Uncategorized
- Physics
Father and son harness magnetic fields for new type of 3-D printing
A dad and his son have developed a new 3-D printing method in their basement. It harnesses pulsed magnetic fields to build metal objects one tiny aluminum drop at a time.
- Animals
Cool Jobs: A world aglow
Three scientists probe how the natural world makes light, in hopes of using this information to design new and better products.
- Brain
High-school brain researcher takes home $250,000 prize
Three teens won big in this year’s Regeneron Science Talent Search. They studied brain injury, mathematical models and networks of connections within big data sets.
- Physics
Star caught passing gas before exploding
Stars can become unstable as they near death, a new study suggests. Some may even spew gas for a year or so before they explode.
- Animals
Malaria parasites lure mosquitoes to infected hosts
Malaria parasites leave behind an alluring molecule in their hosts’ blood. It draws mosquitoes to sip it, helping spread the disease these carry.
- Earth
Is Zealandia a continent?
Geologists are making the case for a new continent, that they would dub Zealandia. It can be found largely submerged beneath the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
- Life
Scientists Say: ATP
This chemical is a bit like a rechargeable battery. Cells build and break apart its chemical bonds to store and release energy.
- Brain
Teens make riskier decisions than children or adults
Teens may make risky decisions in part because they don’t care about uncertainty.
- Health & Medicine
Hibernation: Secrets of the big sleep
Mammals from bears to squirrels hibernate the winter away. Learning how they do it might one day help people mimic aspects of it to heal from brain injuries or voyage to Mars.
- Animals
Explainer: How brief can hibernation be?
Many animals frequently slow body functions and drop their temperatures — sometimes for just a day. Is that hibernation, or just torpor? Are the two even related? Scientists disagree.
- Tech
Scientists turn toy into valuable tool for medical diagnosis
A human-powered ‘paperfuge,’ inspired by a toy, could serve as an easy, low-cost way to aid in medical diagnoses, even in regions of the world lacking access to electricity.
- Health & Medicine
Jiggly gelatin: Good workout snack for athletes?
Eating a vitamin-rich, Jell-O-like snack could help the body make the collagen needed to repair bones and ligaments that can be damaged by exercise.
