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by Santiago Rosero Perea, age 11
Scientists in Denmark, with the help of technology, have developed predictions on what the face of a human being could look like in the future.
The faces of the neanderthals in prehistoric times were very different from those of today's humans. Recently, a group of paleontologists in Denmark broadcasted photos and a video with images of the bones of a prehistoric woman. They created a model of how that Neolithic mother could have looked, they also found bones of an eight year old boy. The scientific community has made many efforts to find out what the face of a neanderthal actually looked like.
Following research on neanderthals, scientists and computer experts worked hand in hand with the BBC company to hypothesize what the human face will look like in a million years. A group from the University of Aarhus, in Denmark, designed a model of what the human face could look like in a million years. The BBC company is working on a project to artificially modify human organs as well.
[read more]
by Kelly Vazquez, age 17
In the past, a large area of the Sahara Desert in West Africa was recorded as having almost no trees. A team of scientists from all over the globe decided to count the trees again – this time using new technology, but not expecting a big difference.
The new technology – a combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI), satellite images, and one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers – surprised researchers. They discovered a significantly greater number of trees exist in the Sahara Desert than previously thought.
Martin Brandt, an assistant professor of geography at the University of Copenhagen, say that the 10% of the Sahara that was observed, "...had quite a few hundred million more,” instead of the substantially fewer they expected.
[read more]
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by Giovanni Tecuatl, age 17
Did you know that storms form in places other than on Planet Earth? NASA has studied storms on planets in our Solar System for many years. And NASA continues to study large storms on Jupiter. In August of 2020, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured images of another giant storm on the surface of Jupiter. Scientists refer to this area of storms as “Red Spot Junior.”
Jupiter is known as the “Monster Planet” due to its large size and turbulent atmosphere. While the pictures were being taken, NASA found that new storms were brewing on Jupiter and that the planet’s famous Great Red Spot region was preparing to change color once again.
The Hubble Space Telescope also captured another intriguing image of Jupiter. At around its mid-northern latitudes, Hubble located a bright white, and stretched-out storm traveling at around 350 mph. During this time, ground-based observers had also identified two more storms in the same region.
[read more]
by Theodore B. Morrison, age 14
Titan, a moon of Saturn, will soon host a new drone mission by NASA, nicknamed “Dragonfly.” The mission will aim to answer questions related to the moon's Earth-like environment.
The Saturn moon only has 14% of Earth’s gravity but shares geological features such as valleys, mountain ridges, mesas, and dunes. During one recent mission, a probe broadcasted a 2.5-hour film to NASA as it descended into Titan’s atmosphere. The broadcast revealed the presence of ice and shorelines, similar to Earth.
Titan houses one of the only sanctuaries for living organisms to exist in this solar system. The organism in Titan has been labelled as tholins and are complex organic molecules that have been subjected to radiation and sunlight for long swathes of time.
[read more]
by Gabriella Shell, age 16
Falling prey to TikTok’s addictive algorithm and wasting two hours on the app is a common affliction shared by many---children, teens, and even adults. However, TikTok’s algorithm is far more dangerous than simply stealing your time: the app sends inappropriate, harmful, and sometimes even predatory content to minors.
Thirty-one automated accounts, registered fake users between the ages of 13-15, were created in an experiment by the
Wall Street Journal
. The goal was to discover how the TikTok algorithm pushed content to minors.
Results were clear: many of the users were quickly locked into one or two “interests” and immediately offered videos that predominantly catered to those interests -- even when not suitable for minors, such as drugs, alcohol, or sexual content.
[read more]
by Amare Smith, age 17
Have you ever enjoyed playing on the Nintendo Switch? Well, in the fall of 2021 Nintendo released the brand new Nintendo Switch OLED. This gaming handheld console is an improved version of the original Nintendo Switch which was initially released in March of 2017.
The Nintendo Switch OLED performs similarly to the original Nintendo Switch except for a few new features. The OLED uses a slightly bigger screen, with a 0.32-inch size difference from the original. Aside from size, another difference is the OLED screen gives improved color brightness and image quality. It even has a bigger and sturdier kickstand on the back.
[read more]
by Allison Torres, age 13
A new black-footed ferret came into this world on December 10th, 2020. This newborn ferret is named Elizabeth Ann, and she has grown up with lots of energy and curiosity. What Elizabeth Ann doesn’t know is that she could be the key to saving her entire species. This is because her species, the Black-footed ferret, is one of the most endangered animals in North America.
A long time ago, black-footed ferrets lived in many wild areas across North America. When Europeans arrived in areas where ferrets were living they disturbed the natural environment and the food sources ferrets need to survive. This caused the population of black-footed ferrets to rapidly decline. By the late 1970s, the species was thought to be extinct.
Then in 1981, two years after the species was declared extinct, there was “an electrifying announcement.” A Wyoming farmer found a small but thriving community of wild black-footed ferrets.
[read more]
by Amare Smith, age 17
The Steam Deck is a handheld similar to the Nintendo Switch. The screen is nearly identical in size to the Nintendo Switch OLED. You can hook it up to either a TV or a PC. Feel free to play on your Steam Deck however you desire.
You can play PC games on the handheld, which is a unique feature. It uses Bluetooth and has SD cards. Depending on the amount of gigabytes the handheld contains, the cost is significantly higher than the OLED. Unfortunately, the Steam Deck has no detachable controllers, which disappointed many fans. The Steam Deck’s battery runs for 2-8 hours and the OLED runs for 9 hours.
For starters, the cheapest Steam Deck that operates on the least amount of gigabytes, 64, costs $400, which would be the first option. The Nintendo Switch OLED costs $350. The second Steam Deck option includes more features for $530; it contains 256 GB. The final option which contains the highest amount of GB, 512, would sell for $650.
[read more]
by Owen Ayite-Atayi, age 13
The summer is filled with tons of bees everywhere. This means there will be lots of good and sweet honey for people to enjoy.
Although bees produce honey, they tend to struggle doing so. As bees move and collect honey, their outer skeleton, the cuticle, allows them to pass each other smoothly in their hives. Studies have shown that there are tiny hairs located on the cuticle that act like a lubricant known as the “fuzz”.
Jieliang Zhao, the head mechanical engineer at Beijing Institute of Technology in China, believes the fuzz has potential in creating stronger materials. Zhao suspects that most bees are always squirming their body even when they are collecting pollen or laying down. Their legs sweep the pollen out of the flower and empty its debris away from the body. Since bee communities are in constant motion, this fuzz could be needed as a way to avoid friction and protect their bodies.
[read more]
by Leilani McNeal, age 16
The Department of Homeland Security wants to hire private companies to analyze public social media data.
Biden administration officials say the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th warrants the additional surveillance. But concerns regarding privacy and civil liberties have triggered heated debates about social media. The Department of Homeland Security is considering recruiting private companies as a way to mitigate domestic terrorism threats, according to top DHS official and Biden appointee, John Cohen.
Several sources say Cohen’s efforts to push more social media surveillance have caused internal disputes at the DHS and among the President’s advisors. Longstanding tensions between security efforts and civil liberties are playing out right now in Washington,
according to a report in
The Wall Street Journal
.
[read more]
by Desteny Alvarez, age 16
Researchers at a Carnegie Mellon University lab found that regular pasta can transform into 3-D shapes by being cooked in boiling water for seven minutes. The project that started it all was “The dynamic noodle.”
Each pasta design starts out flat, but later it turns into a three dimensional shape when boiled in water for seven minutes. In a paper published on Science Advances, researchers stated that the “flat-to-plump pasta isn’t only fun to make but better for the economy because it has a smaller carbon footprint and cooks way faster than traditional pasta.” Jennifer Lewis, a professor of biologically inspired engineering at Harvard University, who was not involved in this study, said “I think it’s really cool and elegant. Anytime you can bring science to people through food, it's a huge win.” In 2017, Dr. Lining Yao, a mechanical engineer at Carnegie Mellon and co-author of the new study, set out with her colleagues to build two-dimensional structures that would transform themselves into three-dimensional shapes. “We were thinking edible material could be very interesting…..we landed our eyes on pasta,” Dr. Yao stated on Science Advances.
