Ryan Wallace

Striking It Rich in Supernovae Dust at the Center of the Milky Way Galaxy

It’s a tough job sifting through the data and the haze of the center of the Milky Way galaxy, but some astronomers have to do it. The time-consuming job often means having to peer into the center with aid of multiple telescopes, all giving you a different perspective at a different wavelength. It can be job of countless hours, with little to no reward, but when researchers find even cosmic dust, their studies can strike it rich.

Solar Eclipse Guide March 2015—How To Watch it Tonight From Anywhere on Earth

A rather rare occurrence, happening once every year or two, a total eclipse of the sun is a pretty big deal in the sky-watching community. Not only is it special because the sun’s disk entirely covered by the moon, but also because it’s a cosmic occurrence right in our back yard. But for those not living in the Arctic or on the Faroe Islands archipelago between Norway and Iceland, tonights events may be a little hard to see.

Eclipse Tourists—Beware of Polar Bear Attacks

Think of star-gazing and astronomy as a particularly safe hobby? Think again. It turns out that while looking at the cosmos, hundreds of thousands of light-years away, local astronomers may be too preoccupied to realize the threats much closer to home.

How a Beaked Whale Fossil May Reveal Origins of Humanities First Steps

In a study published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers with the University of Potsdam in Germany say that they may have found the origin of man’s first steps on land with the rediscovery of a 17 million year old fossil of a beaked whale once native to East Africa. The fossil, which was original unearthed in 1964, but lost for nearly half a century after the skull was misplaced, is the oldest known fossil of a beaked whale and strongly suggests an exact time for when the East African plateau was once turned into a savannah.

Research Provides Al Gore With a Climate Change Platform for Election

For years now former Vice President of the United States, Al Gore has been the the man professing the end of the world as we know it. In fact, while his predictions and commentary on the matter of global climate change may have sent scientists and the rest of the American public into a frenzy, they also happened to win him an Academy Award for his film “An Inconvenient Truth”. But with a changing industry and a change in the global conversation, Gore’s recent tone has been a lot more hopeful than it once was. And with news this weekend of an even greater shift towards green energy, with a discovery made by researchers at Brown University, some are hopeful that Gore will once again reclaim an office in the White House with election campaigns starting right around the corner.

Solvent Baths Promise Better Perovskite Crystals and Better Solar Energy

With the coming of spring, and the looming global warming ever at our odds, it’s clear that there’s enough heat already out in the world. So why would you want your “green” energy practices to contribute ever more to that heat? Current methods, for example, in the production of solar cells used to capture energy require an intense recrystallization process that comes at the price of a drastic raise in the temperature of the substance—perovskite. But now, thanks to chemists at Brown University, the green energy movement may soon be equated with a cooler movement, as well.

After Hopeful Solar Power News, Al Gore May Just Find Another Place in Office

For years now former Vice President of the United States, Al Gore has been the the man professing the end of the world as we know it. In fact, while his predictions and commentary on the matter of global climate change may have sent scientists and the rest of the American public into a frenzy, they also happened to win him an Academy Award for his film “An Inconvenient Truth”. But with a changing industry and a change in the global conversation, Gore’s recent tone has been a lot more hopeful than it once was. And with news this weekend of an even greater shift towards green energy, with a discovery made by researchers at Brown University, some are hopeful that Gore will once again reclaim an office in the White House with election campaigns starting right around the corner.

Champion Foodies—Chimpanzees Will Make the Trek for a Delicious Meal

Though researchers have come to understand that in comparison to the human palette, chimpanzees may not be as refined, it appears that these clever relatives are foodies at heart. In fact, when it comes to a meal of grapes over veggies, chimpanzees will even go out of their way for the chance to dine on something sweeter than the norm. In a new study published this week in the journal PeerJ researchers at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo investigated the food preferences of chimpanzees in captivity only to find that the animals are clever enough to find a way of getting the goodies they prefer.

Intricate Organic Molecules—Yeah, We Can 3D Print That

Perhaps you’re a neurobiologist looking to isolate endocanibinoids from human brains. Any volunteers to offer their brains up for study? You’re not likely to find any takers, but now thanks to some researchers at the University of Illinois, you may just be able to print your own. That’s right, print. In what the researchers are calling the next step in 3D-printing, with a version specifically designed to tailor to researchers, University of Illinois chemists led by lead researcher Martin Burke have develop a machine that can systematically synthesize thousands of different molecules basically from scratch.

