Orange Dwarf likely on Collision Course to Our Solar System!

Our solar system's 'hood may get a bit rougher sometime during the next 1.5 million years. An astronomer has given an 86 percent chance for a neighboring star to smash into the frozen Oort Cloud surrounding the outskirts of the solar system, and may scatter some comets toward Earth!

Burning Ice!

When methane and freezing cold water fuse under tremendous pressure, they create a substance as paradoxical as it coveted: burning ice. Earlier in the year, a report from the National Research Council identified the combustible water, also known as methane hydrate, as a potential source of natural gas.

Oldest Known Flying Car is Up for Sale!

Flying cars may seem to keep receding into that deliciously-imagined future, but this, one of the earliest prototypes, hails from 1934. It is now slated to go up on the auction block in Atlanta this coming weekend, according to Wierd's Autpia.

Tiny Crustacean Menace Could Fuel the World!

They don't exactly look like the saviors of our energy economy, but that's exactly what some researchers think they could be. Gribbles -- tiny crustacean pests with a knack for digesting wood -- have long been considered a marine parasite for the destruction they cause to wooden hulls and piers. But the enzymes gribbles use in to break wood fibers down into sugars could make them the next biofuels breakthrough.

Car Runs on Coffee!?!?

Readers feeling jittery on their second or third cuppa might giggle at the concept of the Carpuccino, but few car owners will. The wacky UK invention comes in the form of a converted 1988 Volkswagen Scirocco that downs about 56 espressos per mile! The Daily Mall reports. That should only cost about 25 to 50 times the cost of running a car on gas.

Lip Reader Cell Phones!?!

One the problems with cellphones is that they force personal conversations out into the world. Arguing with your spouse? Speaking your PIN and Social Security number to a customer service rep? Having an intimate chat on a cross-country bus trip? Cellphones make all those private details available to anyone who's listening. But with the soundless communication designed by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), you can hold a phone conversation in complete silence.

Why Do Ducks Have Orange Feet? Allow Me To Explain!

Actually, many species of ducks have feet—and legs!—tinted a bluish green or gray. But for the ducks that do have orange feet, well, it’s all about attracting the ladies. Chicks dig orange. Bright orange coloring suggests that a male duck, also known as a drake, is getting all his vitamins, particularly carotenoids, such as beta-carotene and vitamin A, antioxidants that can be beneficial to the immune system. “This indicates that his behaviors and genes are good enough for him to recognize and eat the right food, or that his immune system is strong enough to produce bright orange legs,” Omland says. “The female sees this as a very attractive trait to pass on to her offspring.” Mystery solved!

This Will Make Touching Yourself A Good Thing!

The future of touchscreen interfaces is: you? A project between a Carnegie Mellon researcher and a couple of creative thinkers over at Microsoft Research have created Skinput, a Bluetooth-enabled device that allows you to use your own skin as a peripheral input device for devices like cell phones, MP3 players or gaming consoles.

Newton's Second Law Could Explain The Existence Of Dark Matter

Dark matter's status as a mysterious and invisible lurker in the universe has frustrated scientists for years. Now, one hopes to solve the puzzle a different way: using a modified version of Newton's second law that would eliminate the need for dark matter altogether. Researchers in Brazil have devised an experiment that could put the modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND) to the test.

A Map-Equipped Treadmill That Can Recreate Any Hike On EARTH!!!

Dreaming of running up Mt. Kilimanjaro? Do it today. The NordicTrack X7i Incline Trainer raises and lowers itself to mimic the dips and hills of real-world topography.

The X7i downloads maps over Wi-Fi from a Web site called iFit, which lets you pick popular routes like San Francisco’s Golden Gate Trail, as well as treks you’ve designed on your computer across any territory covered by Google Maps. As you run, a seven-inch screen scrolls the map and shows snapshots of passing landmarks.