The making of this pasta was very different from original pasta making. Dr. Yao’s team began with a conventional recipe, mixing a simple combination of semolina flour and water, while using a classic roller to create sheets of dough. Then, they stamped the flattened dough to create tiny patterned grooves on its surface. During cooking, surfaces with grooves expand less rather than smooth ones, giving rise to shapes like boxes, saddles, and waves. “You can just make a modification to a pasta dough and get a very impressive shape change,” said Teng Zheng, a mechanical and aerospace engineer at Syracuse University and co-author of the study. Dr. Zheng developed a computer model that showed the final transformation of various designs based on factors such as how heat and water would change the dough’s gluten and starch during the cooking process. “It's more complex than just swelling,” he said.
[read more]
by Alan Cruz, age 17
The California electric vehicle (EV) startup manufacturer, Canoo, is partnering with The University of Wisconsin–Madison to establish an on-campus research center, which will be dedicated to EV technology research and development. Additionally, they’re making EV more available while lowering the usage of natural resources in production.
In a statememen, UW-Madison's associate dean for research, Oliver Schmitz, said that he intends to work with Canoo over the next six months to solidify the research center’s funding, design and staffing.
Tony Aquila, chairman and CEO of Canoo, claimed that university-based research will boost the new and expanding EV market and make American manufacturers more competitive.
[read more]
by Yoanna Hoskins, age 15
Apple is a huge multimillion dollar electronics company that sells myriad devices ranging from phones, to Macbooks, to operating systems. Over the years, it has had major partnerships with many different companies.
However, despite Apple’s worldwide reputation, recent reports have highlighted the company’s troubling ties with suppliers that rely on child labor as well as ignoring poor working conditions. According to
Business Insider
, “Apple discovered that Suyin Electronics, one of its Chinese-based suppliers, relied on child labor on multiple occasions, but still took three years to fully cut ties.”
Although Apple was aware of Suyin’s poor treatment of its workers, Apple refused to take action for fear of hurting profits. Both Suyin and Apple were reluctant to speak to the press about this issue.
[read more]
by Amare Smith, age 17
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania is an upcoming game set to release on October 5th, 2021. Since it has been about 20 years since the first Super Monkey Ball game came out, Sega decided to redesign the game to celebrate its 20th Anniversary. They’ll include more than 300 levels and more than 12 minigames.
Super Monkey Ball first started out as an arcade game. The arcade game was called “Monkey Ball” and released on June 23rd, 2001. In November 2001, Sega released a Super Monkey Ball game for Nintendo GameCube and continued to make plenty of Super Monkey Ball games for GameBoy Advance, Playstation, Nintendo DS, Wii, and others.
Sega made a few adjustments to make the game more enjoyable for Super Monkey Ball fans. They included online play, unlockable characters, new levels and minigames. The game might even have extra levels for you to play on. Fans can also discover secret levels when playing the game because Sega has a history of adding them. Fans can play Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania on certain consoles for $40. However, it may cost more or less for other consoles or handhelds devices.
[read more]
by Mariama Bah, age 14
A group of 250 Madison scientists from the Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) are working with NASA to develop systems that provide an optimal environment for growing produce in space.
Growing plants in space is a challenge, due to the lack of sunlight and gravity. Without sunlight, the plants can’t photosynthesize, and without gravity, seeds can float away and water can’t get to the plants’ roots. SNC’s solution to this problem is the Advanced Plant Habitat. The Advanced Plant Habitat is a closed and controlled environment that the astronauts use to grow crops. So far, the International Space Station has successfully grown dwarf wheat and radishes.
Growing plants onboard the International Space Station has multiple benefits, says Robert Morrow, principal scientist for SNC’s Propulsion and Environment Systems, including improving air quality. It could also give astronauts more time to switch oxygen tanks in case of an emergency. Most importantly, vegetables are a great source of vitamins and nutrients, which are essential for long-term missions.
[read more]
by Amare Smith, age 16
Futuristic movies often feature flying cars, but the cars could become a reality shortly. A Japanese company named SkyDrive has been working to make our dreams come true.
SkyDrive recently gave a demonstration of its newest model, called the SD-03. The car lifted itself up from the ground for four minutes using its batteries and eight motors.
“This was special as only a handful of projects have succeeded with a person on board”, says Tomohiro Fukuzawa, SkyDrive’s chief executive.
[read more]
by Allison Torres, age 12
Gravitational waves are identifiable changes in space-time that are produced when objects move at significantly high speeds. According to NASA, gravitational waves can be made when a star explodes asymmetrically, when two big stars orbit each other, or when two black holes orbit each other and merge. For example, when objects move, they create waves, just like when you shake a stick back and forth in the water. The same physics applies when a planet or star shakes back and forth at incredibly high speeds, only instead of waves in the water, gravitational waves are created.
In his famous general theory of relativity, Albert Einstein was the first to theorize the idea of gravitational waves. Einstein explained how large objects can make changes in space-time when spiraling closer to each other, and those changes, or ripples, are what he called gravitational waves. However, he wasn’t confident in his theory, and the technology didn’t exist at the time to prove it.
It is very difficult for scientists to measure or detect these gravitational waves, because they are so small and there are few scientific instruments that can detect them. Nevertheless, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) is specialized in detecting these gravitational waves. LIGO can detect if any gravitational waves are reaching our planet. LIGO has two observatories so any gravitational waves that are detected can be double-checked for accuracy.
[read more]
by Sydney Steidl, age 14
In such a divisive time, it becomes especially difficult for us to come together if we aren’t even looking at the same facts.
The internet and social media have given the average person a new opportunity to share any information they wish and this opportunity has been abused with the spread of misinformation. While most people seem to be aware of this issue, realistically, people aren’t going to spend their time checking the sources and facts for every new piece of information they encounter.
However, you’re bound to come across a post that you already know is incorrect, and you should know why it’s important to call it out and correct its mistakes properly.
[read more]
by Yoanna Hoskins, age 14
Rogue waves are abnormally big, dangerous waves that can appear with little to no warning in any weather conditions. For example, the sea can be filled with waves that are 11.8-meters tall but then a rogue wave can appear and be 26-meters high, 15 meters taller than the other waves surrounding them. New research may help save lives from this rare phenomenon.
Even though these dangerous swells don’t occur often they can destroy a variety of ships and sea installations. Some experts estimate that rogue waves may have claimed more than 500 lives between 1950-2000.
Scientists have two theories regarding rogue waves and how they form. The first is based on a linear model. This theory states that when multiple waves at their peaks combine, a large, and more dangerous swell is created, a rogue wave.
[read more]
by Kadjata Bah, age 15
It seems now more difficult than ever to imagine a world without the internet and online devices. We use these devices every day, and it seems almost unimaginable for many younger people to remember there was a time when people weren’t dependent on smartphones and laptops.
While for the vast majority of Americans this far-fetched world exists only in their imaginations, it is absolute reality for one small town. In Green Bank, West Virginia life has taken a somewhat uncommon direction.
[read more]
by Dyami Rodriguez, age 14
Ever thought that a wooden bulletproof vest could be a thing of the future instead of the past? A scientist named Liangbing Hu, a materials scientist at the University of Maryland and a few other workmates, are making this and many other useful objects possible.
Many other scientists have tried and failed to make wood really strong by compressing the wood together, making it more dense, but dense wood tends to return to its original shape and size. But a new densifying process can result in wood stronger than steel that does not expand.
