Uncategorized
- Planetary Science
Neptune’s smallest moon may be a chip off another moon
Neptune’s tiniest moon probably formed when a comet hit a larger moon.
- Life
Physics explains how pollen gets its stunning diversity of shapes
These pollen patterns can all be explained by one simple trick of physics: phase separation.
- Planetary Science
Mars’ lake may need an underground volcano to exist
If a lake under Martian ice is real, there must be a subsurface magma pool to keep conditions warm enough for water to remain liquid, scientists say.
- Physics
The quest for quasicrystals is a physics adventure tale
In ‘The Second Kind of Impossible,’ physicist Paul Steinhardt recounts his journey to find quasicrystals in nature.
- Climate
Tidal floods driven by climate change may hurt small businesses
Parking data from Annapolis, Md.’s historic downtown shows how tidal flooding, driven by sea rise, can hurt local business.
- Neuroscience
Brain cells combine place and taste to make food maps
A select group of brain cells responds to both flavor and location, a specialty that may help an animal find the next good meal.
- Archaeology
Tooth plaque shows drinking milk goes back 3,000 years in Mongolia
The hardened plaque on teeth is helping scientists trace the history of dairying in Mongolia.
- Chemistry
Why some Georgia O’Keeffe paintings have ‘art acne’
Tiny protrusions are from chemical reactions in the paint, say scientists who developed an imaging method that could help curators track the knobs.
- Quantum Physics
LIGO will be getting a quantum upgrade
Quantum squeezing of light will help scientists make better gravitational wave detectors.
- Psychology
STEM professors’ beliefs on intelligence may widen the racial achievement gap
Seeing intelligence as fixed can result in lower grades, especially for certain minorities
- Earth
Muons reveal the whopping voltages inside a thunderstorm
Particle physics sheds new light on the electric potential of thunderstorms.
- Materials Science
A new insulation material is practically weightless yet still durable
Extreme heat and temperature swings are no match for this lightweight insulator.
