Monthly Archive: May 2019
Evidence suggests tattoos are a very ancient form of human decoration. Annalee Newitz – Tattoos on the mummy’s neck Covered in more than 30 tattoos of flowers, animals, and sacred symbols, this 3,000-year-old mummy is one of the most unusual that archaeologist Anne …
By Anthony Wood – Views Mars’ largest moon Phobos captured by NASA’s 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/SSI). NASA has released new images of the Martian moon Phobos that could shed light on the origin of the enigmatic satellite. Scientists are currently unsure …
By Nick Lavars – Can carbon fiber store energy for electric vehicles, as well as serve as structural elements? (Credit: jukai5/Depositphotos). Carbon fiber as we know it is one of the most impressive materials in our toolkit. Its incredible lightness and strength has …
By Ben Coxworth – The KerVelo Low Racer features a front gearhub transmission. (Credit: KerVelo). It was back in 2016 that we first heard about the KerVelo, a recumbent bike that replaced the chain with a gearhub transmission built into the front wheel. …
By William G. Hyland Jr. – America was woven together by three revered pieces of political paper: The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. George Mason’s intellectual potency had a decisive role in shaping and producing all three …
By Ben Coxworth – A sample of the foam, which is made of wood pulp-derived cellulose. (Credit: Washington State University). Styrofoam is not eco-friendly stuff. It’s made from petroleum, it can’t be efficiently recycled, it’s non-biodegradable, and it creates pollution when burned. A …
Pit stop analysis shows ancient travelers were often thousands of miles from home. By Annalee Newitz – Archaeologists scraped fecal bits off these ancient wipe sticks, discovered in a 2,000-year-old latrine at a pit stop along the Silk Road in Dunhuang, China. Hui-Yuan …
By David Szondy – Three Mile Island was the site of the worst nuclear accident in US history. (Credit: US Department of Energy). The Three Mile Island nuclear power station in Pennsylvania is scheduled to close in September according its owner, Exelon Generation. …
By Adam Williams – The Floating Tower, by Piotr Yurchanka, Alexey Kunko, Vladislav Sidorenko and Dmitry Tkachuk, would restore the drained swamps of Belarus. The project is one of 27 honorable mentions in the 2019 eVolo Skyscraper Competition. (Credit: eVolo). The 2019 eVolo Skyscraper Competition winners …
By Rich Haridy – New research has discovered functional odor receptors inside taste cells on the tongue. (Credit: lightsource/Depositphotos). We know that our perception of flavor involves a complex interaction between odors detected in the nose and tastes sensed by our tongue. A …
