Ryan Wallace

In United States 21 Days Signals Waning Ebola Infection

Today marks 21 days of quarantine since the Ebola infection spread into the US by an infected Dallas patient, who recently fled Liberia. And as none of the individuals quarantined for their close contact with the infected have developed the often fatal hemorrhagic fever, health officials are hopeful that their clean bill of health is a sign that the Ebola virus will not find a foothold here in the United States.

Not Just NASA ‘Ducks & Covers’—Comet Siding Spring

As news spread worldwide of the arrival of Comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring, anticipated to arrive yesterday Sunday Oct. 19 just outside of Mars’ outer atmosphere, it appears that aerospace agencies invested in the red planet headed the warnings and got out of the way of the fast moving rock. Following NASA’s lead in safety protocol, intended to keep Mars orbiters functional and safe from cosmic debris, other agencies like the European Space Agency (ESA) elected to “duck and cover” behind the planet Mars and peak out only for an up-close look at the rare, passing comet.

ESA Asks Public to Name Philae Landing Site of Comet 67P This November

It’s been a conversation months in the making. No, it’s not a new iPhone product or what celebrity baby names will be hot this Winter, but rather what to call one of the greatest achievements mankind will make in your lifetime? Reaching out to the public for a little bit of inspiration in creative names, researchers at the ESA have created an open competition where anyone and everyone can submit their own ideas for what the site should be named.

NASA’s Spacecrafts ‘Duck And Cover’ Behind Mars as Comet Passes Through

It’s been a flyby anticipated for months, and one whose arrival sparked much commotion at NASA’s headquarters this past weekend. Hurtling through the night sky at nearly 125,000 miles per hour, Comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring passed right by the planet Mars early Sunday afternoon, Oct. 19, coming in close contact with the Martian outer atmosphere at about 2:27pm ET.

Taking A Bite Out of Sunlight—US Expects A Partial Solar Eclipse

Predicted to occur this Thursday, Oct. 23, the off-center new moon will pass in front of the sun creating a partial solar eclipse seen across the United States. Though the predicted visibility will range anywhere from twelve to seventy percent of clarity, researchers at NASA expect that the event will be widely visible across the entire continental US.

How the Milky Way Dominates the Stellar Block—Dwarf Galaxies, Get Out of the Way

It’s no big secret that humans tend to think of themselves as the center of the universe. It’s a flaw that has countlessly been proven wrong as science emerged and showed a different view of the world a around us. However, as it turns out, our galaxy may also be to blame for believing it too is the center of the universe.

On Droughts and Dust Bowls—California Looks Back to 1934

Recently accepted for publication by the journal Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, the research lead by NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies analyzed the relative intensity and devastation caused by droughts since 1000 AD and found that though the 2014 summer in California was particularly out of the ordinary even in the driest of areas, it did not quite compare to the drought of 1934.

How A Parasite Became a Power House—The Tale of Mitochondria

Through the use of simple components, sugar, oxygen and transfer molecules, the mitochondria are able to create and store energy through the simple movement of electrons from one bond to another. And in spite of conflicting theories describing their possible origins, a new study at the University of Virginia is proving that the energy creators weren’t always self-sustaining components.

New Research Started After Rare Beaked Whale Washed Ashore Near Sydney

When a whale washes ashore, researchers and government agencies are usually the first on scene to assess the causes of death. However, when a rare beaked whale washed ashore in Australia earlier this week, Tuesday Oct. 14, researchers were eager to get to the scene for an entirely different reason — the opportunity to learn something about a deep diving mammal we know so little about.

What Does Social Media Say About the Ebola Outbreak?

This morning, the king of social media himself, Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife announced their plans to aid in medical efforts by donating $25 million to the Centers for Disease Control Foundation. The news arrived this morning as the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that issues with containment and assessment of the Ebola virus’ impact may lead to a 1,000% increase in infections (10,000 cases a week) by as early as this December.

WHO Predicts Ebola Outbreak Could Worsen by 1000% as Soon as December

While health officials are attempting to isolate the spread of the disease, fear and ignorance of the disease have allowed for major setbacks to propagate across the West African nations, leading to further casualties of the disease. Now, after months of assessing the situation in the field, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported Tuesday, Oct. 14, that the rate of infection may increase by ten-fold, to 10,000 new cases per week as early as this December.

ESA Rosetta Spacecraft Is Showing Off Its ‘Cheops’

While Rosetta mission team members are preparing to touch down on the surface for a more up-close view of the comet, Rosetta’s Optical, Spectroscopic and Infrared Remote Imaging System (OSIRIS) is taking a look at the surface from afar. And in the newest batch of images sent back Monday morning, researchers have revealed a large pyramid-shaped boulder standing 82-feet-tall near the intended landing site for Rosetta’s Philae rover.

NASA Plans Life and Death on Mars—Planet’s First ‘Mars Plant Experiment’ to be Launched in 2020

In hopes of a long future on the Red Planet, researchers have proposed the addition of a horticultural experiment onboard NASA’s next Mars rover mission, scheduled to land in 2021. The proposed project, known simply as the “Mars Plant Experiment” (MPX) would not only aid in the understanding of plant growth on foreign planets, but also would lay the foundations for future colonies currently planning on settling in on Mars.

Deserting Earth for a Chance in Space—Martian Pilgrims look to Mars for a New Permanent Adventure

For most, space exploration has been a fascination since adolescence; series like Star War and Star Trek, romanticizing the concept of far off planets and uninhabitable lands, filled with vast expanses of the darkness of space. Letting dreams take you beyond the clouds, aspirations of a career as an astronaut seem closer than before, but what about those who cannot make it through the rigorous process of entering NASA’s elite profession? Turns out you can buy your way off this planet; but there is still catch—you can’t come back.

