THE MOST AMAZING SCIENCE IMAGES OF THE WEEK XXXI

A Volkswagen Rolled Into A Ball And Other Amazing Images From This Week
By Colin Lecher, Popular Science, 31 May 2013.

Plus software that sees faces in clouds, a human cocoon, and more.

1. Future Yacht

Credit: Orion Shuttleworth via designboom

John Shuttleworth Yacht Designs created this extra-luxurious luxury yacht. It lights up! And it goes at a max speed of 23.2 knots, or 26 mph and change. And you can pilot it remotely with an iPad for some reason? Sure, why not.

2. Trash Art

Credit: Barry Rosenthal via Slate

Barry Rosenthal spends time collecting junk from beaches and organizing it into something beautiful, like this monochromatic look at bottles and other green objects. Check out more of Rosenthal's work over at Slate. And also: Hurry! Go empty out the nearest garbage bag in case you're missing something beautiful.

3. Volkswagen Sphere

Credit: Ichwan Noor via Colossal

Artist Ichwan Noor made this sculpture: yes, it's a real 1953 Volkswagen Beetle, combined with aluminium and polyester, and rolled up into a sphere. It's also an awesome series, which includes cube cars, too. [More at Colossal]

4. Sound Art

Credit: Zimoun via Colossal

Sound artist Zimoun made this lovely noise installation out of a chemical tank: 329 motors with cotton balls attached bounce against the side, making a sound like a lot - a lot - of rain on a tin roof. Watch a video and listen to the project here.

5. Faces In The Clouds

Credit: Shinseungback Kimyonghun via Co.Design

Studio Shinseungback Kimyonghun created Cloud Faces, software that does exactly what you'd expect it to do: recognize faces in clouds like a kid lying down on a park bench. It seems to be pretty good at it, too, judging by this collection it spotted. [More at Co.Design]

6. Pothole Spotter

Credit: Red Dot Design via Design TAXI

So you're pedalling your bike along, perhaps for a casual night-time ride, when, whoops, there's a pothole that takes you out. If only there were some way to stop this! Well, here's one idea: a team from Sichuan University in China created this design concept for LEDs that form a grid on the ground, mapping inconsistencies in the road. It's still just a concept, though, so not available for purchase yet. How many more wipe outs have to happen before this is a reality? [More at Design TAXI]

7. Tiny Paper World

Credit: Fiddle Oak via Peta Pixel

Photographer/photo manipulator Zev creates beautiful miniature worlds. Oh, and he's also 14 years old. He's been doing this since he was 8, and in the past couple years started sharing his work, under the screen name Fiddle Oak, on his excellent Flickr page.

8. A Human Cocoon

Credit: Freyja Sewell via Dezeen

British designer Freyja Sewell created Hush, a human cocoon made from biodegradable materials that people can use to work or rest in private. By the time they come out, the people have transmogrified into beautiful butterflies are totally refreshed. [More at Dezeen]

9. Black Hole Jets

X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/A.Siemiginowska et al; Optical: NASA/STScI; Radio:

NSF/NRAO/VLA via SPACE.com

Astronomers created this composite image of a black hole in the centre of a distant galaxy. Space debris gets pulled into the black hole and, occasionally, spewed back outward in jets, visible here. Through an X-ray spectrum view, you can also see the million-degree-plus gas glowing at the centre. [More at SPACE.com]

10. Soyuz Lift-off

Earlier this week, a Soyuz rocket took off, launching a multi-national team of three astronauts toward the International Space Station. Here they are, space-bound.

[Source: Popular Science. Edited.]