3D摹擬星系成長 A Galactic Growth Spurt

http://www.scientificamerican.com/video.cfm?id=913760431001
這段3D影片模擬了一百億年前銀河系可能的模樣。
銀河系正處於快速成長的階段，紅色線條代表著又冷又厚重的空氣；冷空氣往星系盤中沉降。同時，新生的恆星從星系的核心中誕生，並催動高熱的氣流(藍色線條，溫度高於一百萬度)。

Script: (No guarantee of accuracy.)

This 3D simulation shows a galaxy similar to Milky Way might be look 10 billion years ago. The young galaxy is experiencing a turbulent growth spurt. Cold, dense gas showed in red collapse in a heap of the galactic disk. Meanwhile, new stars are formed from the core of galaxy, driving a hot stream of gas showed in blue at temperature more than one million degrees. The interplay process makes a complex and dynamic environment.

突吻蝣蛇抓魚的詭譎技巧 Tentacled Snake Uses Sneaky Strategy to Catch Fish

http://www.scientificamerican.com/video.cfm?id=913760431001

Script: (No guarantee of accuracy.)
Tentacled snake, name for the two appendages perched on the tip of its nose, is a master of ambush. But this snake has caught something other than fish lately. It’s caught the eyes of scientists.
Its markable strategy for catching prey has become a subject to study.
In the wild, the snake lives in the rivers in Southeast Asia.
It camouflages itself by holding a pose that resembles a dead tree branch. As an unsuspecting fish swims nearby, the snake swings into action and swallow it whole.
It happened so quickly that it is impossible to capture with regular film. But when view at 2000 frames per second, about a hundred times the speed of standard film. The snake’s strategy becomes clear.
It uses a quick flick of its body to start on the fish, corralling it toward its head and into its mouth. The snake exploits reflex that normally helps fish it captures. Two large nerves on either sides of the body called Mauthner Neuron react pressure ways and involuntarily cause the fish to move in the opposite direction.
Most of the time, this mechanism works in the fishes’ favor. But the Tentacled snake creates false waves, causing the fish to the wrong direction and straight into its waiting jaws.
What about those unusual tentacles that give the snake its name? Those are actually highly-involved motion detectors perfectly tuned to the movement of fish. They let the snake detect food even in murky, silty water, its natural environment. They are features that strike fear and sometimes fangs into heart of fish everywhere.
To learn more about the Tentacled snake, read the article “Natural-Born Killer” in the April issue of Scientific American.