Ria Misra

All The Best Insider Secrets From Our Jobs

When you work in a field, you often accumulate some behind-the-scenes knowledge that the public doesn’t always seem to know. Here’s a chance to share in all the best insider secrets that you spilled about your jobs, ranging from the zoo to the casino to the hospital. Commenter pohjie tells us how to schedule our…

It’s Not Just The Arctic Ice That’s Thinning — It’s The Snow Too

It’s no secret that the ice in the arctic is getting thinner, both in terms of sheer volume and in terms of land mass occupied. But now, scientists say that we should also be concerned about the snow on top of that ice. https://gizmodo.com/weve-now-lost-so-much-arctic-ice-that-we-have-to-change-1593339092 A new study from JPL and the University of Washington Seattle…

This Freshwater Crocodile Doesn’t Eat The Way We Thought It Did

For a long time, scientists thought that the False Gharial had a similar diet to that of its other crocodile relatives, made up of mostly fish and small vertebrates. But it turns out that it may be snacking on a much diverse array of foods. https://observationdeck.kinja.com/sunday-crocodilian-tomistoma-schlegelii-edition-1623035331

Tell Us The Best Behind-The-Scenes Facts From Your Job

In your job — whatever that job is — you’ve picked up some insider knowledge of just how things work. So come share the scoop with the rest of us. Maybe you want to tell us the best time of the day to get your computer fixed, or explain how you get the food in…

A Brief History Of The First Robots To Appear In Fiction

Robots are so common in today’s stories as to be almost ubiquitous. Whether we’re talking killer robots, robot swarms, sentient robots, robots with human emotions, or even human/robot hybrids, we’ve seen them all. But when did the very first robots show up in our stories? Despina Kakoudaki joined us today to take our questions about…

If you find the argument for adding insects to your dietcompelling, but the fact of it still leaves you a little queasy, there’s hope yet.NPR took a look at one of the solutions that’s being bandied about: A cricket “flour”, which may not be suitable for baking substitutions, but is suitable as a protein powder.

Ask An Expert About The History Of Our Fascination With Robots!

What is it about robots that gives them such a hold on our imaginations and such a perennially prominent place in pop culture? Despina Kakoudaki is here to answer our questions about robots in fiction and why we can’t seem to get enough of those stories. Kakoudaki is the author of the new book Anatomy…

While The GIF Party Is Away, The Trivia Party Will Play

No GIF Party this week, folks. Instead we’re having a different kind of party — a Trivia Party! How do you play? It’s easy. Just tell us a fact or tidbit you’ve collected from somewhere in the annals of science, history, art, or any other field. You choose — it’s your Trivia Party, you can…

The Best Answers We’ve Ever Gotten To Our Questions About Science

There are some scientific concepts so difficult to wrap your mind around that the answers only leave you more confused than when you began. But, sometimes an answer to a question comes that clears up your confusion almost instantaneously. In response to our call to tell us about the most perfect answers you ever received…

Here’s The First 3D Picture of Rosetta’s Comet!

Watching movies in 3D can be a rather unsatisfying experience. But images from outer space given back a little more of their depth and span through some old-school movie magic? That we can get behind. The picture is after the jump! The ESA took some of the shots they’ve snagged recently of Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko and…

The Fastest Shark In The World Is Also An Incredible High Jumper

Meet the shortfin mako shark! Not only can this mackerel shark hit a burst of speed of up to 46 MPH, it has also got an impressively athletic high jump that can propel it up to 30 feet in the air. Read all about it (and check out the video) after the jump! https://observationdeck.kinja.com/odeck-shark-week-zoom-zoom-1621286112

What’s The Best Answer You Ever Got To A Scientific Question?

Sometimes in science, it’s all about the question. But, today, we want to know about the most perfect answer you ever got to a question you asked about science. It could be answer you got yourself or that someone else gave you. It could be elegant or it could be funny. The answer could be…

James Dashner Is Here To Answer Your Questions About The Maze Runner!

Author James Dashner is here to answer our questions about his Maze Runner trilogy, the forthcoming movie adaptation, and anything else you want to know! UPDATE: This Q&A has been moved to next week — please hold on to your questions for James until then! In addition to his bestselling Maze Runner trilogy and its…

Will Bee Disappearances Lead To A Honey Shortage?

As our bee populations dwindle, could we also be facing down the prospect of a honey shortage? Entomologist May Berenbaum joined us today to take our questions about bee behavior and disappearances, including a question about what we might expect to happen to our stores of honey as bee populations continue to falter: The short…

Ask An Entomologist Anything You Want About The Disappearance Of Bees

Entomologist May Berenbaum is here today to take our questions about bees, their recent decline, and what we can expect from our pollinators in the future. Berenbaum heads the Entomology department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she is both a professor and a chair of entomology. In addition to looking at our…

What Piece Of Technology Most Changed Your Day-To-Day Life?

There’s new tech that you use for a few months and then forget about, and then there’s the stuff that quickly becomes a go-to tool. Today, we want to know about the technological innovation created within your life time that most changed your daily life. Tell us in the comments what it was, how it…

Your Ultra-Short Stories Provide Glimpses Into A Cheerful Dystopia

Whether they were focusing on a cybernetic raven with a sardonic side, a Grim Reaper who just wants to figure out how to retire already, or a search engine out for revenge, your flash fiction stories took us into some dark (yet surprisingly fun!) worlds. Pulled from your submissions to our six-word science fiction call,…

Watch Rosetta Rendezvous With A Comet, Live!

It’s been a long, slow trek for Rosetta to catch up to Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko, but, more than 10 years after it was launched, it will finally meet up with its intended target within the next 16 hours — and you can watch it as it does. Image: Artist’s conception of Rosetta’s arrival, combining an actual…

Just How Good Is A Dog’s Sense Of Taste?

If you’ve ever had a dog that was a particularly finicky eater or marveled at just how appetizing they seem to find those endless bowls of kibble, you’ve probably wondered: Just how sensitive is a dog’s sense of taste? Over in the New York Times’ Q&A section, they’re taking on the question of just how…

​The Ships That Were Transformed Into Research Stations

Ranging from retrofitted military surplus to custom-built research vessels, these ships have been teaching us about just what goes on deep in the water for more than 80 years. Check out the pictures — and details on their history — after the jump!