NASA set to launch asteroid sample return mission
The mission will take seven years from start to finish.
Science
16 year old girl discovers superabsorbent polymer to battle drought
Ms. Nirghin just won Google Science Fair’s Community Impact Award for creating this superabsorbent polymer out of orange peels and avocados.
SpaceX takes next step towards reusing rockets
SpaceX takes the next step towards reusable rockets with the test-firing of a previously landed first stage.
“Breeding Dory” is not a sequel to Finding Dory, but a scientific breakthrough
Movies, and Disney movies in particular, have a habit of making certain things popular. That isn’t always an issue, since oftentimes there are action figures, shirts, books, and more to sate the appetites of fans. It can be more problematic when the popular things are animals. Popular animal characters in movies or tv shows can cause huge … Read more
Google points DeepMind AI at data centers, reduces cooling bill significantly
Since acquiring DeepMind Technologies back in 2014, Google has been having all kinds of fun using AI for various tasks. They’ve recently partnered with Moorsfield Eye Hospital to help scan for early signs of disease, they’ve even taught the AI to play Go — and win. Machine learning has come a long way in a short … Read more
NASA turns to Rocky to keep astronauts fit in deep space
Let’s just say right up front that no, Sylvester Stallone will not be a permanent fixture on future space missions, nor will his silver screen boxing persona be making any trips to Mars in the near future. Rocky — short for Resistive Overload Combined with Kinetic Yo-Yo — is the name of the exercise equipment … Read more
Super bacteria found in Rio’s water weeks before Olympic Games
The Olympic Games are slated to kick off in Rio just weeks from now and scientists have discovered a super bacteria lurking in the waters. This news comes after many athletes have pulled out over concerns surrounding the Zika virus. Brazilian scientists made the discovery off the shores of one of Rio’s picturesque beaches. The scientists … Read more
Juno begins mission as it arrives at Jupiter
NASA is popping the corks on the first round of champagne as Juno arrived at Jupiter to start its official mission. Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and NASA aims to gather as much data in the 20 month mission as it possibly can. Juno is now orbiting the planet 540 million … Read more
[VIDEO] The science behind fireworks
The science behind fireworks is both simple and complicated. Today, millions of Americans will gather around their respective communities to celebrate Independence Day. Every one of those community gatherings is likely going to have a substantial fireworks display. But what do those millions of people know about fireworks and the science behind fireworks? Gunpowder was invented … Read more
Diabetes patients could have the option of an artificial pancreas
Those living with diabetes may soon have an option besides insulin injections. Researchers believe they’ll have an artificial pancreas available within a year. The pancreas is responsible for creating insulin which turns glucose into energy. The pancreas of a diabetes patient doesn’t produce the right amount of insulin, or any at all, resulting in required … Read more
HIV mimicking nanoparticles help vaccine production
HIV has posed to be one of the hardest viruses to tackle, thus making it more dangerous and harder to eradicate. This is in part because of what’s called metastability. This is when the virus actually changes shape at certain points, like when it is trying to enter a cell. When developing vaccines for a … Read more
The digital psychological disconnect
Post authors Dr. Shoba Sreenivasan and Dr. Linda E. Weinberger are the authors of Psychological Nutrition. Learn more at www.psychologicalnutrition.com. In 2002, the Pew Research Center used the phrase, “digital disconnect,” to describe the gap between internet savvy students and the then, not so-savvy school system that had not yet recognized the educational value of … Read more
Earth has picked up its own asteroid quasi-satellite, or minimoon
When you look up into the night sky, you can almost always see our celestial neighbor the moon. That rock in the sky isn’t going anywhere, but what you might not know is that from time to time we pick up hitchhikers. Astronomers have recently discovered an asteroid that is orbiting Earth acting as a … Read more
Obama may pursue venture capital career after presidency
Traditionally there has been a pattern to the projects that ex-presidents of the United States undertake after their stint in the oval office has run its course. They pursue philanthropic, educational or ambassadorial duties in the forms of libraries, charities and diplomatic missions. That is of course in addition to establishing legacies and publishing books … Read more
Lyft’s Plan to Automate Everything
Change is inevitable in the automobile industry, and anyone who doesn’t believe it should take a long look into the future of the ridesharing service called Lyft. The idea is simply complex. Use an app on your phone to book a ride to or from virtually anywhere in town. It started in 2012 as what many … Read more
CO2 Emissions Turned To Stone In Icelandic Experiment
Humans produce an incredible amount of carbon dioxide, which, when left unchecked, makes its way into our atmosphere. Icelandic researchers have discovered a way to more quickly and easily capture some of these carbon emissions and store them in a manner where they will not damage our ecosystem. The Carbfix project has found that under … Read more
Watch How Mosquitoes Drain Your Blood
Mosquitoes are probably one of the least liked insects on the planet and according to PBS, they are also one of the most deadliest. With summer here and many of us heading to the great outdoors to camp, fish, play sports, and enjoy mother nature, mosquitoes will be there right along with us, using us … Read more
You Can Apparently Deep Fry Water, But Why Would You Want To?