The process according to Hu is quite simple; it only takes two steps to make a strong piece of wood. The first step is to boil the wood in a solution of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfite, similar to the process that causes the wood to turn into pulp. The next step is to compress the wood together while keeping it hot, causing the hydrogen atoms to bond with other atoms making it super wood. Hu and his co-workers even tested the wood by putting it in a room with high humidity for five days. The super wood expanded only by ten percent, but with a coat of extra paint that eliminated the problem.
[read more]
by Sarah Thomson, age 13
Recently, a huge prehistoric Mayan city was uncovered using a revolutionary technology called LiDAR. This discovery may change the way that archeologists look at ancient Mayan civilization. LiDAR is a tool that can help archeologists map out areas and discover previously unnoticed ruins or structures; it helped a team of Mayan civilization experts uncover a huge Mayan city.
The city that they discovered, called the Megalopolis of the Mayan Snake Kings, stretches over an area twice the size of medieval England. It includes over 60,000 stone structures, hidden by the thick Guatemalan jungle, which were previously overlooked. The city was once filled with interconnected palaces, houses, highways, and temples.
This discovery means that archeologists will have to change their viewpoint on ancient Mayan civilization. With such a huge city having existed, the Mayan population must have been much larger than formerly thought: around 10 or 15 million, instead of the five million previously estimated.
[read more]
by Gabriella Shell, age 13
Social media is a large part of how teenagers interact with each other; however, it also overwhelms many teens and leads them to experience burnout. Some teenagers begin using social media as a way to engage with their peers, but the pressures resulting from its use eventually cause them to take breaks or leave the medium entirely.
A report done by the Pew Research Center found that roughly 40% of teens on social media feel the need to post only things that will receive lots of likes, or generally portray them in a generous light. Nearly half of the teenagers in the study admitted to feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of social media.
Social media, and all the drama that comes with it, often leads many teens to take breaks from it. The Associated Press and National Opinion Research Center at the Center for Public Affairs Research at the University of Chicago studied these breaks. They found that 58% of teens reported taking some form of break from social media. Half of those teens said their breaks lasted for around a week, and 60% reported they have taken a break on more than three occasions. The study also reported that 23% of those who hadn’t taken breaks wanted to.
[read more]
by Makya Rodriguez, age 14
Have you ever wondered where information about the weather comes from? Or how meteorologists find out what to broadcast or put on your mobile device? Meteorologists use multiple tools and electronics to find out the weather for days to come. Some of these tools measure wind speeds and directions, the temperature, and the amount of rainfall.
Meteorologists have a large impact on the information we are told about the atmosphere around us. These are people who study the weather to predict the future atmosphere. A weather forecast predicts the weather for the next few days or even weeks, and most of the time is broadcast on television by a meteorologist.
A device called doppler radar has a big impact on how we understand the detail about the weather to come. The doppler tells us more about the speed and direction of rain, hail, and snowfall. It also provides us with information of when dangerous weather may start and end.
[read more]
by Mariama Bah, age 13
When you see images of Earth from outer space, you don’t notice the 500,000 pieces of debris floating around in low-earth orbit. All of that debris is affecting the satellite business, threatening the future commercialization of space, and jeopardizing the growth of the space economy.
The space economy includes both public and private sector developers of space-enabled products and services. In the space economy, there are three main industries. One industry is focused more on Earth, which includes things that deliver something to space, or something that is in space, but benefits the people on Earth. Another industry is focused on space itself, including space travel and tourism in space. The last main industry is under development and includes the process of mining asteroids and exporting resources from space. Even though the industries are developing, the space economy is already helping businesses on Earth.
Business in space is fairly new dating back to 1962. Telstar 1 was the first communications satellite, developed by Bell Telephone Laboratories, and was launched on July 10, 1962, by American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T). Since then, more businesses have been commercializing space. However, debris in low-earth orbit threatens the space economy. In 2007, the Chinese government destroyed a defunct weather satellite, creating another 2,500 pieces of junk. Even more debris followed in the 2009 collision of a 1,900 pound Russian Cosmos with a 1,200 pound Iridium Communications Inc satellite.
[read more]
by Felix Berkelman, age 14
Between the Southern Ocean and McMurdo Antarctic Research Station there lies the Ross Ice Shelf. During the months of December and January, the time when America sends the most supplies by boat to the research station, there is about 27 kilometers of ice in between the station, and the edge of the ice shelf. This ice can be over three meters thick.
Surprisingly, the US Coast Guard currently has only one operational ship that is able to break through ice of that thickness. This ship is called the
Polar Star
and, after 43 years, it is in rough shape. It lists to the left, its hull is covered in dents and scratches, and every year when it makes its journey from Seattle to Antarctica, engines fail, seals break, and pipes clog.
“She’s an old beast, and you gotta know how to run her,” says crewman Joseph Sellar. “You can’t just turn the key.”
[read more]
Recent Science & Technology Articles
Scientists in Denmark, with the help of technology, have developed predictions on what the face of a human being could look like in the future.
The faces of the neanderthals in prehistoric times were very different from those of today's humans. Recently, a group of paleontologists in Denmark broadcasted photos and a video with images of the bones of a prehistoric woman. They created a model of how that Neolithic mother could have looked, they also found bones of an eight year old boy. The scientific community has made many efforts to find out what the face of a neanderthal actually looked like.
[read more...]
In the past, a large area of the Sahara Desert in West Africa was recorded as having almost no trees. A team of scientists from all over the globe decided to count the trees again – this time using new technology, but not expecting a big difference.
The new technology – a combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI), satellite images, and one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers – surprised researchers. They discovered a significantly greater number of trees exist in the Sahara Desert than previously thought.
[read more...]
Have you ever enjoyed playing on the Nintendo Switch? Well, in the fall of 2021 Nintendo released the brand new Nintendo Switch OLED. This gaming handheld console is an improved version of the original Nintendo Switch which was initially released in March of 2017.
[read more...]
Falling prey to TikTok’s addictive algorithm and wasting two hours on the app is a common affliction shared by many---children, teens, and even adults. However, TikTok’s algorithm is far more dangerous than simply stealing your time: the app sends inappropriate, harmful, and sometimes even predatory content to minors.
[read more...]
The Steam Deck is a handheld similar to the Nintendo Switch. The screen is nearly identical in size to the Nintendo Switch OLED. You can hook it up to either a TV or a PC. Feel free to play on your Steam Deck however you desire.
[read more...]
A new black-footed ferret came into this world on December 10th, 2020. This newborn ferret is named Elizabeth Ann, and she has grown up with lots of energy and curiosity. What Elizabeth Ann doesn’t know is that she could be the key to saving her entire species. This is because her species, the Black-footed ferret, is one of the most endangered animals in North America.
[read more...]
The Federal Endangered Species Act was enacted in 1973 in order to protect wildlife and plants throughout the country in danger of extinction. In Wisconsin, the gray wolf benefited from the act since it kept these animals from becoming extinct.
[read more...]
The summer is filled with tons of bees everywhere. This means there will be lots of good and sweet honey for people to enjoy.
[read more...]
Welcome to the new and improved age of aircraft in the U.S. Air Force. The F-15EX is the latest in the age and it sure does show in the improvements made.
[read more...]
Hey, everyone! Do you enjoy Netflix? Well, you’re about to enjoy it even more when video games get added to the app. You will soon have the ability to play mobile games on Netflix. The co-founder of Netflix, Reed Hastings, wants to add video games to the platform.
[read more...]
The Department of Homeland Security wants to hire private companies to analyze public social media data. Biden administration officials say the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th warrants the additional surveillance. But concerns regarding privacy and civil liberties have triggered heated debates about social media.
[read more...]
Do you like video games? Did you know that people who play video games can be very creative thinkers? In fact, did you know that video games can have huge social benefits?
[read more...]
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania is an upcoming game set to release on October 5th, 2021. Since it has been about 20 years since the first Super Monkey Ball game came out, Sega decided to redesign the game to celebrate its 20th Anniversary. They’ll include more than 300 levels and more than 12 minigames.
