Orion’s Return: What Re-entry Means for the Industry of Spaceflight

Medicine & Technology Dec 23, 2014

On December 5, 2014 after a one-day weather delay, NASA launched Orion from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. While this test flight was unmanned, Orion is built to hold a crew of 2- 6 individuals. It’s no secret that NASA plans to send humans to an asteroid and to Mars using Orion.

Full Speed Ahead – Google Releases Prototype for First Self-Driving Car

Dec 22, 2014

The future arrived this morning. It rolled up on four wheels with a tiny cab and no steering wheel. Today, Google celebrated the release of the of its first fully functioning, self-driving car prototype.

Memory Restoration Now Possible? Neurologists Find New Secrets to Synapses Storage

Dec 22, 2014

Neurologists have discovered that memory restoration may be a near possibility. In a recent study, researchers from UCLA's department of Integrative Biology and Neurobiology found that memories are not stored in the synapses, as was once believed.

Reading From an E-Reader Before Bedtime Disrupts Sleep- Study

Dec 22, 2014

In an age of computer graphics, social media, and the ever-present technology that plays such a vital role in our daily lives, it comes as no surprise that even in the moments before we close our eyes every night that we are consumed with checking that last status or watching a video or two. Sometimes, we just want to have some good, old traditional reading using an electronic reading material and wait until we get drowsy and sleepy. However, a new study published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences revealed that reading through electronic devices such as iPad, smart phones and other similar devices before bedtime could disrupt sleep patterns, affecting sleep quality, and affecting long-term health.

Fast Food May Affect "School Performance"

Dec 22, 2014

The performance of a student in the classroom may be affected by how much fast food one eats. A recent study published in the journal Clinical Pediatrics found that fifth-graders who ate fast food had weaker abilities in the subject areas of math, science and reading by the time they reached the eighth grade.

What the Winter Solstice Means - The Onset of Winter and The Darker Days Ahead

Dec 22, 2014

The Holiday Season is upon us; a time for presents, family, food. But it's also time for a celestial shift too. And while the onset of winter happened just this past weekend, many researchers are questioning why Winter's cold caught a grip of Earth early this year-at least in the northern hemisphere, that is.

Yellowstone's Thermal Springs - Pollution and Their Unique Coloration

Dec 22, 2014

Yellowstone's thermal springs are one of the park's largest attractions. But they weren't always the rainbow of colors you see now.

Corals Hint At Global Warming Spike―What Climate Change Is Doing Now

Dec 22, 2014

Coral reefs are dying-off, in front of our very eyes. And they're the "canaries in the mines" for our terrestrial well-being.

NuSTAR Telescope Helps NASA Find Nanoflares on the Sun

Dec 22, 2014

With a new day in science comes a new study of the sun. No, we’re not talking about a new telescope or a new division under the international space agencies, but rather a reallocation of a science used in other parts of space. Turning their sights from far off black holes, with a closer subject in mind, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) is repositioning their NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array) towards our very own local star to produce the most sensitive measurements of high-energy solar x-rays to date.

Sweets May Swell Your Brain—Caramel Apples & Listeria

Dec 21, 2014

Want to give something sweet this Christmas as an added treat? Well, you may want to reconsider. While cookies and cakes may be safe, one Autumn treat may carry along with it a bad tiding, and a serious infection as well. Though caramel apples are often an Autumn/Winter treat, health officials with the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are saying that they may be the link between a multi-state Listeria outbreak that has to date led to more than four deaths, and dozens of hospitalizations. Spanning the states of Texas, Arizona and Minnesota, the CDC confirms that the bacterial infections came after ingestion of pre-packaged caramel apples, and now the patients are facing life-threatening complications.

Real-World Medicine Man Or Phony? MDs Weigh In on the Dr. Oz Debate

Dec 20, 2014

Before the age of medical doctors and precise pharmaceuticals, people turned to the aid of medicine men, tribal councils and even shaman to heal all sorts of ailments. Herbal remedies were prescribed, and more often than not, the symptoms would disappear, or the person whose ailments would escalate would disappear too with the problem. But do you know who they never asked for help? Television personalities—not even those with medical degrees.

Caramel Apples May Not Be So Sweet—Listeria Outbreak Across US

Dec 19, 2014

This holiday season you may want to steer clear of the sweets—or at least caramel apples. Though the caramel sweets are often an Autumn/Winter treat, health officials with the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are saying that they may be the link between a multi-state Listeria outbreak that has to date led to more than four deaths, and dozens of hospitalizations. Reporting this morning, Dec. 19, on the condition of the outbreak, the CDC says that at least 28 individuals spanning the states of Arizona, Texas and Minnesota have been infected and are facing the life-threatening illness.

While US Moves Forward, Cuba Stands Still—Diplomatic Relations in Stand Still

Dec 19, 2014

It’s been a discussion decades in the making, but one whose final answer is not yet given. On two different sides of a war years ago, the United States decided once that Cuba should face an embargo thought to keep ties between the two nations as severed as could be. But with new leaders and a new collective vision for the future, not only of politics but of the two nations together, the embargo stopping free flow of products and people between the two nations may soon come to an end.

Half the Size, But Twice the Bite—Study Reports European Wolves Are on the Rise

Dec 19, 2014

As carnivorous species in the United States, like the Mexican Gray Wolf, face dwindling populations and increased difficulties finding niche habitats, a new study reveals that carnivores in Europe are on the rise—and they are more than twice as abundant. The new study published this week in the journal Science reports that while Europe may be one of the most industrialized landscapes on the face of the Earth, that conservation efforts and restoration practices have led the continent to large-scale success in bringing back continental carnivore populations.

Discovery Sparks Interest—NASA’s Mission to Mars Gets Its Own New Show

Dec 18, 2014

Often in the media, it’s what’s new and fresh that brings in the ratings. But what about looking for something potentially millions of years old? What if it wasn’t on this planet even? Peak your interest yet? Well, if so, you may just be in luck, because after decades of researching and scoping out the fourth planet from our sun, Mars, NASA has announced today that it has collaborated with the Discovery Channel to show a never-before-seen view of the Red Planet. And it airs tonight, Dec. 18!