WEIRD SCIENCE
By David Szondy – A microscopic sample of the researchers’ “metallic wood”. (Credit: University of Pennsylvania). A new technique has been used to turn ordinary metals into “metallic wood” with a greatly improved strength-to-weight ratio. By manipulating materials at the atomic scale, scientists …
Two major factors set these counties apart. By Emma Betuel – In the first five months of 2019, measles cases surged in the United States, hitting the highest numbers since the disease was officially eliminated from the US, and there’s still over half …
Sunscreen chemicals seem to cause a very strange phenomenon in coral. By Emma Betuel – The corals of Hawaii are so stressed out that they’re encasing themselves in their own skeletons and self-destructing. Many coral researchers believe that two chemicals commonly found in …
By Loz Blain – The Speeder flying motorcycle: Jetpack Aviation’s latest project. (Credit: Jetpack Aviation). If somebody tells you they’re building a flying motorcycle, it’s probably appropriate to reply “yeah, right.” But if that somebody is jetpack guru David Mayman, it’s worth your …
By Anthony Wood – Image of 2015 BZ509 captured by the Large Binocular Telescope Observatory, Arizona. (Credit: C. Veillet / Large Binocular Telescope Observatory). An international team of astronomers has discovered an asteroid orbiting the Sun at roughly the same distance as Jupiter …
By Rich Haridy – New research has revealed a 40 Hz flickering light can alter the expression of genes in neurons and microglia. (Credit: OlgaYakovenko/Depositphotos). Since 2016, a team of MIT neuroscientists has been exploring the strange hypothesis that external exposure to a light flickering …
By Rich Haridy – A pilot study is looking at whether CBD reduces cases of aggression and self-harm in children with intellectual disabilities, including autism. (Credit: Omstudio/Depositphotos). A pilot study is currently underway in Australia investigating the efficacy of medicinal cannabis as a …
By Michael Irving – The metal organic framework coating (luminescent green) protects lillyturf cuttings from damage by UV light. (Credit: Joseph Richardson). Plants are naturally amazing little machines – so giving them a bionic leg-up could unlock a whole new range of …
If the Sahara were a country, it’d be the fifth largest in the world. By Amin Al-Habaibeh – Whenever I visit the Sahara I am struck by how sunny and hot it is, and how clear the sky can be. Aside from …
By Michael Irving – – A computer simulation of a spiral galaxy, like the Milky Way, forming. These simulations suggest that the outer halo is made up of stars from other galaxies. (Credit: Takayuki Saito/Takaaki Takeda/Sorahiko Nukatani/4D2U Project, NAOJ). Astronomers have discovered a …
