Radioactive decay is ubiquitous. It occurs everywhere on Earth and throughout the universe. The most common forms occur when an unstable nucleus spits out an alpha particle, consisting of two neutrons and two protons, a beta particle consisting of an energetic positron or electron, or a gamma ray, consisting of a high energy photon. When these powerful forms of radiation pass through matter, they strip electrons from atoms and molecules, leaving a trail of charged particles in their wake. Detect ...read more

Anyone who has ever tried to start a campfire knows it’s not that easy — even with matches. A person has to get the right kindling and tinder, place the match in a suitable spot, and nurture the flame so it spreads. It’s no wonder different scouting groups award merit badges to campers who successfully foster the flames.It took a long time for ancient humans to master fire-making and adapt it to daily life. But once fire became a consistent tool, it changed many aspects of early human civi ...read more

Thescelosaurus wouldn’t have known that its world was about to change drastically. More specifically, that a seven-mile-wide asteroid barreling toward Earth would soon end life as we knew it at the time. The Age of Dinosaurs was about to come to an abrupt end.Just before the K-T Event, 66 million years ago, Thescelosaurus would have lived alongside Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus rex, and Ankylosaurus in western North America. The species didn’t have many of the dazzling features like horns, a cl ...read more

At the end of the day, most of us find ourselves on the couch, eyes glued to the television or to our smartphones. Maybe we’re reading a book or the newspaper, but we’re still most likely seated, trying to relax after a long day of running around. It seems that we humans are gifted in the way of laziness, doing everything that we can to conserve energy.After a day of thinking at our desks or at whatever our job is, we similarly love to space out, our brain tired of focusing. But are we hardw ...read more

If you’re trying to figure out how to stay sharp as you age, I’m guessing you aren’t lacking advice. You’ve probably read dozens of articles telling you specific things you can do to reduce your risk of cognitive decline — work a sudoku every morning, learn Mandarin Chinese, eat seven servings of kale each week, join a book club, get up at 5 a.m. and meditate. There’s so much advice out there you may be confused. Or ready to just give up and let nature take its course.If that’s you ...read more

Within the next few decades, NASA aims to land humans on the Moon, set up a lunar colony and use the lessons learned to send people to Mars as part of its Artemis program.While researchers know that space travel can stress space crew members both physically and mentally and test their ability to work together in close quarters, missions to Mars will amplify these challenges. Mars is far away – millions of miles from Earth– and a mission to the red planet will take two to two and a half years ...read more

Approximately 1 in 26 people develop epilepsy, a condition in which someone experiences recurring and unprovoked seizures. But experiencing a seizure does not always mean a person has epilepsy. Seizures can be provoked by acute head injuries, alcohol withdrawal and high blood sugar, among other things. Approximately 1 in 10 people will experience a seizure during their lifetime.The Conversation asked Dr. Jacob Pellinen, a neurologist specializing in epilepsy, to walk us through how to recognize ...read more

Taking good eclipse photos is harder than it looks. The last Great American Eclipse, on Aug. 21, 2017, was photographed by hundreds of thousands of people — and many of them were probably disappointed in their results. Overexposure, blurriness, and camera malfunctions are all concerns if you aren’t prepared. Here are some tips you can follow that might help you take better pictures of eclipses this month and beyond.1.  Select Your EquipmentDecide what optics you’ll be shooting through. It ...read more

It’s a universal truth: If you have a skeleton, you absolutely need vitamin D. Without this critical vitamin, your body wouldn’t be able to absorb calcium, the primary ingredient we all require for strong, healthy bones.Of course, vitamin D’s value to your body is more than simply skeletal. It’s a crucial nutrient for your muscles, your nervous system, and even your immune system.  The sunshine vitamin is known to help with infections and inflammation and may also help inhibit the growt ...read more

One of the extraordinary scenarios dreamt up for AI is to will help governments make diplomatic and military decisions on the international stage. The thinking is that machines can process more information than humans on shorter time scales. And the possibility that geopolitical competitors might use AI to outmaneuver allies, increases the pressure to operate on the same terms.So an urgent and important goal is to understand the capability of AI systems in making these kinds of decisions.AI Warg ...read more