Category Archives: STEM News
MIT’s new robot takes orders from your muscles
Technology
Signals from your biceps and triceps tell this robot how to help you lift heavy objects.
We’re used to technology that responds to a voice command, keystroke, or tap. But this robot focuses on your biceps to get information. Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
This new box full of sensors could help more flying machines get off the ground
Technology
But in aviation, systems must be redundant and completely reliable.
Bosch has developed a universal control unit that can help air taxis know what they’re doing as they fly. Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
Pushy Bonobo Moms Help Their Sons Get Lucky
(Credit: Gudkov Andrey/Shutterstock)
Seeing anyone special? Thinking about having kids? When am I going to have some grandchildren?
Many moms nag their adult children about the prospect of grandchildren. But bonobo moms take their maternal haras… Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
What Prevents Pluto’s Ocean from Freezing?
Layers of ice-like gas hydrates may insulate frigid ocean worlds across the cosmos
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Posted in STEM News
Oculus Quest brings your real-world motion into VR. Here’s what that’s like.
Technology
The next-gen headset is totally self-contained.
We played with the new Oculus Quest VR headset. It’s pretty cool. Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
Baby sharks are eating the birds that live in your backyard
Animals
Tiger shark barf reveals sparrows and woodpeckers are on the menu.
Sharks eat birds. And not just gulls and other seafaring avians, either. They consistently eat common backyard birds like sparrows, doves, and woodpeckers. Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
Weird, Mysterious and Threatened: Can Scientists Save the Platypus?
A platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) pauses for a moment after being released by scientists into the Little Yarra River, its home stream in Victoria, Australia. (Credit: Douglas Gimesy)
With the bill of a duck, the body of an otter, and the tail of a beaver, the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) has a long history of confounding the humans who’ve encountered it. Early European settlers took to calling the strange, semi-aquatic mammals they found living in eastern Australian streams “duck Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
Spotify’s in-car music player, Motorola’s folding RAZR phone, and the rest of the current tech rumors
Gadgets
Catch up on all the technology gossip without all the hype.
Keep it real with your tech rumors. Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
Firefighter Suicides Rise in the Wake of Deadly Wildland Blazes
The stress of battling repeated, massive wildfires is taking a toll on the mental health of first responders
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Posted in STEM News
Can AI escape our control and destroy us?
Skype cofounder Jaan Tallinn bankrolls efforts to keep superintelligent AI under control.
Can superintelligent AI escape our control and destroy us? Skype cofounder Jaan Tallinn puts money on it—and on finding a solution.
Posted in STEM News
Will Earth’s shifting magnetic poles push the Northern Lights too?
Science
Scientists are studying the aurora’s every move.
The magnetic north pole has started moving swiftly at 31 miles per year. It has long been unclear whether the northern lights will move too. Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
Techathlon podcast: 1997’s hottest tech, surprising air-travel stats, the zombie in your computer
Technology
Play along with our game show podcast and learn about the latest tech news.
Check out the latest episode of the most fun tech podcast around. Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
Techathlon podcast: 1997’s hottest tech, surprising air-travel stats, the zombie in your computer
Technology
Play along with our game show podcast and learn about the latest tech news.
Check out the latest episode of the most fun tech podcast around. Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
Legacy of Lunar Data: How Apollo Revealed our Moon
The mission data gathered remain the most valuable information we have about the history of the moon — and the solar system. Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
Training Apollo’s First Lunar Scientists
Geologists played a key role in the Apollo program. Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
Apollo Astronauts, in Their Own Words
The astronauts who flew to the moon reflect on legacies, comfort and loneliness. Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
Training Apollo’s First Lunar Scientists
Geologists played a key role in the Apollo program. Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
Moon Blobs, Collapsars and Long Planets
A roundup of recent research with astrobiological implications
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Posted in STEM News
Last week in tech: DJI’s new action camera, a clever new flying machine, and RIP YTMND
Technology
Get caught up on the biggest technology news stories.
Catch up on this week’s tech news and listen to the latest episode of the podcast. Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
Nobelist: Harness Evolution As Problem-Solving Algorithm
Frances Arnold, the Caltech scientist who shared the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, says evolution can show us how to solve problems of sustainability.
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Posted in STEM News
This weekend’s Blue Moon isn’t the kind of Blue Moon you’re used to (and also isn’t blue)
Space
What is going on with my moon?
Pink moons, blue moons, strawberry moons, supermoons. For some reason your news aggregation algorithm thinks you really want to know all about these moons. Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
Inside the 2019 Ferrari Pista, a supercar built for the racetrack
Cars
It’s built specifically with the racetrack in mind.
The new Ferrari Pista is ready for laps on the track. Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
Muscle stiffness can be an athletic superpower
Science
Elite basketball players benefit from having less stretch.
Athletes who appropriately use greater stiffness characteristics can take advantage of the elastic energy it creates. Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
Processed Foods, Regardless Of Nutrition, Still Cause Weight Gain
You probably already had a feeling you should skip the vending machine for an afternoon snack. But it turns out ultra-processed foods are even worse than we already thought.
A new study, out in Cell Metabolism, shows these foods cause weight gain even when they don’t have more fat, sugar, or carbohydrates than their healthier counterparts. There’s something about the processing itself that causes people to eat more before they feel full. On the flip side, switching to a whole food diet — Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
Beyond Harmful Gas: The Future of Refrigeration May Rely on ‘Plastic Crystals’
(Inside Science) — Refrigeration has been around for about 100 years, but hasn’t changed much in that time. A time traveller from the early 1900s would still recognize the big box full of chilled food in your kitchen. But soon, researchers say, new materials could replace refrigeration as we know it, making it more adaptable, efficient and environmentally friendly.
Standard fridges work using a process called vapor compression. A compressor increases the pressure on a gas, which raises i Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
Watch this electric air taxi take off vertically, thanks to 36 swiveling ‘jet’ engines
Technology
It has a range of 186 miles and is optimized to cruise.
A German company tested their five-seat vertical-take-off-and-landing electric “jet” earlier this month. Continue reading
Posted in STEM News
Smartphone App Screens Kids for Ear Problems
Parents can use a digital tool at home to detect fluid behind the eardrum
— Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Posted in STEM News
Here’s exactly how restricting abortion harms public health
The recent abortion bills don’t align with what health experts know about abortion safety.
This week, Alabama’s governor signed the most extreme anti-abortion bill in the country, effectively banning the procedure. It’s just one of a host of new laws…
Posted in STEM News
Naturally pink chocolate is finally here. But how is it made?
This rosy treat remains shrouded in mystery.
Barry Callebaut, creators of the coveted “ruby chocolate,” says they’re finally bringing the pink-hued sweet stateside. But how exactly the manufacturer produces such…
Posted in STEM News
Formula 1 racing teams have intense recruitment programs for engineers
Technology
The Renault Formula One team and Infiniti have a unique program for recruiting talent.
Work your way up into the big leagues. Continue reading
Posted in STEM News