[read more...]
The California electric vehicle (EV) startup manufacturer, Canoo, is partnering with The University of Wisconsin–Madison to establish an on-campus research center, which will be dedicated to EV technology research and development. Additionally, they’re making EV more available while lowering the usage of natural resources in production.
[read more...]
Researchers at a Carnegie Mellon University lab found that regular pasta can transform into 3-D shapes by being cooked in boiling water for seven minutes. The project that started it all was “The dynamic noodle.”
[read more...]
The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78)—the first ship in a new class of aircraft supercarriers in the US Navy—is a top-of-its-class ship with cutting-edge technology developed in the modern age. The carrier will advance American naval capability and is expected to be deployed later this year. But what makes this carrier different from the previous Nimitz-class carriers?
[read more...]
Apple is a huge multimillion dollar electronics company that sells myriad devices ranging from phones, to Macbooks, to operating systems. Over the years, it has had major partnerships with many different companies.
[read more...]
Mars and Earth have many similarities and differences. Mars is a neighbor to Earth, just 49 million miles away. Like Earth, Mars has seasons, days, and varying temperatures however the lengths and degrees differ. A day on Earth lasts 24 hours but a day on Mars lasts 24 hours and 37 minutes.
[read more...]
A recent study conducted by Dr. Jessica Yorzinski, a sensory ecologist at Texas A&M University, observed the blinking mechanisms of birds and how they obtain visual information from the environment.
[read more...]
Futuristic movies often feature flying cars, but the cars could become a reality shortly. A Japanese company named SkyDrive has been working to make our dreams come true.
[read more...]
Gravitational waves are identifiable changes in space-time that are produced when objects move at significantly high speeds. According to NASA, gravitational waves can be made when a star explodes asymmetrically, when two big stars orbit each other, or when two black holes orbit each other and merge. For example, when objects move, they create waves, just like when you shake a stick back and forth in the water. The same physics applies when a planet or star shakes back and forth at incredibly high speeds, only instead of waves in the water, gravitational waves are created.
[read more...]
In such a divisive time, it becomes especially difficult for us to come together if we aren’t even looking at the same facts.
The internet and social media have given the average person a new opportunity to share any information they wish and this opportunity has been abused with the spread of misinformation. While most people seem to be aware of this issue, realistically, people aren’t going to spend their time checking the sources and facts for every new piece of information they encounter.
[read more...]
On November 15, 2020, NASA made history by launching the first full flight in partnership with a private American space company, SpaceX, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule carried three American astronauts and one Japanese astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS).
[read more...]
In 1969, Neil Armstrong was the first man to reach the Moon. In 1983, Sally Ride was the first American woman to walk in space. And now through Artemis, a new lunar exploration program, there are plans to send the first woman to the Moon as soon as 2024.
[read more...]
When you see images of Earth from outer space, you don’t notice the 500,000 pieces of debris floating around in low-earth orbit. All of that debris is affecting the satellite business, threatening the future commercialization of space, and jeopardizing the growth of the space economy.
[read more...]
Have you ever wondered where information about the weather comes from? Or how meteorologists find out what to broadcast or put on your mobile device? Meteorologists use multiple tools and electronics to find out the weather for days to come. Some of these tools measure wind speeds and directions, the temperature, and the amount of rainfall.
[read more...]
Between the Southern Ocean and McMurdo Antarctic Research Station there lies the Ross Ice Shelf. During the months of December and January, the time when America sends the most supplies by boat to the research station, there is about 27 kilometers of ice in between the station, and the edge of the ice shelf. This ice can be over three meters thick.
[read more...]
Rogue waves are abnormally big, dangerous waves that can appear with little to no warning in any weather conditions. For example, the sea can be filled with waves that are 11.8-meters tall but then a rogue wave can appear and be 26-meters high, 15 meters taller than the other waves surrounding them. New research may help save lives from this rare phenomenon.
[read more...]
Social media is a large part of how teenagers interact with each other; however, it also overwhelms many teens and leads them to experience burnout. Some teenagers begin using social media as a way to engage with their peers, but the pressures resulting from its use eventually cause them to take breaks or leave the medium entirely.
[read more...]
Ever thought that a wooden bulletproof vest could be a thing of the future instead of the past? A scientist named Liangbing Hu, a materials scientist at the University of Maryland and a few other workmates, are making this and many other useful objects possible.
[read more...]
Using new technology created by researchers at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, a spacecraft would be able to be launched to the closest star, Alpha Centauri, which is 437 light-years away.
[read more...]
Pokemon Home is a new cloud-storage service for Pokemon on Nintendo Switch and mobile devices. It's an app similar to Pokemon Bank on the 3DS.
[read more...]
The fight against human trafficking and illegal fishing has gone on for many years. And it’s been getting harder to track these illegal activities.
[read more...]
It seems now more difficult than ever to imagine a world without the internet and online devices. We use these devices every day, and it seems almost unimaginable for many younger people to remember there was a time when people weren’t dependent on smartphones and laptops.
While for the vast majority of Americans this far-fetched world exists only in their imaginations, it is absolute reality for one small town. In Green Bank, West Virginia life has taken a somewhat uncommon direction.
[read more...]
The First Amendment guarantees some of our most basic freedoms as Americans, including freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, and what we know it for best—freedom of speech. To most of us, this fundamental right seems like a given. But as our world grows beyond what it was when the amendment was conceived, what place does the First Amendment have in our modern lives on and offline?
Recently, a U.S. court decided that the social media platform YouTube is not a ‘public forum,’ or a place where everyone’s rights to free speech are protected. This ruling came after a case involving the conservative YouTube channel PragerU.
[read more...]
Without a doubt, autonomous vehicles are set to be life-changing. Also known as self-driving cars, autonomous vehicles have a market that is set to reach approximately $42 billion by 2025, and have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) predicted at 21% until 2030. This change will be great, bringing new types of businesses, services, and business models; but the introduction of autonomous vehicles will also spark ethical implications just as big.
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Hey! There’s a new type of Game Boy device that plays original Game Boy Games! It’s called the “Analogue Pocket.”
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Luigi, Mario and his friends are invited to a luxurious hotel named “The Last Resort”. However, the invitation turns out to be a trap to capture Mario and his friends. Professor E. Gadd comes back again with Luigi on an adventure as he goes up and down the different themed floors to save the others.
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Ever thought that we could walk on concrete made out of gelatin? Well, a research team at the University of Colorado has come up with a new kind of concrete that is alive and can even reproduce.
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In the early 90s, Nintendo and Sony teamed up to create a new video game console. It was called the "Nintendo Playstation", and there's only one prototype left in the world.
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Facebook has been through quite a lot since its humble beginnings in 2004. Allegations of negligence in policing content and ads, interference in the 2016 election using their platform, and a massive privacy scandal are only some of the problems the social media company has encountered. Facebook has impacted online journalism atmosphere in numerous ways. Including a push to promote video content that left news outlets in limbo.
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I’m gonna talk about the new game called “Animal Crossing: New Horizons”. After waiting for an Animal Crossing Game, Nintendo finally released footage of the trailer and revealed the release date.
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Access to renewable energy and fuel is a growing necessity in today’s world as concerns about global climate change rise. In an attempt to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions, Dane County plans to use a new process to convert gas from decaying/decomposing trash into fuel for vehicles.
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Science has recently discovered how to reverse time… in quantum computers. This discovery, however, just reinforces the belief that reversing time is impossible in the natural world, largely due to the extreme manipulations required to rearrange the structure of just one particle. Besides, even if the technology were possible, there would be a near infinite amount of ways to rearrange the atoms of an object until you finally reached the desired arrangement.
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Super Mario Maker is a Nintendo game where you can build your own levels by adding your own sound effects, characters, and others.
