Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine
Heaven and earth moved to make Albert Einstein a star a century ago. ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine
The idea to launch billboards into space may have seemed like just another marketing gimmick. Back in January, Discover first reported on a Russian start-up company named StartRocket that said it wanted to use swarms of mini satellites called CubeSats to project ads on the night sky from low-Earth orbit. Readers reacted harshly to the announcement. Some called it “repulsive.” Others urged boycotts of any company that took them up on the offer. But the beverage giant PepsiC ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine
Ketamine is making headlines left and right, and for good reason. The drug, once popular as both an anesthetic and among party-goers, has recently gained traction as a treatment for depression. In fact, the FDA approved the first ketamine antidepressant just a few weeks ago. Despite its rise, ketamine still has some unresolved issues: its effects don’t last very long and the reasons behind why it works as an antidepressant are unclear. Now, a new paper in Science has revealed some of the m ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine
The next generation of exoplanet hunting has arrived in the form of NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet and Survey Satellite. TESS looks at closer and brighter stars than Kepler, the spacecraft that first turned the trickle of exoplanet discoveries into a deluge. While TESS, which launched last year, is just beginning its sky search, it’s already started discovering new planets. Astronomers say they've discovered an Earth-sized planet dubbed HD 21749 c that sits just 52 light- ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine
I've been meaning to write a story about the aurora borealis ever since I captured photos of an astonishing display in January when I was visiting Tromsø, Norway to cover the Arctic Frontiers conference. Finally, the satellite image above offered the perfect excuse. It was captured by the Suomi NPP spacecraft as it orbited above North America on March 28, 2019. The spacecraft has a nighttime sensor that can capture relatively faint emissions of light un ...read more