NASA wants somebody to take responsibility for keeping Earth – and other planets — safe. The Planetary Protection Officer will earn up to $187,000 a year. The job isn’t so much about zapping incoming aliens. Rather it’s about making sure that space missions don’t contaminate Earth with organic or biological material from other planets and […]
Battered and deep-fried chicken might be one of the most delicious foods ever. But what makes this summer picnic staple so tasty? It all comes down to the chemistry of frying. In the latest Reactions video, learn how the delicate dance of fat at high temperatures leads to a crispy, savory summer snack. [Reactions]
Is teleportation possible? Could a baseball transform into something like a radio wave, travel through buildings, bounce around corners, and change back into a baseball? Oddly enough, thanks to quantum mechanics, the answer might actually be yes… sort of! Sajan Saini explains. [TED Ed]
Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the US; and climate change is helping it to spread even more. Animals such as deer, mice, squirrels, other critters in wooded area can be hosts to the bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, that causes Lyme disease in humans. When ticks feed off these hosts, the ticks become […]
Slime molds look gross and… not smart, but they definitely seem to communicate and plan even without neurons. Michael from the Scishow Youtube channel explains the science behind these clever eukaryotes. [SciShow]
Your friendly local weather person says there’s a 10% chance it will rain today, so you throw on your flip-flops and head out to enjoy a beautiful day. Next thing you know, you’re running through puddles, trying to get out of a torrential downpour. Bad luck or bad weather person? Find out in the latest […]
Did you knowthat infinitesimally small quantum dots can turn a window into a see-through solar panel? Nanoparticle (also called nanopowder or nanocluster or nanocrystal): a microscopic particle with at least one dimension less than 100 nm. These tiny objects often have characteristics that differ from larger versions of the same material. Quantum dots (QD): tiny […]
They’re not just an animal, they’re a material. And that’s got engineers interested. Red imported fire ants (solenopsis invicta) are native to South America and an invasive species in the United States. One of the adaptations that makes them so hardy is that they can build large structures by linking their bodies together. This is […]
Each year in the United States, players of sports and recreational activities receive between 2.5 and 4 million concussions. How dangerous are all those concussions? The answer is complicated and lies in how the brain responds when something strikes it. Clifford Robbins explains the science behind concussions. [TED Ed]
Autism is often very misunderstood. What is it, and what causes it? Learn more about the disorder in this episode of Life Noggin! [Life Noggin]