There’s a saying that tells us necessity is the mother of all invention. I’d take that another step further and say that boredom is the drunk uncle of invention. In today’s episode of “Why would you even try that?” we see that where there’s a will, there’s a way. If you are so inclined, you … Read more
Ocean Alliance Taps DJI For “Snotbot” Project, Drones Studying Whales
Whales are majestic creatures, and some of the largest animals in the world. Scientists have been observing and studying these animals for years, though many of the methods used could be best described as intrusive to the animals and their habitat. The Ocean Alliance has recently started working with DJI on a project called “Snotbot,” … Read more
Ovarian Cancer Predicted By Early Cellular Changes
Ovarian Cancer is a disease that affects thousands of women annually. It ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women and accounts for more deaths than any other cancer of the reproductive system. The American Cancer Society predicts that in 2016, over twenty-two thousand women will receive a new diagnosis of ovarian cancer and over fourteen … Read more
Migraine Photophobia Gets The Green Light
A migraine is an intense throbbing or pulsing sensation in one area of the head, and is commonly accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. They can last hours and some people find it difficult to function while others try their best to go about their daily lives even with the pain. … Read more
Strength From Adversity, Through 3d Printing And Other Tech
We all know how bad things are in the Middle East. We get headlines and videos of it daily. And we can’t picture much good coming out of it. Picture Asem Hasna, a volunteer paramedic. Before the war, he was a university math student. One day, near Damascus, his ambulance was hit by a shell. … Read more
“Breathalyzer” For Lung Cancer Wins $100K Entrepreneurship Competition
A breathalyzer is usually used in instances where you’ve done something wrong, and a need arises to determine just how far out of bounds you are. There are definitely exceptions to that rule, but for the most part, a breathalyzer is usually associated with some sort of punishment. A team of students from MIT and … Read more
Hyperloop One Proves Viability Of Hyperloop Transportation With Successful Test Run
The Hyperloop was just an idea back in August of 2013 when Elon Musk outlined his concept for the future of transportation. Despite the popularity of the idea, Musk and his company SpaceX wouldn’t be pursuing the technology on their own, but instead promised to help anyone interested in building a Hyperloop prototype. Musk put together … Read more
Diabetes Treatment Via Stem Cells: No More Tears
Diabetes Mellitus, commonly referred to as just Diabetes, is a collective of metabolic diseases that cause a prolonged period of high sugar levels in the blood. Leaving it untreated can cause long term complications like cardiac events, stroke, kidney failure, foot ulcers, and eye damage. The main cause of Diabetes is either when the pancreas fails to … Read more
Nanoparticles: The Next Avenger In The War On Obesity
Nanoparticles are particles that vary in size between 1 and 100 nanometers (1 billionth of a meter). Researchers at MIT (Langer Lab) and Brigham & Women’s Hospital (under Omid Farokhzad) have developed nanoparticles that act as vehicles for transporting anti-obesity drugs directly to adipose or fat tissue. The drugs work by converting White Adipose Tissue … Read more
L19-IL2: Building Immunity To Cancer
Talk to any cancer survivor and they will proudly admit to surviving the treatment, whether radiation or chemo-therapy, which at times may feel worse than the actual symptoms of the cancer within them. Radiation therapy has long been a proven method of killing cancer cells as well as inducing a fair immune response to where … Read more
Tesla Bioweapon Defense Mode Is Not A Gimmick
Tesla now has a stable of two (soon to be three) electric vehicles that are drool-worthy on their looks alone. Many of us here at Techaeris would love to have one, and have offered multiple times to test one out and provide a complete review (we’re still more than willing, Mr. Musk). The Tesla Model … Read more