Geckos can scale amost everything without suction cups, velcro, or glue! They do it something much cooler: an actual electon dance at the atomic level! Gecko feet aren’t covered in suction cups or Velcro. They don’t squirt glue, or leave any footprints. Their secret is a herculean amount of grip — at the atomic scale. […]
A goat with an arrow wound nibbles the medicinal herb dittany. O. Dapper, CC BY Adrienne Mayor, Stanford University When a wild orangutan in Sumatra recently suffered a facial wound, apparently after fighting with another male, he did something that caught the attention of the scientists observing him. The animal chewed the leaves of a […]
A May 2024 solar storm made the northern lights visible across parts of the northern U.S. AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson Douglas Goodwin, Scripps College Smartphone cameras have significantly improved in recent years. Computational photography and AI allow these devices to capture stunning images that can surpass what we see with the naked eye. Photos of the […]
A Dyson sphere. Image generated via Stable Diffusion. Simon Goodwin, University of Sheffield There are three ways to look for evidence of alien technological civilisations. One is to look out for deliberate attempts by them to communicate their existence, for example, through radio broadcasts. Another is to look for evidence of them visiting the Solar […]
In this video, Scott Walter MD explains a simple trick that will allow you to fall asleep quickly even if your mind is running on overdrive. The technique is called cognitive shuffling, and it essentially allows your mind to get rid of thoughts that prevent you to fall asleep by “shuffling” your ideas, just like […]
Ever wondered what makes duct tape so incredibly versatile? In his latest video, Bill Hammack, the Engineer Guy, demonstrates and explains the impressive engineering behind the legendar tape. By dissolving duct tape in solvent, Bill reveals its three core components: plastic backing, adhesive, and cloth reinforcement. The plastic backing provides durability and flexibility. The adhesive […]
In this amazing 360-Degree visualization from NASA, created with the help of a supercomputer, we invite you to experience the thrill of an astronaut’s close brush with a black hole’s event horizon. Don’t forget that you are an explorer—able to look in any direction you want with your mouse as you ride the gravitational waves! […]
From Wired: Psychiatrist Dr. Eric Bender answers your questions about mental health from Twitter. Can you develop a personality disorder? Is stress contagious? What does the Rorschach test actually prove? Answers to these questions and many more await—it’s Mental Health Support.
Surface bubble growth can lift objects upward against gravity. Saverio Spagnolie Saverio Eric Spagnolie, University of Wisconsin-Madison Scientific discovery doesn’t always require a high-tech laboratory or a hefty budget. Many people have a first-rate lab right in their own homes – their kitchen. The kitchen offers plenty of opportunities to view and explore what physicists […]
We know poisonous snakes are dangerous, but what exactly makes venom so powerful? Evolutionary biology tells us why venom is useful for snakes, but chemistry tells us how venom works. This week, Reactions sheds some light on the proteins in venom, as well as its potential medical uses. [Reactions]