Traveling to and exploring space is an obviously dangerous venture. Astronauts launch with the full knowledge that they may not return, and future missions that stretch farther out into the solar system will be even riskier. Deep-space travel could even cause significant gastrointestinal (GI) damage to astronauts, according to one new study.
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) have exposed mice to radiation to simulate how galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) in deep-spa ...read more
(Inside Science) — Every year, the Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine, Physics, and Chemistry honor great advances and discoveries in science. Writers from Inside Science have summarized some of the top contenders for these famous science prizes.
Testing Spooky Action at a Distance
Almost one year ago, Chinese researchers placed the first quantum-encrypted video call. This year's Nobel Prize in Physics may go to scientists whose experiments helped test a phenomenon that made the c ...read more
(Inside Science) — The 2018 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine has been awarded to James P. Allison, from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and Takusu Honjo, from Kyoto University in Japan, "for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation."
This type of therapy is a new approach in cancer treatment. Instead of targeting the tumor cells themselves, it releases the brakes on immune cells, allowing them to attack cancer cells. ...read more
When I was 16, I participated in the Montgomery County, Maryland science fair. My entry was--as I recognized even at the time--a fairly middling effort, more a research project than an original experiment. I was not surprised when I walked away with an appropriately middling "honorable mention" in my category. It was an inspiring experience anyway, for reasons that are perceptively captured in the marvelous new documentary Science Fair.
The culture of the science fair is one of profound o ...read more
The idea for the @52CitScientists Twitter account sprang from a conversation between Mar Dixon and Darlene Cavalier. Soon after, they enlisted Zsófi Szendrei to grow the account and make it a success.
Mar Dixon is a self-described “troublemaker for sectors who need a kick up the bum.” SciStarter has a unique connection with her, because Mar Dixon is sister to Darlene Cavalier, SciStarter’s founder!
When SciStarter interviewed her, she was preparing for ...read more
With every President comes a new NASA administrator, and the current admin, Jim Bridenstine, has raised a number of eyebrows. The strongest reaction to Bridenstine’s appointment comes from his lack of a science background, though more recent reports say he has changed his mind on climate change and does believe humans are responsible and can curb the effects we're having on the planet. Nevertheless, the immediate knee-jerk reaction I saw from the space community raised the question is ...read more
Last year I wrote and published a fake 'scientific paper' to highlight the problem of predatory scientific journals. My article, following in the tradition of earlier fake journal 'stings', was complete nonsense, full of Star Wars references and quotes, but it was published by a number of dodgy journals.
Now, another sci-fi sting has taken place, based this time on Rick and Morty. The stinger, Farooq Ali Khan, created a hilarious paper called Newer Tools to Fight Inter-Galactic Parasites ...read more
Bats and dolphins are seemingly polar-opposite creatures, but they do share a special skill: echolocation. This ability — mapping out the area via the reflection of high-pitched sonic signals you send out — comes in handy when you’re navigating the night skies or the murky depths of the ocean. Researchers already knew this ability came about through convergent evolution, when two or more unrelated species develop the same trait independently. But a recent paper published in Sci ...read more
