Can People Really Live Forever in Space? New NASA Study Looks to Answer that Question

Medicine & Technology Mar 27, 2015

While you might think that NASA and other space agencies have made great strides in investigating the final frontiers of space, it turns out that there are far too many limitations for what humans are able to do. Astronauts and cosmonauts train for the better part of the lives, learning technical information and perfecting the physical attributes needed to live in space. But when it comes down to mission time, they only have a few months in space—at best. Considering that new missions to Mars will look towards taking human journeys far deeper into space than anyone has been before, NASA’s new experiment is looking into how long exposure to zero-gravity will affect humans. And they’re using a familiar method of testing their hypotheses—twins.

Paris Shuts Down Traffic in the City, Saving Babies In the Process

Mar 26, 2015

In light of thick smog choking the nation’s capital, France shut down half of the traffic in Paris this week in hopes of mitigating surmounting toxins and pollutants in the air, caused as a byproduct of motor vehicles. But in the process of untarnishing the facade of the “City of Lights” it appears that French officials may also be saving the next generation of French citizens as well.

New Morphing Frog Reveals Its Spiny Ability

Mar 26, 2015

In the wild, camouflage and mimicry are powerful abilities that often mean the difference between life and death. But while merely hiding in the background may mean going unnoticed, being able to change one’s form can change odds of survival astronomically when it comes to predation. And though the ability to camouflage may be an uncommon attribute that most species can live without, one fingernail-sized frog in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador is revealing a far rarer ability—making it the first shape-shifting amphibian ever found.

Tech Vs. Technique—What Wins the Battle When It Comes to Surgeries?

Mar 26, 2015

Ever think that those younger doctors with their new-fangled ways aren’t nearly as good as the seasoned pros? Well while you might think that the veterans have the advantage, researchers are now saying that in the battle of old versus new it’s technique not technology that wins the race. In fact, if properly done, new techniques hold far greater possibilities for improvement than older techniques, and the new surgeons learning these techniques directly in school may be the the best adept to their correct implementation.

How the Neurons of A Sea Slug Could Change Neurobiology Forever

Mar 26, 2015

It’s a common belief that when you think of neurobiology you often imagine the brain and the central nervous system one neuron at a time. And for many years, that’s exactly how researchers had to approach the larger questions. By tagging in particular neurotransmitters, that would convey the passing of one signal from neuron to neuron, researchers were able to follow the path of a signal back and forth along an axon. But now, with new imaging technology and a new model organism in mind, researchers in neurobiology are seeking new ways in which we study the brain—mapping neural circuits and their functions in great detail, on the large scale.

Finding Bright Solutions to Smog in the ‘City of Lights’

Mar 23, 2015

Can’t find the Eiffel Tower? It appears that most of Paris is choking on a thick smog that is plaguing most of northern France. In recent months French authorities have claimed that major cities in northern France, such as Paris, have been contributing greatly to an ever-growing problem of air pollution in the area. So in order to combat the haze of smog, French officials are coming up with a bright solution to save the tarnished facade of the “City of Lights”.

White House Science Fair Brings STEM Education to the Capital

Mar 23, 2015

In Congress and the House of Representatives, topics of science are often met with quite a lot of controversy and disagreement. But it appears that in the White House, STEM subjects are appreciated on a different level.

Can Magnetism Bend Heat And Sound? Study Reveals A New Dimension to Magnetic Fields

Mar 23, 2015

For many years researchers have sought to discover just how many uses magnetic fields can have. To date they have become essential in quantum computing, they are vital in medical imaging, and astronomers have even used natural magnetism to amplify the signals of light from far off supernovae and galaxies so that we here on Earth can see them hundreds or thousands of light-years away. But in a new study from researchers at Ohio State University, nanotechnologists have revealed that magnetic fields can impact our lives in far more real ways—controlling heat and sound waves that exhibit magnetic properties of their own.

Frozen In Space—How Comet 67P Is Slowing Down

Mar 22, 2015

Researchers this week with the European Space Agency (ESA) may have discovered how comets can remain so cold with the revelation of molecular nitrogen being found on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, but now they need to figure out their movements.

Finding Bright Solutions to Smog in the ‘City of Lights’

Mar 22, 2015

Can’t find the Eiffel Tower? It appears that most of Paris is choking on a thick smog that is plaguing most of northern France. In recent months French authorities have claimed that major cities in northern France, such as Paris, have been contributing greatly to an ever-growing problem of air pollution in the area. So in order to combat the haze of smog, French officials are coming up with a bright solution to save the tarnished facade of the “City of Lights”.

Supernovae Dust ‘Goldmine’ Found at the Center of the Milky Way

Mar 22, 2015

One of the largest questions to date has been what building materials were present at the formation of our Milky Way galaxy? Astronomers have long theorized that the building material may have come from the death of supermassive stars, however, the galaxy-building dust is thought to burn up in a supernova like that. But now researchers are saying that may not be the case at all. In a new study published this week in the journal Science Express, researchers with Cornell University have made the first direct discovery of dust used to build the cosmos at the center of the Milky Way, and they believe it may have resulted from an ancient supernova.

‘Water Man of India’ Takes Prize for Bringing Hope to A Dry Future

Mar 21, 2015

While the Nobel Peace Prize may applaud many great acts of human kindness and perseverance, not every year’s winners are designated as those that feed the masses or even bring essential components of life, such as water, to those in need. In order to applaud these efforts, the Stockholm Water Prize was created as the unofficial “Nobel Prize for water”, and each year it recognizes those fighting in the most impoverished nations for potable water to be brought to masses. This year’s laureate, however, is one for the record books as he alone has brought water to 1,000 villages across northern India.

Tide of the Decade Sweeps Across France’s Atlantic Coast, Turning Islets into Islands

Mar 21, 2015

How strong are the sun and the moon’s pull on the tides? A lot stronger than you may have ever believed. In what happened to be a perfect trifecta of cosmic events, this Friday’s alignment allowed for a supermoon, a total solar eclipse, and perhaps one of the greatest ocean surges our generation has seen since the turn of the 21st century. In fact, in what happened to be a tourist’s dream, the picturesque Mont Saint Michel Abbey on the coast of France was turned into a island for a brief while as the “tide of the century” submerged the path that leads to its fortified walls.

Molecular Nitrogen on Comet 67P Reveals a Frigid Start to Our Solar System

Mar 20, 2015

For the past several months the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta spacecraft mission has been tailing the famous Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko with many answers at the core of its research. While in orbit the mission has been able to gather an immense amount of data, creating a never-before-seen view of comets as the first spacecraft to ever successfully orbit one in our history. Yet, many molecular ingredients that are thought to have given rise to comets have not been found.

Total Solar Eclipse 2015—Were You Underwhelmed?

Mar 20, 2015

It’s the start to the spring today, and with the vernal equinox came a celestial event unlike those in common occurrence. But while flocks of sky-watchers and astronomers ventured north into the Arctic, where a total solar eclipse would be visible for the last time until 2026 in continental Europe, many were left disappointed at the less than “thrilling” display.