NASA Receives Proposals for More Solar System Exploration

Medicine & Technology Mar 01, 2015

NASA has received dozens of new proposals for robotic missions for launch in 2021 to explore different parts of the solar system. Scientists have submitted concepts for sending probes to the moon, asteroids, comets and other planets for a chance to win $450 million in federal funding for their mission.

Methane Based Life Could Exist on Saturn’s Moon, Titan

Feb 28, 2015

In a new study published this week by researchers from Cornell University, the team of researchers has modeled a new methane-based life form that can metabolize and reproduce, similar to the oxygen-based life forms here on Earth. And more than that, the researchers say that these life forms could flourish in the harsh, cold environment of Saturn's moon, Titan. Titan's surface is filled with seas of liquid methane that researchers believe could harbor these methane-based cells.

Carbon Dioxide Caught Red Handed By Scientists

Feb 28, 2015

It is no secret that greenhouse gas emissions, and especially carbon dioxide, are on the rise much to the alarm of governments, scientists and environmentalists around the globe. These gases get their name from their effect of trapping the suns energy inside the atmosphere causing temperatures to rise. However, scientists had not directly observed this effect, until now.

New Study Reveals Americans Believe Stopping Climate Change is a “Moral Obligation”

Feb 28, 2015

A new study by Reuters/IPSOS has found that a majority of Americans see it as a "moral obligation" to reduce carbon emissions and stop climate change to ensure the continued health of the planet.

The True Story of the Dress That Divided The World

Feb 28, 2015

You probably caught a glimpse of it on your Facebook news feed at least once if not several times over the last few days. Here's how it worked: First, you look at the image and then determine what color the dress is. Is it white? Is it blue?

Leonard Nimoy "Spock"—Best Moments And Quotes from the Legend

Feb 27, 2015

Leonard Nimoy, known to the world as Spock from the "Star Trek" series, passed away on Friday at the age of 83. To celebrate his life and his achievements in sharing his gifts of acting with the world, we take a look at some of the best quotes from Nimoy both as himself and as that lovable emotionless Vulcan serving aboard the Starship Enterprise.

DNA Evidence of Wheat Upsets Archeological History of the Crop in Early England

Feb 27, 2015

When British researchers went diving in Bouldnor Cliff, a submarine archaeological site near the Isle of Wight in the UK, it would fit to assume that they hadn’t quite banked on finding evidence of wheat beneath the waters. But when the researcher analyzed a core sample obtained from sealed sediments, microfossils with sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) of wheat species revealed that there might be far more to the story of the cash crop and trade in ancient Britain—perhaps even 2,000 years more than what the current history predicts.

Should NASA and The International Space Station Be Worried About the Vapors?

Feb 27, 2015

Should the vapors be cause for concern? Well it certainly has been a question that has crossed NASA and the astronauts’ aboard the International Space Station minds. Since the snafu on Wednesday, Feb. 25, when a routine spacewalk led to water leaking into space station flight engineer Terry Virts’ helmet, the team has been buzzing with news of whether or not they will be cleared to walk again this weekend.

As Dawn Spacecraft Approaches, A Second Bright Light Emerges from Ceres

Feb 27, 2015

To better answer Piazzi’s original questions, and some new ones that have arisen in the more than two centuries since it was first discovered, researchers with NASA developed the Dawn Spacecraft mission which was originally launched in 2007. After a successful 14-month-orbit around Vesta in the asteroid belt, Dawn is now moving onto the next dwarf planet and will arrive to Ceres within the next week. And the first question that the Dawn mission would like to answer is a glaring one, visible on the surface.

VIDEO—The LEAP Trial and How Researchers Revealed No Threat in Allergens

Feb 25, 2015

Ever wonder what’s best: to feed your baby peanut butter or not, for fear of a deadly allergic reaction? Well while past guidelines suggested that parents steer clear of most allergens until an older age, a new study published this week in The New England Journal of Medicine suggests that avoidance may no longer be the best method. In fact, the study researchers suggest that early exposure may even prevent your children from developing the allergy altogether.

Humpback Whale Freed From Entanglement Along Hawaiian Coast

Feb 23, 2015

If you were in the area of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii last week and thought that you were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of humpback whale, you were probably right. But the sighting wasn’t such as a rare sight, with the more than 25 ton mammal acting as a sitting duck along the Big Island’s Kona Coast.

Researchers Reveal That Killer ‘Bourbon Virus’ is Of the Rare Thogotovirus Genus

Feb 22, 2015

Forget Ebola, Americans may have an even more viral threat, mutating close to home. Months ago we reported on the death of a Kansas man who had been bitten by ticks and died from complications with what appeared to be a virus—what researchers called the “Bourbon Virus”. Now, health officials say that the virus is not anything like which they have ever seen, and as a member of an entirely novel genus of viruses, it may pose significant health risks throughout the United States.

How Arachnids May Reveal Looming New Threats to American Public Health—Bourbon Virus

Feb 21, 2015

While these little arachnids are not much to look at, ticks are the carriers of a myriad of diseases, which makes them of great importance to researchers. History has shown that they can cause sepsis, this past summer researchers discovered that the Lone Star tick can create a severe allergy to red meats, and now health officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that a new tick-borne virus can even cause multiple organ failure.

Reef Oasis Found in Depths of Murky Iraqi Waters

Feb 20, 2015

While growing climate changes and ocean acidification pose particular threats to coral reef species around the world, it appears that researchers may have good news on the horizon. While many reefs have been well-documented and researched, a new study recently published in the journal Scientific Reports reveals that new reefs may be right under our noses, and they be far out of the tropics.

Apple May Be Tabling Health-Monitoring from its Watch, But It’ll Still Pack a Punch

Feb 20, 2015

While other wearable tech may be ahead of the curve, Apple continues to miss the mark when it comes to the development of its upcoming watch. While other models offered by competitors boast the ability to monitor heart-rate, amongst a myriad of other important vitals, Apple has announced that they are scrapping the health-monitoring tech from its upcoming product on account of problems with sensors and their regulators.