Summertime is in full swing, and for many, that means the sweet arrival of s’mores season: the perfect treat for beach bonfires, nights spent camping beneath the stars, or capping off backyard barbecues. S’mores, a favorite campfire snack, combine gooey marshmallows, melted chocolate, and crunchy graham crackers. Everyone has their own preferences for what makes […]
For over a hundred years, scientists have believed that the connections between the 86 billion neurons in the human brain — think of an electric spark traveling along a spiderweb — form the basis for our thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Up until now, little importance has been placed on the actual shape of the brain,
Multiple studies have determined that sleep plays an active role in our ability to form memories and recall information, something anyone who’s stayed up all night before an exam can attest to. But the mechanics of that connection have yet to be definitively proven. Now, researchers have provided the first physiological evidence of how the
There’s electricity in the air over at the University of Massachusetts Amherst — both the literal and metaphorical varieties. A team of engineers at the institution have discovered a method of successfully harvesting energy from air humidity in a predictable and continuous manner, and they say the technology can be scaled up and applied broadly.
The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope on Maui, Hawaii, is the largest and most powerful solar telescope on the planet, and the recent images it captured surely live up to those superlatives. The National Science Foundation released a set of eight new pictures last week, showing our sun in “unprecedented detail.” The shots provide a
Earth’s Most Powerful Solar Telescope Captures Sun in “Unprecedented Detail” Continue Reading »
In a scientific first, astronomers observed a star swallowing a planet as part of its dying process. The researchers first spotted the outburst, which took place about 12,000 light-years away from Earth, in 2020, but it took several years for them to figure out what it was: a star running out of fuel, swelling to
Ellen Xu, a 17-year-old from San Diego, created an award-winning algorithm that uses smartphone photographs to help diagnose Kawasaki disease — a leading cause of acquired heart disease in the U.S. that primarily affects children younger than age 5. It’s a disease that’s personal to Xu; her younger sister, Kate, was diagnosed with Kawasaki when
A new study has established a correlation between preschool-educated children and numerous positive educational outcomes, including a boost in high school graduation and college attendance, and a decrease in problematic behavioral issues. The study, led by MIT economist Parag Pathak and published in The Quarterly Journal of Economics, followed the academic paths of over 4,000
If you’ve ever been to a Maryland-style crab feast, a summer staple in the mid-Atlantic state, you’re well aware of the affinity many people have for the crustacean. Crab has been enjoyed around the world for thousands of years — so much so that we’ve even created a more affordable imitation of the delicacy. In
Despite earning over 50% of bachelor’s degrees total, women make up only about one-fifth of degrees obtained in physics, according to the American Institute of Physics. Although this statistic has not deviated much over time — staying stagnant during the period between 2007 and 2017 — one female physicist is hoping to change that by
