overall health.” She does this by recording bird songs,  playing them back to birds of the same species, and then studying their reactions. For example, she’s decoded the song that sparrows in southern California use as “fighting words” and when she plays that for the birds they will come up and attack the speaker. She says that in her work “You kind of feel like you’re talking to the bird.” What would Hawkman say about that? Probably “Tweet tweet!”

Click the link to read more, including what birds say to each other when they mate. 

Comic Book Scientist Alert

Hawkman talks to birds and  Aquaman is training fish, but who else has animal communication powers? Leave a comment and let us know so we can update our comic book guide to science data base.

written by Comic Book Scientists \\ tags: Animal powers, Hawkman, Winged Flight

We’ve blogged before about the real science behind Daredevil’s amazing taste buds. Now here’s a story from BBC News that explains how his incredible radar sense could work. 

Blind sight

According to research at Harvard Medical School, scientists have discovered a blind person who can navigate through a maze of obstacles using only non-visual perceptual powers of the brain.  The man, who is completely blind due to a stroke, could find his way around chairs and boxes. Despite his blindness, the patient has retained the ability to detect things in the environment without being able to actually see them. He can even respond to the facial expressions of other people. Maybe Matt Murdock should give Dr. Midnight a call to discuss the legal and medical implications of this research.  Follow the link to read the entire fascinating story. 

Comic Book Scientist Alert

Who else relies on “sightless senses” to fight crime? Leave a comment so we can update our comic book guide to science data base.

written by Comic Book Scientists \\ tags: Daredevil, super senses

In the recent “Batman RIP” story arc, we once again get to see Batman survive being buried alive. Since he has no super powers, HOW does he do that? Why doesn’t he suffocate in an air tight coffin six feet beneath the ground?  According to Batman it’s because he can “slow his breathing and metabolism to control panic and conserve air.” But maybe there’s a more scientific solution to suffocation.

Suspended Animation

Esquire magazine has a fascinating article about Mark Roth, a researcher who’s using toxic gases like carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide to put yeast, worms, and zebra fish into suspended animation. According to Roth, during suffocation cells don’t die because they don’t have enough oxygen, they die because they’re trying to burn oxgyen that’s not there. So, by quenching the oxygen that’s available to cells he can suspend the oxidative processes that would cause them to die. He’s successfully suspended life functions in zebra fish for up to 9 hours before reanimating them. And while a zebra fish is a long way from a Caped Crusader, it does make me wonder if Batman has a little vial of Bat Gas that he sniffs to help survive being buried alive.

Click to read the entire fascinating gorking story of Mark Roth.

Comic Book Scientist Alert

Do you know of any other heroes or villains who can put themselves into suspended animation? Tell us in the comments so we can update our comic book guide to science data base.

written by Comic Book Scientists \\ tags: Batman

I’m a sucker for a good origin story.

Back in the day when the the X-men were just plain, old, “Uncanny,” I always loved the way the writers, (which in most cases meant Stan Lee) explained why the characters were born with mutations. For example, the Beast inherited mutated genes because his father was exposed to radiation a few years before his birth.   

Mutant manifesto

Now, according to ScienceDaily, scientists have discovered how real live mutations are passed from one generation to the next. Researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University have identified how mutations in mitochondrial DNA are transmitted from mother to child. 

Mitochondria are a compartment of cells that supply energy to the body. Unfortunately, instead of creating superpowers, mutations to this DNA causes over 40 known types of diseases that affect brain and muscle functions. The researchers found that in affected females, a genetic “bottleneck” can occur during egg development. This bottleneck controls how much of the mutated mitochondrial DNA is passed onto the child. Click to read how this exciting discovery will help the fight against many genetically inherited diseases.

Comic Book Scientist Alert

Do any other comic characters besides Marvel’s X-men gain their abilities from genetic mutation? Leave a comment and let us know so we can update our comic book guide to science data base.

written by Comic Book Scientists \\ tags: Beast, mutant, X-men

With talk of a possible Wonder Woman movie in the works, we’re wondering how they’ll bring the Amazon Princess’s powers and gadgets to the big screen. We’re not sure how her magic bracelets and lasso of truth will work, but we do know that scientists are already working on robotic planes like the one she flies in the comics.

