Astronomers exploring the faraway universe with the James Webb Space Telescope[1], NASA’s most powerful telescope, have found a class of galaxies that challenges even the most skillful creatures in mimicry – like the mimic octopus[2]. This creature can impersonate other marine animals to avoid predators. Need to be a flatfish? No problem. A...
Space travel comes with risk − and SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission will push the envelope further than any private mission has before
Space is an unnatural environment for humans. We can’t survive unprotected in a pure vacuum[1] for more than two minutes. Getting to space involves being strapped to a barely contained chemical explosion[2].
Since 1961, fewer than 700 people[3] have been into space. Private space companies such as SpaceX[4] and Blue Origin[5] hope to boost...
Yellow food dye can make living tissue transparent − these methods could one day improve cancer treatment, blood draws and even tattoo removal
Why isn’t your body transparent? Some animals such as jellyfish[1], zebra fish[2] and some glass frogs[3] have see-through bodies. But most mammals, including humans, aren’t transparent.
While the idea of a transparent body might seem odd or even a bit creepy, it could actually be really helpful for doctors. If our bodies were...
Guilt over kids’ screen time is common, uncomfortable and can stress family relationships − but it can have a silver lining
What parent hasn’t been there? It’s been a long day, you still have dinner to make, maybe lunches for tomorrow too, and you just don’t have the energy to wrangle your kids into a new art project or plead with them to pick up a book.
Instead, you give in when they beg for more iPad time. Or maybe they promise they’ll do their...