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Hey, guys. This is Amare and I’m gonna talk about the difference between Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite. The Nintendo Switch Lite releases on September 20th. It costs $200, but the original Nintendo Switch costs $300. Since the Nintendo Switch Lite costs less, why would you ever buy the original?
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In 2018, the Sidewalk Labs C.E.O. Dan Doctoroff had a goal. His goal was to build the first 21st-century city, not out of steel or concrete, but out of wood. So far, it's looking pretty good. Teng Li, a mechanical engineer at the University of Maryland, works with his colleagues to create a high-performance type of wood that's as strong as steel but weighs six times less. This kind of wood is said to be able to replace the steel used for cars, airplanes, and even buildings.
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Slow internet; taking forever to load? Well, Madison is currently undergoing the early stages of installing a new technology. This technology will enable smartphones to be fast and expanding Madisonians’ access to cellular data. The city is holding public hearings in order to gather the opinions of the people about their upcoming upgrade to their cellular service.
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Hello, this is Amare and I’m going to talk about a new game that will come out at the summer Olympics, called Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. This game revolves around sports combined with retro game characters. The reason why Nintendo and sega make games about the Olympics is because many people watch the Olympics. The game will be made to increase the audience’s interest for the Olympics.
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Hey, this is Amare and I’m gonna talk about Cuphead! Cuphead is an old school video game. It’s difficult, but you’ll get the hang of it as you go.
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BIOLIFE4D is one of the few innovative companies working to develop biotechnology (biotech). This growing industry has a focus on using biological processes for commercial business. However, it also has the potential to help a lot of patients, including those suffering from heart disease, one of the leading causing of death globally. Biotech uses procedures most commonly involving “genetic manipulations of microorganisms.” BIOLIFE4D plans to manipulate blood cells in order to successfully create a functioning 4D bioprinted heart that will eventually be transplanted into a patient.
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In a time when dogs have been trained to sniff out drugs and land mines, scientists are still finding other ways to use canines' superior sense of smell. One of these ways is training them to sniff out terminal diseases in places like Africa, where people generally do not receive convenient access to healthcare. By using dogs in this method, doctors could expand the medical field and save countless lives.
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Have you always wanted to play NES Games on your Nintendo Switch console? Well, now you can with Nintendo Switch Online! Nintendo Switch Online is a service that allows gamers to play online with friends and save games when the switch dies or breaks!
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Smartphone owners and conspiracy theorists are worried that their conversations are being listened to and recorded. This is an unsettling problem that needs to be addressed.
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The space capsule was once the safest form of transportation. This was because the amount of money and expertise put into the United States’ space research made sure that the program was, statistically, safer than driving on a freeway during rush hour.
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Recently, a huge prehistoric Mayan city was uncovered using a revolutionary technology called LiDAR. This discovery may change the way that archeologists look at ancient Mayan civilization. LiDAR is a tool that can help archeologists map out areas and discover previously unnoticed ruins or structures; it helped a team of Mayan civilization experts uncover a huge Mayan city.
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Astronomers are inventing new ways to detect life on planets in the universe. As of now, they have not found any habitable land outside of the Earth.
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Zimbabwean high school student, Macdonald Chirara recently developed a device to power his community with waste.
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It was an agonizing 6.5 seconds. The members of the InSight lander mission team and NASA officials waited with bated breaths as the $850 million lander shot through Mars’ atmosphere at 12,300 mph, entering at precisely 12 degrees. InSight’s heat shields endured temperatures of 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit. Atmospheric forces managed to decelerate the lander before it parachuted down, towards the surface of the Red Planet.
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On August 21, 2017, many were amazed at the Great American Eclipse, a wonder on display for us in the sky. But strangely, the bees stopped buzzing.
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Do you like Super Mario? Do you like board games? Then, you will love the Mario Party series.
Mario Party is a Virtual Boardgame, one of their most popular games to date. You can play as one of your favorite characters such as Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Princess Peach, and more.
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Researchers have determined the symptoms in human brain cells caused by the most common risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease: the Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene. They also found a way to fix and erase the gene’s harmful effects.
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Un acelerador de partículas es una máquina grande usada por físicos para romper átomos en pedazos y aprender sobre lo que los compone. Los físicos son científicos que tienen un conocimiento especializado en la interacción entre la materia y la energía. Para estudiar las partículas, los físicos aceleran partículas subatómicas a casi la velocidad de la luz, que es más de 186,000 millas por segundo.
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Over four and a half billion years ago, the Sun, the planets, and Pluto were formed in the Solar System.
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Fake news runs rampant on the internet. Generating most of this fake content, bots prey on users scrolling for the next story worth retweeting or otherwise sharing. Fake news reaches an audience 35 percent greater than truthful stories do, according to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Luckily, many scientists and scholars are working to defeat internet bots and help users detect false stories.
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Many people think of time capsules, as small boxes buried in a backyard, filled with items that are possibly ancient. But what if we could put one on Mars for future astronauts to find? Emily Briere, an aerospace engineering student, thinks this could become a reality soon.
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No doubt the root of some ‘potty humor’, Uranus is pronounced two different ways, Yoor un us or Your Anus. This planet has many interesting and unique features compared to its neighboring planets.
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Lately, there has been a lot of excitement about driverless cars. In addition to Silicon Valley, Texas is another place where many companies looking to develop autonomous vehicles are headed.
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Recently, there has been a huge spotlight on changes happening in the transportation industry. While the media may only be focusing on driverless cars, another transformation may be coming our way. Although there are still many problems to be solved, companies and inventors are working on building the next technological revolution - flying cars.
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A particle accelerator is a big machine used by physicists to smash an atom into pieces to learn what it contains inside. Physicists are scientists who have specialized knowledge in the interaction between matter and energy. Physicists accelerate little subatomic particles almost to the speed of light, which is more than 186,000 miles per second. Since the invention of the particle accelerator in the 1930’s, scientists have found that the internal structure of the atom is more complex than they imagined.
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Coastal sand crumbles at the human touch but is powerful enough to form barrier islands. Have you ever wondered how this is possible?
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For decades, humans have relied on a number of methods to harness energy including solar and power. Osmotic energy is a new way to create clean energy just by using water, salt water, and a tiny membrane. The end result is optimized power in a more resourceful way.
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Machines replacing people in the workplace is a rising controversy in the United States. For some, it is a solution to a shortage of workers. To others, it is a precursor for many jobs being eliminated.
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In the 21st century, many businesses and industries are taking steps to encourage girls and women to pursue careers in traditionally male-dominated fields, including science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). However, women remain severely underrepresented in STEM careers. In fact, the U.S. Department of Commerce recently reported that while women hold about half of the jobs in the U.S., they fill only one-fourth of the nation’s STEM positions.
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Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease with no cure. However, research indicates that music may at least slow the development of Alzheimer’s.
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The Nintendo Switch is the most recent video game console developed by the Nintendo Company. Its portability and multiple platforms make it exciting to use.
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The Rosemary Garfoot Public Library is a central gathering place and a source of information for the Cross Plains community.
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The GameCube was one of the most successful consoles to be released in the early 2000's. In North America, it was released on November 18, 2001. It sold a total of 21.74 million units worldwide. When creating the GameCube, its designers added playful features for those who knew where to look.
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Many people worry that artificial intelligence, abbreviated
AI
, will one day replace humans, even in creative areas such as composing music. In a step in that direction, YouTuber Taryn Southern has created a song with the help of AI software.
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Do you know what plasma is? Many people are not familiar with plasma and do not know where it can be found.
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Many people in the engineering industries consider wood a weak material and do not perceive it as a viable option for a skyscraper. Architects at Perkins + Will and engineers at Thornton Tomasetti are working together to challenge this belief, however. Partnering with Cambridge University, the team is currently exploring the possibility of multi-story wood buildings.
