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Haven’t stayed on top of the Rosetta mission? Learn about the spacecraft, lander, and what we’ve learned from the comet so far in under 3 minutes of charming stop motion. The Royal Observatory is back with another claymation-style animation, this time running through why we launched the Rosetta spacecraft, what happened to the bouncy little…
Even peering down from a road bridge in Alaska is far closer to a grizzly bear than I ever want to get. What makes this particularly creepy? Those claws aren’t much larger than a harpy’s talons. The world is full of things that can rip puny humans to shreds. Image credit: Kevin Hague Contact the…
As part of their research into bees, the United States Geological Survey has compiled a drop-dead gorgeous gallery of bees. From flufftastic fuzzballs to sleek torpedoes, the variety of bees is awe-inspiring. An angel bee. The United States Geological Survey Been Inventory and Research Center has a perfect description for this bee that cannot be…
Once again, a prominent researcher is revealed to be complicit in creating a culture of oppressive harassment that alienates women from science. Can we hurry up with the cultural revolution to ditch this bullshit already? Friday, Buzzfeed broke the news that prominent exoplanet researcher Geoff Marcy was found guilty of violating his university’s sexual harassment…
This ridiculous rhinestone-studded disco-ball is actually a high-precision laser-reflecting satellite still in orbit around the Earth. With only tiny reflectors and no active instruments, it’s provided vital data on the planet’s shape for decades. The Laser Geodynamics Satellite I (LAGEOS I) launched out of Vandenberg Airforce Base on May 4, 1976. The 407 kilogram (900…
Knowing just how high a river is flooding during severe storms or how empty it gets during a drought is absolutely essential for emergency managers to make informed decisions, but to get that data someone had to brave the rivers. It doesn’t even matter if a river is flooding its banks or so dry that…
A comprehensive suite of marijuana regulations were passed by California Governor Jerry Brown yesterday, creating much-needed government oversight over the state’s billion-dollar industry. The bill specifically addresses the environmental impact of growing marijuana, including water use during the drought. Since the state’s Compassionate Care Act was passed almost 20 years ago, marijuana cultivation has been…
The Rescued Film Project has a mission: It rescues long-forgotten photographs hiding on many decades of old undeveloped film rolls. But the following seven images have became outstanding accidental digital artwork. The project’s blog explains: Each image in our archive was recovered from found film from locations all over the world, and came to us…
Tanaga Island is a tiny patch of beauty, fire, and rock stranded in the Bering Sea. The picturesque island is a hidden gem of black rocks, dramatic waterfalls, velvety moss, and tendrils of fog in these fieldwork photographs from the U.S. Geological Survey. Tanaga in 2012. Image credit: Roger Clifford/AVO/USGS A history of rock and…
While were all busy watching The Martian, three Nobel Prizes — “the Oscars of Science” — were announced this week, and we explained the significance of the winners in chemistry, physics and physiology or medicine. Meanwhile, Microsoft introduced a slew of new gadgets, including the latest Surface laptop and Windows phones. Here are the highlights…
NASA has a mandate to push the technologies it develops for space out into Earth, too. So over the last few years, the agency has made more than a thousand patents available for licensing–from inflatable dwellings to humanoid robots. The so-called Technology Transfer Program has been around for a while, but this week NASA announced…
Bad news for those of you looking forward to cramming your face with the orange flesh of a mashed gourd this fall: There’s a pumpkin puree shortage in the US. A story in Bloomberg blames heavy summer rains in the Midwest, specifically in Illinois, where about 80 percent of the pumpkins grown for puree in…
Styx, the faintest moon of Pluto, is absolutely miniscule. This fuzzball of a rock is just a few kilometers across, and is making me squeal in unconstrained glee. Styx is even smaller than we first estimated: the highly-elongated moon is just 7 kilometers (4.5 miles) long and 5 kilometers (3 miles) across. The smaller revised…
You can stop making that face right now because it’s FRIDAY! The first full week of fall and it’s 100 degrees at my house here in LA. Monster Godzilla Bruce Lee Chris Farley El Niño, save me! What about you: Any big pumpkin-spiced plans for the weekend? Or are you going to work on your…
Late fall brings us a preponderance of seasonal brews, from ciders to Christmas porters to Glögg. But one you may not have heard of—and one you should definitely try—is wet-hopped beer, which is suddenly popping up in taprooms and being written about in Bon Appetit. So what is it? It’s Friday afternoon, you’ve made it…
1984: The Tot robot, manufactured by the now-defunct company Comro, puts a California sea lion through a series of tests during a demonstration at the New York Aquarium at Coney Island. The aquarium said at the time that they had plans to study the feasibility of incorporating a robot into its marine mammal shows. [Associated…
Since most of us uncoordinated plebeians will never be able to even stand up on a surfboard, this is very probably the closest we’ll ever get to the unbelievable beauty that is riding through the barrel of the wave. Bruno Santos shows us a completely surreal view of what it’s like and man, it’s gorgeous.…
Today, they’re ubiquitous, but would you believe Tim Leatherman struggled for years to find a buyer for the first-ever multitool? He was inspired to invent it after a 20-country drive through Europe on a shoestring budget. In 1975, Tim and his wife flew to Europe, embarking on a budget driving tour that would take them…
The Nobel Prizes are the “Oscars of Science,” making waves not only in the scientific community, but the lay community as well. Everyone knows there are unofficial rules to adhere to if you want to win an Oscar. Are there similar rules for the Nobels? We asked a Nobel predictor and one of the “pickers”…
NASA astronauts rock the internet, but how do they get so good at social media? This is how the astronauts pick a platform, find their personal voices, and get help from a ground on sharing their unique experience with us, becoming social media superstars.
