Friday, October 26, 2012

Dark Energy: Is It Merely An Illusion?

Brought to you by: Eva


Changes in the rate of expansion since the universe's birth 15 billion years ago. The more shallow the curve, the faster the rate of expansion. The curve changes noticeably about 7.5 billion years ago, when objects in the universe began flying apart at a faster rate. Astronomers theorize that the faster expansion rate is due to a mysterious, dark force that is pulling galaxies apart. 
(Credit: Image courtesy of NASA/STScI/Ann Feild)

Edhead - Nanoparticles and Brain Tumors -Interactive


Join Dr. Winter in the development of a nanoparticle!
http://www.edheads.org/activities/nano1/index.shtml

Who Am I? -Interactive


Thingdom is an online interactive experience from the Science Museum designed to help children learn about genetics. Players can create a new life, nurture it and then mate with others.
http://www.thefwa.com/site/thingdom         

Can Plants Think?

Brought to you by: Andrew


The Persistence Of Memory A Polish study showed plants send electrochemical signals in a way that can be likened to an animal nervous system. This image shows chemical reactions in leaves that were not exposed to light; they are reacting to a chemical signal from a leaf that was exposed. via BBC

Fern Spores - YouTube

Brought to you by: Alyssa


Copyright © 2007 David Monniaux

Firenado Caught on Video - YouTube

Brought to you by: Weston


Filmmaker Chris Tangey captured rare video footage, a still of which is seen here, of a "fire devil" in the Australian Outback. 
CREDIT: Chris Tangey via Youtube user stilltalkincrazy

Delaying Gratification Is About Worldview As Much As Willpower

Brought to you by: Emilynne


A young volunteer contemplates a tempting sugary treat during an experiment that tests her willingness to wait for a better reward. In a recent experiment, kids who dealt with a more trustworthy experimenter were more likely to resist the urge to eat a marshmallow when told that abstaining would earn them a second one. 
Credit: J. Adam Fenster / Univ. of Rochester

A Tesla Coil Gun That Produces Foot-Long Sparks

Brought to you by: Finn


Super Taser
Michael Clinard

Monday, October 15, 2012

NASA's Ironman-like Exoskeleton Could Give Astronauts, Paraplegics Improved Mobility and Strength


Project Engineer Shelley Rea demonstrates the X1 Robotic Exoskeleton. 
(Credit: Image courtesy of Robert Markowitz)

Primates in Peril: 25 Most Endangered Primates


Rondo dwarf galago (Galagoides rondoensis), Tanzania. 
(Credit: Photo by Conservation International / Stephen Nash)

Darwin: Who Wants to Live a Million Years?

http://science.discovery.com/interactives/literacy/darwin/darwin.html

Making Rocks into Magnets


Lodestone is the most magnetic and common type of natural magnet.
Credit: Wikimedia/Ryan Somma

Heat-Resistant Makeup

During field operations and military exercises, many soldiers use camouflage makeup to blend into the environment. A new type of makeup may also help protect troops against burns from bomb blasts.
CREDIT: Spc. Gerald James, U.S. Army.

Fooling the Mind's Eye


Magic tricks rely on gaps in our perception and endure because the vulnerabilities of the mind are so predictable. Credit: Suslik1983/shutterstock

Imagining the Tenth Dimension - YouTube Video


A computer-generated rendering of a possible six-dimensional geometry similar to those studied by UW-Madison physicist Gary Shiu.
Image: courtesy Andrew J. Hanson, Indiana University

Felix Baumgartner's Supersonic Jump - Video Link Included


This image made from video provided by Red Bull Stratos shows pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria as he jumps out of the capsule on Sunday, Oct. 14, 2012. In a giant leap from more than 24 miles up, Baumgartner shattered the sound barrier Sunday while making the highest jump ever — a tumbling, death-defying plunge from a balloon to a safe landing in the New Mexico desert. (AP Photo/Red Bull Stratos)