While Moon Turns Red, Sun Gets Halloween Ready in Jack-O-Lantern Style

While the whole world may not celebrate the spooky holiday of Halloween, ghosts and ghouls excluded in many nations’ October attractions, the cosmos appears to be celebrating a bit early, and everyone’s dressing up. It appears that this Halloween we’re going back to the basics, and all of your favorite planets will be there. Mars will be Plymouth Rock, Earth will be a ball of fire, the moon has opted for a blood red werewolf, and the sun will apparently be a jack-o-lantern

Fruit Flies & Beer—The Other Organism Obsessed with Oktoberfest

It’s October, which to most means it’s time to break out the steins and German beers to celebrate the festival of Oktoberfest. But when you’re drinking your brew and you whiff that intoxicating familiar “fresh beer smell”, you’re actually smelling an evolutionary trick that has helped a common bacteria thrive. Thanks to fruit flies, no less!

How ‘Domestication’ of Robotic Organisms May Change The Future

While humans are limited by our relatively small ability to adapt, other species have discovered innovative ways of achieving the unachievable, and are able to forage and explore even the highest peaks and lowest depths with relatively no problems. And modern robotics would like to know how.

Robotic Sidewinder Snake May Be Hired for Search & Rescue Missions

Developed by a team at Georgia Tech, researchers recently described their findings in this week’s issue of the journal Science, which tested a robotic snake look-alike to the real thing. Running both real and robotic snakes through identical sandy obstacle slopes, the researchers were able to view the sidewinder rattlesnake’s movement in an entirely new light, shedding insight on how to harness that movement to make robotics even better.

How Researchers Mapped The Antikythera Shipwreck In Search of Treasures

Discovered in 1900 when a team of sponge divers, led by captain Dimitrios Kontos, unexpectedly returned with the arm of a bronze statue, the Antikythera shipwreck has since then become a mystery only solvable by modern science. Lying 55m beneath the surface of the sea, the shipwreck has been all but unobtainable to man, who is limited by the slow progression of scuba and diving equipment in recent years and the lack of light beneath the surface of the crystal blue shores. But now, the way in which researchers are tackling the mystery has changed.

‘Iron Man’ Suit Allows Divers to Reveal More of Antikythera Shipwreck

For many years, free divers attempted to reach the depths with little to no avail, as man fought our limitations against power of the water. And as technology has aided in aquatic exploration, advancements in scuba gear and breathing apparatuses have helped that task tremendously. But even then, precious minutes mark the divers’ time at the ocean floor of the Aegean Sea, and full exploration of the shipwreck has not been achievable. That is, until now.

More Treasures Come To Surface at Antikythera Wreck Site

Over a hundred years ago, in 1900, sponge divers swimming at the bottom of the sea nearest the island of Antikythera in southern Greece unearthed an extraordinary treasure from the wreckage of a once sea-ferrying ship. Known simply as the Antikythera shipwreck, over the years many artifacts have been discovered bringing to light the culture and the technology of the time the ship sank, and this year excavation efforts have revealed even more.

US Fish & Wildlife Service Investigates Murder of Rare Mexican Wolf

While the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has put forth every effort in protecting and trying to help the natural populations of the rare Mexican Wolf grow through their recovery program, they have seen great setbacks since their protection began in 1977. Poachers and anti-wolf activists have created a dangerous environment in which these natural predators live, and the once common wolves have dwindled down to less than 83 suspected in the wild. And this week, the number drops by one.

NASA Allows Americans Onboard Martian Orion Flight in #JourneyToMars

It’s no surprise, since NASA has had a long history with engaging the public’s interest in space, but this time they’re offering an extraordinary opportunity: the chance to be amongst the first names placed on Mars. Like the beginning to a Martian history, wherein all of the pilgrims’ names are archived on the Orion spacecraft, NASA is extending the opportunity for you to SIGN UP and have your name engraved onto a thumbnail-sized microchip documenting the first mission. And it’s as easy as 1-2-3.

Spanish Nurse First Infected In Europe—And Even Her Dog’s Worried

As fears over a global pandemic of Ebola reach frightening levels, not only in Africa but in Europe and the Americas as well, news this morning of the first infection transmitted in Europe caused a massive effort by Spanish health officials as they try to isolate those possibly infected.

New Nobel Laureates Light The Way for Smart Cities

The selection process for Nobel laureates is perhaps the most rigorous decision made on a global level. Not only does it require knowledge of a world’s worth of science and cultural advancements, but it also requires a sensitivity towards where humanity is moving as a collective people. And while energy technology companies are looking towards the philosophical “smart cities” that lie ahead, this year’s Nobel Prize awarded in Physics is reflecting the way lighting has revolutionized the world.

Coral Bleaching Near Oahu Signals Ecosystem’s Distress

With this summer bringing record-breaking heat waves throughout the northern hemisphere, the people of Hawaii have found that the lack of trade winds have made for a particularly warm and humid summer. And they’re not the only ones suffering.

Implications of New Solar Battery—Charging Off Air and Sunlight

As a renewable energy source, energy from the sun has been at the epicenter of energy discussions for decades. But the problem lies in harnessing this energy. While solar fission and fusion is still out of the question on the surface of the Earth, solar cells driven by the power of rays of sunlight have made great advancements in recent years. In fact you may even have them on your home. But until now, the energy source could not be placed into moving device as a battery of sorts.

Why Antimatter Matters—Majorana Particles Discovered By Princeton University

When a long-held theory concerning particle physics lasts 80 years, you can assume that research discoveries are often few and far between. But it turns out that physics may have a new chapter added to the record books as researchers at Princeton University have solved the mystery of “Majorana Particles”.
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