Mark Strauss

Send A Personal Memento To The Lunar Surface Via “MoonMail”

Astrobotic, a company that is competing to win the $30 million Google Lunar X-Prize by placing the first commercial lander on the Moon, is now offering the public the opportunity to mail their keepsakes on one-way trips to the lunar surface. “This is your unique opportunity to commemorate your graduation, holiday, wedding, child’s birth, or…

Rare Medieval Manuscripts On Ancient War Machines Are Now Online

The British Library has just added several Greek manuscripts to its online collection, including a lavishly illustrated, 16th century compilation of treatises on warfare, which detail the science and tactics of siegecraft. Such ancient works on military machines were a source of fascination during this era, not only because of their historic interest, but also…

Beads Found In Ancient Danish Graves Match Glass Made For King Tut

An analysis of artifacts retrieved from Bronze Age burial sites reveals that Denmark and ancient Egypt traded with one another 3,400 years ago, and possibly practiced similar religious rituals. Scientists from the National Museum in Denmark and the Institute of Archaeomaterials Research in France used a technique called plasma mass spectrometry to examine the chemical…

A Mesmerizing Video Shows One Year Of The Moon’s Phases In Five Minutes

The Moon always keeps the same face to us, but not exactly the same face. Because of the tilt and shape of its orbit, we see it from slightly different angles over the course of a month. And when each month is compressed into 24 seconds, as in this video, our changing view of the…

The Congressional Debate Over What Makes Food “Natural”

A controversial bill that seeks to block mandatory GMO food labeling by individual U.S. states was the subject of a hearing held yesterday by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. Amid the testimonies, one key question emerged time and again: Are genetically modified foods “natural”? Activists in several states have been pushing for…

More than 5 trillion pieces of plastic weighing 268,940 tons are floating in the Earth’s oceans, according to a new study published in PLOS ONE. This latest estimate is based on models of floating plastics data gathered from a series of 680 surface net tows and 891 visual surveys from oceans around the world.

Debunking Flu Shot Myths Makes Some Less Likely To Get Vaccinated

Only 42 percent of adults in the U.S. get their flu shots. A key reason for this low number is the misconception that you can catch the flu from the vaccine. But, a recent study found that, when vaccine-fearing patients heard the real facts from their doctors, they were actually more reluctant to get their…

Judge Dismisses Creationist Lawsuit Against School Science Standards

In September, a Kansas group filed a lawsuit attempting to block the state from adopting new science guidelines, saying it was an attempt to indoctrinate students into a “non-theistic worldview.” But a federal judge has dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that it failed to sufficiently demonstrate any specific injuries. Kansas is one of twelve states that…

The Origins Of The Windswept Dunes On Titan

A decade ago, radar images taken by the Cassini spacecraft first revealed that 20% of the surface of Saturn’s largest moon is covered by wind-formed dunes hundreds of yards high, more than a mile wide and hundreds of miles long. But how is this possible, when data suggests that Titan only has light breezes? What’s…

Researchers have found that male smokers are up to four times more likely to have blood cells with no Y chromosome than nonsmokers. That’s worrisome, they say, because a recent study found an association between Y chromosome loss and a shorter life span, as well as a higher risk of multiple cancers.

The Pope Says Nuclear Deterrence Is No Longer A Justifiable Doctrine

Although the Catholic Church has always opposed nuclear weapons, the Vatican reluctantly acknowledged during the Cold War that mutual assured destruction was the best-worst option for averting catastrophe. Today, a dramatic declaration from Pope Francis reversed that position. The message was delivered to some 800 delegates from more than 150 countries attending the Vienna Conference…

Under the Invention Secrecy Act of 1951, secrecy orders may be imposed by an executive branch agency when the disclosure of a patent application is deemed detrimental to national security. This year saw 5,520 invention secrecy orders, the most since 1994.

Prepare yourself for a possible guacamole shortage. California accounts for about 95% of the avocados grown in the U.S., but the historic drought — the worst in 1,200 years — has taken its toll on the crop, which requires 74 gallons of water to produce one pound.

A Proposed Redesign For U.S. Currency That Celebrates Science

Who would you rather see on a $50 bill: Ulysses S. Grant or the helmeted visage of a spacewalking astronaut? Idaho-born designer Travis Purrington believes that the U.S. would be better served commemorating the spirit of innovation and discovery instead of a dead president. In fact, Purrington feels that most of our greenbacks are long…

​Engravings On A Shell Made 300,000 Years Before Humans Evolved

Archaeologist Stephen Munro nearly fell off his chair when he noticed patterns of straight lines purposefully etched on a fossilized clamshell. The engravings were half a million years old, which meant they’d been made by a Homo erectus—an extinct human species that predated Homo sapiens by upwards of 300,000 years. In addition to the engravings,…

“Mirage Earth” Exoplanets Can Trick Us Into Believing They’re Habitable

Desert mirages are optical illusions that make thirsty travelers think they’re seeing water. And now, a new study tell us, there are entire planets that might appear to be Earth-like when, in fact, their water and atmospheres burned away while they were still forming. The research, which is being published in the journal Astrobiology, focuses…

The Tea Party And The Mainstream GOP Have Different Views On Science

On many science and environmental issues, a new study says Republicans and Tea Party supporters stand farther apart than Republicans and Independents. In particular, members of the Tea Party are less likely than the rest of the GOP to accept human evolution and trust scientists for information on climate change. The research, published in the…

​Radar Images From Space Could Help Predict Volcanic Eruptions

This radar scan, taken by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1A satellite, reveals the ground movements surrounding the Fogo volcano before and after its recent eruption. To expert eyes, the image reveals the subsurface pathways of molten rock. Located on Cape Verde’s Fogo Island, the volcano erupted on November 23rd for the first time in 19…

A Relentless Blitz Of Small Rocks Obliterated Earth’s Early Atmosphere

The Earth went through some tough times after its formation 4.5 billion years ago. Geochemical evidence indicates that its atmosphere was obliterated at least twice. One theory is that a large object from space smashed into our planet’s surface, but a new study suggests it was actually thousands of small impacts. Tens of thousands of…

Medieval Libraries Developed A Crude GPS System To Locate Books

It wasn’t easy to find a specific book on library shelves in the Middle Ages. The spine title had not yet been invented, and the books weren’t published in standard sizes. But readers didn’t have to spend hours searching, thanks to an ingenious system that made use of concepts similar to modern GPS. At his…