Science

NASA Is Cracking Open a 50-Year-Old Vacuum-Sealed Tube of Lunar Gas And Soil

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The Apollo missions to the Moon brought a total of 2,196 rock samples to Earth. But NASA has only just started opening one of the last ones, collected 50 years ago. For all that time, some tubes were kept sealed so that they could be studied years later, with the help of the latest technical … Read more

This Weird ‘Breathing’ Cushion May Have a Surprisingly Useful Purpose

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After throwing 129 volunteers into the stressful situation of a sudden group math test, researchers found that people using a huggable ‘breathing’ cushion were more relaxed in the lead up to the questions than those without one.   “We were excited to find that holding the breathing cushion, without any guidance, produced a similar effect … Read more

‘Star Trek: Picard’ season 2 episode 2 continues to enthrall with dark timeline (review)

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Warning: Spoilers ahead for “Star Trek: Picard” season 2, episode 2 What an incredible week it’s been, sci-fi fans. Paramount Plus dropped the first official teaser trailer for “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” and, by a coincidence of galactic proportions, Disney dropped a teaser trailer for “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” the latest “Star Wars” live-action spin-off.  Plus … Read more

Readers Respond to the November 2021 Issue

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STATES OF DISEASE “States vs. Health,” by the Editors [Science Agenda], explains how politicians in several states are trying to prevent the lifesaving work that public health officials are executing to protect the population by requiring masking and physical distancing. I agree with the presentation of the article and the position that the Editors take … Read more

Hubble telescope captures spectacular laser-like jet from infant star (photo)

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A jet erupts from a young star in the object HH34 in this Hubble Space Telescope image unveiled on March 7, 2022. (Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, B. Nisini) The Hubble Space Telescope captured a laser-like jet that represents a “tantrum” being thrown by an infant star. The outburst came from a very young star … Read more

Could Mars ever have supported life? This NASA challenge wants your help to find out

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NASA and crowdsourcing platform HeroX have launched a $30,000 challenge to find better ways to analyze data relating to Mars‘ potential to host life. The deadline to make your submission is April 18, and you can review the full competition eligibility requirements, along with the HeroX challenge page, to get more information. The goal is … Read more

Celebrate Pi Day 2022 with these epic NASA math challenges for March 14

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If you ever feel like you’re spinning in circles, the annual pi day is a great moment to remind yourself of the power of such thinking. NASA celebrates the famous mathematical ratio each year on March 14 (3/14), which is meant to represent the 3.14 constant that results when you divide a circle’s circumference by … Read more

Large Study Finds Girls Credit This Stereotype For Failing, And It’s Holding Them Back

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Across the world, girls are more likely than boys to blame academic failure on a lack of talent, according to a large study on gender stereotypes published Wednesday.  Paradoxically, the idea that males are inherently more brilliant was most entrenched in countries that are more egalitarian.    Such stereotypes have been explored in the past, … Read more

Blood Tests Show a ‘Nordic Diet’ Improves Key Health Markers – Even Without Weight Loss

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A new study adds support to the idea that eating better foods is beneficial even without obtaining weight loss – with the Nordic diet reducing blood sugar and cholesterol even when no weight was lost.   “It’s surprising because most people believe that positive effects on blood sugar and cholesterol are solely due to weight loss,” … Read more