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Science

U=(N/T)M*G: Shaun

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Artemis - NASA

It always surprises me when NASA is about to do something major, and their collective goofiness as people and nerds smacks me right in the face. The Artemis launch is one such example, though there have been many. The Mission Control mohawk guy is probably still one of my favorites. I have no doubt the Artemis mission will be a success, and with it humanity’s ambitious plan to set up the first major part of our path to Mars. It’s a wildly exciting time for space nerds like me and I’m vibrating in my chair with anticipation. A lot of … Read more

U=(N/T)M*G: ISS

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International Space Station floating right above curved edge of Earth.

I saw this in the news a few weeks ago and only got around to reading what was going on in the last couple of days. I gotta say, I’m pretty damned sad its come to this. Russia has decided it will no longer participate in the ISS after 2024. This ISS is an amazing triumph for humanity, not just the US and Russia. It was a symbol of hope for a lot of people, that no matter what drama was happening on the political stage, those who could actually do good for our world were still working together without … Read more

U=(N/T)M*G: Dreaming

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Tiny jumping spider with drewdrop on head.

I have a theory about the life on this planet. If there’s a brain, there’s intelligence, no matter how rudimentary. If there’s intelligence, there are dreams. Now, I don’t have clue what, say, a fish is dreaming about as it’s suspended in water, but I have noticed little twitches in my little Mycroft Betta when he’s asleep. The same twitches my zebra finches have when they’re sleeping. Same with the Cat Army. Same with my teenager. So, when I noticed this article about dreaming spiders (CW: SPIDERS), I wasn’t surprised. Terrified because spiders. Not surprised though. It did get me … Read more

Quantum Entangled Tardigrades?

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tardigrade - deposit photos

Tardigrades — those microscopic, plump-bodied critters lovingly known as “moss piglets” — have been put through the ringer for science. The amazingly durable creatures have been shot out of guns, bathed in boiling-hot water, exposed to intense ultraviolet radiation and even (accidentally) crash-landed on the moon, all to test the limits of their impressive “tun” state — a survival mechanism wherein tardigrades curl up into shrunken, dehydrated balls and suspend their biological functions indefinitely in order to endure extreme environmental conditions. Now, researchers have exposed tardigrades to the coldest temperatures and highest pressures that moss piglets have ever survived — … Read more

WHAT IF: Sound Traveled As Fast As Light?

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sound waves - pixabay

Every Wednesday, we’re asking a what-if question – how would our world be different if something were changed? Today’s question is from Live Science: What if the speed of sound was as fast as the speed of light? Read the article: https://www.livescience.com/what-if-speed-of-sound-sped-up Share your serious scientific analyses, your off-color jokes, and random thoughts on the topic on our FB and MeWe Groups: FB: http://bit.ly/1MvPABV MeWe: http://bit.ly/2mjg8lf

STUDY: Bi Erasure is Common, Even Among Gays & lesbians. Duh.

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bisexual flag - pixabay

Erasure of bisexual men is common, even among other people in the LGBT+ community, according to new research. The study, published in the European Journal for Social Psychology, found that most people still believe bisexual men are more attracted to other men than they are to women. Meanwhile, most people believe bisexual women are equally attracted to both men and women – suggesting that there is a problematic bias in perceptions of bisexuality. To complete the study, researchers polled 787 people on their perceptions of bisexuaity, according to PsyPost. Participants were told that the study was investigating people’s views on … Read more

What is ESP?

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Psychic - deposit photos

Extrasensory perception (ESP) is an unproven paranormal phenomenon in which people allegedly receive information about, or exert control over, their environment in ways that don’t use the five senses. Also known as “the sixth sense” or “psi,” ESP refers to a wide range of purported abilities, including telepathy (mind reading), psychokinesis (moving objects without physical contact) and precognition (predicting the future). ESP violates our understanding of basic scientific principles. Still, estimates suggest that around two-thirds of people in the United States believe in its existence, according to a 2019 study published in Europe’s Journal of Psychology. Even in academia, ESP … Read more

Scientists Grow Mini Brains With Eyes – What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

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Brain With Eyes - Deposit Photos

Scientists recently grew mini brains with their own sets of “eyes,” according to a new study. Organoids are miniature versions of organs that scientists can grow in the lab from stem cells, or cells that can mature into any type of cell in the body. Previously, scientists have developed tiny beating hearts and tear ducts that could cry like humans do. Scientists have even grown mini brains that produce brain waves like those of preterm babies. Now, a group of scientists has grown mini brains that have something their real counterparts do not: a set of eye-like structures called “optic … Read more

Do Water Bears See in Black & White?

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tardigrade - deposit photos

Chubby, resilient tardigrades — arguably the cutest of all microscopic life — can survive punishing temperature extremes, exposure to the vacuum of space and even being shot out of a gun. But there’s one thing tardigrades can’t do: see in color. Tardigrades are related to arthropods (invertebrates with segmented bodies and exoskeletons), and arthropods can see colors because of light-sensitive proteins called opsins, which play a role in vision and circadian rhythms. Tardigrades have opsins too, but little was known about what they do, so scientists recently conducted genetic analysis in two species of tardigrades, to discover how opsins affected … Read more

Scientists Make Metallic Water

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Metallic Water - HZB

In a mind-bending experiment, scientists transformed purified water into metal for a few fleeting seconds, thus allowing the liquid to conduct electricity. Unfiltered water can already conduct electricity — meaning negatively charged electrons can easily flow between its molecules — because unfiltered water contains salts, according to a statement about the new study. However, purified water contains only water molecules, whose outermost electrons remain bound to their designated atoms, and thus, they can’t flow freely through the water. Theoretically, if one applied enough pressure to pure water, the water molecules would squish together and their valence shells, the outermost ring … Read more