Science

A Map of State Life Expectancies (And What Country They’re Closest To)

Americans are living longer, healthier lives—79.8 years on average—ranking 35th in the world in terms of life expectancy from birth. But where you live in the United States has a drastic impact on how far over or under the average your personal timeline will be. This illuminating map by the non-profit Measure of America shows…

Why Hubble Has a Telescope Named After Him

Just about everyone has heard of the Hubble Space Telescope. A space-based observatory on “the highest mountain” the world can provide; it is the technology behind many of today’s great discoveries in space. Started in 1977 and launched into orbit in 1990, it has aided in humans determining the expansion rate of the universe, as…

This Bluegrass Cover of Elton John’s ‘Rocketman’ Is Finger-Pickin’ Good

In the Smoky Mountains, where I grew up, bluegrass is a way of life. Every Friday night, about a mile from my house, an abandoned old schoolhouse becomes one big jam session, and sometimes, when the weather is nice, it moves outside under the stars with the moonlight casting shadows onto the red Tennessee dirt.…

Scientists from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center recently figured out how to look for extraterrestrial life in tiny samples of space dust using a nanoelectrospray emitter (above, right) that charges molecules into a mass spectrometer (above, left). Previously, they needed large chunks of carbon-rich meteorites to look for signs of aliens.

After 120 Years, Doctors Develop New Brain Surgery Technique

A team of surgeons from Johns Hopkins recently came up with a safer, better method of replacing skull fragments after brain surgery. This is good news for anybody who might need a little work done on their noggin in the near future, as doctors have been using the same method since the 1890s. The difference…

Spam, Silkworms, Hydroponics: The Speculative Future of Food on Mars

Last year, NASA held a recipe contest for cooking on Mars. Ordinary civilians like us were invited to submit recipes based on a list of available ingredients—heavy on freeze-dried produce and various meat-flavored “textured vegetable proteins”—to be cooked and judged by crew members of HI-SEAS. HI-SEAS wasn’t actually a mission on Mars, of course; it…

Researchers Just Solved One of Quantum Computing’s Biggest Problems

Like graphene, quantum computing is an exciting but endlessly elusive technological promise. One of the reasons—among many—that quantum computers aren’t exactly a reality yet is that we haven’t been able to effectively spot errors in quantum computations. Not until now, anyway. A team of physicists just demonstrated the ability to spot and correct errors during…

This Is What HIV Looks Like When It Infects Living Cells

This monochrome image of living tissue has some extremely unwelcome visitors lurking within it. Taken from some of the first ever 3D images of HIV at work, those little blue circles show the virus infecting the surrounding cells. The electron microscope images show HIV-1 virions in bright blue, embedded in the gut tissue of a…

There Is Technically No Such Thing as an Electric Eel

There are, however, electric fish: eight-foot long, 600 volt, mouth breathing, alligator-killing fish. Electrophorus electricus Although there are a number of fish that produce an electric charge, the species that is called “electric eel,” E. electricus, is a member of the fish order, ostariophysian. Mistaken for an eel due to its shape and lack of…

Why Astronauts Were Banned From Drinking Wine In Outer Space

The story behind NASA’s brief embrace of extraterrestrial sherry is a curious one. In the early seventies, the agency’s focus was shifting from short, Moon-focused missions to the possibility of longer-term inhabitation of space. A revamped menu was among the most pressing challenges: food on the Gemini and Apollo programs came in dehydrated cube form,…

Master Cat Photographer Shares Wisdom About Working With Pets

This New York Times video interview with pet photographer Walter Chandoha is too charming to pass up. Chandoha has made a living creating stunning portraits of cats and dogs since the 1950’s, decades before cats took the internet by storm. Chandoha’s photos are beautifully shot medium format scenes that you can’t help by smile at.…

It’s Hard to Believe These Majestic Light Pillars Are Actually On Earth

Winter does all kinds of weird things to the sky, including make it look like we live on an exotic alien planet circling Vega. NASA just posted this mind-bending 360º view of light pillars in Finland. The agency describes the spectacle: The spherical panoramic image mosaic maps a view from Siilinjärvi in eastern Finland. Flat…

Sorry Cat Lovers, Cats Are an Invasive Species, Too

When we think of invasive species, we tend to think of the exotic: Burmese pythons, Asian carp, or any of the bizarre creatures terrorizing Florida. But the truth is, our beloved cats can also be bad news for other species. https://gizmodo.com/whats-eating-florida-these-six-voracious-and-invasive-1508528313 The exclusive gated community of Ocean Reef Club in Florida is home to some…

There’s a Solar Eclipse Happening Now That Can Only Be Seen From Space

This is a photo of what’s happening right now above our heads. It’s a solar eclipse near the moon. You just can’t see it, because you’re not in space. In-space solar eclipses are fairly common, but they’re not always caught on camera, and they’re not readily visible to us Earthlings. Besides, there’s always room in…

This Insanely Loud Sound System Can Actually Kill You

Being shot into space puts spacecraft under extreme stress—but did you know that the sound of the rocket launch can damage a craft? Inside the Large European Acoustic Facility, engineers recreate the incredible noise of a launch to make sure satellites can survive it. According to the ESA, “no human could survive” the sound. First…

Scientists Use Acid to Turn Blood Cells into Stem Cells in 30 Minutes

This is a game changer, folks. Whereas mining stem cells has been either an ethical quandary or a months-long affair, scientist can now turn any old blood cells into stem cells in just 30 minutes—by dipping them in acid. That’s right. Take blood cells, add acid, get stem cells. It’s as simple as it sounds.…

Can You Safely Catch a Bullet Fired By a Gun?

Catching a bullet as it flies through the air is a tired old illusion—but can it actually be done in real life? Surprisingly, yes—at least, theoretically. Casting a little light on the physics of the problem, Randall Munroe sketches out a technique on What If? that should, in theory, allow you to catch a bullet.…

The Subtle Art of Time and Space in Animation

Norman McLaren, a pioneer of 20th century animation, once said that “what happens between each frame is more important than what exists on each frame.” But what the hell did he mean? This video, by TED Ed, explains how tiny differences in timing and spacing—qualities provided by differences between frames rather than the frames themselves—can…

Insect Nervous System Copied To Boost Computing Power

Brains are the most powerful computers known. Now microchips built to mimic insects’ nervous systems have been shown to successfully tackle technical computing problems like object recognition and data mining, researchers say. Attempts to recreate how the brain works are nothing new. Computing principles underlying how the organ operates have inspired computer programs known as…

There’s a Massive River of Hydrogen Running Through Space

An astronomer from West Virginia University has discovered a never-before-seen river of hydrogen flowing through space—and it could explain why spiral galaxies keep up their pace of star formation. Working at the National Science Foundation’s Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope, astronomer D.J. Pisano has spotted a tenuous filament of hydrogen steaming through space and…