How One Innovation May Change the Solar Energy Game Forever

If you’ve ever ventured out into the middle of the desert, you’ve likely encountered a solar field of sorts. On the way to Las Vegas, for example, there exists a solar plant that leverages thousands of glass reflectors to burn hot with the power of the sun. But when it comes to more domesticate uses of the sun, researchers and consumers have been limited by the capabilities of light-absorbing perovskite films used in solar cells. Now, however, thanks to a PhD researcher at Brown University, the tides may have changed.

First Successful Penis Transplant Raises Questions around South African Circumcision Ceremonies

While a South African patient’s identity is being protected for ethical reasons, according to Tygerberg Hospital, news of his successful procedure and sexual history are making headlines nonetheless. Fully recovered from a nine-hour operation that occurred on Dec. 11, 2014, the young man whose name is not being disclosed at this time, marks a great achievement in that doctors were the first to successfully complete a penile transplant operation in his case.

Listeriosis Outbreak Now Poses Threat to Ice Cream—Blue Bell Creameries Recalls Products

It’s in the popcorn, in the caramel apples, and now it’s in the ice cream. It appears that Listeria monocytogenes has some pretty great tastes, seeing as how it has infected all of our favorite treats. And now, in what happens to be the company’s first recall in a successful 108-year history, a new outbreak of Listeriosis has caused Blue Bell Creameries to take its ice cream off of the shelves.

Tropical Cyclone Pam Devastates Vanuatu in the South Pacific

In the midst of unimaginable destruction, meteorologists say that a cyclone, designated “Cyclone Pam”, will continue to devastate islands in the South Pacific even after the storm brought torrential rains and fierce winds hour after hour since the start of the weekend.

Intricate Organic Molecules—Yeah, We Can 3D Print That

Perhaps you’re a neurobiologist looking to isolate endocanibinoids from human brains. Any volunteers to offer their brains up for study? You’re not likely to find any takers, but now thanks to some researchers at the University of Illinois, you may just be able to print your own. That’s right, print. In what the researchers are calling the next step in 3D-printing, with a version specifically designed to tailor to researchers, University of Illinois chemists led by lead researcher Martin Burke have develop a machine that can systematically synthesize thousands of different molecules basically from scratch.

In the Wake of Ebola—H7N9 Influenza Has Spread in Secret

In the wake of the Ebola pandemic, researchers in China have identified a virus capable of global infection that has been mutating and brewing on the sidelines. A strain of the avian influenza, the H7N9 flu emerged in eastern China in Feb. 2013 in a small population with a mortality rate of roughly 33%. But over the last year, since it reemerged in October 2013, the virus has been spreading steadily, and mutating along the way. Now public health officials fear that the growing viral infection may soon reach the levels much like the Ebola outbreak, and it is something that researchers are heavily investigating.

Genetic Markers and Immune Response Reveal Origins of PTSD

While Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has become highly stigmatized as a mental health condition within the armed forces, where soldiers often return home from battle with the debilitating condition, it appears that not only may some soldiers be genetically predisposed to it—some may have immunological reactions that even make it worse. In a new study published this week in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, a team of researchers with the University of Southampton (UK) and University of California, San Diego have uncovered the genetic markers that could theoretically allow them to identify soldiers or patients that may be most at risk, even before they’re deployed at all.

Clearing the Questions Around PTSD—How Researchers Revealed a New Genetic Link

It’s a story not too unfamiliar in the line of duty for those in the armed forces. When faced with the traumatic experiences, dangers and death of warring nations, often those on the front line are scathed to say the least. A new study revealing the origins and genetic markers for Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may provide a glimmer of hope for soldiers suffering with the condition, but with the stigma and disbelief the general public has regarding the disorder, the battle is far from over.

Clearing the Questions Around PTSD—Why New Research Revealing Genetic Markers is the Discovery of a Lifetime

It’s a story not too unfamiliar in the line of duty for those in the armed forces. When faced with the traumatic experiences, dangers and death of warring nations, often those on the front line are scathed to say the least. A new study revealing the origins and genetic markers for Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may provide a glimmer of hope for soldiers suffering with the condition, but with the stigma and disbelief the general public has regarding the disorder, the battle is far from over.

