Martian Anniversary Selfie (NASA)

Explanation: June 24th marked the first full Martian year of the Curiosity Rover’s exploration of the surface of the Red Planet. That’s 687 Earth days or 669 sols since its landing on August 5, 2012. To celebrate, consider this self-portrait of the car-sized robot posing next to a rocky outcrop dubbed Windjana, its recent drilling and sampling site.

The mosaicked selfie was constructed with frames taken this April and May using the rover’s Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), intended for close-up work and mounted at the end of the rover’s robotic arm. The MAHLI frames used exclude sections that show the arm itself and so MAHLI and the robotic arm are not seen. Famous for panoramic views, the rover’s Mastcam is visible though, on top of the tall mast staring toward the left and down at the drill hole.

_____________________________________________________________

Thanks, as always, to NASA and their amazing site, Astronomy Picture of the Day!

 

Read Full Post »

This Week in Science: June 8, 2014

Godzilla planets? 12 billion year old gamma rays? Evidence of the planet that crashed into Earth and caused our moon to form?

This is the kind of stuff scientists were doing last week!

Here are the links to the articles.  Please check them out!

Godzilla planet: http://bit.ly/RZCW46
Autism: http://bit.ly/1oTnkOb
Cancer: http://bit.ly/1i9qaqZ
Theia: http://bit.ly/1xfn7HB
Hybrid star: http://bit.ly/SbvliX
Hubble deep field: http://bit.ly/1pRBFbi
Gamma ray burst: http://bit.ly/1kD36oV
Plastic rocks: http://bit.ly/SdukXM

____________________________________________________________________

Thanks once again to the gang over at IFLS.

Visit them on Facebook or at their website.

Read Full Post »

This Week in Science: May 18/14

They’ve done it again, kiddie-winkers.

While we were out planning our gardens and trying to figure out how to hurt ourselves with fireworks, the devoted geeks and nerdlings in the world of science have come up with these findings!

 

 

Dinosaur: http://bit.ly/1lxLRTu
Gluten: http://bit.ly/1gT4Wgc
Prehistoric girl: http://bit.ly/1j45bcI
Glaciers: http://bit.ly/1on1lP6
Lucid dreaming: http://bit.ly/1glhORI
Exoplanet: http://bit.ly/1iYOxel
Sperm: http://bit.ly/1mYRPhh
Measles: http://bit.ly/S7b5jd

Well done, folks. Very well done indeed.

The world owes you a huge debt of gratitude!

Read Full Post »

This Week in Science (May 4/14)

Well, the geeks and nerdlings out in science land have done it again.

While we were out doing… like… whatever… they were doing this!

 

DNA: http://bit.ly/1mfICVP
Sperm: http://bit.ly/1obvldN
Muscles: http://bit.ly/1iHZthN
Exoplanet: http://bit.ly/1mejhqV
Star cluster: http://bit.ly/1jlhbq0
Circuit board: http://bit.ly/S6XlW7
Element: http://bit.ly/1nQqH7K
Heart transplants: http://bit.ly/1u4ST8t

Well done, people. Very well done.

We owe you so much. Thank you for making the world a better place and enriching our lives!

_____________________________________________________________

Thanks, as always, to the wonderful people over at IFLS!

Read Full Post »

Equinox on a Spinning Earth

Equinox on a Spinning Earth 

Explanation: When does the line between day and night become vertical? Tomorrow. Tomorrow is an equinox on planet Earth, a time of year when day and night are most nearly equal. At an equinox, the Earth’s terminator — the dividing line between day and night — becomes vertical and connects the north and south poles. The above time-lapse video demonstrates this by displaying an entire year on planet Earth in twelve seconds. From geosynchronous orbit, the Meteosat satellite recorded these infrared images of the Earth every day at the same local time.

Image: NASA, Meteosat, Robert Simmon

The video started at the September 2010 equinox with the terminator line being vertical. As the Earth revolved around the Sun, the terminator was seen to tilt in a way that provides less daily sunlight to the northern hemisphere, causing winter in the north. As the year progressed, the March 2011 equinox arrived halfway through the video, followed by the terminator tilting the other way, causing winter in the southern hemisphere — and summer in the north. The captured year ends again with the September equinox, concluding another of billions of trips the Earth has taken — and will take — around the Sun.

Thanks, as always, to NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day.

Read Full Post »

This Week in Science (March 2/14)

Science geeks, nerds and wonks have been going at it hammer and test tube.

Cars that run on air! A new state of matter! Mass whale grave!

Here are their latest findings!

Smartly done, scientists!

_________________________________________________

For details, read the following articles. They are well worth your time!

Exoplanets: http://bit.ly/1fuJlyp
New state of matter: http://bit.ly/1hA2IVk
PLOS ONE: http://bit.ly/1hqiP7N
Martian meteorite: http://bit.ly/1cxqr40
Car runs on air: http://bit.ly/1hrMpdH
Liver cells: http://bit.ly/1fXlIcP
Mass whale grave: http://bit.ly/1esobQ9
Water vapour: http://bit.ly/MIUyOY

Read Full Post »

New Animal Discoveries of 2013

Science Bulletins: Biodiversity Unveiled—New Animal Discoveries

Last year was a big year when it came to the discovery of new animal species. From legless lizards to purring monkeys, scientists described over 18,000 unique animal species in 2013.

Watch the video (above) to learn more about the animal discoveries of 2013.

(Tree frog – Image: Trond Larsen)

Over 1.6 million species of animal life are currently known, but global biodiversity is estimated to be much greater. Some scientists believe the total could be as high as ten million unique species, meaning this year will probably bring plenty of new breathtaking discoveries.

__________________________________________________

Science Bulletins is a production of the National Center for Science Literacy, Education, and Technology (NCSLET), part of the Department of Education at the American Museum of Natural History.

Text: by Katherine A. Thichava at The Rainforest Site.

Read Full Post »

This Week in Science (January 24, 2014)

Yes, boys and girls, geeks and nerdlings… scientists the world over have come up with some pretty neato stuff this week!

Excellent stuff, for sure!

Read more at the links below!

Black holes: http://bit.ly/M1dPva
Mantis shrimps: http://bit.ly/1n2GT3N
Cancer genome: http://bit.ly/1ggGtGv
Dolphin: http://bit.ly/1e7ZB6l
Cosmic web: http://bit.ly/M1eeh9
Supernova: http://bit.ly/M1e610
Shark extinction: http://bit.ly/1cj0TLp
Ceres: http://bit.ly/1fghjF4

_________________________________________________

Check out the IFLS Facebook page here:  https://www.facebook.com/IFeakingLoveScience/info
See their child friendly mirror page here: http://on.fb.me/OWVvOZ
Follow them on Twitter here:https://twitter.com/IFLScience
Website: http://www.iflscience.com/

Read Full Post »

What if Polar Ice Caps Melted?

What if the polar ice caps melted. What would the world look like?

This National Geographic maps gives some indication as to how our world would change.

(Spoiler Alert: Goodbye Netherlands, Florida, the entire U.S. Eastern Seaboard and Bangladesh!)

Read Full Post »

How & When Did We Get Here (Literally)

For those of you who are curious as to how and when we (and by we, I mean anatomically modern humans) got to where we are.

This is a map that sets out the migration pattern of modern humans out of east Africa and across the world.

Read Full Post »