Ryan Wallace

When It Comes to Controversy, Science and the American Public Disagree

Medicine & Technology While most of the general public may not want to spend their life crunching numbers or mixing chemicals in a lab, often science breaches the great divide. While there may be a few points of contention, the good news at least is that most Americans believe that science and scientists are invaluable resources for information. In fact in a new public opinion poll released yesterday by the Pew Research Center and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 79 percent of those interviewed said that they believed in the important nature of science. But when it came to controversial topics like climate change and GMOs, the stats and the public opinion were not nearly as generous.

Watch This Spider Spin a Web That Makes Tech Designers Envious

Looking to boost the integrity of nanofilaments, important in commercial manufacturing and technology, researchers from Oxford University recently investigated how the filaments are spun in nature. Pulling inspiration from outside in their gardens, the researchers from the UK captured female Uloborus plumipes commonly known as “feather-legged lace weavers” and watched them spin their webs.

Ever Wonder How Spiders Spin Such Long Webs? Researchers at Oxford Use Microscopy to Find the Answer

Looking just outside into their gardens for a bit of inspiration, one group of Oxford University researchers has sought out to discover how common spider species spin such long, ornate fiber while only being a few nanometers thick. Hoping to reveal nature’s secret, which may someday revolutionize the technological industry as manufacturers find new ways of commercially spinning nano-scale filaments, the researchers captured female Uloborus plumipes commonly known as “feather-legged lace weavers” and watched them spin their webs.

NASA Climate Research Satellite Launch Postponed Due to Fast Winds

Fast winds over California postponed a NASA satellite launch today, but researchers with the space agency say that the mission is far from over. Set to launch this morning, Jan. 29, the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) spacecraft developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory may have had a setback but it still has plans to map the world in a way researchers have never done before.

Clearing Up the Smoke—Editorial On E-Cigarettes Study & Public Opinion

In a recent article published by our writers entitled “Just a Bunch of Hot Air? The Truth About Vaping” our journalist investigated new research published by the New England Journal of Medicine regarding e-cigarettes and health implications associated with vaping. Readers have said that the article propagated fear tactics to decidedly speak against vaping, and with so many questions having recently arisen in response to the article, the editorial staff has decided that it is best to clear up the subject here.

Jellies Reveal Clever Mode of Transport, Even in Absence of Brains

Without fins or bones capable of paddling, in terms of appearances, jellyfish may seem like mere drifters of the sea. But even in spite of their major deficits, including the absence of a heart and brains, these invertebrates have an incredible talent for swimming. So much so that no other creature under the sea can quite compete in terms of efficiency and skills. Though their tactics have long been misunderstood, a new study adds to the working knowledge that these brainless creatures are far more clever than we give them credit for.

NASA Researchers Resolve Every Star in New Panoramic View of Andromeda

While a new view of the the "Pillars of Creation" from the Eagle Nebula (Messier 16) was revealed this last Monday, Jan. 5 for the 225th meeting of the American Astronomical Society, researchers at NASA have revealed an even brighter sight from a bird's-eye view. Publishing their latest images from the Hubble Space Telescope, researchers at NASA are proudly displaying the largest Hubble image ever assembled in a stunning wide-angle view of the Andromeda galaxy next door.

VIDEO—Jellyfish Reveal A Knack for Global Positioning & Swimming in New Study

While jellyfish may seem like an innocuous marine species, most commonly known for their ability to sting, a new study published in the journal Current Biology reveals that the little gelatinous creatures are actually quite efficient in traversing waves, and can also detect the direction of ocean currents to effectively swim against them. Like a character straight out of Oz, without a heart, bones and even a brain, these little creatures may seem like their helpless in the wild but they’re proving that they can swim against the currents life brings them.

Revealing the Swimming Secrets of the Ageless, Brainless Jellyfish

They may lack brains, bones, and even a heart, but jellyfish are undoubtedly some of the most interesting creatures marine biologists have come to research. Even in spite of their major deficits, and their obvious downfalls, jellyfish have an incredible talent for swimming. So much so that no other creature under the sea can quite compete in terms of efficiency and skills. Though their tactics have long been misunderstood, a new study adds to the working knowledge that these brainless creatures are far more clever than we give them credit for.

Researchers in Scottland Find Remnants of Nessy’s Relatives—Or So It Seems

While tales of the cryptid, the Loch Ness monster more colloquially known as Nessy, have gone largely unsubstantiated in the past, archaeologists in Scotland believe that they may now have found creature that fits the bill. The only problem is, that the dolphin-like marine reptile which grew to lengths of up to 14 feet went extinct nearly 170 million years ago.

New Planets Hiding In the Shadow of Pluto

While space agencies and astronomers alike have found that the outer fringes of our very own solar system holds small asteroids and chunks of ice, as opposed to life, it turns out that our investigation of the relatively small solar system is far from over. In fact, a pair of new studies published just this week reveal that we may be adding new members to the roster as at least two new planets larger than Earth are likely hiding beyond Pluto.

New Study Reveals Prospective Planets Just Beyond Pluto—And There May Be More Than One

Though Pluto may have been demoted from the title of planet to “dwarf planet”, NASA’s newest mission New Horizons which plans a flyby next summer has sparked new interest in the farthest depths of our very own solar system. And it appears that we may not just stop there. According to a new study published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, researchers believe that even closer than our Oort cloud we may find at least two more planets circling our Sun far beyond Pluto’s vast expanses.

Don’t Believe In Climate Change? NOAA Says 2014 Brought Hottest Summer To Date

In the midst of the United Nation's Climate Change Summit, held in New York City late last summer, many skeptics bolstered their opinions about the current climate change issues at hand. But with heat waves well into the 100's, the sounds of skepticism were silenced by the buzzing of air conditioners hanging near the window. And as it so happens, when researchers and politicians turned to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admistration (NOAA) for answers, a new study revealed that the blistering heat we felt was unlike anything we had ever seen before.

How Zebras Got Their Stripes & Why Climate Change is Likely to Blame

While they're not alone in the vast wonders of Africa's abundant plains, zebras in particular have posed quite a quandary to scientists in past decades. Their unique striping of black and white have always sparked interest in their study, but the ever failing hypotheses quickly discouraged the discovery of their significance-if any at all. But while many researchers have failed in associating the stripes with social order of a herd or even as camouflaging tactics in the wild, a new study published this month in the journal Royal Society Open Science, researchers have discovered that the stripes are much more like a tan than we think.
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