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Researchers were surprised when they found an estimated 38 million pieces of trash washed up on the beaches of a tiny unpopulated island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean recently. According to the researchers, the density of the trash was the highest recorded in the world. Welcome to Henderson Island, an 18 sqaure-mile British dependency located about halfway between New Zealand and Chile.
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Barbara McClintok, an American biologist who studied chromosomes, proved that there is more to know about corn than how much butter you should put on it.
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Nothing is as frightening on a plane as turbulence. It is estimated that in early 2018, a Boeing 777 will fly with a laser coming out of its nose; the laser is part of a new system that Boeing hopes could detect rough turbulence.
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A wristband is a seemingly small object. But did you know that Disney World invested one billion dollars on a Disney wristband? They invented the piece—called the “Magic Band”— to make the Disney experience more magical and remove obstacles that keep visitors from enjoying their experience according to the higher ups at the company.
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Are you ready to live in the future? Many of us would like to use flying cars, robots, and hoverboards. As we move into the future, we might also see flying taxis!
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Recently, Amazon Inc., the world’s largest online retailer, announced a new system that allows delivery workers to leave a package directly inside the house of an Amazon Prime member, instead of leaving it outside when the customer is not at home.
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In the 1940’s, most scientists were men. This was the case until the admiral Dr. Grace Hopper came along and flipped the script.
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NASA’s planet-hunting telescope called Kepler, which was launched in 2009, has recently discovered 10 new planets outside our solar system that look to be the right size and temperature to sustain life, according to a recent article in the
Wisconsin State Journal
.
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Plastic is a substance that has contaminated bodies of water, endangered wildlife across the globe, and fascinated humans since the 1950’s. In fact, in fewer than seven decades, humans have produced 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic. Half of this production since 2004.
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Bread is a food as common as they come. Many eat it almost everyday. So it might surprise you to learn that this seemingly inconspicuous item actually has quite the impact on our environment.
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In this day in age, it is impossible to ignore the presence smartphones play in our lives. They provide communication, connection, entertainment and countless other activities. But Adrian Wards, Assistant Professor at The University of Texas, McCombs School of Business, argues that smartphones are our biggest distraction.
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Humans see light in a number of ways. Each way depends on light and wavelengths.
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You’ve probably heard of DNA—the genetic information contained in each human cell— but perhaps you haven’t heard of the person who helped discover its unique structure: Rosalind Franklin. Though her discoveries about DNA structure led to a paper that won the Nobel Prize. Franklin's accomplishments were not initially credited to her. Luckily, records of Franklin's work ultimately came to light, and her true contributions to science are now understood by the general public.
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Once people start hitting middle-age, their eye-sight—especially their ability to focus on objects close to them—can begin to deteriorate. However, a corneal implant, called KAMRA, could assist people suffering from farsightedness.
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The current capabilities of technology are truly amazing. Creations ranging from driverless cars to artificial intelligence (AI) home assistants like “Alexa”, were mere visions 20 years ago. The smarter and more prevalent, technology is becoming, however, the more privacy becomes an issue. When it comes to these technologies in our homes, how much is too much?
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Do you love listening to music every day? So much so that you can’t stop listening to it? Even though listening to music can be a fun way to pass time, it can make concentrating on work very difficult.
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The way it’s portrayed in the movies, hypnotism involves a kooky therapist waiving a pocket watch back and forth in front of a patient, repeating the phrase, “You are getting very sleepy!” The patient falls into a trance, and does whatever the doctor says. This is yet another example of things you can’t believe on TV.
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By the year 2030, driverless cars that can think and act like human drivers may be on the roads, according to Kathy Winter, vice president of automated driving solutions for Intel.
“Programmed with artificial intelligence, the [driverless] car could make quicker decisions, resulting in a lower percentage of car crashes,” said Winter.
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Believe it or not, it has been over 16 years since the release of Xbox, a beloved gaming console that allows users to play video games and interact with others around the world.
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Earlier this summer, several large businesses and government facilities in North America and Europe were compromised in a worldwide cyberattack.
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Vine, a worldwide app run by Twitter, enabled users to create six-second videos and post them online for others to view, like, and share. Bought from entrepreneurs Dom Hofmann, Rus Yusupov, and Colin Kroll by Twitter in October of 2012, Vine faced a lack of funding from its beginning. Despite the pleas of many, Vine owners officially shut down their mobile app in 2016.
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Breathing is something many people probably do without even thinking about it. But not those with asthma. Asthma is a common condition that affects the lungs and causes sufferers difficulty breathing. It affects one in every 12 people.
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Space is filled with countless, marvelous stars. For many centuries, scientists have worked to uncover the many details that make stars so appealing.
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UW-Madison recently created a new website, the STEM Diversity Network, that promotes connecting diverse people on campus in various STEM fields. The website compiles resources on science, technology, engineering, and math.
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The year 1969 was especially exciting; the U.S. officially won the “space race” when Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. The space race was a competition between the Soviet Union (now Russia) and the United States to see who could launch the first man in to space successfully.
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For decades, self-driving cars were the stuff of science fiction. Today, Tesla and Google are experimenting with self-driving cars. While trials of these vehicles have seen success, perfection remains elusive.
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Woolly mammoths lived during the Ice Age and disappeared from the Earth around 4,000 years ago. Some scientists are now claiming that they are on the verge of bringing these animals back to life, but in a modified form. Using genetic engineering, these scientists will attempt to resurrect woolly mammoths.
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Many people in our modern world find themselves relying on fitness devices, such as Fitbits or Apple Watches, to keep track of their exercise and fitness goals. But a recent study suggests that using this technology alone does not always cause weight loss.
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The pyramids of Giza are wonderful, historical monuments and the oldest of the Seven Great Wonders of the World. They leave all other pyramids behind in terms of size, architecture, and legacy.
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Alyssa Anderson, a 7th grade student at James C. Wright Middle School, was recently chosen from thousands of applicants as the Wisconsin winner of the ‘Doodle 4 Google’ contest.
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Diamonds are notoriously beautiful, expensive, and luxurious. And now, they're also lab-made. Yes, that's right—that sparkling gem found deep within the Earth can now be produced by scientists.
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What would happen if scientists had the ability to eliminate diseases transmitted to humans, like malaria?
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Solar power has taken Wisconsin by storm. In 2015, the state’s installed solar capacity grew by 94 percent and powered more than 3,800 homes. As demand for solar panels has risen, so have associated costs. Recent changes to large-scale energy company’s billing provisions, like We Energies, have made solar power much more expensive.
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For decades, mankind has used rockets to travel into space. But one rocket alone is not powerful enough to launch into space. In fact, the rockets we hear about are actually several rockets stacked on top of one another: these pieces are called stages.
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Each year during flu season, millions of Americans get the flu vaccine. Yet, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2014-15, the vaccine was only 23 percent effective. In 2016, however, virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka from the University of Wisconsin-Madison believed he may have developed a method to predict flu virus mutations to create better vaccines.
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At the University of Minnesota (UM) in Dakota County, agricultural researchers set up an eight- armed drone to send 200 feet in the air to begin its task. The drone is on the front line of their scientific explorations. Scientists at the UM are testing low-flying drones for their ability to find aphids, a grasshopper-like bug that ravages plants in the Upper Midwest.
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Can you imagine printing your dinner? 3D printing technology might soon have the power to do just that—and so much more.
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In the world of technology, black Americans are at a disadvantage. According to Information is Beautiful, an online infographic text, there are significantly fewer black Americans than white Americans working in the top U.S. companies. This statistic is evident in the texts list of the racial diversity in said companies, including Instagram, YouTube, and Google.
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Before about 1770, most things were made by hand instead of by powered machinery. An early example of powered machines arose in Britain.
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Robots can do many things humans can, and many things human cannot. For example, robots can deal with dangerous substances and explore outer space. Depending on how they're programmed they can be gentle enough to hold glass or strong enough to lift a car. They have been programmed to assemble a computer and perform surgery using artificial intelligence.
