Citizen Science in the Classroom: NASA Globe Observer Clouds
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine
Select Category Select Tag Select Archive ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine
Kilopower Project: Los Alamos' New Nuclear Reactors Could Power Spacecraft and Moon Bases
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine
The Kilopower small nuclear reactor could be tested on the moon in the coming years. (Credit: NASA) The future of space exploration may rest in the hands of a group of Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers. They’ve built the first of a new generation of small nuclear reactors intended to power missions to deep space and even future astronaut bases on the moon and Mars. Called Kilopower, their project aims to achieve a longstanding dream of the space community: a safe, effective, and ...read more
A Chink in the Brain Armor: the NFL, Concussion and Omega-3s
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine
On Twitter, I was pointed to the strange story of Brain Armor®, a nutritional supplement which is supposed to promote brain health. While there are many supplements that are sold for the same purpose, Brain Armor has a unique claim to fame: it is the official brain health supplement of Pro Football Legends (PFL), the “commercial marketing arm of the NFL Alumni.” Brain Armor’s links to the NFL Alumni raised eyebrows on Twitter because the NFL has famously been the target o ...read more
Activity – Not Rest – Speeds Recovery After Brain Injury in Mice
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine
Scientists gave mice brain injuries (this particular mouse was not involved) and then watched how fast they recovered. They found that active mice recovered faster than ones given rest. (Credit: Kirill Kurashov/shutterstock) Conventional wisdom advocates for rest after suffering an injury. Now researchers have discovered that activity — not rest — helps the brain recover from trauma in mice. The finding suggests that challenging the brain early after damage can speed up healing. &l ...read more
The Milky Way's Stars Travel Far and Wide from their Birthplaces
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine
The Milky Way Galaxy. (Credit: Serge Brunier) Mapping our galaxy’s formation and evolution would be pretty easy if stars just stayed in their birthplaces, but unfortunately that’s not the case. The Milky Way’s vast pool of stars is constantly expanding outward, getting knocked out of their orbits, and generally evolving alongside our galaxy. Sure, this makes for an exciting stellar journey, but these gradual movements make it difficult to pinpoint a star’s origins ...read more