WEIRD SCIENCE
New Atlas revisits some of 2020’s strangest science stories. prometeus/Depositphotos View 9 Images – By Michael Irving 2020 Dec 26 – Curing cancer is a noble goal and all, but sometimes scientists just want to see what happens when you give octopuses ecstasy. From …
A snowflake is a small weather feature that can pack a big punch. – By Allison Chinchar, CNN meteorologist 2020 Dec 23 – Many are made up of just one single ice crystal while some, more elaborate snowflakes are comprised of as many …
Behind the scenes, natural history museums store biological samples from the field. Ryan Stephens, CC BY-ND – By Jocelyn P. Colella, Assistant Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Assistant Curator of Mammals, University of Kansas – Bryan McLean, Assistant Professor of Biology, …
The SprayCare Band dispenses hand sanitizer when and where you need it. – 2020 Dec 14 – In 2020, hand sanitizer has become the must-have accessory, but even a small bottle of the stuff can be a hassle to carry in a bag …
In ancient New Mexico, cold air in cavernous spaces carved out by lava flows preserved blocks of ice. An ice core extracted at El Malpaís National Monument in New Mexico connects water collection to periods of droughts. (jonnyphoto via Flickr under CC BY-NC-ND …
The “Countess of Computing” didn’t just create the world’s first computer program—she foresaw a digital future. The Countess of Computing was the daughter of the Princess of Parallelograms. (Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain) – By Erin Blakemore SmithsonianMag.Com 2016 Oct 11 – It’s Ada Lovelace …
Papers sold by Sotheby’s document the British scientist’s research into the ancient Egyptians and the Bible. Newton held unconventional religious beliefs and dabbled in alchemy and the occult. (Sotheby’s) – By Livia Gershon SmithsonianMag.Com 2020 Dec 08 – Messages about a coming apocalypse …
3D-printed components for the prototype reactor. Britanny Cramer/ORNL/US Dept. of Energy – By David Szondy 2020 May 11 – The US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has developed a 3D-printed nuclear reactor core prototype, with the ultimate goal of the Transformational …
An equine influenza in 1872 laid bare how essential horses were to the economy. Henry Bergh (in top hat) stopping an overcrowded horsecar, from Harper’s Weekly, Sept. 21, 1872. (Library of Congress) – By Ernest Freeberg, The Conversation SmithsonianMag.Com 2020 Dec 04 – …
Scientists find that bursts of gamma rays may exceed the speed of light and cause time-reversibility. An artist’s drawing of a particle jet emanating from a black hole at the center of a blazar. Credit: DESY, Science Communication Lab (used with permission by …