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Have you ever dreamed about soaring through the sky? Using the flying rocket belt, better known as the jet pack, these dreams can become a reality.
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The element carbon is one of the most abundant elements on Earth. People have known about its existence since ancient times, and it still has many uses today.
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Some studies suggest that technology is mentally and physically isolating us from each other and this view has certainly gained momentum in the 21st century. On a daily basis, humans often communicate with the touch of a finger or by bringing a device to their ears. But are our devices eliminating our most basic communication skills? Have we become so attached to technology that it has begun to overshadow and even eliminate our face-to-face interactions?
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Technology in cars has advanced throughout the decades, with improvements in fuel-efficiency and design. But the evolution of car engines has brought about a controversial enhancement: fake engine noise.
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George Washington Carver was born into slavery in 1864. He and his mother, Mary, were owned by Moses and Susan Carver.
Carver was orphaned as a child when his mother was captured by slave raiders. After slavery was abolished, Moses and Susan Carver took in Carver, and regarded him as their own son. The Carvers taught him how to read and write. A good student, Carver especially enjoyed learning about plants and animals.
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A surprising use of a 3D printer recently saved the life of one lucky duck named Phillip.
Because his feet had been frozen in harsh outdoor conditions, Phillip couldn’t run, swim, or fit in with the other ducks. When Vicki Rabe-Harrison, a caring citizen, saw Phillip with his legs shriveled up, she decided to take him under her wing. After watching a video online about a 3D printer that belonged to a middle school teacher named Mr. Jischke, Rabe-Harrison knew what to do. She immediately emailed Jischke to see if she could use the 3D printer to construct a new pair of feet for Phillip.
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Scientists have recently discovered a way to predict facial features using a sample of DNA. The new technology, called DNA phenotyping, is used by law enforcement officials to 'reverse engineer' physical characteristics and as such, to catch a potential criminal.
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More than thirty years ago, two lucky astronauts, Bruce McCandless and Bob Stewart took the ride of their lives.
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Two Midwestern energy companies plan to shift towards renewable resources.
The Lacrosse-based Dairyland Power Cooperative plans to build the first Wisconsin wind farm since 2011. The farm will be located 20 miles southeast of Platteville and construction is projected to begin in 2017. While operating, the turbines would generate enough electricity to power more than 25,000 Midwestern homes.
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Over time, people have made clothes out of many varieties of material: cotton, silk, wool, and others. Recently, the MIT Media Lab took the art of making clothes to the next level. They invented a new type of material that uses bacteria to react to body moisture.
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The Printing Press, a very important invention, initiated an “information revolution” on par with the Internet today. In fact, the Printing Press changed the world.
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The ‘Maker Faire’ movement is sweeping the nation. And earlier this month, it took Madison by storm.
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Not Impossible Labs, a new high technology team in Venice, California, has invented the Brainwriter. The Brainwriter is a machine that will eventually allow people with paralysis to communicate through a laptop, using only their minds.
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Human beings have been using energy from fire for thousands of years. There is evidence that late age stone cave dwellers kept their caves warm with fires which were kept alight for months or even years. These early people relied on fire, even though they did not know where it came from. In fact, they thought it was magic.
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Lenses are used to see and visually document the world around us.
The two main types of lenses are convex and concave. They are used in many different tools, reflecting and bending light to produce an image. Lenses work by moving light in different directions using refraction, forming a smaller or larger image. A beam of light may diverge or converge depending on the shape of the lens.
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Spring has finally sprung. Hello flowers, bees, and honey! But how is honey made?
Honey is a very versatile food. People use it to sweeten drinks and foods, eat it plain, or put it on food as a topping. However, there is a long process before this sweet goo ends up on your plate.
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It was a bustling day at the Free Press when our director, Jim Kramer, hung up his cell phone and sighed. I glanced over at Jim. He turned to me with his cell phone still in hand and a quizzical look in his eye.
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Teeth are important for our health. Protecting them can reduce risks of oral diseases like gingivitis. We think that toothpaste is good for us and we use it daily, but it turns out it's not entirely healthy for us.
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Simpson Street Free Press is known for hosting academic panels and events throughout the year. Especially vital to the Free Press curriculum is our “Women in Science, Math, and Technology” series. This April, two nuclear engineering students from University of Wisconsin-Madison’s American Nuclear Society (ANS) came to SSFP’s South Towne newsroom to deliver another event in this series.
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The Wisconsin State Assembly recently voted to lift a restriction on nuclear power production in the state. Assembly Bill 384 now goes to the Senate. Democrats and Republicans alike support the bill.
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Meteorologists are people who study the maps of the weather to predict what is to come.
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Traveling to space is an incredible feat. To leave the bounds of Earth requires great ambition, endurance, nerves of steel, and even a dash of luck.
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In the year 1900, pieces of an ancient device that would come to be known as the Antikythera mechanism were discovered under the sea by sponge divers and taken to the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece.
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Being able to balance is crucial. But like many day-to-day functions, people do not think about balance all the time. It is not until they start to lose this ability that they realize how important it is. Around 30,000 people in America suffer from dizziness each day because of damage to the organs that manage balance. To combat this, scientists are developing an ear implant that could potentially cure dizziness.
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Solving crimes is often difficult. When detectives and police officers have wide ranges of DNA samples to work with, however, the task can be easier. Yet, not all DNA recovered from crime scenes matches samples in the federal DNA database.
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Nuclear energy, produced by the combination of protons and neutrons inside atomic nuclei, is the energy that allows stars to shine so brightly. Two kinds of reactions release this energy: fission and fusion.
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The thought of surgery is gruesome, but just imagine being awake while tangerine-sized flaps of your skull are cut open.
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Have you ever wondered what the inside of a technology company looks like and what goes on there? Recently,
Simpson Street Free Press
student reporters had the opportunity to visit Hardin Design and Development (HDD), a Madison software and application firm founded in 2008. Vice President and Co-founder of HDD Scott Resnick and HDD employee Anouson Bounket led us on a tour of the start-up company. We also had the chance to sit down with them and ask questions about what it’s like to work in the tech industry.
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Many people are familiar with the famous line “Beam me up, Scotty!,” which is attributed to the popular show Star Trek. Well, scientists today can do just that – sort of.
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Are print books becoming obsolete? Some say that electronic devices are challenging the popularity of books, newspapers, and magazines. Many readers prefer the adjustable screens of cell phones, tablets, computers, or eReaders to the pages of a printed book.
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For thousands of years, animal extinction has been a problem all over the world. Due to ongoing human overpopulation and destruction of the environment, many animals including the mammoth, the passenger pigeon, and the bucardo goat are now extinct, while, tigers, elephants, and jaguars are on the brink of extinction. However, scientists may have created a breakthrough to keep these animals from extinction. Scientists’ call this breakthrough “de-extinction.”
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Do you know someone with diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, or cancer? Then you know the misery and death these diseases cause. Who knew the remedy for such diseases might lie in toxins from the venom of Gila monsters, snakes, scorpions, or cone snails? The “molecular gifts” of these animals can kill; but, in these cases, their poisons have already produced powerful medicines to treat diseases and hold promise for treatments and cures in the future.
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In order to save money, scientists at NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) are currently working to compress the size of solar panels, which are typically bulky and hard to transport. To do so, they have turned to a unique solution: origami.
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As the global population continues to expand, demands for energy have skyrocketed. With Earth’s limited supplies of fossil fuels, however, it is apparent that new forms of renewable energy must be found and developed in order to meet these demands.
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After decades without solutions, researchers may have developed a cure for type 1 diabetes. Recently, studies successfully converted stem cells into insulin-producing cells, and in sufficient quantities for transplantation, thus offering glimmers of hope to those battling this disease.
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Imagine you are in a world surrounded by zombies, skeletons, and creepers, a world where you can build whatever you want, fight monsters, and be creative and, most importantly, survive.