Real robot planes

Science Daily reports that robotic planes are being developed to help track weather patterns. While remote control aircraft have been used by the military for years, these new robot planes will be able to automatically create new flight paths based on weather data. 

Robotic flight planning on a large scale is not an easy task. The software that is currently available isn’t robust enough to cover large areas, but this new algorithm can develop an effective flight plan to cover the entire Pacific Ocean and it can do it relatively quickly.  Researchers also predict that this intelligent path planning technology will be useful in developing all kinds of mobile robots.

And if you’d love to learn more about Wonder Woman’s powers, read this article from How Stuff Works. Or, if you’re not a big fan, check out this hilarious post at Topless Robot: 10 Reasons No One Cares About Wonder Woman.

Comic Book Scientist Alert

Who else in comics has a robot vehicle? (No, the Batmobile doesn’t count even though it has an autopilot mode.) Leave a comment and let us know so we can update our comic book guide to science data base.

written by Comic Book Scientists \\ tags: Vehicles, Wonder Woman

When Batman’s chasing Killer Croc through the sewers of Gotham to stop his murderous rampage, no one thinks about the REAL victim of the crime. It’s Alfred because he has to wash out the Batsuit when Bruce gets home!  

But a new breakthrough in textile technology may make laundry day a lot easier for Alfred, Jarvis, and all those other superhero servants who have to wash all those dirty costumes. 

Costume chemistry

The New Scientist reports that Swiss chemists have developed a new waterproof fabric that can be soaked in water for weeks without becomine wet. According to the article, researchers at the University of Zurich coated polyester fibres with millions of tiny silicone filaments to create the most water-repellent fabric ever invented. Click the link to see how water droplets bounce right off the fabric. This water proofing effect keeps dirt from collecting on the fabric as well. According to Steven Bell, Director of the Innovative Molecular Materials Group at Queen’s University Belfast, ”The era of self-cleaning clothes may be closer than we think.” That’s good news for Alfred! 

Comic Book Scientist Alert

Who else needs a costume made from a special fabric? Leave a comment and let us know so we can update our comic book guide to science data base.

written by Comic Book Scientists \\ tags: Batman

The wedding of the Vision and Scarlet Witch marks a low point in terms of plausible comic book science. The Vision (who’s an unliving android) falls in love with a human (actually a mutant) woman and gets married. That’s preposterous! That’s ridiculous! That’s… actually possible based on this story from Science News about a new generation of robots that can become emotionally attached to humans. 

I, Robot Take This Woman…

Apparently these robots can develop and display emotions as they interact with humans. Researchers at the University of Hertfordshire’s School of Computer Science are involved with a project to develop robots that are able to grow emotionally and to respond to the emotions of real people. 

For example, there is a baby pet robot that can learn to control its stress as it explores a new environment; there are robotic faces that display emotion in response to humans’ faces and voices, and humanoid robots that have learned to carry out simple manuevers just by watching and imitating humans. So if these emotional robots already exist today, how long will it be before a future robot falls in love with and marries a human?   

Comic Book Scientist Alert

Are there any other comic book robots that display emotion? Leave a comment and let us know so we can update our comic book guide to science database.

written by Comic Book Scientists \\ tags: Robotics, Scarlet Witch, Vision

Photo credit: UK Mirror

While we usually prefer to blog about science stories that could make comics come true, every once in a while a science story discussing the improbability of super powers catches our eye. Case in point: superheroes with the ability to grow in size (like Giant Man and Colossal Boy) would be likely to have medical problems.

Here’s a story from the UK Mirror about Mandy Sellars, a young woman from the UK who’s legs have grown to gigantic proportions.  It’s a sad story and she’s a brave young lady who’s traveling to the US for treatment. Because of her over-sized legs Mandy is more prone to blood clots, kidney failure, and infections. 

So isn’t it likely that super-size superheroes would be subject to similar conditions? It certainly doesn’t bode well for Hank Pym or Gim Allon.

Comic Book Scientist Alert

Who else has the power to grow to giant-size? Leave a comment and let us know so we can update our comic book guide to science data base.

written by Comic Book Scientists \\ tags: Colossal Boy, Giant Man, Size Changing Power