Farts: an underappreciated threat to astronauts.

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Photo: flickr/ NASA Goddard Photo and Video [Note from the authors of “Seriously, Science?”: After nine years with Discover, we’ve been informed that this will be our last month blogging on this platform. Despite being (usually) objective scientists, we have a sentimental streak, and we have spent the last few days reminiscing about the crazy, and often funny, science we have highlighted. Therefore, we have assembled a month-long feast of our favorite ...read more

Proof that female ejaculation is just pee.

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Image:Flickr/moocatmoocat [Note from the authors of “Seriously, Science?”: After nine years with Discover, we’ve been informed that this will be our last month blogging on this platform. Despite being (usually) objective scientists, we have a sentimental streak, and we have spent the last few days reminiscing about the crazy, and often funny, science we have highlighted. Therefore, we have assembled a month-long feast of our favorite science papers. Enjoy! ...read more

This Element's Weird Behavior Could Lead to Faster Electronics

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

(Credit: Ali Yazdani Laboratory, Princeton University) You’ve never seen bismuth like this before. Element 83 on the periodic table, bismuth is a hard, pinkish-white metal that can grow in stunning geometric crystals. Recently, researchers have been taking a closer look at bismuth, down to the atomic level. Shown here is a simulation of orbiting bismuth surface electrons in a very strong magnetic field. Note how the electrons are all gathered in clumps inside each potential orbit. S ...read more

2005 Hurricane Season in the North Atlantic Approached Theoretical Limit

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Hurricane Katrina, imaged on Sunday, August 28, 2005, near the peak of its intensity. (Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC) 2005 was a crazy year in the North Atlantic. That hurricane season saw not only the most tropical cyclones in recorded history for the region, it also spawned the lowest pressure measured in the Atlantic, the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever, the most hurricanes and the highest accumulated cyclone energy index on record. There were so many storms ...read more

Japan Looks For Landing Sites On Mysterious Asteroid Ryugu

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

No one mineral dominates the surface of Ryugu, so scientists are still trying to determine its composition. (Credit: JAXA) Back in June, Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission arrived at the asteroid Ryugu, a near-Earth object that crosses our home world’s orbit. The spacecraft will touch down on the surface in October. But first, scientists must find the most “pristine” location possible – the spot least weathered by the hazards of outer space. One Hayabusa2’s main goal ...read more