Catalina Fox Populations—From the Brink of Extinction to Potentially Off the List

Though the Catalina fox species may be the smallest species of fox in the world, it appears that size may not have anything to do with their survival. And while the animal may have been endangered decades ago, locals and visitors to the island of Santa Catalina are realized that their abundant numbers may be a sign of drastic change.

A Potent Gastronomic Invention—Powdered Alcohol Gets Approval in the United States

Ironically enough, even with the emergence of so many retro restaurants and speak-easies of the sort, gastronomy may still be the biggest hitter in the restaurant and drinks industry. Whether it’s NO2 created ice cream or bacon powder, the science and the flair really draw in the crowds. But a new potent invention may have certain states on the fence about how far they will let these gastronomists go.

Genetic Markers and Immune Response Reveal Origins of PTSD

While Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has become highly stigmatized as a mental health condition within the armed forces, where soldiers often return home from battle with the debilitating condition, it appears that not only may some soldiers be genetically predisposed to it—some may have immunological reactions that even make it worse. In a new study published this week in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, a team of researchers with the University of Southampton (UK) and University of California, San Diego have uncovered the genetic markers that could theoretically allow them to identify soldiers or patients that may be most at risk, even before they’re deployed at all.

What are ‘Iridophores’ and How Are They Keeping Chameleons Camouflaged?

In a new study published this week in journal Nature Communications, researchers with the University of Geneva in Switzerland revealed that crystals beneath the skin of chameleons are responsible for the species’ amazing ability to adapt its pigmentation to its surroundings. But many are left wondering—what exactly are “Iridophores” and how can chameleons use them to camouflage?

The Secret To a Chameleon’s Color Change—It’s Crystals

Ever wonder exactly how chameleons are able to change their spots and camouflage themselves under the bright forest canopy? Well you’re not likely to guess the intriguing method involved. It turns out that while the chameleons are docile and soft, for the most part, this interesting species has a lot more in common with diamonds than anyone ever thought.

Apple Watch: Details, Dates, Delivery and Pre-Ordering

With the reveal of Apple’s newest venture into an entirely wireless world, the tech super-giant announced today all of the details about their upcoming Apple Watch and all three collections that it will feature. Expecting great quality for the price, analysts and techies alike have been watching the live press conference all morning and afternoon, but lucky for you Apple has been updating us with all of the brief vitals you need to know about their new product. And while you may have to wait a couple more weeks to get your hands on your very own Apple Watch, here’s everything that you need to know in order to pick the right model for you.

Catalina Fox Populations—From the Brink of Extinction to Potentially Off the List

Though the Catalina fox species may be the smallest species of fox in the world, it appears that size may not have anything to do with their survival. And while the animal may have been endangered decades ago, locals and visitors to the island of Santa Catalina are realized that their abundant numbers may be a sign of drastic change.

VIDEO—NASA’s Satellite Space Fleet Path Patterns Revealed

While it may be a groggy Monday morning, after most of the world lost an hour this weekend in the readjustment of our clocks, a new animation from NASA reveals that you may be luckier than their satellites who are on the clock 24 hours a day. While you may know that many of the satellites like Aqua, Aura and CloudSat pass overhead everyday at 1:30pm, no matter where you are, you may not have given their movements much thought or ever fully realized exactly how many satellites are working for the space agency. But in celebration of NASA’s newest achievement in having their Dawn satellite reach the dwarf planet Ceres, their giving us a new view of what orbiters do here at home.

SeaWorld Researchers Change the Conversation—Saving Stranded Sea Lion Pups

Though animal rights activists have questioned the capacity of the aquarium and the living situation of the performers, SeaWorld researchers and trainers are proving that the company’s main concern is the health and well-being of the animals. And with a new decision that has suspended sea lion and sea otter shows in the weeks to come, SeaWorld’s employees are taking a stance for what they know is right.

How ‘Gravitational Lensing’ Made One Supernova into Four—‘Einstein Cross’

Nicknamed the “Einstein Cross” after the famous physicist who predicted the possibility of the phenomenon as a result of his theory of relativity more than a century ago, the formation was made possible by a strange occurrence known as gravitational lensing. When a galaxy or cluster is large enough, they can often bend light that passes through it. And when they are rather perfectly aligned with Earth, even small events too far to be seen can be magnified so that researchers are able to detect them.
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