New Face Paint Protects Soldiers Against Bomb Blasts 107
Zothecula writes "For millennia, face paint has helped soldiers avoid being seen by enemy forces. Recently, however, a team of scientists from the University of Southern Mississippi announced that a new type of face paint may soon also be able to protect against the heat of bomb blasts and other explosions. Additionally, a clear version of the paint could be used by civilian firefighters."
Re:"I like turtles" (Score:5, Informative)
The only way they'd think they were told it would protect against bomb blasts is if they got their information from Slashdot without RTFA. The article clearly explains that it's not protection against bombs, just the flash of heat that accompanies them. This is a major problem for troops who are not directed to the direct trajectory of shrapnel but who still sustain nasty burns; just imagine a bit of facial scarring, and ask yourself if face paint that would have prevented it would be welcome?
Of course, these days Slashdot manages to post links to articles without actually reading the article themselves, somehow...
Re:Why would firefighters need clear? (Score:5, Informative)
If I remember those county-fair firefighter demonstrations well enough, one of the major problems firefighters face is that they're already too scary.
In a house fire, children are startled awake by alarms, surrounded by disorienting smoke, and seeing flashing lights outside their window. Then suddenly a grotesque figure with a misshapen body and respirator mask comes bursting in to their room carrying a giant axe, with flames surrounding them. The children scream and run away, frantically hoping to escape their certain doom at the hands of the demon from the hallway. It's no use. Their shocked scream was heard, and the monster lumbers toward them, making unintelligible noises that sound almost like speech. Finally the great beast peels off his face to show a human underneath. "It's okay, I'm a fireman. I'll take you outside." Before the children can fully understand what's going on, they're being carried toward the door, and it's so hot they can't think straight. Maybe this is alright. At the door now, and there's people outside. Then there's mommy and everything's alright.
Keeping whatever remnants of human appearance a firefighter has is a good thing.
Warner Brothers has been testing the paint (Score:4, Informative)
Re:"I like turtles" (Score:4, Informative)
Stranger things have happened in history.
Good example is the Huescar vs Denmark which was declared in 1809 as part of a larger conflict between France and Spain. Then this declaration was literally forgotten before re-discovery by a local historian in 1981!
In November of the same year the peace treaty was signed thus ending 172 year (!) conflict without a single shot or injury.
There is a whole list of conflicts like this on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_extended_by_diplomatic_irregularity [wikipedia.org]