The Science Near Me blog is a partnership between Discover magazine and ScienceNearMe.org.Science is happening all around you – but sometimes it’s tricky to figure out how to get involved. That’s why resources like the North Carolina STEM Center exist.Founded in 2012, the NC STEM Center was created as a digital hub to showcase science-related opportunities all around North Carolina. That includes citizen science projects, museum demonstrations, conferences, field trips, coding classes and ...read more
Few corners of the internet are more frustrating to Earth Scientists than those folks who think they can "predict" earthquakes. You'll see YouTube videos, TikToks, Facebook posts and more where self-proclaimed experts warn people that a large earthquake will happen somewhere on the planet during a very specific window of time. It is all garbage, every last moment of it. Earthquake prediction is not possible, especially with the accuracy that these snake oil sellers claim. Yet, a hint of a scient ...read more
On Aug. 23, 2023, India’s Chandrayaan-3 lander touched down close to the moon’s south pole, setting in motion an initial 14-day research mission during which a rover named Pragyan will explore our largest satellite.Slipping between the boulders of the rocky south pole was no small task, though most of the world’s major space agencies are trying to do it. Just a few days before India’s touchdown, a Russian probe crashed into the moon, not far from Chandrayaan-3’s landing spot.Meanwhile, ...read more
Lucid dreams — where people become aware that they're in a dream, and can actively alter or adapt it — are weird and wild, especially for the dreamer. Want to talk to animals? Go right ahead. Turn that recurring nightmare of falling in an endless void into a power fantasy of soaring through the air like Superman? No problem. In a lucid dream, in theory, if you can imagine it, you can do it. What's more, the phenomenon has recently become fertile ground for psychological research.Is Lucid Dre ...read more
When I heard the U.S. was having a blood shortage during the pandemic, I decided to roll up my sleeve and donate for the first time. As I watched the second donation bag fill, I chatted casually with the technician and thought I’d soon be on my way.And then, the sides of my vision began going dark, and the room in front of me faded. The technician immediately lowered the top half of my cot and raised my feet. He put cold compresses on my neck and tried to get me to stay alert with a conversati ...read more