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Did you think our generation's technology would ever go waterproof? I didn't. So many cell phone and tablet users seem to lose their devices to liquid-related incidents. To combat this problem, some companies have recently come out with waterproof phones.
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Spacecraft, including unmanned probes, artificial satellites, and manned spacecraft, are highly-advanced technology required to operate in extreme conditions. All types of spacecraft have powerful rockets that help them reach space, survey the planet, explore the universe, and communicate.
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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is Hubble space telescope captures vivid pictures of different stars and galaxies never seen before. The Hubble rapidly orbits above our planet's atmosphere to view the universe more clearly than ground-based telescopes. It takes only 97 minutes for the Hubble to travel around the Earth.
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In today’s realm of high school and college sports, knee injuries are at an all-time high. More alarmingly, it is a well-known fact that women, in particular, are at a great risk of sustaining lower-extremity injuries. Scientists are now working to establish why this is.
One of the most debilitating injuries young athletes can suffer from is a torn ligament. In fact, over 90,000 anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears occur in high school and college athletes annually.
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One year following former National Security Agency systems analyst Edward Snowden’s release of controversial information regarding the U.S. and other countries’ wiretapping of citizens, a new report affirms privacy invasion is a growing issue on an international scale.
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The first-ever symposium about the future of zoos was held in Buffalo, New York. The conference, which discussed topics ranging from new designs for zoos to bioengineering the animals, was attended by zoo directors, animal behaviorists, conservationists, and architects.
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Internet users should be cautious when navigating the web. Scam artists and cyber criminals seek access to information like personal passwords, banking details, and social security numbers. Others may attempt to scam internet users by selling goods or taking money under false pretenses.
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Since Apollo 17, human beings have not traveled more than 380 miles above the Earth's surface. But later this year, that will change. NASA is currently working to build a capsule designed to send astronauts more than 3,600 miles into deep space.
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The Rosetta probe is a spacecraft that was launched into space March 2, 2004 by the European Space Agency. The unmanned probe was sent to pursue comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
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Thanks to the new technology of 3D printing, a bald eagle was recently able to recover from her traumatic accident. Beauty, the eagle, was the victim of a hunter’s shot. At the age of six, a bullet destroyed her upper beak.
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It is hard to imagine a world in which pollution is not an issue. Believe it or not, such a place does exist: in northern Europe, Sweden is one such world.
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The phrase “Houston, we have a problem” has been adopted into everyday life. It is a clever way of saying: “Uh-oh.” This phrase originated nearly 25 years ago on April 13th, 1970, when the Apollo 13 spacecraft experienced an accident.
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During the summer, mosquitoes are uninvited and unwanted guests. Keeping them away can be difficult. But Frank Swift, president of Swift Food and Equipment Incorporated in Philadelphia, has found a simple and effective way to fight mosquitoes without using smelly chemical repellants.
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For thousands of years, we have known the power of winds. In Greek mythology, the demigod Aeolus captured gusting winds in hollowed-out mountains, and released them by stabbing his sword into the earth. Today, scientists harken back to this notion, asking, can we store wind in rock?
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A new technology resembling Google Glass has the potential to help the visually impaired see through a new lens. Amnon Shashua, a well-known researcher and computer science professor at Hebrew University, has developed a new research for visually impaired individuals, making use of computer vision algorithms and artificial intelligence.
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Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields suffer from a huge gender imbalance. A start-up company called Roominate is trying to address a lack of women in engineering fields. They plan to use toys. Their goal is to interest girls in science and technology while they’re young. A new toy dollhouse aims to spark that interest.
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Have you ever wondered how prehistoric creatures moved or how their body structures were formed?
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To prevent the formation of blood clots during operations, surgeons have relied on blood thinners like heparin to do the trick. But new technology, using particles of gold too small to see or measure, has given researchers a way to stop blood clots for the procedure and restore them afterward.
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The Chinese are making an invisible fabric that people can hide behind -an invisibility cloak. And until now, it seemed like something impossible.
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Nothing sounds more like science fiction than a box that creates an entire meal from a gel-like substance, and then literally prints it out. As crazy as it seems, scientists believe that contraptions like this may actually exist in the next 20 years.
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Special education advocates see a growing role and value of robots as a remote teaching tool. Thanks to new technological advances in the fields of robotics, kids like Lexie Kinder can attend school.
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Malaria is a killer. It is a deadly disease carried by mosquitoes, and it is most prevalent in developing countries with subtropical or tropical climates.
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As medical technology advances, more people are getting their DNA decoded. Additionally, lower costs of genome sequencing attract many to the idea.
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Scientists at Stanford University in California are sending out a floating robot to track great white sharks in the Pacific.
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A newly-discovered technique might expand the use of wild silk worms. That could lead to new silk production in regions other than Asia.
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More than 30,000 years ago, an Ice Age squirrel hid its fruits and seeds in an underground burrow. Recently, a team of scientists led by Svetlana Yashin, of the Institute of Cell Biophysics at the Russian Academy of Sciences, resurrected a flower from the fruit tissue remains of this squirrel’s hidden treasure.
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Many people are familiar with the Big Bang Theory: a large explosion created the entire universe. However, most people are unfamiliar with how matter was formed. Scientists have theorized that the key to this puzzle is the Higgs particle.
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I sometimes lose my train of thought— as do many others. And what can we blame for this maddening behavior? According to science, the culprit is the anterior temporal lobe (ATL).
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Everyday new pop songs are blasting on the radio, Internet, and CD players for our entertainment. While you’re jamming to your favorite song, do you ever think of what it costs to produce such a song? Surprisingly, in many cases pop songs are worth millions of dollars. Yes, the catchy lyrics, and head nodding beats all come with a price. In fact, the song “Man Down” on Rihanna’s new album, “Loud”, cost around $1,078,000 to produce.
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Do you remember when Harry Potter used the invisibility cloak to get away from trouble? Well, Tufts and Boston University scientists have created the first actual invisibility cloak. It is made of silk and gold.
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Technology, especially in television, has improved significantly over time. From black and white to color, from poor sound quality to movie theater surround sound, and now from 2-D to 3-D, the way we watch television is constantly being reinvented.
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A new website, Zooniverse, is encouraging people to take part in scientific research and discovery. This is a large-scale, online science project. At least 270,000 citizen volunteers have contributed to more than 58 million classifications of astronomical objects.
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General Motors is finalizing the Chevy Volt, a rechargeable electric car that can travel an impressive 40 miles on battery power alone.
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The Toyota Prius was one of the first hybrid cars to gain popularity in the United States. Introduced worldwide in 2001, its sleek design and above average mileage attracted many buyers. Even its critics praised the innovation of a combination of petrol and electric, full hybrid vehicle. Toyota made its mark among the public by introducing the Prius into the global market.
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Three new electric cars are about to hit the market: the Tesla Roadster Sport, the Nissan Leaf, and the Chevy Volt.
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For several years stories have spread of a strange-looking bear that roams remote coastal areas near the Arctic Ocean. Until recently most scientists considered these stories nothing more than legend. But now DNA evidence confirms that a bear shot in 2006 is a polar bear-grizzly bear hybrid.
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Social networking and mobile phones are part of teen culture today. Many teenagers find smartphones appealing because they meld these two basic and essential components of popular culture. Like other mobile giants, Microsoft wants to tap into the potential of this industry by introducing its own version of smartphones.
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General Motors (GM) plans to spend $700 million on the production of an electric car, the Chevrolet Volt. With the opening of new plants in several parts of Michigan, this new rechargeable car will be a technological and economic boost for that state.
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Ever since the discovery of the induced pluripotent stem cell by Japanese Researcher Shinya Yamanaka and a UW research team led by James Thomson and Junying Yu, researchers have applauded the fact that controversial embryonic cells are no longer the only paths to medical progress.
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