An Unknown Microbe Sequenced in Space for the First Time

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson works inside the International Space Station’s Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG), which provides a sealed environment for astronauts to conduct scientific research. Recently, Whitson used the MSG to help become the first person ever to sequence the DNA of an unknown microbe entirely in space. (Credit: NASA) In July 2016, while aboard the International Space Station (ISS), NASA astronaut Kate Rubins successfully sequenced mouse DNA that was delivered to her ...read more

Your Weekly Attenborough: Trigonopterus attenboroughi

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Trigonopterus attenboroughi. (Credit: Alexander Riedel) Today I’m going to tell you about a weevil. There are a lot of weevils, and beetles in general, out there, but this one is special. Plucked from anonymity, this little guy was blessed, or cursed perhaps, with the mantle of greatness. Trigonopterus attenboroughi hails from the Indonesian islands of Java, Bali and Lombok, and it was discovered in 2014 by German researcher Alex Riedel. Discovering new species can take a lot of hard work ...read more

Blue for Boys, Pink for Girls…That's Child's Play

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

(Credit: Shutterstock) Anyone who has kids, or has been to a toy store, is familiar with the gender color code: blue is for boys, pink is for girls. But actually, it looks like associating a gender with a particular color is a fairly recent development and, like so much these days, is actually the fault of society, man. And according to a study that came out yesterday, gender-based colors are a social preference we can actually manipulate in little kids — and it can actually have real co ...read more

Apollo 11's “1202 Alarm” Explained

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Capcom Charlie Duke, and backup crewmembers Jim Lovell and Fred Haise in Mission Control during Apollo 11’s descent. NASA “Got the Earth straight out our front window.” As the lunar module Eagle yawed into a windows up orientation, Buzz Aldrin looked away from the computer to see the Earth nearly a quarter of a million miles away. “Sure do,” agreed Neil Armstrong, adding, “Houston, [I hope] you’re looking at our Delta-H.” The&n ...read more

Robots Are Flexing Stronger, More Flexible 'Muscles'

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

(Credit: Keplinger Research Group and Science/AAAS) Humanoid robots like Sophia, granted citizenship in Saudi Arabia, and Atlas, which backflips like a boss, are rigid, strong and rather bulky. They’re made to look like us; they’re not designed after us. But researchers are working hard to give robots a softer touch without losing strength. Two new studies released Thursday in Science and Science Robotics showcase new moving robotic parts, called actuators, that are advancing soft r ...read more